Manuel heaps praise on ex-Phillie Jim Thome

The Phillies traded Jim Thome after the 2005 season, but Charlie Manuel said the team should have given him a World Series ring in 2008. That is how much, Manuel said, Thome helped mold the corps of that championship team.

Thome, who was inducted into the team's wall of fame on Friday night, meant more to the franchise than just his 101 homers.

He is the shortest tenured player to reach the Wall of Fame, but Thome will be remembered for making the Phillies immediate contenders when he signed before the 2003 season and for laying the foundation for the 2008 team. Manuel also said that former general manager Ed Wade, who assembled the majority of the 2008 roster, and Aaron Rowand, who helped the Phillies reach the postseason in 2007, should have been given rings.

Thome was a mentor to Chase Utley, Pat Burrell, and Ryan Howard as they navigated the beginnings of the career. Thome watched from home as that unit won the World Series. He said he rooted for all of them, especially Manuel, who Thome called his "father figure."

"I was just so happy that they were able to accomplish that because when you play as many games as we do we're ultimately brothers," Thome said. "You do root for your brothers, you root for your coaches."

Cody Asche's tenure with the Phillies may be nearing a conclusion as the team optioned him to triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday afternoon.

Asche is batting .213 this season and has just six hits in his last 56 at-bats. The 26-year-old is arbitration eligible, but there is a chance that the Phillies will not tenure Asche a contract, which would make him a free agent. The team's outfield is crowded and third base - where Asche played before last season - is occupied. There may not be room for Asche.

"I understand how excited you guys feel, about the prospects and everything are. But in reality, the way teams are built, and the way that those guys come up and succeed is when they're surrounded with people who know what's going on and can kind of guide them through what needs to be done," Asche said. "I don't really worry about my future within the organization. I would hope I'm respected enough to where if my ability shows, that I have a spot in this room and that's all I can really hope for."

Manager Pete Mackanin said Asche will spend time with the IronPigs at both third base and first base. The Phillies want to increase Asche's versatility. Mackanin said Lehigh Valley will give Asche an opportunity to receive consistent at-bats. There's a chance Asche could return to the Phillies in September when the rosters expand to 40 players, but Mackanin said he would rather "bring up a few, rather than a lot."

"I can't sit here and say I got screwed or anything," Asche said. "It's a performance business. If you don't perform you have to go somewhere else."

mbreen@phillynews.com

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