Phuture Phillies

KG with the lightning fast turnaround on this one, and some definite gems. For those of you who don’t know, Kevin is the minor league guru at Baseball Prospectus, writing multiple times a week on prospects across the majors. You can read his columns here. Onto the goodness…

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First and foremost… I’ve always called you Andrew, but I keep seeing you referred to as “Drew” Carpenter around the net.  Which is it…Drew or Andrew?

Andrew

I know from talking with you earlier that you said you’ve been in Clearwater working out since January to try to be in better shape this year than you were last year. What sort of goals have you set for yourself in 2008?  

I think everyone’s goal each year is to get to Philly because I know mine is. Other than that they are to win another championship, to keep my team in every ball game to give them a chance to win, to keep progressing on my changeup and making that better, and now in AA maybe get a couple of hits this year.
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I recently had the opportunity to chat with Jason Donald during Spring Training and ask him a few baseball questions.

Jason, you started 2007 in Lakewood before finishing in Clearwater. What were the biggest differences between low-A and high-A baseball?

I think the biggest difference between high A and Low A was as with any level you move up, the game is a little bit sharper and quicker. Plus, there are some older pitchers with more experience that know how to pitch a little bit more. Better off speed and they can use that effectively when they were behind in the count.
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A week ago, I posted the Top 15 prospect list from Baseball HQ penned by Deric McKamey, and it sparked a nice discussion. Deric was kind enough to answer some questions for us, so I’ll share that here. Before I get to that, here is a bit more info on the project. The 2008 Minor League Baseball Analyst profiles over 1000 minor league prospects and includes detailed scouting reports, sabermetrics, Major League Equivalencies, organizational lists, Top 100 list, and Potential Ratings. The book can be purchased through Baseball HQ where the purchaser will also receive a free update to the lists in the book. People may also purchase the book through any of the major on-line bookstores. The Minor League Baseball Analyst is expected to arrive mid-January. Ok, now you know the system being used and where to purchase the full work if you want it, so lets get to the questions.

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Phillies first round pick Joe Savery, currently playing in the Arizona Fall League, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me. Joe, for those who don’t know, was taken in the first round out of Rice in the June draft, pitched 26 innings at Williamsport, and has now thrown 5 innings in Arizona. While in Arizona, Joe is one of a number of prospects keeping a weekly diary of his experiences, and you can read his entries here. Check below the fold for the Q/A

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I recently got a chance to talk Phillies prospects with Keith Law, and he was kind enough to answer some questions for the blog here. For those who don’t know him, Keith is currently the Director of Baseball Scouting for ESPN Scouts, Inc. Prior to his work for ESPN, he served as Special Assistant to the GM for the Toronto Blue Jays, and before Toronto, he wrote for Baseball Prospectus. Keith knows his way around the scouting circle, and he offered his no nonsense opinions on some of the Phillies best prospects as well as the organization as a whole. Thanks again Keith for taking the time, we appreciate it. Check below the fold for all the action

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I was lucky enough to get in contact with prospect guru Bryan Smith at Baseball Prospectus and he was kind enough to answer some questions regarding Phillies prospects. Before joining the prospect coverage at Baseball Prospectus, Bryan wrote about the minor leagues for SI.com, Baseball Analysts and the Hardball Times. To read all of his work, click on over here. Full interview below the fold

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Jim Salisbury, excellent baseball writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, was kind enough to answer some questions for me in preparation for this week’s draft. As many know, lots of teams play these things close to the vest, as to not tip their hand before the draft, but Jim had some insight into the thinking within the organization, and was gracious enough to share it with us. This week, I’ll keep posting more tidbits and draft rumors if I can find them, as well as keeping you up to date on the minors. So, here is the Q/A with Jim, enjoy.

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Brennan King is the six foot three inch twenty six year old third baseman for the 2007 Ottawa Lynx. One would think that holding down a key spot on the infield and finding yourself the team leader in home runs, (2), and RBI, (23), and second on the team in doubles and, (7), second in slugging and an average of .297 would get you some recognition but King isn’t that type of player.

“I see my role on this team as just one of twenty five guys who has to do his job in order for the team to be successful,” says King. “That’s all I can do really as this team has a lot of good players on it.”

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J.A Happ Interview

Scouts drool over them. General Managers open up their pocket books for them. Managers dream of them. Opposing managers cringe at the mere mention of them. They are the tall lanky left handed pitchers who throw mid 90’s heat, snap off curve balls and/or sliders and frustrate opposing batters with a barely get there change up. It’s probably no coincidence that the number one pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana relies on numbers one and three. It’s probably no coincidence that Hall of Fame lefties Sandy Koufax and Steve Carlton embarrassed big league hitters for years and future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson continues to make big league hitters weak in the knees.

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