The starting pitching continued to be mostly brutal for the first part of week thirteen but three solid efforts from the starters might be a ray of hope. This despite Ottawa’s discouraging play that continued to sink them deeper and deeper into last place in the Northern Division with the possibility of a playoff appearance in 2007 more and more unlikely,. With Philadelphia looking more and more towards Reading for pitching help, the likelihood of the discovery of any pitching saviour for the starting rotation was becoming more desperate with each game. It seems that all manager John Russell can do is hope that somehow this team remembers it’s successes of last season and starts to consistently put things together. A couple of the players have intimated that the team needs to get to the All-Star break, sit back, take a deep breath, look in the mirror and begin to get things done. Week thirteen saw two well played games, (one win-one loss), two games almost too embarrassing to watch, and a Lynx win in series finale and two losses in Rochester.
Daily Archives: July 6, 2007
My top 3 hitters and pitchers
You’ve weighed in and given your reasons, now I’ll give it a shot.
Pitchers, excluding Carrasco
01. Josh Outman, LHP – There are a number of reasons why I think Outman is our best pitching prospect outside of Carrasco. #1, he’s lefthanded and has a low 90’s fastball. It’s rare to see LHP consistently pitch in the 91-94 range. He has 1 real good secondary pitch, his slider, and it’s a pure swing and miss pitch. He lacks a plus changeup at this point, but he’s putting up solid numbers at A+, and the only thing lacking is his overall control, but his BB/9 numbers have dropped every month since April, a positive sign. We also have to remember that he drastically changed his pitching motion before being drafted, and 2007 is only his 3rd pro season. I think he still has potential to be a #2 starter if he can hone his command and control and develop at least a major league average changeup.
02. Kyle Drabek, RHP – I think despite his arm soreness now, Drabek is #2 on the list. His April was excellent, with 9.23 K/9 against only 2.88 BB/9 and solid groundball tendencies. He struggled a bit in May, then came down with the injury, so it’s tough to really put a gauge on him right now. I think he’ll be back in August, and it should be a good indicator of where he stands. 3 months in Lakewood in age 19 isn’t a lost season by any means. He showed the good fastball curveball combination, and from everything I’ve read, the mental aspect of his game took a big leap forward this year. A healthy Drabek pushes Outman for the top spot.
03. James Happ, LHP – His debut didn’t go as planned, and he’s walked way too many guys this year, but he has shown that the strikeouts from last season across multiple levels weren’t a fluke. He needs to throw better quality strikes and not fall behind, but he has an average fastball with late life and two above average secondary pitches. You really can never judge a guy on 1 start, good or bad, but I think he’ll be back later this year, and I think he still has the potential to be a #4 starter in the majors.
And now, the hitters, sans Cardenas
Phuture Phillies 