The Inaugural Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs season kicked off Thursday evening in Scranton with the Pigs getting blanked 4-0 by the Scranton Wilkes Barre Yankees. The lone Pigs hit came on a single in the 7th inning by CF Brandon Watson. Kei Igawa started for the Yankees and was literally unhittable, leaving in the 7th inning with a no-hitter. Lefthander J.A. Happ started for the Iron Pigs and was average at best lasting only four innings, and giving up three runs on five hits. Happ walked one and struck out four. While all Pigs hitters struggled, TJ Bohn had the most difficulty, striking out in each of his three at bats.

[ed. note, I added the “read more” part]

ROSTER:

Looking at the roster, it includes six players currently on the big Phils 40 man roster. At catcher, the starter will be Jason Jaramillo, who ranks as the Number 10 prospect in the Phils system according to baseball America. Jaramillo may eventually make the bigs as a major league backup and hit .271 with 6 homers and 56 RBI’s last year in 118 games in (AAA). Jaramillo is also considered an above average defensive catcher. The backup catcher will be 30 year old Pete LaForest who some may remember acted as a pinch hitter for the Phils down the stretch drive last season. He was acquired from the San Diego Padres system and is a more than competant backup AAA catcher, hitting 29 Homers with 72 RBI’s in the Padres system last year.

At first base, expect to see another experienced minor leaguer, Andy Tracy. Tracy is 34 and not considered a major league prospect but will add power and experience to the lineup as he has hit over 20 homers,six times in the minor leagues, including 23 last year with New Orleans (AAA). 29 year old Casey Smith will see most of the action at 2nd base, and was acquired from (AAA) Salt Lake City in the off season. Smith was a minor league Rule 5 selection by the Phils and is a solid hitter, who hit at a .290 clip last year.Smith also has some speed having stolen 13 bases last season. At SS, 28 year old Gookie Dawkins will get most of the playing time. A solid defensive player, he hit .274 after being acquired by Ottawa last year. A familiar face in the Phils minor league system, Brennan King will be the starting 3B once again. King, 27, was the starter for Ottawa all year last year and was solid, hitting .277 while knocking 10 HR and 59 RBI’s, and led the Southern League in assists.

The remaining infielders also come with a great deal of experience. Chris Woodward, 31 can play all infield positions and has had a good deal of major league experience, most recently last year, spending most of the year with the Braves. Mike Cervenek spent last year in Norfolk (AAA) and has the ability to play 1B and 3B. Cervenek played 140 games last year and hit .283 with 15 HR and 78 RBI’s.

In the outfield, the Pigs are have several experienced players, although lacking a legit Phils prospect, other than potential stop gaps. 29 year old Val Pascucci was acquired from the Marlins system and will add a good deal of pop to the lineup after knocking 34 HR and 98 RBI last year in AAA. In centerfield a familar name acquired out of the Nationals system, Brandon Watson will roam Center. Watson, 26, is a very solid fielder and a career .305 hitter in the minors who has major league experience. He received a good deal of attention last year because of a 43 game hitting streak. TJ Bohn, 27, was acquired on waivers from the Braves last year and hit .249 in 80 minor league games. 26 year old left handed hitting Chris Snelling rounds out the outfield. Snelling was one of the Phils final cuts and also has major league experience.

Pitching: The rotation appears to start with 25 year old prospect J.A. Happ, who still appears to be on the Phils radar screen. Happ was 4-6 with a 5.02 ERA last year in an injury plagued season he hopes to bounce back from. Following Happ in the rotation will be Travis Blackley, 25, another Rule 5 selection that the Phils had hoped would compete with Adam Eaton for the number 5 starter job in spring training. After clearing waivers, Blackley, if he pitches well could be seen again in Philadelphia if Eaton’s struggles continue. 31 year old lefthander Brian Mazone returns to the Phillies system after spending last year in Japan and will occupy a spot in the rotation. In 2006, Mazone led the International league in ERA at 2.06 and it is fair to expect another solid year from him. If the Phils need a spot starter, Mazone would be considered, although not currently on the 40 man roster. 30 year old Ron Chiavacci, a Scranton native, is expected to take the number 4 slot in the rotation. Chiavacci spent last year with Toledo (AAA) and was extremely effective for the MudHens. He was 3rd in the International league in wins(12), 4th in strikeouts, and 5th in ERA.

A variety of pitchers have a chance at the last spot in the rotation with the remainder in the bullpen. Matt Childers spent last year with Ottawa and led the team in wins and started 19 games last year for the Lynx. Gary Knotts, a 31 year old with some major league experience began last season in the Independant league but was noticed after leading the league in ERA and was very solid for both Reading and Ottawa in a half dozen minor league starts. JD Durbin, is also a possibility for the rotation having spent the second half of last season in Philadelphia, but was extremely disappointing in spring training. 28 year old John Ennis went back and forth between the rotation and bullpen in Ottawa last season and was solid going 4-4 with a 3.38 ERA and perhaps most importantly, holding opponents to a .209 average with runners in scoring position.

Among those who will be in the bullpen are Vic Darensberg, a 38 year old situational lefty with over 5 years of major league experience. He did not allow a homer in his 52 innings pitched last year in AAA., pitching for Toledo with a 1.72 ERA. Kevin Beirne, is a 34 year old who was out of baseball last year and had spent the previous seasons in Japan. Jason Anderson, 28, was up and down between AA and AAA last season. He was 2-2 with a 5.32 ERA in Ottawa last season. The closer for the Pigs will most likely be 25 year old prospect Joe Bisenius. Bisenius spent 6 weeks on the DL last season with shoulder inflammation, however posted a 0.84 ERA in his final 7 appearances last year which leads to some renewed expectations and optimism.