No names released yet, as far as I’ve seen. I’ll update this spot when the names are known. Hold your breath.
Update—> Cardenas, Spencer and Outman.
Wow.
For A’s fans who find the blog, you can find info on these guys here.
Daily Archives: July 17, 2008
Jason Donald on his Olympic selection
Saw this at BA, thought I’d pass it along.
“I was really excited,” Donald said after taking batting practice at the Double-A Eastern League All-Star game. “My mind just started racing just thinking about everything. I don’t think I really heard too much after they told me that I made the club. Now hopefully it starts to sink in a little more. I still have a little bit, a couple more weeks here, l and I’m going to do my best to finish it out with Reading and then go on to Beijing and try to win a gold medal.”
Donald, 23, is batting .301/.381/.493 in 302 at-bats this season for Double-A Reading. One of the better offensive shortstops in the minors, Donald doesn’t have any experience playing in international competitions, but his sound approach at the plate and line-drive stroke should be assets when the Olympics begin next month.
“You hear things, obviously with Cuba just because of our history with them, and I know just how good of a baseball country they are, but you know I really don’t know too much,” Donald said. “I know they’re going to bring their best, as are all the teams, so I’m just looking forward to the opportunity.”
Goldstein on Galvis and Sampson
In his latest NL East Notebook, he hits on two of our better prospects at Lakewood;
Two players currently at the Phillies’ Low-A affiliate at Lakewood don’t have very good numbers, but that doesn’t mean the scouts aren’t impressed with them nevertheless. Freddy Galvis, an 18-year-old Venezuelan shortstop, is batting just .225/.289/.257, but one scout who recent saw him couldn’t help but be impressed. “Defensively, he’s what I call an extreme defender—he’s just a magician out there,” said the scout. “Every day you see him, he’ll make at least one play that a lot of big-league shortstops wouldn’t have a chance at. And he’s not just flash, all the routine plays are made as well.” As for his non-existent offense, the scout did see enough room for improvement to tag him as an everyday player. “Look, he’s definitely a bottom of the lineup guy, but he slaps the ball around and keeps his hands inside well. I think that small-ball situational hitting will be there for him in the end, as there are some offensive instincts there.”
Another player not exactly lighting up the stat sheet for the Blue Claws is 19-year-old right-hander Julian Sampson. A 12th-round pick last year who got third-round money, Sampson has a 4.98 ERA in 16 starts with just 41 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings, but a scout who saw him found him the most memorable arm on the staff. “There’s just a lot to like there—he’s athletic, powerful, and has really nice arm action,” recalled the scout. “I saw effortless 91-93 mph velocity that touched 95, an above-average breaking ball, and an interesting kind of palmball as a change.” So why the poor numbers with that kind of stuff? The scout offered a couple of theories. “His command is below average, so he’s currently centering the ball, and there’s no deception in his delivery, so batters get a good long look at it.
Reading Phillies Weekly Report (7/9 – 7/15)
The Reading Phillies had a tough week, dropping 4 out of 6 games to skid into the all-star break at 39-56. It was an unusual week, with lots of player movement and awkward scheduling due in part to the futures game held Monday at Yankee Stadium. There was also a Brett Myers sighting this week, so lets get to all of the action in the game recaps…
Continue reading Reading Phillies Weekly Report (7/9 – 7/15)
Phuture Phillies 