Around the horn: Starting rotation
01/05/2006 1:22 PM ET
By Ken Mandel / MLB.com
Following is the first in a series of weekly stories on MLB.com examining each Major League club, position by position. Each Wednesday until Spring Training camps open, we'll preview a different position. Today: Starting rotation.
PHILADELPHIA -- Jon Lieber, Brett Myers and Cory Lidle should start the opening three games of the 2006 regular season against the Cardinals, followed by Ryan Franklin's National League debut.
After that, it's anybody's guess.
Still, needing to fill one slot isn't the worst position to be in heading into Spring Training, providing nothing happens to the first four.
Much depends on Lieber's ability to again anchor the staff after an inaugural 17-win campaign with the Phillies. The veteran proved that his Tommy John surgery is well in the past, and logged his first 200-plus-inning season since 2001, when he posted 20 wins.
The right-hander started brilliantly in an Opening Day win over the Nationals, and galloped to a 5-1 start with a 2.57 ERA. His worst stretch followed from May 12-June 30, when he went 3-7 with a 7.48 ERA. Lieber recovered for the stretch run, going 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA in his final seven outings, keeping the Phillies in the thick of the National League Wild Card race.
"He kept us in a lot of games [in September], and that was big for us," said manager Charlie Manuel. "He's a hard worker, and it showed."
Lieber is also one of the game's quickest workers, and he succeeds by keeping hitters alert by staying around the plate. Lieber ranked fifth in the NL in fewest walks per nine innings, issuing just 1.69.
Myers provides a hard-throwing complement to Lieber, and he established himself as a stud in his third full Major League season. Despite winning 25 games in his previous two seasons, the 25-year-old faced whispers about his makeup and conditioning habits, and louder discussions about his strained relationship with former pitching coach Joe Kerrigan.
But the righty thrived under new pitching coach Rich Dubee's laid-back style and benefited from another year of experience. Part of it can be attributed to a refined delivery, which he described as similar to the one he used in the Minor Leagues. Another contributor was a split-finger fastball he introduced to right-handers.
Mostly, Myers blossomed through the natural maturation process. It was easy to forget that Myers was so young during the previous seasons, since everyone expected instant brilliance, and poor results weren't acceptable. Myers said during the season that negative media comments fueled his motivation. He set career bests in starts (34), innings (215 1/3), strikeouts (208) and ERA (3.72). Myers began the season on fire, posting a 1.69 ERA over his first 10 starts. Overall, the Phillies went 21-13 in his starts.
Myers' polar opposite is Lidle, a reliable arm who has earned his reputation as an innings eater. The veteran logged 184 2/3 innings in 2005, posting a 4.53 ERA while starting at least 30 games for the fourth straight season. He was slowed by a strained left oblique muscle, but pitched well in September.
The Phillies and Lidle would like to see less of the Jekyll and Hyde characteristic of last season. The righty posted a 3.38 ERA in his 13 wins and a 7.17 ERA in his 11 losses. The Phillies would like to see more consistency.
In Franklin, who agreed to a one-year, $2.6 million deal on Thursday, the Phillies hope to have another durable veteran, and they hope the righty can rebound from an 8-15 season with a 5.10 ERA. It also included a 10-day suspension for violating baseball's steriods policy, though Franklin said he had "no idea" how he tested positive.
If anybody notice during the Phillies/Giants game the Phillies fans had a huge banner saying Babe Ruth did it on beer and hotdogs. Tell me this witch hunt isn't a joke.