Off the grid

Other Stuff

I’ll be out of town until this weekend, so nothing new from me in the coming days. I’m deputising all of the contributors here to issue e-beatdowns if anyone gets out of line. Next week I’m going to focus on the 2008 Draft, give some detailed thoughts on each pick. After that, I’ll do my affiliate by affiliate breakdowns and then work on the Top 30, as well as some other good stuff. Until then…

97 thoughts on “Off the grid”

  2. Beat downs, are you taking your ques from the king of beat downs Philliesphans. I don’t post here much because I’m getting vibes that there’s not much leeway for disagreement here. Every question or opinion in baseball has a thousand different answers. To stop that is, well you know what it is. Let the discussions flow wherever they may go. There’s nothing to be afraid off.

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  3. I think what phuturephillies was referring to were people that don’t bring constructive disagreements and resort to silly personal insults. Since the wordpress thing its been much better, but before, the debate sometimes devolved into schoolyard style bickering.

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  4. PP was referring more to trolling than anything else…basically comments along to lines of “Marson sucks because I said so!!!”

    For an example of what he wants to avoid, jump over to Metsblog and see the “constructive” comments left there on a daily basis…usually the most constructive ones are along the lines of “Victorino and Rollins should be raped and murdered” <——That’s verbatim BTW.

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  7. phillywhatsgood – it seems to me that all comments have decreased significantly since wordpress. it seems that the interesting discussions haven’t materialized at all anymore. i hope it changes soon. i enjoyed the old discussions. not so much any more. let’s liven this thing up.

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  8. Let’s open up some discussion. Open Question: What is everyone’s prediction for BA’s top 100 for Phuture Phils?

    Top 35: Carlos Carassco
    Top 50: Mike Taylor
    Top 75: Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Dom Brown
    Top 100: Joe Savery

    I’ll tell you guys what if we get 6 guys and that is possible. I will be a very happy camper. What does everyone think??? Anyone think Galvis, D’arnaud, or a guy like Stutes can crack it?

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  9. I expect there will be 4 with Carassco in the top 35, Marson in the top 50, and Taylor and Donald in the top-100. I think that Savery just misses the list.

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  10. Yeah Savery probably won’t unless they take in consideration his last month and a half. I think Dom Brown’s a lock, he’s been getting a lot of buzz from guys like Sickels (although not BA).

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  11. I have offered to give my views of players in the system because I’ve seen many of them in spring training and at different levels. So far only one person has asked about Slayden. Please feel free to ask.

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  13. Carlos and my son are great buddies. The one thing that really worries me about Carresco is his velocity. It’s not domineering, nor does it overwhelm hitters. It’s all about command with Carlos. Will he be a number 1? I don’t think so. He’s come along way from when he was demoted back to extended a few years ago. I may be wrong but I think he’s reached his ceiling, talent wise.

    Joe Savery is a hard worker. In tremendous shape. Driven. Doesn’t have the prototypical pitchers body. Another who relies on control. I sometimes get the impression he’d prefer to be a position player. Just some casual discussion. Is teachable and has room to improve on what he has.

    The first time I saw Dominic Brown playing the outfield he scared me. Took terrible routes to fly balls, bad start, misjudging and misplaying. Was over matched at the plate. I thought he was not in shape, either.

    After first season got involved with a personal trainer. Came to camp much stronger. Has steadily improved his game, considering how raw he was. Seems to get better a each level. Good size with good speed. Haven’t really seen the power that you’d like from a counter outfield. I know some of you will say he’s played center field, some this season. That was more an emergency, then anything else. He’s still to far away to give any real predictions.

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  15. I was under the impression that Carrasco threw around 93 and could hit anywhere from 91-96 depending on conditions, his arm, etc. That’s decent enough velocity I would think assuming there is at least some movement on his fastball. I’ve never seen him in person though.

    On the top 100, I dont see Dom Brown or Savery in the top 100. There’s alot of really good prospects out there right now…I think they get squeezed out based off that. Carrasco, Marson, Donald, and Taylor should make the cut though…and likely in that order.

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  16. Can’t see Dom Brown making it. He is improving and certainly looks like a prospect. But he is not dominating yet or high profile or a fast tracker. If he breaks out and becomes more consistent in AA in 2010, that’s his time to get noticed. Or maybe next year in Clearwater. Lots of .290 hitters in the minors with some tools, and he has not separated himself by big time performance yet.

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  17. To me, Dom Brown’s strength seems to be his consistency. He was never hot or cold all year – he maintained a very steady pace all year. Coupled with very solid plate discipline, I think he will be a quality major leaguer. The concern that I’ve heard many times with him, which was somewhat reinforced from the one game I went to, is that his defense needs some work.

    My guess is that both he and Taylor don’t make the top 100. Ironically, Brown gets left off because of his consistency – he never had an explosive month that really got scout’s attention. With Taylor, I bet he makes the “narrow miss” category because they’ll want to see him do it two years in a row.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if D’Arnaud makes it though.

    – Jeff

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  18. I think Carrasco and Taylor will be in the top 50. Marson will be in the top 100 I’d think. I don’t know if we have anybody else that’ll get on. Most people have never been high on Donald and that could work against him.

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  19. Why is there so many different reports on carrasco’s velocity and potential. It’s crazy how some say he throws 96 and others just make 91 why isn’t there a consistant report on him.

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  20. Predictions:

    Carrasco – top 35
    Taylor – top 50
    Marson – top 75
    Donald – top 100
    Golson – possible top 100
    Savery – out of the money
    Brown – out of the money
    Stutes – out of the money

    Others of interest
    Outman – top 100
    Cardenas – possible top 100
    Spencer – out of the money

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  21. I think a lot of people can and will see that Jason Donald can play. I’m still a little surprised that he was not promoted, but I think they do not want to use up any unnecessary service time with him as they do not need him right away (they DO, by contrast, need Marson) and they want to lock him up for a long time – it may even delay his promotion next year until sometime in May or June, which is unfortunate because I think he could easily be good enough to join the team out of ST next year.

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  22. On Carrasco – I think the reports are inconsistent because HE is inconsistent. I saw him in the futures game and he barely broke 90 and was normally between 87-89. Other times he is in the mid-90s from what I understand. To me, this means that they need to be really careful with him on pitch counts until he is in his mid to late 20s.

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  23. Galvis is easily overlooked because he is so hard to project as a teenager hitting wise but he is better than any shortstop I saw this year defensively.
    He is a sure bet to be in the majors on his glove alone by age 21 or 22.
    Cardenas has to be top 100——he can flat hit! I could cry every time I watch our “innings eater”.

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  24. Just to weigh in on the Dominic Brown discussion…

    First and foremost, he’s exhibited better plate discipline than every Phillies minor leaguer not named Lou Marson. That alone makes him an intriguing prospect, and when you throw in the facts that: (1) he’s a great raw athlete (had scholarships to BCS schools for football); and (2) he’s improved at each level; then he becomes a very nice prospect indeed. Now he certainly needs to improve his defense, but based on airborneranger’s report, it sounds like he’s committed to putting in the necessary work to make himself a better baseball player. And as for the power… hopefully that improves as his frame fills out, and as he moves on from a Lakewood park that greatly depresses home runs.

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  25. “Cardenas has to be top 100——he can flat hit! I could cry every time I watch our “innings eater”.”

    Dont worry MWBBFAN, your pain is only sure to intesify as: (a) Blanton turns into the next Kevin Millwood; and (b) the young group of players we sent to rent Blanton continues to excel. They should have just paid the extra money and gotten Rich Harden. But it’s all “so Phillies” – “hey, we’ll save a little money and get someone almost as good!” It doesn’t work like that and it never has.

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  26. by the way, I know the Harden thing was not just about money, it was also about prospects. But giving up a little more for Rich Harden would have been worth it. Can you imagine going into September with Hamels, Myers, Harden and Moyer in the rotation? It would have been very nice and, you know, it might have been worth also parting with a Dominic Brown or even a Jason Donald.

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  27. I never say donald play but in my opinion,and by what I have read it seems to me donald was tagged by scouts before the draft. I read he had a disapointing career at ariaona state. But as a pro he has done nothing but hit.

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  28. I’ve only seen Scwimmer briefly for a few days after he was drafted in Clearwater. I’ll have to wait for some further observation before I can give any opinions. Sorry.

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  29. PhillyFrair, Brown was one of three guys who impressed me with their hard work, the result of this, and their focus. The other two were Lou Marson and Darren Byrd.

    Marson realized his first year that he’d come to camp ill prepared. To his credit, it was like night and day the next year. There was talk that he’d spent a good chunk of his bonus reshaping his body. It’s worked. He’s on the way of making it.

    Byrd and Mat Olson were just going through the motions. Mainly because of Olson’s sour attitude, which was influencing Byrd. Well they canned Olson, put a fire under Byrd’s butt. He straighten out and has become a prospect.

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  30. mwb, I’ve seen quite a bit of Galvis. Defensively he’s got a lot of talent. Best range of any infielder in the system, good arm. Very exciting. Gets overmatched at the plate, because he’s not very strong. This kids really has some upside as he matures. I’m holding back on any predictions because he’s so far away.

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  31. Catch22,

    I thing the biggest issue with Harden was concerns about his health more than anything else. It should be noted that he hasn’t pitched since Aug 29th as a precaution due to what he describes as “discomfort”. He is scheduled to pitch tomorrow.

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  32. evan (philly): Top 5 prospects in the Phillies Farm system?

    Ben Badler: (2:56 PM ET ) Some combination of Marson, Donald, D’Arnaud, Brown, Carrasco and Taylor. I know, that’s six.

    From Badler from BA on ESPN.

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  33. @ airborneranger: I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we really appreciate the firsthand reports.

    Re: Galvis, I surmised before (based just on the stats) that the lack of strength is the biggest thing holding him back at the plate, so good to hear that firsthand reports indicate the same thing. He makes good contact (only an 11.2% K and a 38:58 K:BB), but he’s held back by a .270 BABIP that’s a result of only a 10.5% line drive ratio. Bottom line: he’s making contact, but as airborneranger said, getting overpowered by pitchers. This should hopefully change as he fills out his 5’10” frame (listed at only 154 pounds right now). He’s only 18 right now, after all.

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  34. That’s a good list…can’t overlook D’Arnaud who seems to be moving up quickly in alot of people’s eyes.

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  35. I agree that airborneranger’s first hand reports are very much appreciated here. BTW — are you really an airborne ranger?

    I agree that D’Arnaud may turn out to be a big time prospect here pretty soon. He’s supposed to be a very fine defensive catcher. Anyone with any insight regarding that?

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  36. He’s got a very quick release from what i remember…though his CS rates aren’t very good (time to the plate may be a factor and that’s out of his control)…and he does a Pudge impression trying to catch baserunners not paying attention with pickoff throws to 1st and 3rd on occasion.

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  37. Airbornranger will you get to see some of these kids in the instructional league this october. Like Cozart maybe?

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  38. I’m hoping to get there for some games. Good thing about it is that the games are free, all the player development people are there, players and pitchers not in the line up are sitting around. I ‘ve even had some discussions with Charlie Manuel who always show up for some of the games. There’s no better fun then listening to Sal Agostinilli telling anyone who will listen about his signings. I recommend going down in the fall if you are a minor league fanatic to everyone.

    Smitty I’m retired military and yes I was an airborne ranger. I can get hops to McDill in Tampa. So I go down frequently.

    Galvis, is very similar to D’Arby Myers. He was getting overpowered because he is young and hasn’t filled out yet. Myers is starting to catch up with his talent. Next year should be big for D’Arby. Right now D’Arnaud, is on pace to be better then Marson. Will it happen? I think the Phillies have a keeper.

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  41. Not to be this year–unfortunately. Perhaps Donald can play next year so that we can give Utley some days off. Rollins too.

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  42. UTLEY is often compared to CHIPPER JONES. Well if JONES
    can move to left field for the good of the team why not UTLEY
    That would open up second for DONALD and save big money

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  43. That’s an interesting thought honestly. I’m sure Uts would be an excellent corner outfielder. Chipper moved to left because he wasn’t so hot at 3B defensively for a while. I doubt they’d ever ask the best 2B in the game to change positions though…its just not like them. They don’t seem to have any faith in Donald either way.

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  45. That would be the smart play but the Phillies seem determined to not ever give Donald a shot. He supposedly has the arm for 3B and his range issues are not nearly as big a problem at 3B compared to SS or 2B. The Phillies FO just doesn’t look at him as an everyday player.

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  46. Nepp93 The must know what they are doing? look at all the talent they have at triplea and double a. Look at all the championships.

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  47. moving MT to READING and AFL would of provided some answers also but how can we expect the same people who brought us EASTON, GARCIA, AND JENKINS to make right decisions on young players.

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  49. maybe this is really off the grid but may i went
    HAPP AND WALDROND warming up both lefties

    no hope of getting KENDRICK out without more damage
    its sept. wake up

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  50. >HAPP AND WALDROND warming up both lefties

    This is really not the purpose of this site, but Walrond is a LOOGY, but Happ is a fastball-change up pitcher, and they are usually better against righties.

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  51. Open Question for Tomorrow:
    What’s everyone’s projections on the pitching staffs next year at WPort, LWood, CWater, and Reading?

    WPORT: Knapp, Cosart, Pettibone, May, Simon. Pretty sick if I say so myself.
    LWood: Cloyd, De Fratus, Roth, Diekman, Arroyo. Ehh Decent.
    CWater: Drabek, Sampson, Worley, Stutes, Cisco. Very nice!
    Reading: Savery, Chapman, Garcia, Cruse, Byrd, Brummett? Decent I guess, excited to see Savery and Garcia.

    So not too bad, looks like we won’t have any org fillers at the important levels. Carassco will be in the majors or AAA. Thoughts?? Kinda exciting when you write em all out.

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  53. I’ll be interested to see if they push Knapp with Lakewood next year. From all accounts his delivery was very choppy coming in, I assume if they feel they completely fixed it he’ll be in Lakewood. If he still has a lot to work on they’ll keep him in extended spring training then start him in Williamsport.

    Re Galvis: He did great in A ball after the first month, he hit something like .260ish. It’ll be interesting to see how he does when his body fills out. He’s basically a slap hitter/ bunter at this point in his career.

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  54. Donald reminds me of a muscled up David Eckstein. Maybe to uglist fielder I’ve ever seen but somehow gets it done. Has decent gap power. I see him as a utility type, but will have to improve his defense to stay.

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  55. If and when Galvis adds 30 lbs (which is likely considering his age) he could be a very good player. He’s already got an outstanding glove.

    On Donald, Right now Donald could likely be a starter on a 2nd tier team like the Royals or A’s (this season at least). He’ll be 25 next season so they have to figure him out soon.

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  56. airborn: That’s intersting about D’Arby Myers needing to fill out, in addition to Galvis. That might explain why he gets hot at the start of the year, while he is fresh and benefitting from winter weight workouts. But several weeks into the season he seems to sag. After that it’s just the odd gamee here and there where he breaks out.

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  57. Also, guys who get hot early seem to benefit from pitchers not being 100% sharp yet and the fact that there is not an extensive book on the hitter yet for that year. Once the pitchers start hitting their spots consistently and people analyze where the hitter is a sucker for a pitch, the hitting can drop off. See: Pat Burrell. Maybe Myers is not good at making in-season adjustments also.

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  58. (Formerly Colin_K)
    Good question Pat the Bat…
    Would they move Brummett up to LHV in spite of all his struggles at Reading?
    Lehigh: Carrasco, Carpenter, Kendrick (to work on his changeup to get lefties out), Brummett, FILLER.
    Good thing is that we may no longer have to see people like Travis Minix making spot starts up and down the pharm.
    I agree with Airborne’s assesment on Donald’s build, but I do think he has what it takes to be successful in the bigs, whether that is up the middle or in the corners.

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  59. Wasn’t sure whether to bring this up but it’s indirectly related to Marson. Taylor Teagarden was called up to the Rangers and has played in 7 games on the year. He’s batting .375 with 4 HRs and 11 RBIs. He’s slugging .958.

    Marson completely outplayed him at the Olympics.

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  60. I think it’s interesting that Gillick’s take on Donald was that he didn’t have enough power to be a third basemen, yet if you prorate his numbers over a 550 or so at-bat season, he would have hit about 25 homers and 30+ doubles. The Phillies haven’t got that kind of production since Scott Rolen. I have some concerns about Donald’s defense, but he certainly deserves a shot somewhere – he’s got a lively bat, and he’s improved at each level

    – Jeff

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  61. Gillick is getting me sick. Donald doesn’t have to hit for a lot of power. ten to fifteen homers. Now we saw him hit two in spring training in one game. remember you have a shortshop who hit thirty last year a second basemen who hit thirty. two position usually without power. So if donald give us defense and good average .What’ wrong with that.

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  63. Gillick will be gone in a month so his opinion doesn’t matter. I’m guessing Amaro ends up being the new GM (way to bring in new blood guys) and Donald is still written off.

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  64. If I were GM I’d have Donald taking ground balls at the hot corner all day every day and all through the winter…but then I’m crazy. He’ll probably end up being traded for a bullpen piece in the offseason or sentenced to Lehigh to watch his prospect status dwindle.

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  65. Nepp93 I hope for all phillies fans that they don’t hire another yes man .Amaro would be just that. Please let’s hope they don;t do it.

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  66. Airborneranger,
    When you’re hopping flights in and out of MacDill, look up Lakewood player Karl Bolt. I think that’s where he’s on Active Duty. He hit over .320 for three months this year up here in Lakewood, but was always in the rotation behind Rizotti/Durant or in the OF behind Taylor/Brown, and I think had trouble being consistent. He does rake when he’s on.
    Max

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  67. Oh, and he broke his nose twice this year on the field. Wearing that LittleLeague Gladiator gear had to negatively effect his performance. Tough kid though.

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  68. The thing about needing power at 3B is stupid, when you have Utley hitting 25-30 HR’s from a position where the average 2B only hits 10 HR’s or so. If Donald can hit .275+ with an OBP .355+ and hit for 15 HR’s while playing decent defense he’d be perfect for this team.

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  69. patron, right now Myers can’t catch up with heat up in the zone. This has been going on for two years now. That’s why I said next year could be a good year for him. He know what needs to be done. It’s one of the reasons I want to spend some time at Clearwater this fall. Everything else is above average for him. Speed, arm, defense. He has good baseball instinct. If he can solve his little problem he going to be something.

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  70. md, I think if Donald can become a starting middle infielder somewhere he should do alright. Not a superstar, but very capable. I really don’t see him being with the Phillies because his role would be limited. I’m afraid his trade value isn’t much, so don’t expect the world in return.

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  71. Reccom, I doubt Ruiz will be around next year. I’m really not sure Coste will be either. I look for both Jaramillo and Marson to press.

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  72. This management is much too conservative to have two rookies be the catchers for next year — that’s why they signed Barajas instead of letting Coste backup the inexperienced Ruiz. And they like Ruiz a lot for his defense and handling of the pitching staff; he’s also hit .289/.407/.378/.785 since the All-Star break.

    I personally would prefer making Marson the starter and Ruiz the backup. But there’s no way the people who run this team (even with Gillick leaving) go into next season with Marson and Jaramillo but no Ruiz and no Coste.

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  73. Jarimillio has a chance to be the backup because he’s a switch hitter with good defense. I see Marson at LHV. I think it all dependents on how well Coste hits the rest of the season as to whether he’ll be back. Defense aside, the bottom line is Ruiz has to hit better in order to keep the job. You’re right, both will not make the team next year.

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  74. Airbornranger I don;t believe that a player who can’t hit a fastball has a little problem. It is a big problem to me ,I would say ninety percent of players can hit the fastball. most of them fail when it comes to slow stuff and breaking balls.

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  75. Ruiz will be back next 100%…Jaramillo or Marson might bet the backup role though. I’m not sure I see Coste coming back again. You would thinhk Marson would have the edge as he was called up but you also have to consider they’d want him to continue playing everyday to get in more reps behind the plate.

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  76. Myers can’t hit breaking balls either. He just doesn’t look to me to have the frame to get big the way Brown is going to be in another 5 years.

    The mad Jason Donald love is almost enough to make me sour a little on how much I think of him. Lots of people getting really very attached to this prospect (which is natural), but then the expectations get bigger and are expected sooner then whats realistic. To me, he has the look of Mark Derosa when he started out. If that’s his ceiling, it would be a good one- but Donald just finished AA. If he could handle the jump to play third next year that would be great, but he’s not at the point where you can pencil him in to anything.

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  77. He’s getting better with the off speed stuff. In the GCL, he actually hit the slow stuff pretty well. At Lakewood he wasn’t hit anything and looked really overmatched. I caught some games at Williamsport, which happens to be where I was born and he was doing better with the off speed pitches. He’s not nearly as tall as Brown, nor will he ever have the power I expect Brown will pick up, so I wouldn’t expect that kind of player. He’s more the top of the order type.

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  78. but the most his body projects to is Michael Bourn as far as I can tell, and he’s not nearly that fast (despite his predraft scouting reports). I actually had a little bit of an opposite perspective- what I saw of him in Williamsport he couldn’t touch a breaking ball, and this year in Lakewood he was making contact more often with breaking balls (just not very solid).

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  79. Airbornranger In your opinion how much of a difference is the pitching in GCL. Then at williamsport. And is the jump from williamport to lakewood so big that myers would struggle that much .

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  81. Coste and Ruiz will be back next year on defense and handling pitchers alone. For example these two combined have committed 8 errors so far compared to Jaramillo and Marson combined 25 errors this season. The Phils 3.93 staff ERA is the 4th best in the NL. Both Jaramillo’s staffs at Lehigh Valley this year and Ottawa last year and Marson’s staff at Reading finished last in ERA. Look for Jaramillo to be moved to another organization over the winter and Marson going to AAA.

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  82. I don’t get the Phillies position that Donald lacks power to play 3B. For some reason, they just seem to devalue Donald, the same as they devalued Howard when he was at CLW and Reading. The Phillies will go out and acquire 3B (Nunez) with less power than Donald, but question the cheap, in-house guy. Nunez is and was a 5 HR a year guy, playing a full season. We signed Feliz, who was a 20 – 25 HR a year guy, but now is a 15 – 20 HR a year guy.

    What is happening is that either the Phillies are determined to put zero pressure on Feliz or else they are determined that Donald is simply trade bait. Why else keep him at SS. He will never be the Phillies starting SS. If the Phillies have been consistent in one thing over the decades I have watched them, it is that they demand defensive excellence from their SS. They’ve gone with the weak hitting Amaro, Wine, and for much of his career, Bowa, because of the glove. They like Rollins bat, but it was the glove that sold them on making him the everyday SS. Except for very few exceptions (an aging Dick Groat, Mike Schmidt as a one-season Hail Mary), the Phillies are not a team that has been willing to settle for a SS of substandard major league plays who just dependably makes the routine plays and has a plus bat for the position. Unless he can’t hit at all, Freddy Galvis will be Rollins’ replacement. The Phillies are in awe of his D and if he hits like Amaro/Wine/Bowa the job will be his. Especially true as CBP forces the team to focus on ground ball pitchers.

    If Donald starts for the Phillies, it will be at 2B or 3B. If they don’t like his power for 3B, a move to the OF is out of the question.

    I think the Phillies could carry 3 catchers next year, since Coste is a plus off the bench. That means Jaramillo or Marson make the squad, maybe even as starter. They will have to prove they handle the pitchers as well as Ruiz, if they want to start. Like SS, the Phillies look first and foremost to the defensive and pitcher management skills of their catcher. Offense is a nice plus, when they get it on top of the D. In August, with Jaramillo coming around with the bat, I was sure he made the big Phillies next season. I am totally confused that the Phillies didn’t call him up. That likely means they don’t see him in next year’s plans for Philadelphia.

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  83. “I am totally confused that the Phillies didn’t call him up. That likely means they don’t see him in next year’s plans for Philadelphia.”

    He has another year before he has to be added to the 40 man roster. He could have been called up on merrit alone, but regardless, to do so he would have to take someone’s place on the 40 man roster. Since they were not about to let a rookie get much playing time at shortstop during a playoff race, there wasn’t any point in forcing someome off the roster for him.

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  84. Williamsport faces 4 year college pitchers. GCL faces mostly high school pitchers. Each level there is a narrowing of talent. Good example, Arron Cheseman a catcher hit somewhere near .350 at GCL and won the batting title. A year later he was hitting about .230 at Lakewood and was on his way out the door. Maybe some of you might remember Cooper Osteen, had a great year in the GCL, never made it out of Lakewood. As for Myers, it remains to be seen if he catches up with the competition. My guess is he will move one level at a time.

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  85. Fish, few in major league baseball are as fast a Bourn. a couple of years ago in the Instructional League, Bourn, Golson and Oscar Gamble were playing the outfield in a game and every time someone hit one in the gap they were fast enough to get there and discuss who should take it. The other team was shaking their head, they couldn’t buy a hit, and even the Phillies brass were saying,” look at that, look at this”. Speed is an amazing tool.

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  87. Allentown, right now Feliz, Dobbs, and Bruntlett are better defensively then Donald. Feliz and Dobbs hit better, plus Feliz is under contract for next year. Can you say trade bait? What’s with the Babe Nunez reference, hasn’t been with the Phillies for going on two years.

    I’m not convinced that Galvis won’t pick it up offensively. He’s 19 at Lakewood and did a lot better his second half. Time will tell. If he becomes half the hitter Bowa was he’ll do alright.

    Allentown, I hardly think the same people who were making decisions about Bobby Wine and Reuben Amaro are still around making decisions today..

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  88. I was just reading the roster for AFL. Slayden. bisenus. what purpose will this league do for them. They are older prospect. by now if you are any judge of talent you should have a read on them. Why isn’t brown or taylor there. someone mention that you can only have one a player I think. so if that is right/ could they would have moved taylor to reading so he could attend.Same with brown who has more upside than slayden. The experience would havedone brown and taylor a lot more than it will for slayden and bisenus.

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  89. Roc, I didn’t say Myers couldn’t hit a fast ball. I said he has trouble catching up with heat up in the zone. He can handle fast balls down. He’s spreading out more in the box to see the breaking stuff better. We’ll see, I hope for the best.

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  90. OH I misunderstood. I though you said he couldn’t hit fastball. sorry. But am I right about most players can hit the fastball its the other stuff that gives them trouble.

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  91. Someone said Brown and Taylor are playing in Hawaii. I think there’s a restriction on the number of class A players. My guess is Taylor and Brown get some time at Clearwater before heading out. They done that before. I remember Chris Roberson getting some playing time before going to play down in Mexico.

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  92. Roc, the two guys I memtioned Cheseman and Osteen got rude awakenings at Lakewood having to face real benders. It seperates the men from the boys.

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  93. GILLICK was on KYW saying he will probably retire its not
    100%. Sounds like a intro to more stupidity as does RUBEN JR
    Millions of dollars wasted. Young player not getting a chance for fear they will do well and upset their constipated plans.
    I thought they had disbanded Hawaii I hope I am wrong
    TAYLOR in left would solve so many problems maybe he will be a bust or maybe a superstar. They dont seem interested

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  94. nowheels —
    I don’t get your comment at all. Surely Taylor is not a consideraation for the majors next season. He’ll likely reach Reaading next season, which is proper pace. I have no idea why you would say the team doesn’t seem interested in him.

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  95. “Fish, few in major league baseball are as fast a Bourn.”

    Sure, point being, if your not a great speed guy, and your going to top out with a smallish frame, well, D’Arby Myers doesn’t look anymore exciting then Endy Chavez (without a hitting .300 in the minors). Which, while not his fault, is just disappointing considering what the draft time reports projected him to potentially evolve to.

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  96. Why not MT to the majors others have done it far faster.
    A winter to gain strength and knowledge . A spring to get
    ready The point is he has a chance which could of been accelerated

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  97. do we scratch HAPP’S name off the prospect list now. great job
    p.s note he threw only a few pitchs for strike one which is against the BOOK but right for him.

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