The Idea of a Six Man Rotation

Also featured on Phillies Nation.

Ruben Amaro Jr. made his point clear when he stated that J.A Happ is not leaving the starting rotation. That leaves the future for Jamie Moyer and Pedro Martinez up in the air, but Amaro has not ruled out the possibility of a six man rotation.

"It depends how you utilize it. You can be creative and set up the rotation so certain guys go every five days and other guys are pushed back. The fact of the matter is we're not there yet. But we are in a situation where we have six starters, and we'll see how creative we can be. We haven't discussed it yet. You never know what's going to happen over the next week to 10 days. We could have a guy go down right now. There are a lot of things that could happen over the next week to 10 days that could change our thinking completely."

There become less chances for the Phillies top-of-the line starters to pitch. With a five man rotation, each starter gets about 10-11 more starts. A six man rotation cuts that number down to 8-9. It would be better to see Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, J.A Happ and Joe Blanton get more starts, especially when Blanton and Hamels are improving as the year moves along and Lee and Happ have been superb all year.

The Phillies got Lee for a reason: so he can pitch every five days and dominate. Lee is like the 2009 version of CC Sabathia meaning that he switches leagues and shuts down the opponent. The only difference is that Lee will not have to pitch on three days of rest and be worn out for the postseason. But pitching on six days of rest may not be a good idea. Add in off-days and potential rain outs, Lee could see himself resting up to seven days. Of course, this applies to every other starter (Blanton, Happ, Hamels), and it is not such a smart idea. Some pitchers benefit from long rest. For others it takes them out of their rhythm.

There is only one off day in September, so a six man rotation becomes more practical. However, in the middle of a playoff chase, the Phillies want their ace to pitch every five days, at least until they can clinch a postseason spot.

All in all, the goal is to get Lee, Happ, Blanton, and Hamels as many starts as possible. Anything can happen, but right now, a six man rotation is still a thought. Probably not the best thought, but it is still an idea lingering in the mind of Amaro and Charlie Manuel.

PHOTO COURTESY: Phoul Ballz

Amaro's Top 10 as GM

Originally featured on Phillies Nation.

When the Philadelphia Phillies named Ruben Amaro Jr. as their General Manager, I had my doubts. The Stanford graduate has proved me wrong and has made some terrific moves in the eight months he has be GM. The Lee trade was the icing on the cake.

Here are his top 10 moves since becoming the Phillies GM:

10) Acquired John Mayberry Jr. from Texas in exchange for Greg Golson.

Time will tell about this speed for power deal. Mayberry has minimal playing time, but Mayberry is more likely to put up the better offensive numbers in the future, while Golson tallies the steals.

9) Released So Taguchi.

Two days after becoming the GM, Amaro made his first move. Taguchi batted .220 and had a .580 OPS while with the World Champion Phillies in 2008. The Chicago Cubs signed Taguchi to a minor league contract, but hasn't played in the majors since.

8) Signed Pedro Martinez.

Time will tell for this move, but it's not a bad deal on paper. The Phillies get a former Cy Young winner, and cheaper than expected. It's only one year, so it can't hurt.

7) Avoided arbitration with Shane Victorino, Chad Durbin, Ryan Madson and Joe Blanton.

Amaro didn't overpay any of them after each of them had a phenomenal 2008 season. Victorino: 1 year, $3.125M; Durbin: 1 year, $1.365; Madson: 3 year, $12 million; Blanton: 1 year, $1.475.

6) Released Adam Eaton.

This is self-explanatory.

5) Signed Ryan Howard to a 3-year deal.

Many believed Howard would go through arbitration every year, receiving more money each year until he reached free agency and offered Alex Rodriguez type money. This deal was a safe bet, eating out Howard's arbitration years. The contract is $54 million.

4) Signed Chan Ho Park.

Park was signed to a one year $2.5 million contract. Park earned his way into the rotation, but struggled. However, since joining the bullpen, Park is 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA. Opponents are batting .222 against him.

3) Signed Cole Hamels to a three year deal.

The reigning NLCS and World Series MVP was signed cheap; only $20.5 million for the course of three years. Hamels is having an off year, but he is still the Phillies ace and has showed signs of rebounding.

2) Signed Raul Ibanez.

Pat Burrell who? Ibanez is batting .305 with 26 home runs and 74 RBI. He has a 1.009 on-base plus slugging percentage.

1) Traded Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco, and Jason Knapp to Cleveland Indians for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco.

This is a steal. The Phillies get the reigning Cy Young winner, plus a much need right-handed bat. The best prospects, Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown, Michael Taylor and J.A Happ were not part of the deal, which is huge for the club's future.

Amaro's Report Card

An IronPigs blog, IRONPIGPEN, The Pork Stops Here! asked me to give a report card for Ruben Amaro Jr.'s "first semester", his first year as a General Manager. To see what IRONPIGPEN thinks of my grading system, click the link!

Offseason Trades: C

There really were not too many trades. I am giving him a C on this because he did not get an established Right-Handed Bat or Left-Handed Relief Pitcher.

Free Agents Signings from Other Teams: B+

Raul Ibanez and Chan Ho Park were really the only two. Like the other trades, he didn’t really get a Left-Handed Relief Pitcher or Right-Handed Hitter. Ibanez is a good addition, but (Pat) Burrell was a better option. Plus, Burrell was cheaper.

Free Agents Re-signed from the 2008 Phillies: A

Amaro did an awesome job of signing the arbitration eligible players. Plus he signed Moyer, who was key to the Phillies last season. However, he let Burrell go, so I can’t give an A+.

Bullpen Pitching Staff*- (AP Project): C+

The relief pitching is down from last year. I’ll give Amaro a C. Once Romero is back the grade will go up. But Amaro did not really do anything great to improve the bullpen. Park, if he does not start, but that’s about it.

Parent-Teacher Confrence: Want more of IRONPIGPEN? Not only can you visit his site, but coming up on Friday we're going to start asking him questions on the IronPigs, prospects, and baseball in general.