Colon or Benson?

Pat Gillick and the Fightin' Phils had a choice this winter of several scrap heap veteran pitchers of which to sign for the 5th Starter slot. Many names were brought up in the course of the offseason to include Randy Wolf, Matt Clement, Jeff Weaver, Bartolo Colon, Kris Benson, and even the late great Sydney Ponson. Both Wolf and Clement made statements that they were not interested one bit in playing in the little league park known as The Bank in South Philly. Weaver was never really on the Phillies radar due to dismal performances over the past couple of years and Ponson turned out to be an unfounded rumor. However, both Colon and Benson were mentioned several times as top candidates to have bounceback seasons in 2008. Both were coming off major shoulder surgery (traditionally the deathknell of a starting pitchers' career) and both hadn't really pitched well since 2005. Most importantly, both were only looking for 1 year deals at the veteran minimum. However, whereas Colon was a Cy Young winner in 05, Benson has never been more than a 3rd or 4th starter. So logically the Phillies and Pat Gillick focused more and more on Kris Benson. They attended three separate tryouts to guage his progress in recovering from surgery and apparently were impressed each time. Finally, last month, they signed him to a minor-league deal with incentives for making the 25 man roster.

So far this spring, neither has pitched all that much. Benson has been limited strictly to minor-league action as he continues to build arm strength. He has looked solid so far, throwing his fastball, cutter, and curve. His fastball has been clocked regularly at 86 MPH and he has hit 88 at times during his handful of starts. According to team doctors, he is right on schedule with his recovery and will be ready to start in the Majors by early May. All in all, good news for the Phillies and I was very happy with his signing until last night.

Last night, Bartolo Colon made his first spring start for the defending World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. He pitched 2 innings, threw 26 pitches and looked outstanding. He changed speeds, threw all his pitches and hit 94 MPH consistently with his 4-seam FB. He was able to locate his pitches and he retired the final 6 batters on 10 pitches. Basically he looked to be in mid-season form. Now, Colon may never again be the 100 MPH Cy Young winner he was in 2005 but if he stays healthy he could easily win 15 games this year for the Red Sox. Benson will likely be the 5th starter for the Phillies from May onward and could possibly move up in the rotation if Kendrick implodes, Hamels gets injured, Moyer remembers he is 45 etc etc.

If both stay healthy, it is almost a guarantee that Colon will have the better year. He has always had the better stuff by far of the two and he is on a better team in the AL. He won't have to worry about hitting or being pulled for a PH in the 5th or 6th inning of a tie game like a NL pitcher would.

Ultimately, the Phillies refusal to spend money (even the bare minimum) and their refusal to take smart risks will hamstring their chances of repeating as NL East champs in 08. The smart play would have been to try and sign both and bank on one their 5 projected starters getting injured. It happens every year so why should 2008 be any different? Once again the Phillies will win around 85 wins and be competitive and we will all cheer them on as they fall just short of true greatness. Its only March, but its gonna be a long year in South Philly.