Phillies Nation

Phillies Nation Fantasy II: Adrian’s Revenge

Posted by Brian Michael, Thu, February 09, 2006 07:37 PM

Due to popular demand, we have created a second fantasy baseball league.  Hence forth this new league will be known as the Schuylkill Division, while the first signups will be part of the Delaware Division.  As stated earlier a grand prize will be awarded to the winner – just now there is more competition.  Have no fear, the stakes will raise accordingly assuming we fill up both leagues.

To sign up for the Schuykill Division, click this link and enter the information below:

League ID:   75457
Password:   wildthing

The draft for the Schuykill Division is tentatively scheduled for March 29 at 8pm.  Sign up now!

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Fantasy Baseball with Phillies Nation Friends

Posted by Brian Michael, Thu, February 09, 2006 06:04 AM

The official Phillies Nation sponsored Fantasy Baseball league has been established and ready for signup.  There is room for 11 more teams so signup soon before it’s too late.  The draft will be sometime in March so if you sign up now you’ll have plenty of time to read the latest editions of both The Bill James Handbook and Baseball Prospectus 2006 and develop your cunning strategy.  A prize will be awarded to the winner courtesy of PhilliesNation.com but I’m not sure what it will be yet.  At first I thought tickets, but quickly realized the fantasy and real seasons end at the same time – though Phillies playoff tickets might still be a possibility.  But seriously folks, it’ll probably be some Phillies paraphernalia from the Phillies Nation store.

Ok, so the name of the league is Phillies Fans Invitational.  To join, click on the link and enter the following information (You’ll also need a Yahoo! account to signup):

League ID: 30962
Password: harryk

Remember there’s just 52 days until Opening Day.  Good luck.

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High Expectations for Shane Victorino

Posted by Brian Michael, Wed, February 01, 2006 07:53 PM

Though there will be several new faces on the Phillies 2006 roster, some of the best potential for new contributors lay in those players that were on the club last season but will be seeing more playing time.  While Chase Utley is the obvious example here, with the departures of Jason Michaels, Kenny Lofton, and Endy Chavez, there will be a lot more of Shane Victorino in the lineup.  Earlier today the Baseball Prospectus 2006 preview made it around to the Phillies and Jeff Hildebrand (of the under-construction Phillies Foul Balls) noted that Victorino is due for a breakout season:

Last year’s PECOTA projection didn’t see much future for [Victorino], projecting a .240 EQA and a -2.2 VORP.  In light of all that, this year’s PECOTA projection is nothing short of astounding, with an EQA of .266 and an a VORP of 18.4. What accounts for the change? In short, he finally put together the ability to handle the strike zone with a respectable amount of power. During his previous seasons he had occasionally shown decent plate discipline or a flash of power, but never both at the same time. Something fell into place last season and he was able to put up a .377 OBP at Scranton while still hitting 59 extra base hits.

…and as we all remember his 21 games for the Phillies at the end end of the season showed that he can contribute regularly and on occasion be counted on in the clutch.

So there will be a little bit of pressure riding on Shane this season.  He will see regular playing time in all the outfield positions - especially if Charlie Manuel reads our last post about giving Abreu a few days rest next year, but also if Burrell relieves Howard at first for any number of games.  If the latter does actually happen when a lefty is on the mound for the opposition, it could be a win-win situation in sitting Howard.  In switch-hitting Shane Victorino’s one and only AB versus a lefty last season he hit a 3-run home run.  Now of course that can’t happen all the time, nor should Howard not be given the chance to learn to hit lefties but it is nonetheless an interesting fact for Manuel to keep in mind when drafting the lineup.  Thus he should be a more than adequate replacement for Jason Michaels with significantly less off field drama.

Finally, a quick announcement:  Phillies Nation will be hosting a fantasy baseball league for the 2006 season – so order the new Baseball Prospectus, pop your Excel sheets open and get ready for a marathon year of roto fun.  More details as to where it will be organized through, prizes and availability will be coming in the next month but feel free to start getting excited now!

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