Steve Phillips' NL Central comments

[Socnorb11]

STEVE PHILLIPS
The St. Louis fans are among the best in the game, and I suspect when Ankiel comes up, they will let him know how much they appreciate his perseverance. It is a remarkable story, and he should be credited. I don't know what they're waiting for, because they need to generate offense any way they can. It would be even better if he could pitch and play the outfield, wouldn't it?

there are so many things wrong with this i dont know where to start

Like what?

[Hungary Jack]

STEVE PHILLIPS
The St. Louis fans are among the best in the game, and I suspect when Ankiel comes up, they will let him know how much they appreciate his perseverance. It is a remarkable story, and he should be credited. I don't know what they're waiting for, because they need to generate offense any way they can. It would be even better if he could pitch and play the outfield, wouldn't it?

there are so many things wrong with this i dont know where to start

If you look up "moronic" in the Dictionary-by-Example you will find Phillips' statement. The scary thing is that he actually has a few moments to think about what he'll type before he actually types.

[Socnorb11]

STEVE PHILLIPS
The St. Louis fans are among the best in the game, and I suspect when Ankiel comes up, they will let him know how much they appreciate his perseverance. It is a remarkable story, and he should be credited. I don't know what they're waiting for, because they need to generate offense any way they can. It would be even better if he could pitch and play the outfield, wouldn't it?

there are so many things wrong with this i dont know where to start

If you look up "moronic" in the Dictionary-by-Example you will find Phillips' statement. The scary thing is that he actually has a few moments to think about what he'll type before he actually types.

I guess I'm not seeing how that's inaccurate. What am I missing here?

[Fat Strat]

I'm not seeing it either.

We have the best fans in the game, and we will cheer our hearts out for Ankiel when he comes up, no doubt about it. It will probably be the loudest ovation a player receives this season.

As far bringing him up, Phillips expressed an opinion that some on this board share. You could certainly bring him up right now in a bench spot and there is some chance that he would spark this offense a little.

It might not be the best move for Ankiel, since he still needs a little seasoning at the plate, but he sure is hitting the crap out of the ball, and offense has been a problem so far for the Cards.

And it would be even better if he could pitch and play the OF.

[Hungary Jack]

STEVE PHILLIPS
The St. Louis fans are among the best in the game, and I suspect when Ankiel comes up, they will let him know how much they appreciate his perseverance. It is a remarkable story, and he should be credited. I don't know what they're waiting for, because they need to generate offense any way they can. It would be even better if he could pitch and play the outfield, wouldn't it?

there are so many things wrong with this i dont know where to start

If you look up "moronic" in the Dictionary-by-Example you will find Phillips' statement. The scary thing is that he actually has a few moments to think about what he'll type before he actually types.

I guess I'm not seeing how that's inaccurate. What am I missing here?

I don't know what they're waiting for, because they need to generate offense any way they can.

This is ignorant because 1) Ankiel is out of options, and bringing him up now would probably necessitate him keeping a spot on the 25-man for the rest of the season. He likely would get claimed if sent down. 2) His power is impressive, but his inability to work counts and draw walks raises serious questions about his readiness to hit ML pitching. He needs to play everyday to learn to work counts. 3) J-Rod would be a better option if the Cards needed to add a LH power hitter from AAA. J-Rod has big league credentials, remaining options, and a high OBP.

It would be even better if he could pitch and play the outfield, wouldn't it?

Tha's like saying that Jason Marquis should play RF when he's not starting because he's a good hitter. ML players simply don't do double-duty like this. Why even go there with Ankiel?

[skmsw]

he sure is hitting the crap out of the ball

I haven't seen Ankiel this year. I know he's had some homer binges, but how well is he really hitting the ball?

2007:
127 balls in play
41 ground balls
57 fly balls
14 pop flies (20% of his flies do not leave the infield)
15 line drives (11.8%)

I'm not sure how well he's hitting the ball.

[MDCardsFan]

Just out of curiosity, how do we know that the "mental blocks" that affected Ankiel's pitching won't affect his hitting?

...because he'd have to bat backwards to hit the backstop netting.

[JL21]

he sure is hitting the crap out of the ball

I haven't seen Ankiel this year. I know he's had some homer binges, but how well is he really hitting the ball?

2007:
127 balls in play
41 ground balls
57 fly balls
14 pop flies (20% of his flies do not leave the infield)
15 line drives (11.8%)

I'm not sure how well he's hitting the ball.

At AAA, in his third season as a player, without having played a game in over a year. The bigger question to me isn't "What are those numbers?" but "Are those numbers changing for the better?".

[Hungary Jack]

he sure is hitting the crap out of the ball

I haven't seen Ankiel this year. I know he's had some homer binges, but how well is he really hitting the ball?

2007:
127 balls in play
41 ground balls
57 fly balls
14 pop flies (20% of his flies do not leave the infield)
15 line drives (11.8%)

I'm not sure how well he's hitting the ball.

Agreed. Ryan Ludwick had better peripherals when he was summoned from AAA, and he hasn't exactly been mashing it up here. I don't see how Ankiel can do any better right now.

[Socnorb11]

STEVE PHILLIPS
The St. Louis fans are among the best in the game, and I suspect when Ankiel comes up, they will let him know how much they appreciate his perseverance. It is a remarkable story, and he should be credited. I don't know what they're waiting for, because they need to generate offense any way they can. It would be even better if he could pitch and play the outfield, wouldn't it?

there are so many things wrong with this i dont know where to start

If you look up "moronic" in the Dictionary-by-Example you will find Phillips' statement. The scary thing is that he actually has a few moments to think about what he'll type before he actually types.

I guess I'm not seeing how that's inaccurate. What am I missing here?

I don't know what they're waiting for, because they need to generate offense any way they can.

This is ignorant because 1) Ankiel is out of options, and bringing him up now would probably necessitate him keeping a spot on the 25-man for the rest of the season. He likely would get claimed if sent down. 2) His power is impressive, but his inability to work counts and draw walks raises serious questions about his readiness to hit ML pitching. He needs to play everyday to learn to work counts. 3) J-Rod would be a better option if the Cards needed to add a LH power hitter from AAA. J-Rod has big league credentials, remaining options, and a high OBP.

It would be even better if he could pitch and play the outfield, wouldn't it?

Tha's like saying that Jason Marquis should play RF when he's not starting because he's a good hitter. ML players simply don't do double-duty like this. Why even go there with Ankiel?

I think you took Phillips' last statement WAY too seriously. Perhaps he needed a blue font? I strongly doubt that Phillips truly wants Ankiel to pitch AND play the outfield.

Phillips admits that he doesn't know what the Cardinals are waiting for. Phillips probably didn't have the time (or the inclination) to look up Ankiel's walk rate, or pitches per at-bat, or how many pop flies he's hit. Do you really expect an ESPN analyst to do that kind of research to answer chat questions? That said, you can't deny that Ankiel is generating alot of run production. Furthermore, his on-base-percentage is largely a result of a horrid April, when he only had a .280 OBP. In May, it was .349. In June, it's .419.

Now, you and I know that he's probably better off getting everyday at-bats at AAA, but I wouldn't expect Phillips to do the research that we've done........... nor do I think it makes him a "moron" because he believes that Ankiel could help the Cardinals.