Now that a decision has been made to cut Pete Happy loose, at least for the time being, the major question of this offseason has become what Amaro will do to fill the hole at the hot corner.

Basically, it boils down to this: Get an upper-level free agent to play everyday, get a platoon bat to go with Greg Dobbs, or trade prospects for an Alex Gordon type or a true upper-tier third baseman.

Thoughts after the jump.

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I'm not sure how many of you read smartfootball.com, the essential football strategy site run by Chris Brown, but you should. Chris is a maestro of football strategy and is a fantastic read, no matter your knowledge level. He frequently breaks down different offenses/defenses/plays that are either effective or popular. While he tends to focus on schemes that are trendy (i.e. Paul Johnson flexbone, spread option variants, the evolving spread shotgun triple option, Wildcat plays) he stuck with the Blue and White for his most recent piece over at Dr. Saturday.

What does Chris have to say about Dear Old State's defense?

Well, mostly that we play a lot of Cover 3, and we are very good at it.

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The air smells a little sweeter in Pennsylvania right now, and I think I know why.

While some less-enlightened folk point to the arrival of spring, I sadly shake my head in disagreement. What's really happening is the coronation of the newest king of the Phillies. King Lou is here, and he is not leaving (hopefully).

Just for fun, let's take a look at his numbers and projections, as well as how they stack up against the lovable Chooch, best known for his prowess at blocking Lidge sliders in the dirt and GIDPs.

Marson:

2007 (A+): .373 OBP, .120 ISO, .346 BABIP, 11.7% BB, 20.4% K, 28.3% XBH

2008 (AA): .433 OBP, .102 ISO, .389 BABIP, 17.4% BB, 21.7% K, 22.8% XBH

2009 (MLB Bill James-171 AB): .392 OBP, .106 ISO, .362 BABIP, 14.1% BB, 22.2% K, 24% XBH

Now, James' numbers are a little high, but the other FanGraphs projections all have him in the ballpark of a .350 OBP. (CHONE-.348, Marcel-.353, Oliver-.347, ZiPS-.336)

Let's examine these numbers a little bit. You can probably attribute the insane 2008 OBP to the huge BABIP, but his walks increased substantially and his strikeouts stayed almost flat as he made the biggest jump in the minors. That is more than just a small deal...it is a big heap of hitting skill. The power, as shown by the painfully bad ISO, is a concern...but my feelings on his power are:

(1) It will come with time. As he gets older and stronger, his bat speed will improve, resulting in more distance off the bat.

(2) Even if it doesn't come, he's proven he's such a skilled hitter he can be a valuable basepath-clogger even if he only ever hits singles.

James thinks his power will increase a tad, but is still projecting a very high BABIP. This probably stems from Marson's swing -- he is a true line drive hitter who sprays to all fields and doesn't elevate the ball frequently. It's possible the power could come as he gets stronger and improves his bat speed, a la Chase Utley, but he will still be valuable without double digit home run power. That's because the Phillies currently run this guy out there:

Ruiz:

career (MLB): .329 OBP, .116 ISO, .263 BABIP, 10.6% BB, 12.3% K, 32.4% XBH, 49.9% GB, 77 OPS+

This is not to bash away at Carlos. He's a wonderful backstop, and I would love to see the Phils keep him around as a backup as long as he's affordable (since his original signing bonus was $8,000, he's been the ultimate bargain ballplayer). He is great on defense, blocks the plate well, hustles his butt off and is an all-around good guy (and he gets dirt on his uniform, which gives Bill Plaschke a massive erection). But he is simply not a good offensive player.

While his awful average last year was partially because of an outrageously low .237 BABIP, the fact that his career number in that department is .263 means it wasn't that fluky.

And we all know why it wasn't THAT fluky: a career groundball rate of 1/2. That means a lot of outs, some singles, and a home run every once in a while. His OPS+ is far below league average, and I imagine it is in the neighborhood of replacement level for his career

As far as defense goes, Ruiz is one of the best, but Marson is said to be no slouch. He is an excellent natural athlete, and the scouting reports indicate he is at least average with room to improve. He also threw out 35% of basestealers last year, a good sign.

Conclusion:

With an aging, strikeout-prone lineup, the Phils are in desperate need of some semblance of offense from the catcher spot. Marson is a patient hitter (with possibly developing power) who is on base frequently who will give the Phightins more than league average offense from the 8-hole. I think his ceiling is Kendall-esque if he doesn't develop power, and Martin- or McCann-esque if he does. All in all, I'm excited what he can do over the next couple of weeks.

So after all that buzz about teh OMGz Hurricanez, it's Flyers-Pens in Round 1. All that remains to be decided is where the series will start.

The good guys and the bad guys are currently tied in the standings with 99 points, but the Pens have more victories and thus the tiebreaker if things don't change.

All the Flyers have to do is scratch out a measly point (or two) against the Rangers today to snare home ice. Just a point. And it would be great if Martin Biron inspired some confidence along the way.

Either way, expect an absolute Pennsylvania brawl in this series. The Pens dominated the regular season matchup, but I would expect no less than 7 games from these two teams.

I think the series comes down to who can defend (as it always does). The Orange and Black roll out the deepest 3 lines in the league, the Pens have Crosby, Malkin and the spark of Guerin, and both sides have major questions defensively.

If Parent/Timmonen and Coburn/Carle can keep the Dynamic Duo from slicing the Flyers up, I think it's on to the conference semifinals. Otherwise, hello Aronimink.

Sam Carchidi is reporting that Holmgren signed David Sloane, a recent Colgate grad, to fill in for Ryan Parent tonight.

The Flyers signed 6-foot-4, 220-pound David Sloane, an Ambler native, to an amateur tryout under emergency conditions and said he would be in the lineup tonight against the host New York Rangers.

...

Under emergency conditions of an amateur tryout, Sloane is available to play for a 24-hour period beginning with tonight's game.

It was unclear this afternoon why Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren chose to use Sloane instead of calling up a player from the Phantoms. Earlier in the week, Holmgren said Danny Syvret might be used if Parent could not play. Holmgren could not be reached for comment.

"I just want to keep it simple and play my game," Sloane said. "I want to get the butterflies out early, which I am sure there will be plenty of."

Sloane also signed an amateur tryout with the Phantoms on March 17, but has yet to appear in a game for the Flyers' AHL affiliate.

...

 

Sloane said he was "thankful for this opportunity. Just throwing the Flyers uniform on and playing at a place like Madison Square Garden has been a dream of mine my whole life."

So he wasn't good enough to get on the ice for the Phantoms, but he's a better option than Syvret to play for the flyers? too bad Sbisa won't fit under the cap.

Should be interesting to watch this guy play tonight, that's for sure.

Top prospect James van Riemsdyk is making his 2nd annual campaign to annoy the hell out of Paul Holmgren.

The 6-3, 19-year-old left-winger just finished his sophomore year at UNH. He scored 17 goals and added 23 assists in 36 regular season games for the Wildcats.

The Flyers are trying to get him on a tryout contract with the Phantoms for the rest of the season. This dance happened last year, and JVR made a very rare move (and ticked Homer off) by choosing to go back to school.

Van Riemsdyk was the Flyer's first pick in the 2007 entry draft and the second pick overall.

"I have spoken a couple of times with his adviser," Holmgren said. "We're still just kind of talking.

"I'm not sure which way this is going to go. [University of New Hampshire] lost and James needs to make a decision whether he wants to leave school or not, and that's kind of what we're talking about right now.

"He's still doing some soul-searching, would be the way to put it right now. I've not talked to James. I've just spoken to his adviser."

On one hand, college is awesome. Especially when it's paid for and you get to be the man every day and be on a varsity athletic team and get mad perks, jersey chasing girls and free gear.

On the other hand, the Flyers are prepared to pay this kid a lot of money, and by a lot of accounts he could be an impact NHL player VERY soon. I would like to see him come out now. It would really be beneficial for him to get in the developmental time at a much higher level of hockey with better, more skilled players. Cheap talent would be really helpful for the Orange and Black next year as they once again fight the cap.

The article also mentions Luca Sbisa will return once Lethbridge's season is over. They are currently in the WHL playoffs. Will the Flyers be able to fit him under the cap?

There are some major question marks on defense in 2009 as well, specifically in the secondary. All 4 starters are out of eligibility, and only Astorino and Wallace are known commodities who will be back in 09. But the front 7 could be all-time PSU-great, if Maybin, Evans, and Odrick don't go the NFL Bowman is eligible for the draft as well, but he should return.

Let's take a look:

RE: Project Mayhem, hopefully

1. Aaron Maybin - very little needs to be said about him.

2. Kevion Latham - have heard good things about him, and Lattimore and Crawford could also see time.

DT: All set

1. Jared Odrick - dominant

2. Abe Koroma - solid

3. Ollie Ogbu - solid

4. Brandon Ware - He's been unblockable some times as a NG on the foreign team, but he needs to shed a few pounds to please Joe.

note: Devon Still is an x-factor here. He could play anywhere on the D-line, or he could shift to offensive tackle.

LE:

1. Maurice Evans - if he doesn't go to the draft, he could be lined up for a monster year in '09 if he keeps his head screwed on straight.

2. Jack Crawford - Impressive for a true freshman to be thrown into the fray on an LJSr. d-line.

WLB:

1. Mike Mauti/Nate Stupar - these 2 seem like the logical contenders for this spot. Both played excellent on special teams, and seem primed for a spring battle. I favor Stupar, with the possibility that Mauti becomes the top backup for both OLB spots.

2. See above, also Yancich or Andrew Dailey

MLB:

1. Sean Lee - His return could be huge to the PSU defense. It will have been almost 18 months since the injury when the '09 season kicks off, so he should be ready to go.

2. Josh Hull/Chris Colasanti - Given Colasanti's obvious physical gifts, he should have been playing a lot this year. What's going on with #53?

SLB:

1. Big Game Bowman - Our most explosive LB since LaVar.

2. Bani Gbadyu/Yancich/Andrew Dailey - who knows how this shakes out?

CB: a potential disaster zone

1. AJ Wallace - 2009 would be a good time to start playing like a 5-star recruit.

2. Chaz Powell - it seems our need here is greater than at wideout, thus he could move back to his original position.

3. Darrell Givens - hopefully he's ready to contribute

4. Stephon Morris - he is supposedly a natural cover man, so if he's ready he could play

Knowledge Timmons also may figure in the mix here, but he's never really converted that track speed to football success

FS: ?

1. D'Anton Lynn - He's supposedly a natural safety, so this seems a logical spot with Scirrotto's graduation.

2. Malcolm Willis? Knowledge Timmons?

SS: a little better

1. Drew Astorino - really impressed this year, should slide in nicely

2. ??? maybe Bani sees some snaps here, in Rubin's 4th LB role? Maybe Timmons

K - Anthony Fera

P - Jeremy Boone

PR - Devon Smith

KR - Chaz Powell, Stephfon Green

In summary, you have to feel great about our chances of stopping the run. The front 7 is downright loaded. They will need to get great push on passing downs, because the secondary could be a serious adventure.

Penn State will suffer some heavy losses on offense to graduation after the Rose Bowl, as the triplets, 3 All-Big Ten linemen, and Dan Lawlor will all have used up their eligibility.

Here, I'm going to take a look at what I think next year's depth chart will/should be.

First up, offense.

LT:

1. DeOntae Pannell - they burned his redshirt early in the year, and he was second string to Cadogan all season. There's no reason to believe he won't naturally progress into the starting role.

2. Nerraw McCormack - He hasn't done much since arrived in University Park, but I think he was redshirted this year. Eric Shrive could push here or at RT.

LG: Sweet Lou

1. Lou Eliades - he was challenging Rich Ohrnberger for this spot in 07 before he got concussed, so it's conceivable he would move back inside with Rich O gone.

2. Johnnie Troutman - he was listed 3rd behind Ohrnberger and Lucian for the Michigan State game.

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