Why Myers & Durbin Should Pull the Old Switcheroo

Chad Durbin has done a great job in long-relief this year. As a starter, Brett Myers has been, well, less than stellar. Myers is giving up a lot of home runs, after a good season in the bullpen.

The solution to all of this? Switch'em. Myers is 238 pounds. He has to put his whole weight into his arm when he pitches. This tires it out quickly. For this reason, many big men, such as Bob Wickman, made their name out in the bullpen. Myers was showing signs of greatness as a blossoming closer last year, but necessity made a move back to the rotation a common-sense one. The acquisition of Brad Lidge made it even more necessary. However, now we're discovering that Myers is having trouble developing consistency as an ace.

That being said, I think the Phillies should take some time to try out some other guys in his rotation spot. It's going to mess up Myers' rhythm, but then again, what rhythm is there to mess up? The way he's pitching, I would not want to see him on the hill in October. He'll be a solid reliever, like last year, and he'll be very happy with it. He may even be good trade bait come mid-season. I hate saying this but Myers is built as a closer, and the Phillies aren't the kind of team that can afford to experiment with his versatility. Durbin has been solid, so they should try him out in that spot.

Player Rankings

This season has been full of ups and downs galore in terms of the way the Phillies players have performed. So, with many players slumping, it's time to give out our first Phillies' player rankings.

1) Chase Utley- As the Phillies' superstars go, Utley has been the only one thus far to live up to the expectations. He's been great at the plate, and his 14 homers is tied for best in the majors. If Utley can stay healthy and continue to play consistently, he'll no doubt be one of the top contenders for the league MVP award.
2) Brad Lidge- Lidge's 2008 success isn't a big shock to anybody, but the way he's regained his dominance is not what most people expected. Coming off his injury, he realized he'd have to focus more on control and movement than pitch speed, and now he's developed a devastating slider to go with his still-sharp heater. I have to admit, even though he's my favorite player on the team, I chuckled when I first saw "Lights-Out Lidge" on the scoreboard at Citizen's Bank Park. However, he's more than lived up to the nickname.
3) Pat Burrell- Unlike previous years Burrell's actually living up to his high salary ($14 million), providing the power the middle of the lineup desperately needs with Ryan Howard slumping. The question is whether or not Burrell can overcome his struggles with mid-season slumps.
4) Cole Hamels- Cole hasn't pitched as well as many would have expected, but it's too early to worry about him slightly cooling off. If his ERA is still over 3 by August, then it's worth discussing, but for now, he's doing his job well.
5) Jimmy Rollins- Rollins probably won't match his 2007 MVP performance this season, but he's still the best leadoff man in baseball, hands down. He's looking like his injury won't have much of a lingering effect on his speed.
6) Chad Durbin- Durbin's 24.0 innings pitched and 1.50 ERA have offered the Phillies the long-relief they've been searching for. With the starting pitchers struggling, expect Durbin to continue to play a large role, whether it's long-relief or possibly starting. A rare kudos to Pat Gillick for snatching Durbin up for less than a million dollars.
7) J.C. Romero- If you're going to be the only reliable lefty in the bullpen, you'd better pitch well. Romero's continued his good work from 2007, probably leaving Theo Epstein with some slight regret over cutting him last year.
8) Rudy Seanez- The righty has as ERA of 1.59, but only has 14 appearances. It's incredible when you consider four out of our top eight players are relievers. Wait a minute... WE HAVE THE LOWEST BULLPEN ERA IN BASEBALL?!?! THE PHILLIES?!?!? Wow, who would've thought...
9) Greg Dobbs- Dobbs .327 average is incredible when you consider he's not even a regular starter, or even part of a platoon. The Phillies would never replace Howard or Feliz with him though, although Dobbs could play in the outfield. The interesting thing here is that as mostly baseless Ryan Howard trade rumors circulate, you have to wonder if they might gain validity as Dobbs keeps getting better and better.
10) Chris Coste- I don't care if he's the backup catcher on a team filled with superstars. I personally watched Coste start rally after rally in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to the Braves, in which he went 4-4. He's batting .339, and that's no fluke.
11) Jayson Werth- Werth has managed to overshadow his platoon partner Geoff Jenkins, even against right-handed hitters. He continues to defy expectations.
12) Tom Gordon- Gordon hasn't given up a run in over a month, amounting to 11.2 scoreless innings in which he has only allowed 6 hits and 4 walks. This is impressive given Gordon's dim outlook after his early struggles, but kudos to him for picking up his game.
13) Geoff Jenkins- His mediocre start doesn't seem to be worth $6.5 million a year, but it's still early. He'll get less and less playing time as Werth gets better and better.
14) Kyle Kendrick- Kendrick is definitely showing signs supporting the universal sophomore curse, but he's been getting better as the season has progressed, suggesting that he's doing a good job of overcoming his early-season struggles.
15) Ryan Howard- Many people are confident that Howard will eventually pull out of his current slump. I think that he's going to have to work on some glaring weaknesses he has in the box, because his home runs don't make up for his very high strikeout count (58) and terrible .185 average. However, he shouldn't be traded.
16) Pedro Feliz- Feliz's defense has been fine, but his offense leaves much to be desired. His .241 average and dreadful .288 OBP are disappointing, and raise questions as to whether or not he should be the everyday starter. Expect Greg Dobbs to start getting increasing numbers of starts unless Feliz picks up his game.
17) Jamie Moyer- The oldest man in the sport is showing signs of running out of gas. It's yet to be seen whether he's still going to have to spark that could, come September, make his pitch like he did down the stretch last year.
18) Eric Bruntlett- Kudos to Bruntlett for doing a better job replacing Rollins that many would expect. Having a better average than Feliz, Howard, and Victorino has to count for something.
19) Carlos Ruiz- Ruiz's game hasn't changed much from last year, but with Chris Coste improving, Ruiz might lose his starting job.
20) Adam Eaton- He's looking better than last year, but it's yet to be seen whether his seemingly eternal "nagging injuries" are more than just an overused excuse.
21) Ryan Madson- Expected to be the shut-down guy in the seventh, he now has a 4.66 ERA. Last year this would have been great, but with the turnaround the bullpen has had, it just doesn't cut it. I have a gut feeling that Madson might not be here come playoff time, due to the amount of talent in the Phillies' bullpen, and the fact that Madson's services as a long-reliever (and maybe starter) might be in increased demand later in the season.
22) Brett Myers- Myers is stuck in an unfortunate position, built like a closer but experienced as a starter. Now that Myers has seen that the grass is really greener in the bullpen, he's having time adjusting back to being a starter. If he doesn't turn his game (and massive home run count) around, then expect him to be a reliever by next season- whether it's in our bullpen, or in another team's bullpen. 240 pound brutes aren't meant to be starters.
23) Shane Victorino- Victorino seems to just be in a slump, but it's important to remember that Victorino spent much of last season recovering from an injury, and only had about one-and-a-half really good seasons. He'll probably pull out, but it's not an inevitability by any stretch of the imagination.
24) So Taguchi- Taguchi's numbers have been downright awful, and unlike Howard or Victorino, he's unlikely to get much better. His defense hasn't exactly secured him even the lowliest title of "late inning defensive replacement" either.
25) Clay Condrey- Condrey's been doing okay, but he'll be the first to go if any pitching prospects are called up. He deserves praise, however, for fighting hard to win out that final roster spot over a plethora of other relievers, who now play for the downright awful IronPigs.