Lest you have forgotten amidst the politics and other topics covered, we are serious Philadelphia fans on this blog, and we’ll be providing a lot of coverage once the baseball season starts. This offseason, we’ve been doing articles about the Phillies versus their National League opponents. Continuing on, let’s take a look at how the Phillies stack up against the San Francisco Giants. The Giants dished out the hugest deal ever to a pitcher when they landed Barry Zito this offseason (as covered here by this very blog), but does this make them that much stronger of a ballclub? How do the Phils match up? Well, keep reading and we’ll tell you. For a look at the Phils’ lineup and their offseason moves, click here.
One Giant Leap for a Baseball Team:
Signed SP Russ Ortiz for $380,000, one year
Signed SP Barry Zito for $126 million, seven years…yeah that’s right
Signed IF Rich Aurilia for $8 million, two years
Signed OF Dave Roberts for $18 million, three years
Re-signed 2B Ray Durham for $14.5 million, two years
Re-signed OF Barry Bonds for $15.8 million, one year
Giant Starting Rotation:
Barry Zito
Matt Cain
Noah Lowry
Matt Morris
Brad Hennessey
Closer: Armando Benitez
Question Marks: Russ Ortiz
San Fran Lineup:
1B Rich Aurilia
2B Ray Durham
SS Omar Vizquel
3B Pedro Feliz
LF Barry Bonds
CF Dave Roberts
RF Randy Winn
C Bengie Molina/Eliezer Alfonzo
Starting Rotation:
While the Giants certainly landed the biggest pitcher of the off season of pitchers that actually have a MLB game under their belts (we’re looking at you, Dice-K), the Phillies made their rotation a lot stronger. Also, the Giants lost Jason Schmidt to their hated rivals the Dodgers. So, economics aside, what kind of effect does losing Schmidt and gaining Zito have on this club? Let’s take a look at the numbers. Jason Schmidt had a lower ERA than Zito (3.59 vs. 3.83), but more importantly, Schmidt had a much lower DIPS (3.90 vs. 4.87). That DIPS shows Zito was a pretty lucky guy last year. Schmidt also had a much better K/9 (7.59 vs. 6.15) However, Zito did play in the American League, traditionally seen as harder to pitch to given the DH rule. Still, I don’t think you can make an argument that the Giants upgraded. At best, they broke even here (that’s not factoring in the money side of things). The real Giant to watch out for, in my opinion, is young gun Matt Cain. Cain’s DIPS was a little lower than his ERA, showing he was a little unlucky, and his K/9 is a serious 8.45. In baseball, the only starters with better than that are Peavy, Santana, Zamrbano, Myers, and Bonderman. So yeah, Cain is a big threat, and he is primed to become the true ace of this ball club. Still, I think the Phillies rotation is deeper, and ultimately, more proven. It’s hard to know what Cain and Zito will do this year, but we expect certain things out of guys like Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer.
Edge: Close one, but I have to go with the Phillies
Bullpen/Closer:
For once, I think the Phils might have an advantage here. Tim Worrell recently retired, and Armando Benitez is rather frequently injured. Not only that, but San Francisco ranked 15th of the 16 NL teams in bullpen E.R.A. with an atrocious 4.73. I haven’t noticed them doing anything to strengthen that pen, which is maybe where some of all that Zito bling could have gone. One interesting thing to see is how some teams (such as the Braves, the Mets) have decided to strengthen their bullpen this offseason, believing this is the answer, while others (the Phillies, the Giants) have gone after starters. I mean, I think a bullpen helps a team win down the stretch, but if your team has good enough starting pitcher, it shouldn’t come down to the last few weeks of the season and a desperate wild card hunt.
Edge: Phillies
Batting Lineup:
Well, the Giants do have one of the biggest and nastiest power hitters to ever play the game in their lineup, but he’s getting old, and so is almost everyone else out on that team. Randy Winn? Ray Durham? Come on. Baseball is a young man’s game these days, and the Phillies have the youth. Bonds isn’t the threat he once was (interesting article here about passing Aaron). I’m sure he’ll get a ridiculous number of intentional walks this year, but then, so will Ryan Howard. The Giants last year scored almost 120 less runs than the Phillies, had a lower batting average and OPS.
Edge: Phils
Defense:
Randy Winn looked solid out in Center Field, and everyone knows Omar Vizquel is a hero at shortstop. The team has average or above average fielders at pretty much every position except Left Field (where Bonds and his weak knees play), and I think they’ve proven themselves reliable backing up the pitcher. This is good news for Zito, who isn’t striking people out as often as the average ace starter.
Edge: Giants
Prediction:
The Phillies pounded the Giants last year, winning six of the seven meetings, and Zito or no Zito, I see no reason for that trend not to continue. The Giants still have zero offense and bullpen, and the Zito replacing Schmidt is hardly a huge upgrade. Check back next time when we'll head to the NL Central and piss off the Watercooler Warrior by attacking his beloved Cincinatti Reds.
Bottom Line: Phils win 5, Giants win 2.
For other entries in the series, check these out:
Phillies vs. Atlanta
Phillies vs. Houston
Phils vs. San Diego
Phils vs. Florida
Phils vs. Cubs
