35 Reasons to Believe

The Phanatic Magazine kicked off its 35 straight days of Phillies on February 25, one article per day detailing each member battling for position as the season begins. Also, look for Michael Rushton's season outlook, which will cap the offseason look at the Phillies on Opening Day -- April 2nd against Atlanta.

DAY 14: Antonio Alfonseca

By Michael Rushton
The Phanatic Magazine

Let us just get this out of the way. Yes, Antonio Alfonseca has six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. Go ahead, I’ll give you a minute to let that sink in.

Okay, now on to the important stuff.

The Phillies signed Alfonseca to a one-year deal on January 23 to add a veteran presence to their bullpen, which has the 39-year-old Tom Gordon in it, but not much else in the ways of aged experience. A majority of the players suspected to begin the season in Philadelphia’s pen are 30 or under, and with the departure of the 37-year-old Arthur Rhodes, the Phillies were hurting in combat experience.

So in is Alfonseca, 34, who spent last season in Texas after pitching the 2005 season with division rival Florida. However, the right-hander appeared in just 19 games last year due to a stress fracture in his right elbow, ending the campaign with a 5.63 earned run average. He pitched for Azucareros in the Dominican Winter League following the 2006 season.

Alfonseca also only threw in 33 games with Florida in ‘05 and went 1-1 with a 4.94 ERA. That’s a far cry from his 2004 season with Atlanta, when he went 6-4 with a solid 2.57 ERA.

Hence, the Phillies will have to be careful with how much they use Alfonseca this season. The best case scenario would have Ryan Madson emerging as the go-to setup guy, allowing Alfonseca to be used sparingly. However, unlike Madson, Alfonseca has closing experience as he has posted 121 saves over his 10-year career, including a 45-save campaign with Florida in 2000.

Alfonseca could also serve as a tutor to both Madson and the left-handed throwing Matt Smith, who both lack big-game shutdown experience. If Alfonseca stays healthy, he will provide an experienced option late in games, and if he gets hurt, perhaps he can pass on some wisdom to the other guys.

It’s well known that the Phillies ultimate weakness this season is their bullpen, and Alfonseca does little to remedy that other than provide experience. The Phillies let Rhodes go as a free agent to Seattle after he posted an 0-5 mark and a 5.32 earned run average. Those numbers were over 55 games last year, a number probably too high for Rhodes given his recent injury history.

Alfonseca is little more than a stop-gap for the 2007 Phillies. He is signed for just one year and it would take a season like he had in 2004 -- plus a little drink from the fountain of youth -- to envision him coming back next year.

However, should the Phillies make a big run this year, they will benefit from having Alfonseca around. After all, he was a member of the Marlins when they won the World Series in 1997.

Hey, every aged-bottle of wine has a just-as-old cork in it, right?

Tomorrow: Geoff Geary