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HSP Player of the Month, April – Raul Ibanez
By J Platt on May 2nd, 2009 8:22 AM |
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Pat who???
That’s exactly what Phillies leftfielder Raul Ibanez is making Philadelphians say as he is Hot Stove Philly’s first Player of the Month.
Ibanez had a strong first month in his debut with the Phillies. He finished the month leading the Phillies in batting (.359), home runs (7, tied with Chase Utley), and slugging percentage (.718). He was also second in RBI’s (17), and on-base percentage (.433).
Ibanez’s offensive production helped overcome the Phillies’ dreadful pitching, and is a big reason the team finished April over .500 with a 11-9 record.
When the Phillies signed Ibanez there was concern among the fans. It would be another left-handed batter, in an already lefty dominated lineup, and it meant the loss of lifelong Phillie and fan favorite Pat Burrell. While Burrell is still adapting to life as a designated hitter in Tampa (.268/1/9), Ibanez has quickly taken his place and become a fan favorite. His jersey and tee shirt are now top-sellers at the Majestic Clubhouse Store at Citizens Bank Park (I actually went to purchase one myself last Tuesday night and left empty handed, as they were sold-out).
Honorable mentions: Utley (.342/7/20) and Clay Condrey (3-0, 1.50 ERA, 11/3 – K/BB).
There are currently 2 responses to “HSP Player of the Month, April – Raul Ibanez”
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Hey Jay – did you see this fun exchange I had in February? Check out the comments section.
http://www.hotstovenewyork.com/2009/02/19/top-20-mlb-free-agent-signings/comment-page-1/#comment-3001
Outstanding. Debating stat guys is always a good time, I mean if Bill James, Rob Neyer, or fangraphs.com said so, it must be true.
The biggest difference I saw between Ibanez & Burrell was consistency. When Burrell’s hot he’s one of the best players in the game, but the problem is he’ll have a couple months when he couldn’t hit a slow-pitch softball. Ibanez isn’t a high/low player, and you know what your getting.
As for defense, I haven’t seen that many Mariners/Royals games to determine if Ibanez is worse then Burrell. I can logically realize that left field in Safeco is a lot more roomy then left field at The Bank, so a smaller left field would be more inviting. In the 22 games I’ve watched this year, Ibanez appears to be a superior defender.
As for a comparison to Abreu. Abreu might have more speed, but two things about Abreu stand out in my mind. 1 – He will not go anywhere near a wall (Phillies fans know this well, and Yankees fans have had to see the same), and also Ibanez is a good clubhouse guy and a leader. Before Abreu was dealt to the Yankees word was his attitude really soured the clubhouse.
There could be some truth to that. Before the Phils dealt Abreu to the Yankees (for pretty much nothing), their record was 49-54. After the trade (in which they lost a top offensive weapon) 38-23.
It’ll be interesting to see how Ibanez pans out over the entire season, but some calc-heads, might be in for a surprise.