Q and A: FightinPhillies’ Rich Baxter
Tomahawk Talk recently had the opportunity to run a series of Braves, Phillies, and MLB-related questions by Rich Baxter of FightinPhillies.com (a GREAT Philadelphia Phillies blog!) and with the Braves set to take on Philly in a three-game series, the timing couldn’t be better!
Here’s a look at what Rich had to say in response to our questions:
Tomahawk Talk: A lot of the experts are predicting/projecting that the Phillies will win the NL East and the National League pennant again this year. How do you think the Phillies will do in 2010?
Rich Baxter: I think the Phillies will win their 4th straight division title. Winning the pennant is another animal though. The Phillies will have to be playing their best baseball to do that.
Tomahawk Talk: What do you like best about the 2010 edition of the Philadelphia Phillies?
Rich Baxter: Roy Halladay is pitching every five days!
Tomahawk Talk: What are your primary concerns about this year’s Phillies team?
Rich Baxter: At this point in the season, I’ll cite two concerns. The bullpen over the long haul and the bottom of the starting rotation being a bit questionable.
Tomahawk Talk: Do you expect the Phillies to make any major player moves at (or before) the trade deadline?
Rich Baxter: With Ruben Amaro, Phillies GM, making the moves he did last year, I think that what you see now is what you’ll see at the trade deadline. The Phillies are at salary max as far as what they want to spend. That being said, if the need dictates it, maybe something will happen, but for now my answer would be no moves at all.
Tomahawk Talk: What has to go right for the Phillies for them to win the NL East and perhaps the National League pennant and World Series as well?
Rich Baxter: They will need great pitching from not only Halladay and Hamels, but from the bottom part of the rotation as well. Staying healthy is also key.
Tomahawk Talk: Roy Halladay seems like a great acquisition by the Phillies. What do you expect from Halladay this season?
Rich Baxter: I think he wins 20+ games and it will be the first time a Phillies pitcher has won 20 games since Steve Carlton did it in 1982 by going 23-11.
Tomahawk Talk: What are your initial thoughts/impressions of this year’s Braves team?
Rich Baxter: I am kind of sad that it will be Bobby Cox’s last year. It seems like he’s been there in Atlanta forever. And Chipper Jones is also considering making this his last year according to some press reports. In many ways it seems like the end of an era for the Braves and I know they would like to win it all in the NL East. The Braves were the team of the 90′s in the NL East and it was a dynasty for sure. Retooling the team is another matter, but I think the Braves could possibly be in contention for the wild card spot.
Tomahawk Talk: What do you like best about the Braves as a team?
Rich Baxter: The Braves’ rich history of winning so many NL titles still makes Phillies fans fear them. I remember the Braves great players over the years – Hank Aaron, Dale Murphy, and more recently Glavine, Maddux, and Smoltz. So for me, it’s the memory of those players and of course the great Atlanta Braves fans who chant and do the “chop” when they do well. I can’t stop myself from humming along when they start playing that music. I also like that the Braves still have an organist at the ballpark. The Phillies discontinued that tradition after Veterans Stadium closed.
Tomahawk Talk: How do you see the NL East race playing out? What’s your projected order-of-finish for the division?
Rich Baxter: I see the Phillies winning the division and the Mets and Braves battling it out for second and the wild card spot.
1. Phillies
2. Mets
3. Braves
4. Marlins
5. Nationals
Tomahawk Talk: Great stuff, Rich. Thanks for doing the Q and A!
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[...] Tomahawk Talk recently had the opportunity to run another series of Phillies, Braves, and MLB-related questions by Rich Baxter of FightinPhillies.com [...]
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[...] Braves, and MLB-related questions by Rich Baxter of FightinPhillies.com as a followup to the interview that Rich did with Tomahawk Talk back in [...]
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Nice interview, Scott. Love these Q and A’s!
Thanks, Wild Bill. Glad you like them!
Is this guy serious? He has the Mets battling it out with the Braves for 2nd place? The Mets will be lucky to win 80 games this year.
I realize that is his opinion, but I can’t quite grasp that one. The Mets are a mess right now. They’ve already had to call up Ike Davis, Jose Reyes is in a serious downward spiral, and the real Frenchy is starting to show. He’s 0 for his last 12 and his BA has dropped over 150 points. When was the last time that we even saw Beltran in a uniform? He’s supposed to come back after being out for the better part of 2 seasons and have his timing down and hit 30+? Don’t even get me started on the pitching staff.
When was this interview done?
Hi Tyler.
Rich and I did the interview last week.
And you’re right – Rich does have the Mets finishing higher than many others do.
But who knows? – he may be right – that’s why they play 162…
As soon as I post something Reyes has to hit 2 triples. I still think that the battle for second will be with the Marlins, but I like the Braves to keep pace with the Phillies this year. Halladay will show that he is human tonight. Remember the hype when Santana came over? Still hasn’t won 20 games in a year.
Hi Tyler!
You and I see the NL East the same way. I think the Braves will definitely give the Phillies a run for their money this year and I see the Braves making the playoffs as the wild-card winner if they don’t win the division. Also agree that the Marlins may be more of a threat than the Mets – the Mets have some talented players but they have a lot of issues and question marks as well. I see the Marlins and Mets battling each other for third place but I don’t see either team finishing ahead of the Phillies and Braves.
Thanks for commenting again!