[Pelican]

Another step in my relentless efforts improve the Phillies' pitching depth - or evidence of an overly-despondent view of the coming season (take your pick). Acquired veteran RP Ed Roebuck from the Senators with Paul Casanova (in the low minors at 22 with very mediocre ratings, and recall I am playing with high TCR...), for RHP Jackie Brown and C/LF Dave Watkins. Basically, Watkins had a tremendous year at Class A. IRL he would reach the majors in 1969 as a backup catcher for the Phils. Brown did not reach MLB until 1970, but had a respectable 47-53 career mark with a 4.19 ERA. Roebuck was actually acquired by the Phils from Washington in Spring 1964 IRL, and had an excellent season (5-3, 2.21, 12 saves). So, we'll see.

Roebuck's assessment (in 2009) of the Phils' 1964 collapse (from his SABR bio) is telling:

“Gene (Mauch, the Phillies’ manager) didn’t have a team to be where it was. The 1964 Phillies were not a pennant-winning-caliber team. If the season lasted long enough that would have eventually shown. By the end we were just trying to hang on. Gene did a great job to have us where we were. During those last two weeks I kept thinking ‘Oh no, somebody stop this thing.’ We were losing every crazy which way you could by then.”