Philadelphia Baseball History

Last year, three players, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, signed contracts worth in excess of $25 million per year to play baseball.   When baseball players sign such record breaking contracts, you often hear someone complain about our nation’s priorities, decrying that we value sports stars more than teachers. Of course, paying big money for star players is nothing new in baseball.   In 1925, Connie Mack paid $100,600 so Robert “Lefty” Grove could play for his Philadelphia Athletics.   That would be worth approximately $1.5 million in 2020.   This was the highest amount paid for a player at that time, exceeding even the $100,000 the Yankees paid the Red Sox for Babe Ruth in 1920 (estimates place the value of the Babe Ruth sale between $1.3 million and $1.5 million adjusted for inflation).   The problem, however, is that Lefty Grove received none of that money.   In 1925, Mack paid Grove a mere $6,500 (worth approximately $97,000 in 2020). The economics of baseb

This spring, Phillies right handed pitcher Vince Velasquez finds himself in a fierce competition for the last spot in the Phillies rotation for the start of the 2020 season.  This is familiar territory for Velasquez, as he has battled, not only in spring training, but also during the season, for a spot in the Phillies rotation since joining the team in 2015.  His strong right arm, which allows his to throw fastballs upwards of 97 mph, has given him an advantage at times.  But, his inconsistency, lack of command, and high pitch count have all contributed to his inability to solidly claim a starting role coming into the 2020 spring training season. Hailing from Montclair, California, Velasquez was drafted right out of high school, where he was a star shortstop and switch hitter.  Velasquez had pitched on occasion with Garey High School in Pamona, California.  His high school career showed the Houston Astros that he was a versatile athlete, prompting the Astros to draft Velasquez in t

It was late in the season in 2017.  The Phillies had already traded away the last of the members of the 2008 World Championship team.  Despite a fast start in April, including a six game winning streak at the end of the month, this was clearly a rebuilding year.  This was the second full season for team President Andy MacPhail and General Manager Matt Klentak, and while fans were asked to endure some difficult times, there was supposedly promise in the years to come.  Analysts promised fans that there was talent in the minor league system, just waiting to burst through and bring contention to the Phillies.  One such prospect was Rhys Hoskins. A fifth round draft pick in 2014, Hoskins impressed with his offensive prowess in the minors.  In 2015, spending half his season each at low A Lakewood, and high A Clearwater, Hoskins batted .319 with 17 home runs.  In the next season, he developed his power with AA Reading, hitting 38 home runs, just 2 behind his teammate and league leader Dy

“Meet me at the statue of the guy sliding into second.”   That’s what my friends and I often said to each other when we planned to take the subway down to Broad and Patterson to see a Phillies game.   The statue was right next to a ticket office, where we might sometimes splurge and ask for the best available seats.   Usually, however, we spent our time in the cheap seats in the upper deck. Veterans Stadium opened in 1971; a multipurpose stadium that seated over 70,000 for baseball and football games.   Considered state of the art at the time, it boasted two electronic scoreboards that could make cartoonish faces to represent the players on the field, and incite the crowd to cheer after critical plays. AstroTurf served as the playing surface, following the trend of time.   The Vet also almost became a dome, as Philadelphia craved the honor of hosting a Super Bowl one day. But Veterans Stadium was to be more than just merely the new steel and concrete home for the Phillies a