Bryce Yourselves - Harper is a Phillie

Thirteen years. $330 million. After months of rumors and doubt, Bryce Harper is a Phillie.

I wanted Manny Machado. I've never been that big of a Harper fan. But I will say he immediately makes this team better. I mean, realistically, who would you rather have out in right field-Harper or Nick Williams? I think Harper is largely a product of hype and Scott Boras. But hype doesn't win MVP awards. Talent does. And Harper has tons.

Harper will be an absolute beast playing 81 games a season at CBP. In 50 career games in Philadelphia, Harper has 14 homers in 208 at-bats. That's 1 HR every 14.86 at-bats. Of course, it was against the Phillies, but he'll be able to feast on pitchers from all over from now on.

Thirteen years is an insanely long contract. I'm sure the Phillies are counting on the DH coming to the National League in the very near future. That's the only way I see him surviving the length of the contract without breaking down.

So where does Harper fit in manager Gabe Kapler's lineup? I kinda like the looks of this:
Jean Segura SS
Cesar Hernandez 2B
Bryce Harper RF
Rhys Hoskins 1B
JT Realmuto C
Andrew McCutchen RF
Odubel Herrera CF
Maikel Franco 3B

Harper and Hoskins each have the ability to hit 40 homers and drive in 100 runs. Realmuto and McCutchen should be good for 25 each. This team is going to score a ton of runs and should be the favorites to win the NL East.

I think they're done tinkering with the roster for now. I look for them to add a starting pitcher over the summer. Maybe Cole Hamels will come home if the Cubs underachieve. I wanted him last year.

But for now, let's bask in the glory of Philadelphia being a baseball destination again. Baseball is back and there's only 4 weeks until Opening Day.

Must-See TV

We interrupt the seemingly decades-long wait for free agent Bryce Harper to sign to bring you this reminder-real, live Phillies baseball is on TV today!

As you may have heard, team owner John Middleton's private jet was reportedly flown to Las Vegas, which happens to be Harper's home town. No word out of Vegas if anything has transpired, but we'll keep you posted.

New guys Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura, and JT Realmuto are all in the starting lineup for the first home game of the spring in Clearwater. It's good to watch live baseball again.

The lineup looks like this:
Hernandez 2B
Segura SS
McCutchen RF
Hoskins 1B
Realmuto C
Altherr CF
Lane Adams (who?) LF
Brantly (who two?) DH
Walding (LOL) 3B

It's Finally Here

Sure, it's 32 degrees here in Philly and most schools in the area are opening late today because of the slop falling out of the sky, but it's finally spring. Yes, the most glorious words in the English language are being uttered today - pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

But it's not just pitchers and catchers who have arrived in Clearwater, Fla. Lots of regulars are already in camp, including Rhys Hoskins, Odubel Hererra, and brand-catcher JT Realmuto.

But the talk of spring training is going to be about who isn't in Clearwater–or anywhere else for that matter. We're still waiting to hear where Bryce Harper and Manny Machado will sign. It's been an exhausting off-season waiting for these two to make up their minds. At this point, I'm getting used to the idea that neither will be a Phillie.

But enough of the negadelphianism. Spring is here and baseball is back. And there was much rejoicing.

Realmuto's a 10

New Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto will wear uniform number 10 with the team. The number has been worn by former Phillies greats Larry Bowa, Bill White, and Darren Daulton.

A number of not-so greats have also worn 10. They include Ben Francisco, Juan Pierre, Trevor Plouffe, Geoff Jenkins, Travis Lee, Boom Boom Beck, and the immortal Vito Tamulis. Here's the complete list of every Phillie and their number.

Truck Day!

Today is the day the Phillies fill up a couple of moving vans and schlep everything they need for Spring Training, which gets under way next week in Clearwater, FL. What's on the trucks, you may ask?

• 2400 baseballs
• 2000 shirts
• 1200 bats
• 600 pairs of pants
• 350 pairs of shorts
• 300 pairs of batting gloves
• 140 batting helmets
• 75 pairs of baseball spikes
• 40 heavy jackets
• 12 sets of golf clubs
• 6 bikes
• 1 hot dog launcher
• 1 Phanatic ATV

It's almost here. Can you feel it?

The Best in the Business

New Phillies catcher JT Realmuto is widely regarded as the best catcher in baseball. He's going to get even better playing 81 games a year in Philadelphia.

As a lifelong Marlin, Realmuto played in cavernous Marlins Park, the place where baseballs go to die (unless they're mashed by mutants like Giancarlo Stanton. In 260 games at Marlins Park, his OPS was a very pedestrian .678. In 280 games away from home, his OPS is .848. That's a difference of 170  points.

The Phils gave up a lot to get Realmuto, but it takes quality to get quality. They gave up powerful young catcher and human strikeout machine Jorge Alfaro, previously untouchable pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez, minor league pitcher Will Stewart, and slot money for international signings.

Sanchez has pitched just 221 minor league innings and had elbow issues last season. But when he has pitched, he's been electrifying. He's struck out 191 and walked just 43. Stewart is a ground ball pitcher who went 8-1 at Lakewood in the deep minors. People (myself included) were treating Sanchez like he was going to be the second coming of Pedro Martinez.

Here's the thing. Prospects are like lottery tickets. They rarely pay off. Realmuto is a winning lottery ticket. He's a five-tool player and makes the Phils so much better for the season that starts seven weeks from today. He's great offensively, defensively, and on the bases. He's faster than every catcher and most outfielders.

General manager Matt Klentak is still waiting to hear if Bryce Harper or Manny Machado will accept the Phillies offer of stupid money and spend the next six to 10 years at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils have already improved the team so much from last season. Realmuto, Segura, McCutcheon, and Robertson bring this team closer to 90 wins and meaningful baseball in October. Another free agent or two could put them over the top.

Phillies Wall of Fame Voting Open

The Phillies sent me an email today, asking me for my input. They do that a lot. Except today I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one they contacted.

Voting has opened for the Phillies Wall of Fame. This summer, a former Phillie will be immortalized in the team's Wall of Fame at Citizens Bank Park. And this year's ballot is about as exciting as last night's Super Bore game.

The nominees include outfielder Bobby Abreu, Cy Young Award winning closer Steve Bedrosian, pitching coach Rich Dubee, 1993 Phillies manager Jim Fregosi, reliever Gene Garber, outfielder Doug Glanville, outfielder Bake McBride, infielder Placido Polanco, former Rookie of the Year Scott Rolen, and second baseman Manny Trillo.

You get to vote for 3 players. Abreu and Rolen were easy decisions for me. And I voted for Manny Trillo, because I always liked him. Abreu was a polarizing player here. The statheads loved him, and the talk radio types despised him. Abreu's career WAR was 60.0, ahead of Hall of Famers Yogi Berra and Vladimir Guerrero. In his 9 years with the Phils, Abreu posted a .928 OPS with 195 HR and 814 RBI. But the talk radio types claimed Abreu didn't play hard enough or said he was "allergic" to outfield walls. But Abreu has the second-highest OPS in franchise history.

Rolen was another polarizing player. He demanded a trade after deciding the Phils would never be good enough to contend. Still, Rolen's career WAR is 70.2, which is in the top 100 of players in the history of the game. He hit 150 HR for the Phils with an OPS of .877.

You can vote here. Voting runs through Feb. 28 and the ceremony will be held Aug. 3.

Signs of the Season

I don't give a shit what a rodent from Pennsyltucky says about the weather. As far as I'm concerned, spring starts a week from Wednesday in Clearwater, when Phillies pitchers and catchers report for their first official workouts of the season.

It's that glorious time of the year when everyone reports to camp in the best shape of their lives. Many players are already down there, working out and getting ready for what should be a really interesting season.

Every team in the NL East has gotten better, except for the Marlins. The Phillies have added shortstop Jean Segura, outfielder Andrew McCutcheon, and pitchers David Robertson, Juan Nicasio, and James Pazos. Those last three should really help the bullpen.

And this team could get even better if Bryce Harper and Manny Machado ever make up their freaking minds. This free agency soap opera has played out for waaaaaaaaay too long. If the Phils sign Harper, they need to move an outfielder. If they sign Machado, they need to get rid of an infielder. And pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel are still unsigned.

Just sign somewhere, for chrissakes.

The Phils did sign a fomer MVP and All-Star this week. But it was Jimmy Rollins, who will be a spring training instructor and front office VP of something or other. It's good to see Jimmy back in the fold, but it's not the signing everybody is waiting for. Enough already.