Reading Phillies Weekly Report (8/6-8/12)

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It is a bit sad to write about the Reading Phillies these days.  Many of the prospects who started the year at Reading have moved on, either through promotions, trades, or the Olympics.  However, we are left with a few nice prospects at Reading, mostly arms, who might be able to help the big league club in the near future.  Which is nice, because they aren’t helping the Reading Phillies at the moment, as the club lost 5 of 7 games on the week, mostly because of a putrid offense which scored only 24 runs in the 7 games.  Let’s highlight some of the prospects and take a look at what they have done…

We will start off the player highlights with the best news to come out of Reading in a little while, minus Adam Eaton’s triumphant return, of course.  Antonio Bastardo made his return, pitching 2.2 innings of 3 hit, 3 run ball.  He struck out 2 and walked none.  When considering the amount of time Bastardo was off (almost 2 months), and the injury he is trying to return from, the performance was not really all that terrible.  It is great to see Bastardo back.  Hopefully, he can stay healthy and get back on track the rest of the year.

Next up is Brummett, who got shellacked once again.  In his one start, he gave up 8 earned runs on 12 hits and 2 walks in 3.2 innings of work.  He didn’t even record a strikeout, which is rather odd for Brummett.  In his time at Reading, Brummett has never really adjusted to the level.  He now sports a 6.57 era in 11 Reading starts.  He turns 24 tomorrow, so next year is a big year for him in terms of make or break.

The best pitcher Reading had on the week was one with big expectations in the beginning of the year, followed by a bought with obesity, a DL trip, a demotion, and then finally a promotion to back where he started.  Yes, that is right, Andrew Carpenter has been on fire since his return to Reading.  On the week, he started two games, lasting 7 strong innings in both, while only giving up 2 earned runs in both.  He gave up a combined 13 hits (6, 7), 3 walks (1, 2), and 13 stikeouts (7, 6).  Carpenter has now given up 5 earned runs in 21 innings pitched since his return.

The last pitcher of note, the young Edgar Garcia, got bombed on the week.  He gave up 9 earned runs on 9 hits and 4 walks in 4.1 innings of work.  He only struck out 1, which is unusual.  Garcia will definitely be joining Brummett next year, anchoring the Reading rotation.  Hopefully, they both adjust with time, the only difference is that Garcia has plenty of it left, while Brummett will need to deliver soon. 

This week features Greg Golson playing the way only Greg Golson can play.  He went 5-22 on the week, with 3 runs, 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 10 K, 1 SB.  All in all, it was a pretty bad week for Golson.  10 k’s in 22 at-bats is bad for even Golson, while he showed very little power which should accompany the high strikeout totals.  We will see if Golson continues his Heckle and Jyde ways, and looks like an absolute super star next week.

Slayden was the best Reading Phillies hitter on the week, going 8-24 with 3 2B and 2 HR.  Even though Slayden had a nice week, he still only collected 3 RBI, which shows how dreadful the rest of the lineup was.

Without much to write home about, perhaps the discussion can turn to the future, and who will be leading the Reading Phils to the championship next year.  The Reading Phillies rotation seems pretty full for ’09 at the moment.  I figure that Brummett, Garcia, Bastardo, and Carpenter will all start the year back in the Phillies rotation, with Carpenter possibly earning a quick promotion if he comes out of the gates hot.  That leaves one spot for the likes of Drabek, Naylor, and Savery.  Who gets the call?  Meanwhile the lineup is just the opposite of the rotation.  If the Phillies wanted to, they could open the floodgates and let just about any player into Reading.  Golson should be back, to play his second full season at reading and hopefully continue his development.  However, Marson, Donald, and Slayden should all make the jump to AAA, for one reason or another (age/ability).  This should leave room for a lot of talent to move up the ranks.  Any ideas on who could make the jump?  There should be plenty of room for Taylor, but Berry may be blocked by Golson.  Who else?  Reading is open and waiting.

52 thoughts on “Reading Phillies Weekly Report (8/6-8/12)”

  1. Really don’t see much help coming to Reading from the system in 2009, at least to start the season. The Phillies have a bit of a position player void at the A+ level right now and I don’t see anyone at Lakewood who merits a double jump. Reading might be stocked with minor league mercenaries for much of 2009.

    Only position players I see moving to AA are Taylor and Berry. An OF of Golson, Taylor, and Berry should be interesting…

    On the pitching side, I think Savery will move up fairly quickly but I don’t think he will start the season in AA.

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  2. Since the topic is Reading I’ll toss in the fact that Jason Donald had three hits for Team USA at the Olympics in their second game (he didn’t play the first). I haven’t actually seen box scores anywhere so not sure what Marson is doing.

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  4. I’m beginning to wonder if Taylor should be moved to Reading now. Toss out his slump in June while he was adjusting, and he has been abusing A+ pitching.

    And I think Savery starts next year at Reading

    – Jeff

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  5. How much do the Olympics matter in respect to how the players are viewed by organizational outsiders or how the team views a player?

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  6. I’m sure they matter very little, if at all Rodeo. Too small of a sample to take too seriously one way or the other.

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  7. I’m thinking it is too late in the season (posted the same thing on another thread) to move Taylor at this point. There is less than three weeks left, so if Taylor struggles to adjust it could leave him with a bad taste in his mouth all winter. Better to start him fresh next year.

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  8. Call it a hunch, but I think Taylor will end up in Philadelphia sometime during 2009 and it may be prior to September. I think he’s that good.

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  9. Greg I think that makes sense. Why let him go into the winter wondering if he can handle double aa. if he has trouble for the few weeks remaining.

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  10. what would be the harm of him getting a few ABs with the major league club in September? The phils have some major question marks with the OF next year so why not see if they have a possible suitor in-house.

    I understand there is a natural progression that young players in the sytem usually adhere to but a taste of the big league may give him additional motivation. He seems to be a very mature athlete based on some of his interviews.

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  11. I agree with Catch 22. Taylor will likely play in AFL and get an invite to camp and then a long look by the phils brass. You guys may think this is nuts, but Im not going to be shocked at all if Taylor starts next year at AAA. At this point he’s more ideal than Golson to fill Burrell’s shoes. The jump is not all that outrageous. Meanwhile the phils will patch the outfield with Jenkins/Werth like platoon players, and spend some real money on third base.

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  12. Can we try not to go nuts over every prospect who gets hot for a stretch. First it was Savory and Golson, then Marson and Donald, and now Taylor…

    The guy just moved up to A+ ball and is off to a terrific start. Good, I hope he becomes a star. But to start talking about calling him up in Sept or Jumping him to AAA based on a few weeks performance in A+ is insane.

    How about we see if he can handle AA ball first before promoting him directly into the 5th spot in the Phillies line-up??

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  13. Its the middle of the season. People are going to get excited when players have hot stretches and they’re going to get dejected when players slump, just like with the big league team. I don’t really think it matters all that much.

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  14. I think that the reason why we are excited for Marson, Donald and Taylor is that their “hot streaks” have basically lasted all season – it’s not just a 100 at bat thing.

    I can see the wisdom in just letting Taylor finish out the year in Clearwater.

    Speaking of hot players, Taylor is probably the favorite to win the Minor League Player of the year award. Which pitcher deserves to win? Nobody is really standing out, but I bet they give it to Happ

    – Jeff

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  15. Now I understand that Taylor’s stats are at combined across two different levels of A, nevertheless his season stats are very impressive and make it hard to say that he is just on a hot streak These are his combined stats
    .346avg 30-2B, 3-3B, 16HR, 75RBI, 44BB, 78SO, .415obp, .542slg

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  16. Berry and Taylor should be promoted to start next season, but where does that leave Milner? He hasn’t had a spectacular season but it’s been solid and I don’t think he deserves to repeat at Clearwater. I’d rather see Golson promoted to AAA and Milner to AA to join with Berry and Taylor.

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  17. I think Golson goes to AAA next year, although his second-half slump (pretty significant if you look at his pre/post All-Star splits) might make the Phillies consider a repeat at Reading. That’s doubtful though – considering that he has to be added to the 40 man roster, I think the Phils will challenge him at AAA, if he doesn’t make the opening day roster (if he has a strong spring)

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  18. Taylor is going to take the same path as Jason Donald has. Can’t some of you guy see that? Understand Arbuckle’s modus operandi. And Greg Golson will be at AAA – for at least 2, maybe 3 years. Or until he’s traded for crackerjacks.

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  19. After the season, when everyone takes a deep breath, we’ll start pondering 2009 assignments. A lot will probably change depending on the big league team (Golson, for instance, maybe being the 5th OF), performance in Arizona/other winter leagues, the Rule 5 draft, and other things. So we’ve got time to ponder.

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  20. I too would be surprised if Golson doesn’t start next year at AAA.

    Regarding next year’s rotation at Reading, I think Savery joins up, along with Brummett, Garcia, Bastardo and Carpenter. I’m actually pretty excited about that group – no one quite on Carrasco’s level there but each has a chance to be an MLB starter (albeit to varying degrees). Savery had some success at Clearwater, albeit spotty. I think they’ll push him and hope he makes the leap on his own.

    I don’t think Naylor starts the year at AA because Savery is older than Naylor (albeit only 6 months)and has had more success at A+. Drabek is too far away, although Clearwater’s staff should be exciting to watch too with Naylor, Drabek, Stutes, Worley, maybe Sampson.

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  22. Hey you guys can ponder all you’d like. I just don’t think we really have enough info right now to make any kind of reasoned guess. I was more just saying I’ll personally hold off for a while.

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  23. How many years are they going to have Golson play at Reading? What’s the point? Might as well move him up to AAA and see what he can do.

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  24. Golson is 22 and is just about to complete his first full season at AA. I do not think it is unreasonable to let Golson have another season at Reading. It is not like he is forcing his way to a promotion through steady, excellent play.

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  25. I’m excited about the potential of these players as well but our enthusiasm should be tempered by reality.

    There is a big difference between Taylor hitting .340 in A/A+ ball and being ready to replace Burrell in the line-up or with Donald having a solid offensive season at AA as a SS vs. his becoming the Phillies 3b for the pennant race.

    Marson has been terrific but is it reasonable to expect he is going to hit .300 with a .450 OBP in September while trying to learn the pitchers/hitters?

    My hope for 2009 is that Marson gets a fair chance to replace Ruiz has the everyday catcher in ST, Donald gets promoted to AAA and successfully transitions to 3b and Taylor continues to rake at AA.

    As for Golson, I understand he’s a lightening rod around here but its a bit amusing how many are willing to label him a flop after playing his first full season in AA at the age of 22 but think the 23 year-old Q. Berry is an up and comer.

    Compare their numbers. (BA/OBP/OPS).

    Golson – .285/.333/.766 with 119 K at AA
    Berry – .285/.365/.722 with 92 K at A

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  26. Joe: I would distinguish the Taylor situation from the Donald situation for two reasons: because Taylor has hit hit better than Donald ever has in his life and has alot more developed power, and because he plays a position of need for next year: corner outfield. Donald, despite everyones attempt to convert him to third base is probably going to stay at shortstop. And with JRoll, Hamels and Howard in need of extensions before 2012, do you really think the Phils are going to bring all three back?

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  28. I agree that the Phils generally like to go slow with prospects (and it’s usually a good idea), but there are times when the prospect simply forces their hand. I think Taylor will progress quickly because he is outstanding (I actually think it’s funny to refer to his performance as a hot streak – let’s put it this way, other than the month that he adjusted to a new league, his entire year has been a hot streak) and because if they are going to stay competitive while keeping salaries low, they are going to need another outfielder who can hit and the sooner the better. I also agree that there will generally be less of a transition for an outfielder than an infielder. And, yes, I could easily see him starting the year at AAA – that’s what Utley did (although he then proceeded to spend two years in AAA, as hard as that is to believe now).

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  29. Utley was a bit different since he spent a full season at Clearwater plus he was a #1 pick. Right or wrong, high draft picks tend to move faster if for no other reason than to make the FO look better.

    Note: I did not refer to Taylor’s performance this season as a hot streak but rather was referring to Phillies prospects as a whole. The same comments being made now about Taylor were being made about guys like Golson, Donald, Marson, Swindle, Slayden, Walrond, Savery, etc. at various points this season when then hit a period of success.

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  30. In June, Taylor hit .154 in 39 ABs, but in July he hit .347 and so far in august he’s hitting .422. Catch’s point is that this isn’t a “point of sucess” or a “hot streak” this could just be a case of a guy being a better player than his level of competition period. It’s like a reverse Eaton.

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  31. I wouldn’t necessarily say Taylor has ‘developed power’. I think he’s still developing his power. It can be huge, too. A guy like this cannot be rushed. If you look, his BB/K/AB ratios are not off the charts and not like they were in Lakewood. One can clearly see he’s in a tougher league, and he is handling it nicely. There’s absolutely no need to rush this guy with a chance to ruin him. It’s not like he was a high-round pick that can fly through the minors. All I need to read is how he reacts to off-speed pitches and balls in the dirt. That will tell you how advanced he is as a hitter and what he needs to work on.
    You may be correct in keeping Donald at shortstop. With Rollins’ attitide this year, his change in demeanor, and his recent foot-in-mouth comments about Philly fans, his days are probably numbered here. He could go on the trading block as early as next July, and being signed through 2011, he ought to bring in a nice haul from some team. Howard might be in the same boat, too. Good luck to the next GM.

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  32. I don’t doubt he is a better player than his level of competition which is why I advocate him going to the AFL and then moving to AA next season.

    If he then continues to outplay the competition in AA early next year, he will continue to move up the ladder.

    Just skeptical that he is ready to become the Phillies 4th/5th OF this September or should be expected to become a regular OF in 2009 as some have advocated..

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  33. catch,

    if my memory serves me tough Utley stayed in AAA longer because he was blocked by Polanco (kind of silly to think of that now) as was Howard (by Thome) which forced us to eat $$$ that we’re still eating through this year. A spot (Burrell’s) could be opening for next year for Taylor but i honestly don’t think he’s ready. I’d love Burrell to take a nice 3 year deal and the last year split the time with Taylor, but that’s probably unrealistic to think Pat would do that. He’s probably going to want 5 years. Maybe Manny for 3 years 75 million??? hmmmm.

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  34. 3up3kkk,
    Yea I wouldn’t advocate that much of a huge leap either. But I don’t see why he isn’t starting in AA next year, with a shot at a september 09 call up.

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  35. Joe – Taylor’s BB numbers at Lakewood are a bit higher because he was being pitched around the last few weeks. I definitely recall a few late inning intentional walks, and I’m assuming the opposition wasn’t giving him as much to hit, especially when Durant went on the DL.

    That being said, I think we will see him show decent plate discipline in the future, judging by that recent interview in which he discussed his approach to the plate (plus he did have a pretty respectable 10bb/18K in July).

    And, yes, we do need to temper our enthusiam about him. He’s been on fire on all year, but he’s still at least a year away, more likely two. I would venture to say that he might be our most exciting offensive prospect since Howard though (note: “exciting” differs from “best”)

    – Jeff

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  36. I agree with what JoePolski said here “All I need to read is how he reacts to off-speed pitches and balls in the dirt.” That is experience Taylor will get at AA as that is where pitchers are really working on their offspeed stuff.

    Also if you didn’t see it here was a comment from Keith Law today:

    Dan (Atlantic City, NJ): What’s your opinion about Michael Taylor’s potential? He has adjusted nicely at Clearwater after a rough start.

    Keith Law: I’m a big skeptic on him – great athlete, showed me next to no baseball skills when I saw him as an amateur.

    Based on what has been posted on this site, I think Taylor’s made a lot of progress and adjustments since college, so I take Law’s comment with a grain of salt.

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  37. Thanks for the report, Neduol Caz.

    The issue for guys like Keith Law is that they can’t be expected to see all of the thousands of minor leaguers each year. Taylor didn’t put up eye-popping numbers in college, and last year in the NYPL, he was probably as “raw” as a three-year, major conference player could be — so Law’s concerns are certainly well-founded. All that being said, you can’t ignore the success Taylor’s had across two levels this year, and while I’d like to see those walks climb a bit more, he’s hitting .386/.438/.621 with a 13:25 BB:K ratio in 140 ABs since the beginning of July. I’m all in favor of sending him to the AFL to give him a preview of what Double-A pitching will look like; after all, Double-A will be his biggest test, and if he hits well there, we’ll know we’ve got a good one on our hands.

    And while it probably is too early to think about next year, I agree with Boston Phan re: Reading’s probable 2009 roster. Savery, Garcia, Carpenter, Bastardo, and Brummett in the rotation; Berry, Taylor, and Milner in the outfield; and Clay Harris and a whole bunch of organizational filler in the infield (maybe Brad Harman will stick around for another year). Obviously it’s fluid at this point, but the bottom line is that the Opening Day 2009 roster won’t be nearly as exciting as the Opening Day 2008 roster (sorry, Reading fans).

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  38. I think Harman will be doing AA over, he did very well when he repeated in A+ ball. He’s showing the power is there, just needs to work on discipline and hitting for average.

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  39. Look forward to seeing big Michael at Reading next year. That park should suit him nicely based on the description of his first long ball last night:

    “Taylor followed it up with a long drive of his own right over the 401’ marker in straightaway center to give the 2-1 advantage to the home team.”

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  40. I think Taylor will be starting LF and batting #4 for the Phillies next year!!!

    Seriously though, AA would make sense and bring him back in line age wise as a prospect. I know we’re all excited about how well he’s killing A+ but we need to calm down before we build such a huge expectation that even his eventual possibility as a solid MLB player is disappointing to us. He could turn into a 25 HR, .270’s player and be a good complimentary piece…or he may hit a huge wall in Reading…we won’t know till he plays there next season. He’s turned himself in to a legit “let’s watch” prospect with his effort this year and that’s a good thing…its not often that the Phillies have had a prospect do that.

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  43. Sort of OT, USA 2 Cuba 2 in the 6th. Donald batting 9th. Marson not starting. So far Davey Johnson is alternating the catchers every game. Watching this game on streaming video is a bit frustrating because it keeps buffering. Donald was thrown out at second attempting to steal after he’d walked. He looked safe to me.

    Here’s to 3 more good signings before midnight!

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  44. I believe Taylor should get a few ABs in AA this year. He’s been mashin’ this year, it would be ridiculous not to give him a chance to get a handful of at-bats in Reading.

    Everyone is focusing on what would happen if he gets to AA and struggles. What happens if he gets to AA and hit .400 in 40 ABs? And if he does struggle, how could he possibly be bummed about it? I don’t think anyone thought he’d be hitting .345 in 105 games this year or spending half the year in Clearwater.

    Honestly, think about it.. it’s a win/win for the organization.

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  45. I think Golson is going to be playing in AAA for another team next year. I believe he is going to be trade bait in the offseason. I hate to deal prospects but Golson is more of what we have here on this team, a guy who doesn’t get on base enough and doesn’t put the ball in play to do the little things that help teams win.

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  46. This might be a great idea moving him to AA. If he hits .400 in just 20 ABs, we can quick move him to AAA. And then, if he hits there in 20 ABs, we could move him to the majors for the September stretch run. He can be the Jacoby Ellsbury from last Fall, but gigger. He could replace Pat in leftfield and leap up and take home runs away from other teams. Gun runners out at second with his powerfularm. Pat won’t be back anyway, so might as well move him in now. I know Mike Arbuckle likes to have his college hitters get 1400-1700 at-bats before they get to the majors, but, my gosh, this guy is Superman. Just look how he flew through the system. And he can make Bill Giles’ Kiteman look like a piker. Fans in the ballpark can say, “Look, up in the sky. It’s a byrd, it’s a plane. No, it’s Michael Taylor!”

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  47. PhilLee…It would be great if they were to move him up and he hit .400 in 40 AB’s in Reading. The problem is that I don’t think that is very likely. The jump from A+ to AA is probably the most difficult to make in all of baseball, and it took him nearly a month to adjust from A- to A+. He could easily get bummed by struggling. Just because nobody else thought that he could hit .345 this year doesn’t mean that HE didn’t think he could do it. There’s a difference between me being disappointed in his performance and him being disappointed in himself.

    Of course, the way some folks think on this board, our 3-4-5 hitters in September should be Marson, Taylor, and Donald with Carrasco and Happ pitching.

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  48. Greg –

    You’re wrong. The way people on this board think, our lineup should’ve been Cardenas, Donald, Marson, Spencer, with Happ, Carrasco and Outman as our pitchers. Schlitter would be our bullpen, and we could trade Utley and Howard for Scott Eyre. That’s all we would need to beat anyone. Then we could spend all of our time debating how we would work Taylor into the lineup, and how we could trade the uttlerly useless Golson for Tampa Bay’s A+ team.

    – Jeff

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  50. marson drew a walk to open the 6th for the US (after being robbed on a line drive in his first at bat and struck out by none other than RJ Swindle in his second at bat, Donald sacrificed him to 2nd and he just scored to tie the game. Good job guys. Great game going on vs canada. And old man Rheal Cormier is coming in in relief. If we can win this one it gives us a much better shot at a medal.

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  51. Is anyone else wondering why Slayden wasn’t considered for a call up over Cervanek? He seems to be quietly putting up some very solid numbers…

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