Phillie prospects continue in the Arizona Fall League with Mesa, the Phillies affiliate at 3-3 after the first week. Looking at how Phillies prospects performed, OF Quintin Berry received his first at bats on Saturday and went 1-4 with a double, rbi and stolen base. Jeremy Slayden played in games both Friday (0-4, K), and Saturday (1-3,r,hr,3rbi) and his average stands at .273 after Week One. Jason Donald played SS both Friday (2-3,2r,13b,1rbi,cs) and Monday (2-4,rs,rbi,3b,2K) and is hitting a lofty .357 without an error thus far.
ANdrew Carpenter started the game Saturday and went 2 innings giving up a run on 2 hits, walking one. 24 of his 37 pitches were thrown for strikes. Also pitching Saturday were Tyson Brummett, who went a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out 2, and Sergio Escalona, who also pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Pat Overholt made his second scoreless appearance on Friday, going 2 innings without giving up a ruin or a hit. He walked one and struck out two.
Phuture Phillies 
Is it safe to say Donald, Slayden, Escalona, Carpenter, and Overholt will all start at Lehigh next year?
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Off topic, but my post is about a convo we had a while back.
I know everyone here (myself included) likes Cardenas. But given what has transpired (Eaton and Kendrik blowing up and Blanton with 2 solid playoff games), it look like the blanton deal was one that had to be made. it also looks like we would be in a much worse situation without it. it might be the deal that gets us to the world series. before the game i couldn’t help but think how much more confident i am sending blanton out there instead of eaton or kendrik. and i love Happ and Carrasco, but you can’t send out a rookie call up into that situation. i mean look at what has happened to Kershaw, who is a much better pitcher with much more experience than happ or CC.
also, it looks like moyer is really wearing down. without blanton, we would be down to 2 starting pitchers. management is about trade offs. some you don’t like but have to make. looks like gillick made the right (although tough) call and that might be the difference this year. good for him and for us!
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You take it off-topic, mention how much trades have helped us, and don’t bring up trading the immortal Fabio Castro for Matt Stairs?
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… or Schlitter for Eyre, who has been solid since the Phils got him. I remember the adverse reaction to that trade and wondered if we had just traded the next Mariano Rivera.
But how about getting back on topic?
What is the plan for Donald? I see he has played both at third and short so far. Nice to see him continue to rake down there
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ok, back on topic. it is great that donald is playing well in the AFL. very important since other clubs will see him. my guess is that he will be traded. scouts seem to be consistent that he is not a 3rd baseman (not enough power although Feliz only hit 14 hr this year.) he seems ready to make the next step. we clearly need to address our starting pitching in the off season. or 4 & 5 is scarry right now (assuming blanton is our #3 next year).
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This has got to be a tough day for the Gillick haters. Blanton did exactly what was expected, Eyre did his thing, and Matt Stairs made himself into a Phillie legend. I’ll grant you that Taguchi shouldn’t be on the roster and I’m still holding out hope that they take him off the WS roster and add Marson to allow them to use Coste as a pinch hitter.
As for Donald, he is definitely playing himself into a shot to make the big team next year in a reserve role. Bruntlett is up for arbitration and it would seem like a good time to let him go and see if Donald can handle that job. It would make sense to have Donald in a reserve role for a year to get his feet wet in the big leagues and then see if he can win the 3B job the following year when Feliz’s contract is up. Go Phils!!
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Murray – I think your points are right on the mark. Donald should be worked in slowly over the next year or so. Taguchi is simply done – he can’t even bunt over a runner? I feel bad for him, but he has no business being on this roster. His spot is a total waste.
As for dropping Taguchi and adding Marson, that sounds good, but there’s no way Charlie ever wants Marson in a WS game behind the plate, so it’s not going to happen. There’s a better chance that Golson may be up to serve as a pinch runner and occasional outfielder. Hell, how could he be worse than Taguchi?
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Taguchi should be dropped, and Golson, not Marson, should be added. Golson’s speed (as we saw a few weeks ago) is a difference maker. Plus, he could be used as a defensive replacement for Burrell, thus allowing Bruntlett to serve his proper role as a backup infielder. I doubt the Phils make that move, and if they did I would use Golson sparingly (translation: no at bats for him)
– Jeff
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Golson on a playoff roster brings up the problem of “He might HAVE to hit at some point due to a limited roster”. Golson can’t hit MLB hitting and he’s not even close to being able to do so. Marson at least can hit though that means taking Ruiz out of the game to keep Marson in there. In his defense, Taguchi was almost the savior last night and it took a gold glove effort to prevent him from getting a hit. At least he made contact which is more than can be said for some other pinchhitters in last night’s game. We did win though. I’d honestly keep Taguchi on the roster as he’s a more balanced guy than either Marson or Golson right now.
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Olney had a note about Brown and Taylor in the Hawaii league:
Yonder Alonso, a first baseman who the Reds took seventh overall in the past draft, arrived a couple of days after I left, so I didn’t see him. Outfielder Dominic Brown, a top Phillies prospect, had not arrived yet either. … Reds shortstop Todd Frazier has played all over the field in Hawaii, including first base and left field. His bat is going to play in the big leagues, but I doubt he’s going to stick at short, which won’t help his stock with fantasy players. … Michael Taylor is a big, 6-foot-6 outfielder the Phillies took in the fifth round in 2007. He hit .346 with 19 homers and a .557 slugging percentage across two levels of Class A ball this year. He looked in much better shape from when I saw him in the past, and is an intriguing name to watch. His swing is a bit long and his bat speed isn’t that great, but he has good pitch recognition and could start generating more buzz next year.
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Edit: That was Jason Grey of ESPN.
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Murray It’s not a tough day. Stll don’t like Blanton. Five innings three runs and 4 walks . He is like to me last years Kendrick winning games. even though he isn’t pitching that great.
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I am not a Blanton defender, but, really, he is a good deal better than Kendrick and has the ability to dominate from time-to-time. I didn’t like the trade but if Blanton is part of the reason they make it to the series, all is forgiven.
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Well Dominic Brown has arrived in Hawaii and in 4 games is 6/12 and has a 1.155 OPS. Not a bad start.
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The real question should be is Blanton better than Happ. He took Happ;s starts. He is always one hit from blowing the game.
The only way to keep the roster in tact is working you guys
e.g. Eyre made 4mil . Why have a farm system if you are not even going to give youth a chance.
Happ, Donald,Marson should be only a start
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Without Blanton we likely don’t make the playoffs. It was a good trade that has paid off and then some. Unlike Kendrick, Blanton actually has more than one pitch. What happens if we had to go to Happ or Kendrick in Game 4 of the NLDS instead of Blanton. Sorry but I dont want either of them in an decisive playoff game. The bottom line is that Blanton hasn’t lost, is usually reliable (he only got pulled last night for a pinch hitter) and has dominated teams on occasion. He’s an excellent 4th starter and I’m happy that he’ll be around in the next couple seasons.
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there is no evidence Blanton is even in Happ’s league except
the Phillies fear of giving him a chance
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they dont pull him after five innings for nothing
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nowheels Please help me understand. Blanton has had four quality starts in fifteen games. Yet people still want to say how good he is. is he better than eaton yes,but happ ? or Carrasco don’t know.
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It seems to me a man like Blanton who makes his living with his body would take better care of it. Like early season Myers
he has had trouble over 59 pitchs. Myers got the message
maybe Blanton will. I know there has been heavy pitchers
but results will tell . Good luck to him and all the Phils
Ps the city needs the WS money
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lol at the idiots still trying to bash those trades.
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Do some of you guys actually believe Jason Donald is going to skip Triple-A and go right to the majors next April? And then sit on the bench and play part-time when he hasn’t played 3B yet in the minors? You should do more studying on the Phils modus operandi of minor leaguers instead of making wild assumptions that don’t hold water.
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I’m sure Donald will get a long look. There’s no disputing that. Will he make the team? It depends on who the Phillies pick up to compete with Bruntlett. I agree that sometime in 09 he will be on the Phillies.
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Not sure how a post about the Fall league’s turned into another rehash of the Blanton deal but as for Donald, It is a bit disappointing that he isn’t getting playing time at 3b.
Hopefully, he is getting plenty of instruction time there and will start 2009 in AAA playing the position everyday.
As for his replacing Bruntlett, its not going to happen in 09..
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I say replace anyone below .245 post all star with a young
guy. Anyone below the Mendoza line post all star trade to Ed Wade fora star like Lidge
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Nowwheels please I guess your and I are idiot’s according to B. If donald goes to spring training and can show he is ready why wouldn’t they give him a chance.
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3up3kkk – donald would probably get playing time at 3b if the phillies wanted him there. i am sure if they pushed him there the manager would find time for him. the phillies must agree with all of the scouts that i have seen that say he isn’t a 3b.
i think that they are showcasing him. if they don’t move him in the off season, he will got to AAA and then get traded around the deadline unless there is an injury.
does anyone know the deal with marson or golson? they haven’t sent them to a winter league yet, so i guess they want to keep them in philly just in case.
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You might be right with Donald not showing the ability to handle 3b. I know they tried briefly with Utley and gave it up quickly as well.
I also agree that he is more likely to become part of trade package vs. becoming a bench player with the Phillies.
As for Marson/Golson, my understanding is that they were staying in Florida to stay prepared in case they are needed in the playoffs. As long as the Phillies keep playing I expect they will stay there.
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I think Marson might actually be with the team hanging out in the bullpen.
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Yep. I think Marson is with the team helping them. There’s no elevator to get to the World Series. You have to take the stairs.
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You guys missed my point about activating Marson for the Series. Its not for his bat, its to make Coste’s bat available to pinch hit. He’s their best right handed bench player and they’re afraid to use him because they wouldn’t have a back up catcher just in case. As for Donald and AAA vs the majors, there are so many guys, especially position players, that skip AAA these days its no big deal. Donald will absolutely retain more trading value playing SS but I still think 3B is an option for him and I doubt very much that he’d have any trouble with it. Typically, the transition from SS to 3B is very easy as its the same side with similar throws. It requires quicker reflexes but less range and actually less arm. I’m sure Donald can play third and they may have come to that conclusion quickly as well but would rather leave him at SS for as long as possible.
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You are right Rocky. Unlike B i would never call him an idiot no matter how wrong he maybe. BTW I didnt bash the trade only pointed there were alteratives before and after. Blanton’s
5.40 era against the Dodgers doesnt excite me as much as others
So-So out Marson in for the WS makes sense. A please no “We’ll dance with who brung us” . So-So has been a stow away
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Gotta like what Donald is doing this year with the bat hitting .307 at Reading, fourth in the EL; .381 in the Olympics which led Team USA and is now hitting .455 in the AFL which is fourth in that league. But the bad news today is that he made his first error throwing after three starts at third. Slayden drove in 3 runs today and he is now hitting over .300 and is second in the AFL in rbi’s.
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