Phillies Starting Staff Underrated?

As the end of July slowly looms upon the baseball world, the annual trade rumors and excitement of the division races grow intense. Out of the many rumors that have already been established, one of the most exciting possible deals includes former Cy Young award winner and ace for the Toronto Blue Jays, Roy Halladay. Halladay, one of the greatest right-handed starting pitchers in the game today, is 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA, 106 K’s, 3 complete games, and over 120 innings thrown. Aside from the stats, he has that “fierce competitor personality” when he steps onto the pitching mound, a trait that scouts look for and a trait that any team would love to have. He has the desire to win, and each batter he sends back to the dugout is a small victory. Now please, tell me this, who would not LOVE to have this type of big-game pitcher on their team? Absolutely no one.


As a diehard Phillies fan hoping for a repeat in ’09, I would be ecstatic if Halladay was traded to the Phillies. He would bolster this somewhat inconsistent starting staff into an unstoppable force. Now, if the Phillies do not end up trading away for the Blue Jays’ ace, I wouldn’t be crying. Everyone is so focused on improving the Phillies starting staff after they have been displeased from their performance in the beginning of the year. But, if they just take their minds off all of the trade talk and speculations, they might be pleasantly surprised.

The Phillies starting staff entered the 2009 season horribly. Not one pitcher was on his A game, and it looked as if the Phillies weren’t going to be able to compete in the NL east. Now, just before the end of the 1st half, the numbers began to improve, along with their confidence. Just look at the numbers.

Over the last 30 days (includes the All-Star Break):

J.A. Happ: 2-0, 2.00 era, 24 strikeouts, 36 innings pitched

Joe Blanton: 2-0, 2.81 era, 26 strikeouts, 32 innings pitched

Jamie Moyer: 5-0, 4.58 era, 21 strikeouts, 35.1 innings pitched

Fill ins (for the season):

Antonio Bastardo: 2-3, 6.75 era, 19 strikeouts

Rodrigo Lopez: 1-0, 3.18 era, 8 strikeouts, 2 walks

When you take a look at the stats for the regular starting pitchers in the last 30 days, it is a great sign to see and hopefully gives us insight on how the second half of the season is going to turn out. The only exception to the Phillies recently great starting pitching is their ace, Cole Hamels (how ironic!). In the last 30 days, Hamels is 1-3 with a 5.76 era, 23 strikeouts, and just about 30 innings pitched. If the Phillies are going to get anywhere near where they ended up in 2008, they are going to need Hamels to step it up in the second half.

Do the Phillies really need Halladay? Probably not. Do the Phillies really want Halladay? YES! The Phillies would be locked up for first place in the division if they traded for Halladay, not to mention the success they could have in the post-season. Halladay would without a doubt be a boost in the starting rotation, but if they didn’t get him, the Phillies current underrated starting staff would live on. Just look at the numbers.