Depth Charts, CF

Depth Charts

A position with a few interesting guys, lets give it a go.

Javon Moran (25) — Greg Golson (22) — Quintin Berry (23) — D’Arby Myers (19) — Dominic Brown (20) — Arlon Quiroz (21)

I’ve included Berry here because he played 93 games in CF and 37 in LF. 37 games in LF is a significant amount, which is why I included him as an option in the LF depth chart. To me, Berry seems like a guy who could end up a 4th OF, and if he does, he’ll be able to play all three spots with his speed. Centerfield is probably our deepest position, prospectwise, outside of righthanded pitching and possibly catcher.

29 thoughts on “Depth Charts, CF”

  1. Brown, Golson, Myers, Berry, Moran

    Golson ahead of Myers because he’s much further along in the system and therefore, more of a sure thing (at least in theory). Berry and Moran both have a good chance to be decent 4th OFs, while Brown, Golson and Myers each have a ton of upside. If Brown’s bat develops and his body fills out, he may eventually move off CF, but it’s good to keep him there now and see what we’ve got.

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  2. This is one of the few position player categories where we actually have good depth behind a good major league CF who could man CF in the pros for 4 more seasons. None of our minor leaguers are in the nearly can’t miss category, but their are several solid prospects, so the chances of getting at least one major league regular are good.

    I rank Brown, Golson, Myers very close at the top of the pile. I am probably a lot higher on Myers than most of you, perhaps discounting too much due to a wrist injury for last season’s swoon after a fast start and eventual trip to DL.

    Then Berry, then a big falloff to Moran and a big further falloff to Quiroz.

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  3. This is maybe the one non-pitcher position in the system where someone could break out with a great year and serve as the centerpiece in a trade. As allentown says, we have a young (well, young-ish), cheap regular in the position now, so there’s no need to rush anybody. Conversely, I guess if Victorino has a great year and the prospects advance as well, you could trade Shane next winter.

    Ranking them is a bit tricky because I don’t think Brown will wind up in CF, but that aside I’d go with PhillyFriar’s order:

    Brown, Golson, Myers, Berry, Moran

    Using the two-dimensional ceiling/likelihood methodology, I’d note them as 8+/C, 8-/D, 8D, 6+B, 5B

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  4. Golson, Brown, Myers, Berry, Moran

    I think Golson and Brown are really close. I give the edge to Golson because he has advanced further.

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  5. I’m sorry, and I hope I’m proved wrong, but I don’t think Golson will ever be more than unfulfilled promise. I’m not sure when his rule 5 protection runs out but I think the Phils will eventually lose him as a rule 5 guy and he won’t make the majors. I hope he proves me wrong. As for the remaining CFs, Moran and Berry are the same guy except Moran has done it a higher level and is older. Neither projects as more than a 5th OF, at least not for a playoff caliber team. Brown needs to do it again (and again) obviously but he leads this pack at this point and everyone needs to realize he has much more value as a CF than a corner OF if he can play it, which he can now. A year ago I easily had Myers ahead of this group and he looked great in spring training and at the start of the season. I know the Phils are still very high on him so I place him second on this list. He has the abiliy to hit .330 with extra base power but he has to do it for a full season. I’ve never seen Quiroz and would put him behind all the others. I saw the Phils drafted a high school CF last year late named Cedric Johnson. Did they sign him?

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  7. Murray —
    Golson must be added to the 40-man roster after the 2008 season, or he would be exposed to the Rule 5 draft. He then has 3 option years, so if need be, he could also spend 2009, 2010, and 2011 in the minors. At that point he would have to remain in the majors or another team could claim him on waivers. Given that there are still a handful of rather junky players on the 40-man roster, I don’t see that it will be a great big deal to promote Golson to the 40 man roster at the end of this coming season.

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  8. Phils have good depth at CF with a nice mix of high ceiling and reserve talent at all levels of the organization.

    1. Greg Golson 9D
    2. Dom Brown 9E
    3. Quintin Berry 7C
    4. D’Arby Myers 8E
    5. Javon Moran 6B
    6. Arlon Quiroz 7E
    7. Brandon Watson 5B

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  9. Agree with Billy Mac on Golson through Moran – don’t know enough about Quiroz and Watson to grade them.

    Love the alternative number/letter grading system – what a useful tool. I am going to have to get good at that. That having been said, I don’t think that Golson and Brown yet qualify as 9s in terms of ceiling. Still, I’m excited to see what they and Myers will do this year – I would think at least one of the three is poised for a breakout.

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  11. I agree that Golson would be put on the 40man roster to protect him from rule 5 draft. He wouldd haft to have a break out year. Where do Watson, Bohn, and Snelling fall into place here? I know Snelling is not a prospect but will likely start the year with the Iron Pigs.

    I also love the alternate numer/letter grading system. It shows thier ceiling along with thier likely hood of reaching that point in the majors.

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  13. Greg Golson is hands-down the best outfielder in the Phillies minor leagues…he will no doubt make his major league debut sometime in 2008 when either Shane Victorino goes down or one of the other outfielders is slumping or injured.This kid has the entire tool shed in his game….needs just a bit more polish and will be good to go for the next 10 years plus in Centerfield for the Phils.

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  14. Bob D — I have no idea why you think the Phillies would leave Golson off the 40 man roster and expose him to the rule 5 draft. He is still a viable prospect and it is not as if our system is loaded with prospects to protect. He doesn’t need a breakout season to be protected. He had a nice, if not great season last year.

    Glennbo — Pitch recognition and plate discipline are very major skills that Golson lacks. Big time.

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  16. Im not sure if Golson will be left off of the 40 man after this year, but I certainly dont feel he is ready to be annointed the CF “for the next ten years” as Glennbo says. Anyone remember Reggie Taylor?? 124 strikeouts in 418 AB in the FSL isnt gonna strike fear in anyone (except maybe the phils brass!)—only 21 walks too!!

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  17. Cedric Johnson was signed, but then he was let out of the contract, there were issues with his knees. He is no longer property of the Phillies.

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  19. Brown, Myers, Golson, Berry, Moran

    Brown and Myers are both very far ahead of the rest. There’s a big drop-off after Berry, and I didn’t even bother ranking Quiroz. Brown’s the most polished of the group, with Myers being second (probably only because of the injury). Golson’s got a ton of talent and needs to have a great season. Berry and Moran look like fourth or fifth outfielders.

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  20. dave b —
    The comparison between Reggie Taylorand Golson seems apt. Both struck out a ton, barely walked, showed some HR power and SB ability. Golson spent the last third of his age 21 season at Reading. Taylor spent his entire age 21 season at Reading, but then repeated at age 22, as Golson undoubtedly will. Both were the most athletic players in the Phillies system at the time, but after several years as a pro, each was still described as raw. Taylor had better success than Golson during his first season at Reading, but then added power but regressed in BA and didn’t improve his walks in his repeat AA year. Next year tells the tale on Golson. His Reading failures in 2007 were underscored by the abysmal 2 BB in 153 AB and a K every 3 AB. He would have to be a power hitter on a par with Howard to make that BB/K ratio work. Alas, his 10 extra base hits are also an inadequate total.

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  21. I think Golson will be called up in May, hit .385 with 52 HRs and 67 SBs. He’ll have 24 assists before the other teams learn not to run on the “Mighty Howitzer.”

    Not.

    That being said – my real order is Brown, Berry, significant gap, Myers, Moran, then maybe Golson (but mainly as trade bait).

    The only factor which might dissuade me from a negative view on Golson is if he dramatically (and, really, I mean radically) improves on his BB/K ratio in 2008. Really, how can we consider him close to being a prospect with less than 30 BBs and more than 170 Ks? (All at AA and below!) MLB pitching will eat him alive.

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  22. I have come in late and evrything has been said, so I will simply comment on a few previous comments.

    –Golson will be on the 40-man. Thats not even a realistic issue to discuss. Kind of silly, actually. to think a young #1 pick will not go on the 40-man, given he has not proven yet that he will not be a major league player with value. I am highly skeptical about Golson, but that would be stupid to do.

    –That said, if I were given the choice to trade one or Brown or Golson and keep one, I would keep Brown, as long as I got something significant back for Golson’s “promise.” Agree with A’town that Golson lacks fundamentals–and Brown has shown some fundamentals early, in addition to his raw ability. That’s a huge diff. I expect Golson to have a major league career, playing good D at times, with his speed making up for lack of instincts, and hitting maybe .260-.270 eventually, with 15 HRs, 150 Ks, 20 BBs, 30 SB, that type of player. He will look great though, and to paraphrase Billy Crystal, “it’s better to look good than to perform good.”

    –Myers obviously has tools, but I think we need at least 2008 to get a better read, maybe another year or two after that. Good to have a few of these guys in the system though, as long as we are not throwing away #1-#3 picks. In that vein, I would have liked Golson better as a #2 pick.

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  23. Yes, considering it was Golson or Hughes when the Phillies picked, and both guys signed for slot bonus, the Phillies scouts really fanned on this one. We have great scouts, mostly in pitching evaluation, but they have an addiction to super raw, super toolsy HS OF of the Golson, Taylor, Jackson variety that periodically gobbles up a 1st round pick and flushes it down the toilet.

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  24. allentown,

    Curious about the comment about great scouts in pitching evaluation because I don’t really see the results at the major league level. Hamels and Myers were certainly hits, but they were high first round picks. Wolf has had a so-so career with lots of injury. Kendrick could be good, but he only did it for 1/2 a season. Madson and Geary are decent middle relievers. Am I missing someone over the past 15 years ? We’ve also had a fair share of Gavin Floyd types. When I look at the Philly raised talent in the league over the past 15 years, I see the majority of the all star talent being positional players: Howard, Burrell, Rollins, Utley, Rolen, Lieberthal.

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  25. I still see Lieberthal as a stretch and a bad pick that early in first round, trying to turn a skinny 2B into a catcher. It turned out ok. Rollins and Howard were great picks and a major credit to the scouts. Burrell was the sure-thing first pick in draft, only question if Phillies were willing to pay a big major league contract/bonus. Utley a very good pick, but he was forecast as best college hitter in draft. Rolen very good scouting work. Talent well known, but Phillies scout was only one who realized he was signable.

    Myers was a high first round pick, but Hamels was not. Pitching is subject to decimation by injury. A lot of our second tier prospects were traded or lost in Rule 5 — whether or not they would have had more success had they stayed in Philly is unknowable. Other guys who have had some success include Ashby, Eaton, Turnbow. Currently, the preponderance of talent in the Phillies farm system is pitching.

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  26. Berry is a much better CF than Brown, Brown belongs in RF, saw him play, defense is weak in center, Berry has better CF ability.

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  27. D’Arby Myers is ahead of this group, he has an abundance of talent, good to have him with the Phillies.

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  28. what happened to darin mcdonald? he had a pretty good first year and then his second year he fell off. I believe if he can get it going this year, he can be among the top 2 in the CF position next year.

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  29. Allentown the Phillies had to chose between Phillip Hughes and Golson? If thats true then I want to go beat their scouts over the head with a 40 lb sledge hammer.

    I don’t know a thing about the minors so its nice to learn here. Thanks.

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