We’re now six games into this young season with the Threshers off to a slow start at 2-4 on the year. Five players: Adrian Cardenas, Quintin Berry, Gus Milner, Matt Spencer, and John Urick have played in every game, while six different pitchers: Joe Savery, Carlos Monasterio, Antonio Bastardo, Darren Byrd, Edgar Garcia and Dan Brauer have been handed the ball to start a game.
So far Adrian Cardenas has stolen the show for the team as he has hit safely in all but one of the games including a 3-4 and a 4-5 effort. He is currently hitting .417 with 3 doubles, a stolen base and a team best 4 runs scored. Gus Milner started hot with the bat getting a hit in the first 5 games this season, but is currently hitting .261 with 3 RBI, is tied with Cardenas for a team high 4 runs scored, has the team’s only home run of the year and despite his 6-5 245 pound frame has two stolen bases. Quintin Berry has hit safely in 4 of 6 games, and has three stolen bases. Matt Spencer has hit safely in 5 of 6 games with three RBI as has John Urick as well.
For the pitchers Joe Savery has been the only starter to throw twice (though one was not a start since he came in after a one-inning rehab stint by Brad Lidge.) In his first outing he went 5.0 innings giving up no runs on only 3 hits while fanning 7, but he also walked 5 batters in the process. In his second outing yesterday he went 7 innings with 2 runs on 7 hits including a solo HR, had 2 Ks and 2 BBs to give him a 1.50 ERA.
Carlos Monasterios has been the only starting pitcher to earn a win as he went 6.1 innings in the second game of the year. He scattered 6 hits with 4 Ks and 1 walk, while both earned runs he allowed came off of solo home runs. The next night Antonio Bastardo took the hill. He held his own allowing just 2 runs on 7 hits in 5.0 innings of work while striking out 7 and walking 2. He left the game with a lead, but did not get a win as the bullpen surrendered 3 runs and the team fell 4-3 in the end.
In the fourth game of the year Darren Byrd got the nod, but his outting would prove short-lived as he faced just one batter before the game was suspended by rain. Edgar Garcia (who I credited earlier with a start, though it technically was not) would take over for Byrd the following day when the game was restarted as part of a double header. Garcia put forth a solid effort giving up 2 runs on 5 hits with 4 Ks and no BB in 6.0 innings of work. Like Bastardo in the previous game he left with a 2-0 lead, but could not earn a win as the bullpen gave up six runs including a grand slam off of Andrew Cruse and the Threshers fell 6-5 in the game.
In the fifth game of the year Dan Brauer got his first start since going on the DL for the Threshers in June 2007. He looked good in the effort giving up a lone hit with 5 Ks but was pulled after just 3.2 innings of work. At this point I’m not sure whether he was on a pitch count in the game, or if he suffered some sort of set back in the effort. I’ll keep my ears open and report on that as needed. Brett Harker came on in relief of Brauer giving up 2 hits including a solo home run before he was replaced by closer Brian Schlitter. Schlitter gave up another solo home run, but was able to get out of the game with the Threshers on top as the team picked up their second win of the year in the fifth try.
Phuture Phillies 
Good stuff Jeff. Let us know if you hear anything on Brauer… he could be quite the sleeper prospect, but he needs to stay healthy for that to happen.
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Brauer got off to a good start last year, but his DL placement was kept as such a big mystery. He never had any surgery , but also never came back.
The start this year was GREAT, but only 3.2 innings on that effort certainly brings up some questions.
I hope it was a pitch count issue, and he can stay on track to improve. If not, my guess he is going under the knife and will be out for a while. At his age it may be too long of a while to ever contend, but that is all speculation at this point.
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I read your site daily and I think it is fantastic. You do an amazing job and as a lifelong Phillies fan, I find it to be just outstanding! I live about twenty minutes from Lakewood and your site makes me go to at least 10-15 games a year. I am very excited about Galvis, Mattair, Brown (among others) this year. So here is my thought/question (I know you get it all the time, just wanted to voice it….When will they make Cardenas move to the OF? He is not a 3B prospect because of his range, but he will continue to hit so (in my opinion) they have to find a spot for him in a lineup. Is it crazy to say that he could be in the OF in Reading by the end of the year, if not sooner?
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Tom –
There has been quite a bit of speculation on this site as to where Cardenas will wind up. He’s still a few years away, but some theories are:
1) He will remain at second. Utley moves to leftfield
2) He will remain at second. Utley moves to first. Of course, there are some serious implication as to what will become of the current occupant of that position (and there is a belief that the team may not have the Big Fella in their long term plans. I hope that is not the case)
3) He will move to left field. Considering that left field is usually a position where you end up due to defensive liability reasons, that may not be the best of ideas either.
It’s tough to say where he will play. The Phils plan on moving him up slowly, so unless he gives them no choice but to move him up, don’t expect Cardenas in Philly until 2010
– Jeff
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cardenas reminds me of greg jeffries. a very good slap hitter that will never find a position. if he continues to hit while moving up, he will find a position as an outfielder or maybe be traded to the AL as a DH. Which brings me to one of my favorite arguments….the NL should have the DH!!!!!
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Cardenas is not going to end up a DH any time soon. He’s fine as a 2B and will get better there, the problem is that we have a good 2B already. But, if Howard is traded in the next 2 years, which I suspect is a real possibility, Utley can move to 1B, where he’d be a plus plus defender, and then there is a spot for Cardenas.
We really only have to worry about what position he’ll play when he’s knocking on the door at the major league level and his lack of a position is taking major league at bats away from him. We’re nowhere near that point yet.
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Since Utley is very good defensively at 2B, I can’t see him moving for Cardenas. Cardenas is not going to become Utley’s equal on defense, so he is the one who is going to move. No reason to believe he can’t play 1B or LF. The hope against hope is that he can play 3B.
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there would be a fan revult if they got rid of howard. no way he is going anywhere unless we get a kings ransom
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I’ll disagree there. Howard has already started to project the kind of salary hes looking for. The Phillies are not going to commit to a 6-7 year deal worth 20-22M per year, which is probably what Howard wants. And at this point, I’d have to say thats the right choice. Utley’s defense is certainly good at 2B now, but in 3 years, he might have lost a step there, and Cardenas could possibly be a better fielder.
But as I said, him having to change positions isn’t an issue now, and won’t be for at least 2 years.
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I fully expect Howard to be gone and Cardenas to be starting somewhere–2b, with Utley at 1b, or LF, with Burrell or someone outside at 1b–in 2010.
This will be traumatic when it happens, but I’m not sure it won’t ultimately be the best thing for the team. All depends on whom they get back, of course. Maybe in December 2009 the Dodgers trade us Loney or LaRoche and one of Billingsley or Kershaw for Howard and Kendrick.
At any rate, I’m excited by Cardenas’s hot start. IIRC, he took a while to get going at Lakewood last year, and his road numbers were way better than his home performance. He’s reputed to have outstanding intelligence and work ethic. If he’s corrected the slow start, we could see big things from the kid this season.
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no way howard leaves.
he is one of the most feared hitters in the league. his numbers in the first 3 years in baseball rank up there with some of the greats of all time. his obp is insane, as is his production. you don’t replace a guy like that.
further, he is a home grown talent and one of the key faces of the franchise. he is the only philly to get national advertising exposure, which only helps sell more philly gear. this is not like iverson or lindros getting traded. those two clearly had worn out their welcome. guys like him do not leave teams in markets like philly. minnesota or oakland, yes. not big market teams.
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I think thats just a naive way of looking at it.
Howard already feels he should be getting paid more than Albert Pujols. I’m sure the Phillies want to keep him. But we’re not the Yankees, and Howard doesn’t seem like he’s going to give the Phillies any kind of sweetheart hometown discount because he feels he’s been “wronged” by the organization. Remember, this is a guy who demanded a trade before he’d even established himself in the majors simply because the Phillies had Jim Thome.
No one is questioning his current level of performance. But he doesn’t exactly have a sterling list of comparable players, and there is doubt as to how well he will age. While I certainly understand people not wanting to trade him now, I think its almost inevitable. I think you could argue he’s only the 4th most popular player on the team right now in terms of exposure and fan popularity.
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well, looks like we will have to agree to disagree here.
first, i think that he was correct to complain and ask for a trade. this guy won the friggin MVP in his second year in the bigs. he was stuck in the minors longer than he deserved.
While there are other players with local popularity, howard is clearly the #1 player in terms of national media. and that means a lot!
while we are certainly not spending like the yankees or red sox we do have a $100m+ payroll. so we are not exactly poor. We paid pat burrell $14 mil. this year. and signed him after only 1 great year and his production that year wasn’t as great as howard’s has been. we have a lot more history to see with howard.
i guess we will have to see how it plays out.
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PP fan,
I want to agree with you, but sadly, since we’re talking about the Phillies front office here, I can’t. The writing’s already on the wall, unfortunately.
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PP fan is definitely right about Howard being the number 1 phillie in terms of national media exposure… I mean we all love Utley and Rollins, but neither of them are on the cover of MLB 2k8 and theres a consensus around the nation that J-Roll didn’t really deserve the MVP last year.
I really doubt Howard is in the front office’s long-term plans, but I also think its one blunder we can’t blame on them. Howard is all smiles to the media, but he seems like a real asshole behind closed doors.
Either way, trading him might end up being best in the long-run. In terms of production, if we could manage to get a good 3B out of it and plug Cardenas at first we may end up with a more productive line-up anyway.
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I agree with Duh, in the interview that Zolecki had with Howard he was asked if all things aside would you like to spend the rest of your career in Philly and Howard said “It’s not my decision” I think that sums up the future of Howard in Philly right there. It is his decision, he can tell his agent he’ll give philly a discount. Hell, most players will at least flat out lie and say they’d love to stay their whole career and he didn’t even do that. If the mets offered him just $1 more he would go there and it’s sadly obvious.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with getting the most money possible for yourself, but Howard clearly has no love for the town. If he was the best player in baseball I’d say he’d at least have a case for the amount of money he wants the bottom line is he is just not as good as Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, or A-Rod for reasons of defense, avg, too many strike outs and so on. He’s going to get a lot of money, yes, but I think he sees himself in too bright a light.
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Yea.. and in the end, wouldn’t you rather have a team full of people who WANT to be Phillies? Home runs don’t win the world series, good pitching, defense and team chemistry do. I can’t hold the first one against Howard, but he doesn’t give us the other two.
I hope we don’t end up in the same boat with Cole Hamels.
And yea, I read that interview too and it irked me. He could have at least pandered to us.
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Good point Duh about Hamels….we could be right back there with him too. Being a Phillies fan my entire life and seeing how this management has handled money/players (I pray everynight that they sell the team…not ever going to happen) I have to agree that Howard will be gone. I don’t know when he will be gone, but he will not finish his career in Phillies pinstripes. I actually would rather see him go then have us trade our farm system (Cardenas, Donald etc…) to get some guy like a Santana or something like that. Our farm system has been down for so long, it’s nice to see it starting to become competitive with potential and promise. Here is another question….with the injury to Rollins…if it became something serious or nagging throughout the year could we see Jason Donald in the BIGS? I think he is better then Bruntlett or anybody else above him right now, however that is just my opinion. Times yours!
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Anyone else on here from the Allentown area? Those bums at RCN don’t offer CN8 but they still black it out on ESPN2. Service Electric used to pump the CN8 games onto another channel does anyone know if RCN does that?
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I know its off this topic but check this out, Anyone see this play, must have been a great catch for an experienced guy like Ben Davis to get gunned out at first from CF.
Luis Montanez lines into double play, center fielder Greg Golson to first baseman Juan Tejeda. Ben Davis doubled off 1st.
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As I stated earlier….Can we please bring up Jason Donald instead of having to watch Eric “I can’t believe I have 2 errors already” Brunlett? My GOD!!!! Jimmy with one leg is better than this guy!
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Anybody heard anything about Donald? He was hit by a pitch two games ago and hasn’t been in the lineup. I hope it’s not something serious.
I’m already on record about Howard. I don’t think the Phillies can afford him (or want to). Having one guy eating up 20% of your overall payroll means we’ll be like the Rangers with ARod. I remember when ARod was signed by Texas and it was pointed out that for that money, the Rangers could have bought the entire starting lineup of the AL All-Star Team. The problem with trading Howard is how do you get equal value back? Did the Twins get equal value for Santana? No way. They just saved money.
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Im not trying to defend Bruntlett but in his Defense he has ridden the bench pretty hard so far he may have had some butterflies or just wanna to over do it rather than just play.
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to the other Tony, Bruntlett is a professional and when the trade was completed was hailed as a “defensive specialist” as such he should be always ready through experience and repetitions in practice. It is not like he is some rookie playing in the bigs for the first time.
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Hey guys, lets stick to the topic at hand here.
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cardenas is on fire. he is flat out raking. still early, but he clearly looks like he is playing at another level.
durant is on fire too. 4-4 last night. is it possible that it finally clicked for this guy? he is only 21. he would need to do it in Clearwater this year too, but nice to see the big guy hit!
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if howard is ever traded i will no longer follow the phillies. They say they spend money but they are 13th in payroll, 5th largest metro. do you know how much money they have? We are the yankees as far as available money. dont buy their lies.
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as im known on wip and wfan the phillies average 40,000 a game average ticket cost 40.00 annual income only on tickets 160,000,000. factor in concessions mercendising and parking their annual income is in the range of 250,000,000. how many times in your lifetime will you see a player like howard. He is the perfect age to sign to a 7 year contract for 140,000,000. Bill Giles and dave Montgomery are the 2 cheapest men in phila. The Phillies easily could afford a payroll of 160,000,000. Would you have liked to see Mike Schmidt traded ? How about Steve Carlton? In 125 years of baseball the only infield I can come up with as good as the Phillies was the big red machine. Eric Bruntlett should not be on this team. Phillies future Antonio bastardo, greg golson, carrasco, savery, outman who should be here now, cardenas. Remember dont buy their lies.
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john from philly..
I agree with you on the fact that the phiilies are cheep, and should spend more to keep a guy like howard. But checking your numbers as your reasoning for such, you severally overshot with your figures. The phillies average tickect price is 28.14 and their average attendance last year was 38,374 which was the fourth highest ever for the phillies behind the year the bank open 04 and 93,94. those numbers give an actual estimate for ticket sale is around 87.5 million about 72.5 million off your numbers A HUGE DIFFERENCE
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The Phillies payroll is over $100 million this year. They’re not cheap, they just don’t spend their money wisely.
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I also don’t see Howard signing for 7 years $140 mil….he is going to be seeking a $200 mil +++….look at the cabrera deal and that is right now. What he will be asking will be absurd. Btw…he is on pace right now to break his own strikeout record and it doesn’t help that he is a liability at first base (see today’s game). Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy, but not for what he is going to be demanding.
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Sorry, but Im removing John’s posts. They don’t belong in this thread, and thats not what this site is about.
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to phuture phil not to be naive but is the media off limits. if it is now i know. explain please.
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kudos to mike arbuckle, it,s time to examine resigning pat burrell. Obviously not at his present payroll but if he loves it here so much 3 years at 30,000,000 should do it. i dont see any righthanded power bats in the system and the phils are definately a left handed team. if this team is kept together with arms like outman, carrasco, bastardo, savery coming up,look out for the next 5 years.
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This post is a Clearwater Threshers weekly wrapup, its not an avenue for you to rant against WIP. This site is prospect driven, and this particular post is devoted to the Threshers.
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thank you for your explanation phuture phil,that,s what i needed to know
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any fans in the clearwater area watching bastardo please give details, we cant see him up here and i have the feeling this kid is going to be a star.
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three up three down that’s it
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once again the immortal freddy galvis rises to the occasion. i smell days of bobby wine. that dude very good.
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Notizie italia
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wow lots of traffic to this blog
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If rollins will not fsign a 2+ 3 deal i sign j.j. hardy. Im beginning tp think amaro is not going to make any deals this year. But next year he will cuddyer the free agent. h
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Test
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