40-Man Roster Additions

Other Stuff, Rule 5 Draft, Transactions

According to Phils Media Relations, the team has added OF Zach Collier and RHPs Ethan Martin, Trevor May, and Jon Pettibone to the 40-man roster.  This protects them from the Rule 5 draft in December.  Mild surprise that neither Jiwan James nor Leandro Castro were protected, leaving both exposed to the Rule 5 draft, (among other, seemingly less enticing players).  Phillies leave 2 spots open for free agents or a Rule 5 pickup of their own.

98 thoughts on “40-Man Roster Additions”

  3. I think some team will select James in the rule 5. He’s a year away from the majors and his floor is a fifth outfielder. I’d take a flyer on him and have him scrub switch hitting.

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    1. I’m not sure that James has the floor of a 5th outfielder. He may very well never make it to the majors or never stick. He has speed and athleticism, but his approach at the plate needs a lot of work.

      I saw him in Lakewood a few years ago, and while he looks good in the uniform, he doesn’t strike me as a guy who will play in the majors.

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      1. He has elite defense. That alone makes him enticing to a GM. Remember it only takes one GM to pull the trigger.

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    2. Hmm suspiciously no mention of Victorino. Victorino was an excellent Rule 5 pick. Herndon was also a decent pick. I will not attempt to defend the Martinez pick as it was a horrible pick. But as Meatloaf would say, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

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      1. Victorino was a pick under the old rules where it took a year less to become eligible. That makes a huge difference as now barely anyone of quality is available in the Rule 5.

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      2. MiniMart sucks more than anything but I can’t say it was a horrible pick. It’s Rule V, you take a chance and sometimes it doesn’t work, it’s not like they gave him a 5 year deal or something….

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        1. How so? He was still a Rule 5 pick. The fact that he was offered back is irrelevant. The Phillies liked him but didn’t think he could hang at the MLB level for an entire season.

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          1. Because the Dodgers thought so little of him they gave him up for next to nothing. GM’s ‘like’ a lot of players, but do they do what they need to do to keep them on their rosters? That’s love.

            I can’t believe I make my first comment in here in god knows how long to defend nowheelsplease.

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  5. Very unlikely anyone cares for James. OBP .291 OBP and 27% K along with little power. Unfortunately for him, I don’t see $480K ML salaries any time in the near future.

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    2. When I look at James, I see huge platoon splits. He’s competent batting righty, awful batting lefty. He shouldn’t be switch hitting. At this point I’m not predicting MLB success, or even that he’ll stick. I just see a team kicking the tires and taking him to Spring Training.

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  6. No team is going to select Castro or James and then carry them all year on their active roster. Not going to happen. Crap, they probably could have left Collier off.

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        1. That’s very true. Honestly, I don’t think any players accumulated enough at bats in the AFL to swing my opinion. But I do think Collier was regarded well enough previously that some team would have taken a flyer.

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        2. I think the only reason people wouldn’t have taken Collier is if they questioned his ability to make contact. His AFL performance was proof that he at least has the ABILITY to not only make contact, but take a walk as well. His upside was already high enough to make him appealing, showing that he isn’t lost at the plate just raises his floor.

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        3. Don’t think the results are considered at all but it does give teams much more exposure to the guys who are there. Also teams/scouts can learn much more about a player by being able to watch how he goes about his business before/after the games vs. seeing 3-4 at-bats during game action.

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  7. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Castro selected. James just doesn’t make contact often enough although I agree with the ide to scrap the switch hitting. The Phils might take a shot at a 3B Rule 5 if they see someone they like and they can’t sign anyone. They won’t waste a spot on a pitcher or outfielder. It only costs $25K to kick the tires on someone. I’m wondering if they’ll consider Raburn for a minor league deal with a spring training invite.

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  8. Not that it was rocket science or anything, but . . . the Phillies protected exactly the right players.
    Castro was the onluy judgment call and even this was not all that close.

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    1. They didn’t have to make a decision on Savery. They would have to waive him at this point to get him off the 40-man. If they need room, he can be waived at a later date.

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  10. Well here it is again. I once again think they made a mistake in protecting a guy who in my view hasnt produced in Collier. The reality is that he is a bonus baby and unfortunately a player like Castro has to bite the bullet. I know Castro will be selected in the Rule 5 draft and if so he can do some damage. Until next time.

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      1. When has collier produced more than castro. Never…. Which goes to show me how much you have watched both of these guys

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        1. He just mashed in the AFL and he knows how to take a walk. Also, he can play CF, which means he doesn’t have to mash to play there. Castro cannot play CF regularly and then has to mash to play a corner OF position.

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        2. Last year.

          Collier: .333 OBP
          Castro (in Single A): .304 OBP

          Guys who don’t walk won’t be major league players and aren’t worth spots on the forty man roster.

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        1. To me it’s about numbers flat out. Potential is something you can’t measure and numbers you can. When a hall of famer gets voted in they don’t look at “well could have been this player” they look at numbers not upside numbers

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          2. Numbers aren’t nearly as important in the minors. Dallas McPherson, Joe Roa, Justin Friend, Tyler Cloyd, Mike Hessman. Willy Mo Pena hit .358 last year with 25 homers. . . I don’t think the goal is to develop players to make the minor league hall of fame. . .

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        2. how has Castro been better? Collier had solid regular season then goes to AFL and might be Phillies offseason MVP player. At best you could say Castro and Collier production to this point is wash with Collier having more upside.

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      3. Castro is 9 months older than Collier. Last year, Castro had a .484 SLG, .785 OPS at CLW and he was 3 months younger than Collier’s CLW season. Collier had a .399 SLG and .733 OPS. Castro’s season was cut short because of injury (last year).

        I’ve always liked Castro and think there are many teams who should take a flier on him. Collier was out all of 2010. He’s been mediocre at best until last year. If he was exposed to the Rule 5, he’d be gobbled up by someone. What is intriguing about him is that he had a handicap and he finally got help. His numbers soared. If he stays on his medication, will he realize his vast potential? That’s the question. I think the Phils have answered that question.

        If you can’t keep both guys, and you think Collier’s problem is behind him, then it was the proper choice.

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    3. Juggy – I agree, though Collier’s AFL success certainly complicated the matter. Since he was protected we’re never know if he was truly vulnerable to selection by another team. I’d contend that he wasn’t even in spite of his AFL success, but it’s a moot point now.

      I think one of the reasons the Phil’s protected his is due to the flexibility they have on the 40-man. I count 38 players which leaves them with two openings, but the 38 also includes Savery who can easily pass thru waivers or even given his outright release, but also Schierholtz who I fully expect to be non-tendered (Schierholtz made $1.3mm last season and enter his first year of arbitration.).

      Without any major tinkering, the roster could easily be reduced to 36 players so I think they played it safe with Collier

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      1. Since the other guy was a pretty high ceiling prospect at the time, I don’t think it tells you much. They may have liked Castro- they just liked Santana more.

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  11. Does anyone know what players are available from other teams in the Rule V draft that would be attractive? At this point I rather discuss who may be available then lament about who was not protected.

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    1. So the players who tend to be available are tweener outfielders (centerfield bat in a corner), middle infielders with either huge offensive or defensive questions, middle relievers, and prospects who are eons away. I don’t have the time to do a full survey to see who is available so I am going to look at what fits on the Phillies roster. An outfielder doesn’t hit, you have quite a few fourth outfielders and I would much rather take a flyer on Ruf then a Rule 5 guy. When it comes to middle infielders, I doubt there is anyone available who is going to take Freddy’s spot as the utility guy (even if he is in a third base platoon he is the back up middle infielder). If you want a middle reliever you have JC Ramirez who is essentially an internal Rule 5 pick because he is out of options and would need to stay on the big league club all year or have to be DFA’d/outrighted. Lastly if the Phils are a contending team there just isn’t room for a developmental guy. I just don’t see a way that their is someone with the talent and profile to make the roster who would fall to the Phillies.

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    1. In 3 years Castro will either be the bench player that most here predict or he will not stick in the majors. Also, in 3 years Collier could be a bust or a major league player, we don’t know for sure about any prospect and that’s part of the fun of it.

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      1. Not many rhh extra, bench outfielders who don’t make contact and don’t have power and aren’t defensive specialists or base stealers. Sorry Castro lovers, if he is not an everyday guy for someone he is a 3a player there is no middle ground.

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  15. Surprised no one has mentioned that Julio Rodriguez was not protected. Is there anyway a team would stash him in the bullpen for a year? I guess I wouldn’t be shocked if he was taken.

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    2. Does anyone know his story? Seems like he is an younger fatter Kevin Frandsen. He stats are interesting through 2009. 2010 he had a drop off and then seems to have gotten hurt (?) for a year and a half and was not the same last year. If the scouts think he’d be an upgrade over Frandsen I wouldn’t be against giving him a look but I’d hate to have to stash him on the 25 like Minimart since the Phillies seem to hate to part with failed rule 5 players.

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  17. I will start by saying that I thought the four added were no brainers, I had Collier borderline before but after his AFL performance there was no way he was going unselected.

    Currently the Phillies have 38 of 40 spots filled (it is essentially 37, but no need to DFA Savery right now for no reason), those spots will likely be filled by a CF, RP, and either corner IF or OF. The Phils could also cut ties with JC Ramirez if they needed another spot (Savery is not blocking a prospect from being protected he is keeping some free-agent’s seat warm).

    Castro and James were left unprotected and unselected a year ago and the profile has not changed on either. Castro’s power numbers actually plummeted in the much better hitting environment of Reading and he just doesn’t have the other skills to compensate (where it is speed, defensive ability, or walk rate). He could be a good 4th outfielder but he just isn’t that great a prospect. James has all the tools in the world but he can’t make consistent contact. A selection in the Rule 5 would doom his career by taking away a year of ABs he needs to develop. JRod may have his stuff play up in the bullpen for someone but otherwise he his just minor league starter depth now that he has been exposed.

    The end thing is, the Phillies should be worried about protecting guys with ceiling, there has been a lot of talk about saving money here and there with guys on the farm but they need high impact talent and they can buy Castro’s replacement for less than Collier’s. If you are a fan of an individual player who was not protected, root for them to be selected because it is the best thing that can happen to a guy who the Phils don’t really see having a future with the organization.

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  18. I think these choices were as expected and likely what I would have done.
    The benefit of not adding a player to the 40-man is that the Phillies do still have some secondary control on a Rule5 selected player, due to the restrictions placed on them. Will a team be willing to let James or Castro develop in the majors for the possible low benefit of having a cheap 4th OF?
    I was shocked last year that James was not selected. I will be surprised again this year since he is almost exactly the same player but just 1 more year advanced and therefore that much more likely to handle the majors. He does possess an elite major league skill in his defense, but that happens to be the one with the least value.
    Castro has a better bat and displays enough tools to be a useful 4th OF. He can play all the OF positions (below average in CF certainly) and has power and speed. The Phillies management seemed to speak highly of him. I could see another team selecting him since he could give better than replacement output.
    Rodriguez is an even larger risk, but pitchers are easier to stash on a 25-man roster. I think the only way he is selected is if a scout thinks there is something they think they can change to make him profile better in the majors. Phillies will have pushed him to a relief pitcher which severely hurts his prospect value.
    Duran was also a player mentioned. Since he is a middle infieider with okay defense and some speed, an AL team might be able to stash him as a 25th man but it would be unlikely.

    I think James will be selected. I think Castro is a possible selection, maybe for a team like Miami. I’d like to see them both in LHV since I think they might be able to help in the majors. WIthout a 40-man roster spot though, it might be tough for them to be added and shuttled back and forth as roster moves are made.

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    1. I’ll bet you your favorite Cheese Steak James doesn’t get selected and if you like to give me 3-1 odds I’ll say neither sticks on another teams 25 Man.

      I could see teams bringing them in to have a look in spring training but ultimately they would be offered back to us.

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    2. In the old days, before 12 man pitching staffs, a team could carry a solid extra infielder and also a slick fielding outfielder who could come in every game as a defensive replacement or a pinch runner. With the expanded pitching staffs, however, there is now only room for one utliity player – a guy who can definitely play several infield positions and can possibily play the outfielder. There is no longer room for the defense-only outfielder and that’s what Jiwan James is right now. What major league team would want him around for an entire year? I can’t think of one and the only way it would happen is if some team saw him developing as a solid-hitting 4th outfielder – but do you think any team realitically believes he will do that? At most, James would get drafted and returned to the Phillies, but I don’t see even that happening.

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      1. Didn’t we go through this same exercise with James last year? He wasn’t selected last year and the only change between then and now is that he’s another year older.

        As Catch 22 points out, teams just don’t have the 25-man roster space to carry a defensive OF anymore. Can’t even make the case that James could also be used as a pinch-runner because even though he is fast, he’s not good at stealing bases.

        Castro’s issue is that he’s a corner OF with no premium skill. He puts up so-so numbers but doesn’t show speed or power which means he needs to be a premium average/on- base guy but he is neither of those things.

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        1. Good points.
          I do see it as unlikely that James would make it past Spring Training on a 25-man roster. However, a team might want to have him bail switch hitting and see how he looks. Maybe they see something to help his speed become more useful in stealing bases.
          Since I only follow the Phillies minor leaguers, I really have no idea how many ‘talented’ guys are being left off other teams 40-man rosters who’d be chosen over James.

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  20. Former second round pick of the Nationals, Destin Hood, was left unprotected by the Nationals. From what I’ve read, he seems to have a higher upside than Castro and Jiwan James.

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    1. He certainly has the physique and I assume the strength. Last year, 2011@ Potomac, he did have some pop and he is a righty and fairly young. His K rate in the mid-20% is a knock. Why not kick the tires!

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  21. For all of those out there who like speculating way too far ahead, the preliminary list for next year is
    Kelly Dugan, Aaron Altherr, Lisalverto Bonilla, Tommy Joseph, Brody Colvin, Cameron Rupp, Perci Garner, David Buchanan, Tyler Knigge, and Gautlett Eldmire. No way all of them are in the org next year, and only Bonilla, Knigge, and Joseph have any real chance of making it to the bigs even as September call ups

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    1. Dugan, Altherr, Bonilla, Joseph, Colvin and Rupp are the ones I wouldn’t want to lose at this point. We should find out a lot about Dugan, Altherr, Rupp and Colvin between now and then though..I think whether they’re protected or not depends heavily on this year.

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      1. No he isn’t just saying if this were today I don’t think you run the risk of losing him and or the system is pretty deep at catcher. Next year we might be singing a different tune. I think Rupp has a shot to move up to AAA with Valle.

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  23. I thought Collier was a no-brainer selection as well. He was still young for High A, had an above average OPS and played CF. A player who can keep up that production definitely projects as a solid regular.

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    1. Gabriel Arias is a guy who I think might draw interest. He’s also a hard thrower and was clocked at 94 during one of his starts last year.

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      1. And teams have recently taken lower level bullpen guys fromt he Phils, Montessario (sp?) and Castillo. Someone out there valuing them more than we do.

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        1. I think you mean former Dodgers’ reliever Carlos Monasterios. We sort of made a trade with the Los Angeles teams in the Rule 5 Draft prior to the 2010 season. The Phils got David Herndon from the Angels while Monasterios, who had a pretty good season in 2009 with Reading-AA went unprotected and was claimed by the Dodgers. He played that entire ’10 season for the Dodgers, but hasn’t been back in the majors since.
          I’m guessing his name means Monastery or “from the monastery” in Spanish and because that’s so unusual, it’s stuck with me and I’ve remembered him.

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  25. I am not one to believe that James is worth the roster spot, but, I don’t know that there isn’t a second division team that might look at his 2012, knowing he was dealing with leg injuries and still played a good CF, and see enough promise to pick him and give him a shot in the spring. If he recovers this off-season and is hot in March, he could stick. I’ll call it < 10% he's picked. Probably better than his odds of being protected if I gave them to you yesterday.

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  26. Kind of a carry over from a prior thread on prospect evaluation on potential, but I think Jiwan James is a great ‘case study’.

    I was not a fan of his years ago because he struck out too much, but oozed tools and might develop power as well. He was generally ranked fairly high in the system. I compared him to Chris Roberson. James did lose some developmental time due to pitching and injury so despite him being slightly old for level I figured he still could develop.
    Now that James has performed similarly (actually slightly worse for AA, which is a bad sign I agree) at each level, he is now near helping at the Major League level. He certainly did not have a ‘breakout’ year at any level but some scout may think he still has star level potential.
    With more evidence each year that he has the same problems (poor plate discipline, poor SB percentage, poor power) it is less likely he gains those skills. Since he is moving up and still has not stunk, I think it is possible he could carry his minor league line into the majors. But would a .680 OPS, 30 SB, and GG defense in CF be enough to start on a bad team?
    I would not think so and how likely is he to even reach that?

    As a side note, I do not see Galvis performing much better than that but I think GG defense at SS is more valuable than in CF.

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    1. I think your projection for James as a major leaguer is actually over-optimistic. He has been a non-entity as a base-stealer, never quite reaching a 2/3 success rate any year in his career. Last season it was 8 SB set against 8 CS. That’s a complete negative. Also, his OPS fell from .690 to .650 in what is pretty much a hitters park. His 6 HR last year is the most of his career and he has never gotten even close to a ratio of one XBase hit per 10 plate appearances. That means on the power front, he doesn’t even have satisfactory doubles power for an OF. He was outplayed by D’Arby Myers at Reading this season and it’s been quite a while since anybody considered D’Arby to be major league talent.

      I don’t know if James will be drafted or not, but don’t see him as a great loss if he is. He has been bypassed by the next wave of young OF. He is just another toolsy guy, who was never able to hit.

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  27. BA released a quick Rule 5 preview, Juan Sosa was on it due to pure stuff, seems like it could be another Castillo situation. I don’t see it as a big deal. This team is loaded with power arm righty relievers, especially if Colvin, Martin, Garner, and May can’t be starters long term (more likely for some of them than others). Otherwise making their list are relievers with varying degrees of stuff and 1B/LF that have much less upside than Darin Ruf, nothing exciting there.

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  28. I thought that Leandro Castro had made some nice strides in 2012 by hitting over .285 with over 70 RBI. Here’s hoping no one selects him at the Winter Meetings and he’ll remain Phillies property. He turns 24 next June and as he matures he could build on last year’s success. He may be on the verge of “putting everything together”. He’ll start at the AAA level if he remains in the Phillies organization, but he might very well make the jump to the majors if a club picks him as a Rule 5 draft choice.

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  29. I’m assuming that 1B – Cody Overbeck after the 2012 season now has enough time in the minors so that he’s vulnerable to the Rule 5 draft also. His final numbers after a full season at Lehigh Valley – AAA were something like 13 HR, 75 RBI, .250 B. Avg. He’d hit 20-25 home runs in lower levels of the minors in 2010 & 2011. Maybe he’ll pan put for somebody, but it doesn’t look like it will be with the Phillies.

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  30. I’m speculating that former Phillies farmhand, lefthanded starter-reliever, Yohan Flande might be on some team’s radar as a potential Rule 5 pick two weeks from now. Flande had progressed all the way from the Dominican Summer League to AA-Reading as a Phillie but moved on to the Braves organization in 2011 and pitched at their AAA affiliate the last two seasons.
    After posting a perfect 0.00 earned run average through all but the last of his Spring Training appearences in 2012 he seemed to have made the Braves’ 2012 Opening Day roster. Then literally the day before the season opened the Braves went out and acquired Chad Durbin and Livan Hernandez for their bullpen virtually simultaneously. What a knife to the heart of Flande, who found himself not in Atlanta making his major leagues debut, but suddenly being shipped back to Gwinnett – AAA. The Braves haven’t helped his progress either by switching him back and forth from starter to reliever. Flande still has a lot of potential for any team willing to take a chance on him.

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      2. I wrote three comments today on other Phillies prospects so, No – I wouldn’t say that I am “Focused On” Flande at all!

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        1. I’ve also written 150 + comments overall on this website – Yesterday I wrote the only one that i can remember where the topic was Yohan Flande. “Focused on Flande? – I don’t think so!

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    1. Nothing new, was bad as a starter, once he got to the Phillies his stuff has played up as a reliever. He is currently a sinker/change up pitcher with a work in progress slider, who has a mentality to match relieving. The rest of the article is the connection between Joe Jordan and the Orioles farm system.

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