Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, and Joe Blanton have all been traded away for a variety of prospects. Players like Dom Brown, Nate Schierholtz, and B.J. Rosenberg are essentially getting tryouts at the major league level to see if they will be a part of the team's plans moving forward.
Despite the exodus of talent, the team ended up having one of its better weeks. They won two out of three games over both the Nationals and the Diamondbacks. Perhaps the team is more relaxed now that the pressure is essentially off.
Despite the team's success, there was one player who was not having a good week. In fact, he was suffering through one of the worst slumps of his career. But hopefully, what happened in the final at bat of Sunday's game will change that.
Featured Phillie of the Week: Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard is no stranger to slumps. In just about every season he has spent as a major leaguer he has gone through a rough patch where he strikes out frequently and looks absolutely lost at the plate.
The slump typically comes early in the season. But since Howard missed the first three months of the season, the slump was a bit delayed this year.
Heading into the final at-bat of yesterday's game, Howard had been struggling. He was only batting .208, and had been striking out in almost half of his at bats.
Of course that meant nothing on Sunday when he came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied. The bases were loaded with one out, so all Howard had to do was hit a semi-deep ball. He did even better than that, lacing a game-winning single into right field.
Howard has been notoriously streaky in his career. If Sunday's heroics signify the start of a hot streak, then the Phillies offense may become very dangerous.
Ghost of Phillies Past: J.R. Phillips
My mother actually liked J.R. Phillips. She thought he was a very good first baseman due to the way he would stretch for balls. Unfortunately, first basemen are expected to do more than merely stretch effectively. They also have to be able to hit a little.
Phillips didn't hit a little. He barely hit anything at all.
He had once been a highly touted prospect for the Giants. But after hitting just .195 in his rookie season, the Giants traded him to the Phillies. The Phillies were hoping that a change of scenery might help him. It certainly wasn't unheard of for a once touted rookie to fail with his original team and then find success elsewhere.
Phillips did not find success elsewhere. Aside from one game in which he somehow hit two home runs, his offensive production was just as pathetic with the Phillies as it had been with the Giants.
At the end of the season, the Phillies released him. He continued to float around the majors for a few years, but he never developed into a major league quality hitter.
Pennant Year Song of the Week
Some people considered Shane Victorino to be the heart and soul of the Phillies. He was involved in countless big moments over the past few years. But he is now an ex-Phillie.
In his honor, this week's song is from 1983. It is Separate Ways by Journey.
Phillies Related Tweet of the Week
From Matt Gelb (@mattgelb):
In one week, the Phillies changed 28 percent of their 25-man roster.
Yes, there has been a lot of turnover on the roster recently. And I expect there to still be more to come.
Final Analysis
Hopefully, Howard will soon snap out of his offensive funk. The Phillies need him to produce like the Ryan Howard of the past, and not like J.R. Phillips.
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