Wednesday nuggets

Daily Discussion

A few quick notes on this Wednesday morning.

* First, I’d like to welcome our newest contributor, neduolcaz (Zac), who will be taking over the Reading report, giving you some weekly insight into our AA affiliate. As always, I greatly appreciate the help of my contributors here, who help make this site what it is. Be polite and welcome Zac aboard.

* I checked the Lakewood boxscore last night before heading to the gym, to see Julian Sampson had pitched 3 innings, allowing 0 ER and just 3 hits. I came back 2 hours later to find out he got shelled for 7 ER on 10 H and 2 BB in his final 2 innings. Such is the life of a young pitcher in his first full season. In many cases, guys are left in games like this to just experience that aspect of the game, to try and work out of it, and to take something from it. Sampson, as was expected, has been inconsistent, but there have been plenty of promising signs.

* Michael Taylor has struggled in his first 5 games at Clearwater, going 3/19 with 1 2B and 7 K, and has yet to draw a walk. There’s certainly no reason to panic just yet. Some players take longer to adjust, not just to the different quality of players, but to completely new surroundings. I can imagine the Jersey shore is a bit different than Clearwater Florida in the middle of the summer. I fully expect Taylor to turn things on in the next month or so.

* We talk a lot about Adrian Cardenas, and what position he should play, and how good he is defensively, but the thing about him that impresses me the most is this

v LHP: 47 AB — .319/.385/.468 — 5 BB — 9 K
v RHP: 151 AB — .312/.382/.470 — 18 BB — 23 K

Cardenas is actually hitting better against lefties than he is righties. Its very common for lefthanded hitters to struggle against lefties in the minors, and learn to hit them better as they see more of them. Chase Utley is a recent example of this, struggling against lefties for his first 2 seasons in the majors. Cardenas, while not facing tons of ML quality lefties, is more than holding his own against southpaws, something which can only be seen as a positive at this point in his development.

50 thoughts on “Wednesday nuggets”

  2. Thoughts: Perhaps Cardenas can move to 3B?

    Benson has a very good rehab start for the Threshers: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. Quite the turnaround from last week’s effort. I’d love to see how his velocity was though to see if he’s still gaining strength.

    Hopefully Taylor rebounds from his slow start and begins raking at Clearwater too…that would help him become a good piece of tradebait.

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  3. Is there anyway to get pitching probables for the night’s game? I know milb.com doesn’t do it, nor do the team’s websites.

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  4. fyi – check out Jason Donald’s seasonal break-downs, particularly the month-by-month OPS numbers. Each month in AA he has gotten better and better. It is getting to the point where his lack of an obvious position in the majors can no longer be ignored as he is probably 1/2 – 1 1/2 seasons away from being a major leaguer. He should probably play 3B or OF in the fall league. I think this fellow is going to end up being a good MLB player, maybe even an excellent one. It was very good scouting on the team’s part to pick him up in the third round. I hope to god that he’s not traded.

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  5. Ed, you can always count 4 games between starts to get a good idea. Fabio Castro started 5 days ago, so he might start again for Reading. If you go here

    http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/info/affiliations.jsp

    You can easily get to the team pages for all the Phillies affiliates. Go to their schedule, count back 4 games, and look who started those games, you can posit that the same guys will start tonight. Using that method, tonights likely starters are

    GCL: Yohan Flande (not really a prospect)
    SS: Justin De Fratus
    A-: Jacon Diekman
    A+: Naylor
    AA: Castro
    AAA: Les Walrond (non prospect)

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  6. Does anyone know if Golson slumped before he was hurt or because he was hurt? While I like Donald alot, I think he could be in a trade for a pitcher in the next month. I think Marson is the only untouchable at this point.
    Taylor won’t be traded anytime soon because he’s just not proven value yet and the Phillies don’t want to lose him for nothing. So far, while we’re all excited about him, he’s only hit as an older guy in low A and his chances of making the majors are still low.

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  7. phuture phillies the other day I asked about donald and cardenas and why the people who write on this blog say ulitily players,now its seems that there are some people who don’t go by scouting reports from the draft and see that both of these players are getting to be serious prospect for the phillies,in your opion why is donald at reading ,at his age he should be at triple aaa,the triple aaa teams is loaded with non prospect,what would it hurt to see if he is ready to come up and help or change position to help next year.if he can play right or third it would give the phillies some room over the winter to try and move jenkins or felix,a couple of bad signings

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  8. Savery is pitching today for Clearwater (he last pitched on the 18th, and the Threshers had a rainout and wanted to keep Benson’s starts 5 days apart). He’s already given up 2 runs in the first 2 innings.

    I was at the game last night, and what I saw of Benson wasn’t that impressive; although his pitching line looked OK in the boxscore, many of the outs were hard-hit and Vero had a couple of runners thrown out on the basepaths, so he could have easily given up 4-5 runs instead of the 1 he did.

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  10. Rocky, I don’t think anyone has declared Cardenas a utility man. He’s a future major league regular at LEAST in the eyes of the majority of the scouting community and most of the people on this forum. I’d say IMHP he’s the only player in the phillies minor leagues who is a lock for atleast that. His only real question mark is what defensive position he’ll play, but wherever he ends up his bat will carry him there.

    As for Donald… who knows he could be the next Ryn Sandberg, but safe bet is hes atleast a utility man with a decent bat…. and Eric Bruntlett type. He’s at Reading because the pitching differential between AA and AAA isn’t that much, so he might as well get his reps on a team with other prospects and future phillies rather than waste his time with a bunch of org. fillers.

    And Jenkins and Ruiz were not necessarily bad signings. Feliz is a spectacular defender with some power, he just strikes out every other at bat. And Jenkins has been completely acceptable in the platoon with Werth. Not every outfielder is Vladamir Guerrero. Jenkins is entirely acceptable, if not better than that.

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  11. I love that little piece of info on Cardenas- I really think he and Marson should be the only two untouchables in the deadline trading. I am not opposed to giving up Carrasco with others if it means CC, Bedard, Harden, or another top 2 type pitcher

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  12. Whoops, fix that part about being the ONLY player… I almost forgot about sweet Lou. He’s not looking at me in the corner of the sight anymore.

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  14. If you can say with 90-100% accuracy that a guy will make it and hit well in the bigs, you’ve gotta find a way to keep him and move everyone else. That is what the Braves were so good at in the ’90s…holding onto the guys they knew would succeed and getting rid of the guys that everyone loved more than they did (my opinion is that ended with Wainwright, but before then they were awesome at it).

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  15. So where do Donald and Cardenas play? I’ve always assumed that one would be traded, and the other would end up playing third base when Feliz’s contract expires. In that sense, they’re almost interchangible in the long-range plans.

    To tell you the truth, our middle infield is getting old. If Donald and Cardenas can field their positions at a major league average level, they should stay in the middle infield. Will Rollins and Utley lose a step, or decline offensively, by the time Cardenas is ready? Its possible. Their bats could justify a move to the outfield, where we’ll have virtually nothing for the next 5 years. That might be preferable to shifting the 10-years-younger Donald and Cardenas to the outfield. How about a Baseball America-style
    possible 2011 lineup(not batting order):
    C Marson
    1B Howard
    2B Cardenas
    SS Rollins
    3B Donald
    LF Utley
    CF Golson
    RF Mattair

    I guess the projected 2011 rotation would look something like Hamels/Carrasco/Kendrick/Savery/Drabek
    and bullpen:
    Lidge/Outman/Bastardo/Worley/Swindle

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  16. ****I was at the game last night, and what I saw of Benson wasn’t that impressive; although his pitching line looked OK in the boxscore, many of the outs were hard-hit and Vero had a couple of runners thrown out on the basepaths, so he could have easily given up 4-5 runs instead of the 1 he did.****

    Thanks for the info Steve F. Do they have a radar gun at Clearwater and if so, how was his velocity at least.

    To Skunky: Feliz doesn’t really strike out that often. He only has 27 Ks in 257 ABs which is really low. He DOES hit into a TON of DPs(11 so far)…much like Ruiz as well.

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  17. From the Majors last year to the GCL….just saw that Zach Segovia signed with the national and is pitching in the Gulf Coast league

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  18. baxter: I don’t see Howard as the Phillies 1B in 2011…just a feeling is all. As for Donald/Cardenas, if the Phillies make a move this summer, you have to think that one of them would be involved in it. The other should start taking infield practice at the Hot Corner.

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  20. I wish they’d do something with D’Arby Myers. They played Jay Miller, TJ Warren and Dom Brown last night. Myers came in later in the game. Warren and Myers are often fighting for the same playing time. Don’t we want and need to know if either of these guys in the real deal? Someone mentioned before that Myers isn’t getting a shot to build any momentum. Jay Miller was hitting .300 in A+ and now is down to A-. He must be filling Taylor’s spot. Another guy who needs at bats. I thought they’d move Myers or Warren to the GCL just to get them at bats. Potential has never won a single game. If he continues with a .181 BA, then shut him down like Jeff Jackson (I’m very sorry to invoke this name).

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  21. re: Howard- the more he struggles, the longer he’ll stay in Philadelphia.

    D’Arby Myers might be lost in the outfield mix…does he have any trade value? With Jason Jaramillo, D’Arby Myers, JA Happ and Cardenas/Donald, the Phillies can put together a very solid package of prospects not in their immediate plans.

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  22. Savery at least gets the old quality start today. Gave up no homers, no walks and only 5 of his 18 outs were fly balls. But my hang up is the shut down inning. The Threshers score two in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game but Joe gives the lead right back in the top of the 6th. Doesn’t look like Joe will get to use his bat in Reading this year. That’s what I was really looking forward to seeing.

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  23. Reading’s site(readingphillies.com) always has the probable starters. Click on the press box link at the top of the front page. Ironpigsbaseball.com also has the probable starter on the right side of their front page as well as the game notes that you can find under the press box link at the top of the front page.

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  25. I think we’re selling Jason Donald short (no pun intended) if we say he’s only a utility player. He has shown the ability to adjust and thrive at each level. I think nobody really knows his ceiling, but I’d hate to peg him as a utlity man when, in fact, he could be an awful lot more than that.

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  26. Thanks for the probables thing, reading is the one i wanted so thats perfect.

    Anyone else wish we could trade Carlos “Double Play” Ruiz right now for a dozen bats and a hot dog gun?

    I wonder if the Phillies brass has thought about just giving up and putting Myers in the pen to replace Gordon; letting Happ/Carrasco get some starts; and still trading for a starter?

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  31. I remember being stunned that he was picked b/c he’s a reliever/spent half the season in the majors/got hurt.

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  32. I’m sure the Phils are considering moving Myers to the ‘pen, bringing up Happ or Carrasco, and still trading for a starting pitcher. That seems fairly likely, especially with Gordon being hurt. Then again, I’m sure they’re also looking at 100 different alternatives.

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  35. have you all seen this video? it is featured on milb and has spread all over the internet.

    http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/media/player/mp_tpl.jsp?w=http%3A//mfile.akamai.com/10869/wmv/mlb.download.akamai.com/14668/2008/aaa/fre/video/gatorade_ballgirl_catch_400.wmv&type=v_free&_mp=1

    it isn’t real, but really very creative

    article on how it was filmed: http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080625&content_id=423063&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

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  36. werth is not an everyday player and jenkins couldnt lay off a low curve if you put it on a tee. as much as i love the guy dobbs should face away heat by opposing pitchers, but im sure they already know this. next years of burrell in lf, victorino in cf, and golson in rf. 1st howard 2nd utley ss rollins 3rd donald c marson. we have a lot of contracts to eat. by the way blanton looked pretty good last night. mitch williams stongly agreed with me that he,d look good in a phillies uniform. everytime i watch him the hitters dig mole tunnels.

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  37. “Anyone else wish we could trade Carlos “Double Play” Ruiz right now for a dozen bats and a hot dog gun?”

    Ruiz is doing an excellent job behind the plate. He has a cannon for an arm and isn’t afraid to use it. Also, he handles the pitchers well.

    Remember, Ruiz has just 610 ML ABs. Don’t underestimate the guy. I’m not saying he’ll be a perennial all-star, but he’s not as bad as you seem to think.

    And yet the hot dog gun is tempting…

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  38. And here’s the wackiest nugget of the day from ESPN:

    Astros pitcher Shawn Chacon was suspended indefinitely by the team Wednesday for insubordination after reportedly grabbing general manager Ed Wade by the neck and throwing him to the ground.

    Wow.

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  39. Wow what a kook. Glad Wade wasn’t hurt but it is kinda funny when you picture that scene. “Shawn NOOOOO”

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  41. D’Arby Myers should be playing everyday. TJ Warren never went to Williams port, why skip him over WP when his average was .211 in GCL, let him have his time in WP.
    It is crowded in Lakewood. Now you have Miller, Bolt, Brown and Myers in OF. D’Arby is super fast and makes the other team make errors so the majority of his .181 is a result of the errors and lack of equal playing time. D’Arby was hitting .400 against Delmarva, against Lakecounty he went 1-2 and a walk, Brown went 1-4. against Haggerstown
    Warren- 1-5, Brown 1-5, Myers 0-4 B error R and SB. That error should have been a hit, he got on base but ran so fast he made the other team make an error. Those errors keep your BA lowered but he was productive to the team, run scored so he is keeping up with his team.

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  43. shunky thanks for you response about cardenas and donald,but I totally disagree about felix and jenkins,jenkins is not only been bad hitting,but does he have any outfield assist,a right fielder who can’t throw and hit to me is a bad signing,felix is a all or nothing player,the bottom of this order is a doubleplay machine ruiz,felix, jenkins,coste.and very little power

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  44. D’Arby Myers should be the one in Williamsport, not T.J. Warren. Myers has done nothing this year, has atrocious numbers across the board, and is a huge disappointment. I’ve written him off already as a wasted draft pick.

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  45. Rocky, I wasn’t saying that they were particularly great signings, but they deffinately aren’t the worst pick-ups in phillies history. Imagine how much worse our pitching would be if we had Dobbs or Helms starting at third. Feliz might golf at balls in the dirt but he guards the line like a ball-hawk and has a cannon for an arm. And Jenkins is currently slumping (like the rest of the line-up), but until a week or two ago he was crushing right-handed pitching… his split now is more like .250 though. Either way the guy is a pretty reliable veteran in a deep outfield.

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  46. D’Arby Myers a wasted pick? Give the kid a break- he’s 19 years old! In 2006, Greg Golson hit .219 as a 20 year old in Lakewood. Then in 2008, Golson was the Phillies most impressive position player in Spring Training. D’Arby Myers gets a mulligan for his performance so far this season, but you’re correct that something needs to change.

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  48. Baxter – I think Greg Golson is a wasted draft pick, too. See those AB/BB/K numbers? If they are bad in the minors, wait’ll you see them translated in the majors.

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  50. D’Arby Myers should play everyday and play through a whole game. he’s hitting like everyone else. except in most of his games a hit was called an error and some were called sac bunts when everyone was safe with a run scored. On 4/25 Brown went 2-6, Myers went 1-5 HR & sac bunt was called everyone was safe.
    on 6/5 Brown 1-4, Myers 1-4 error,
    on 6/6 Brown 1-3, Warren 1-4, Myers 0-4 this time 2 errors and sac bunt again everyone save and a run scored, 3 out of 4 non hits will keep your BA down.
    6/7 Brown 0-3, Warren 1-3, Myers 2-5 with another error. 6/8 not in line up Warren 0-4, 95% of games played in when Myers hits a double he is not in the line up the next day.
    6/10 Brown 0-2, Myers was 1-3 but taken out early.
    6/11 Brown 1-5, Warren 1-5, Myers 0-4 error when ball went to outfield and run scored, no hit no RBI once again.
    There are many more days where hits were called errors.
    If Brown was taken out early or came in games late with 1 AB and played every two to three days, placed in Myers situation we would be watching Browns BA drop. Furthermore he is not a disappointment to the team, defensively he has saved many game, games are also won by great defense, Now they have taken him out of CF and play Brown in CF . Myers has 2 errors where Brown has 9 errors. Not playing everyday, in and out of games and 1 AB is not the way to up your BA. I think he is doing the best he can in the given situation.

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