Blanton the latest Phillies stud?

July 22, 2008   ·   Paul Raymond   ·   Jump to comments

Or better yet Joe Blanton the latest Phillies DUD! Yea it’s only one start but could be a sign to come for the newest Philadelphia Phillies pitcher. I’ve been one of many Phillies fans arguing that this was not a good trade, even for what they gave up. Let me take one more look at these arguments and tell you why again Joe Blanton is NOT the answer for the Phillies.

First, he dominates the New York Mets. That has been one of the biggest arguments I’ve heard over the past few days. Well guess what? His first appearance only thing he dominated was Johan Santana, and that was only when Blanton was at the plate. His final line score – 6 innings, 8 hits, 5 runs all earned, 3 walks only 1 strikeout, and what a surprise he continued to fork up the long ball with 2. Some call it nerves? I say BULL he was on the road, away from the Bank and shouldn’t of had any.

Second, he’s moving to the National League. Yea, for most pitchers this rings true. It happens way to often. But this time I don’t buy it, not ONE bit. In the American League, he played in the McAfee Coliseum. This is one of the most spacious ballparks in the bigs, it’s got 60 feet of foul territory behind home plate and even more down the lines. In Oakland, his numbers were seriously aided by all the foul territory there just like every other Oakland pitcher. Another problem is he does give up the long ball, 12 in his 20 starts this year. Well once he gets in to Citizens Bank those numbers should rise as the ball flies out of their as often as it did in Colorado when Coors Field was fun to watch. In addition his career era is a full run higher on the road, that won’t change.

While I do think Joe Blanton can be effective he is no where close to the #2 some fans are expecting. He can be a passable #3 at times, but is more likely a 4th starter. Regardless he will be better then Adam Eaton. Don’t expect much thou his era will continue to be in the 4.50 to 5.00 range, he’ll continue to walk batters more then he has at any point in his career. In the end, I’d say 6 or 7 out of 10 starts the Phillies will need to provide this guy with some run support.

His job is really going to be just eat some innings to keep those bullpen guys fresh for the other guys. They’ll need to be fresh for this playoff stretch thats coming, make sure you get to the Bank to watch and support. Maybe the Philly faithful can cheer him on, and will him to victory when he pitches at home.

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