Just a brief upate here, and then the first of a series of questions as we adresss the farm system. I’ll be out of town through the end of the weekend, and when I return I’ll get back into the swing of things. I’m planning to start the Reader Top 30 in the beginning of December, which will coincide with the end of the Arizona Fall League. Last year’s incarnation was a success, and it will be a fun exercise again this year, especially since we have more regular readers and contributors. I’m also going to get in touch with the contributors from this past season and try to figure out what next year will look like, and then I’ll search for new correspondants if they are needed. So, with that said, here is question #1.
With the Phillies winning the World Series, and with Carlos Ruiz seemingly handling the pitching staff in the manner he did, what does 2009 look like for Lou Marson?
State your case in the comments, and be respectful of the opinions of others.
Phuture Phillies 
Ruiz has to be given at least half a year of trust. While it only seems logical that players are given time based on a large sample size and known potential, but Ruiz really played superbly in the postseason and should be rewarded for that. Marson still looks like he needs to add some muscle so hopefully he’ll hit the weights in the offseason. I think looking at Marson in June or July is fine unless Ruiz is AWFUL. Also, Who’s the backup catcher out of spring training? Coste/Jaramillo/Marson?
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I think the Phillies will let Marson start in Triple A to see what happens with Ruiz’s offense. He can be very good defensively and have the staff’s trust, but if he is a complete black hole/double-play machine in the 8th spot, I can see the Phillies bringing Marson up if Ruiz gets off to a bad start and allow the two to split time. As to what that would mean for Chris Coste, I don’t know. Thankfully, he has versatility and a good RH bat going for him. Jaramillo will be traded in the offseason (probably as part of some larger deal) as Marson needs to play.
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I think we should start out with Ruiz/Coste and then come the trade deadline, if we need a large peice like a good starter we could move Marson fo rthat player or if we need a smaller peice maybe we can move Coste. Everyone seems to need backup catchers.
Still I think we start ’09 with Ruiz/Coste
We end ’09 with Ruiz/Marson
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The way Lidge praised Ruiz. It will be hard for Marson to be the starter. He said he can throw his slider with confidence with runners on. Because of Ruiz ability to block them. That is big if we had a better hitting third basemen I Believe it would be okay ,but the lack of production from feliz, plus ruiz and pitcher is a lot to give up.
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I’ve been saying all along that Ruiz’ defebnse is too good to give up, and that he is huge part of the success of our pitching staff this past season. Lidge has confidence in him and he uses a special catching stance for Hamels and Moyer that has contributed to thier success. You can’t give that up… I don’t care how good Marson could be. Not to mention the fact that I feel like Ruiz is a better hitter than he showed in the early part of the season, and he improved as the season went on… which is abnormal for a catcher as they generally wear down. I think the post-season Ruiz is closer to the real Ruiz– A lot of players have a sophmore slump.
That being said, I say they let Marson compete with Coste for the backup role, and if he wins have him catch maybe 1/3 of the games… specifically when Myers or Blanton are on the mound. That would allow him to stay fresh, get major league experience, and break in behind a veteran catcher in the same capacity that Ruiz did under whatshisface.
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I think Marson is going to be the backup to Ruiz to start 2009. Marson is a player and Myers and Blanton would be easy enough to catch to give Ruiz a break. Coste will not be back, if it were me. He is a nice story, but it is time to move on. I do not think they are going to trade Marson. I think it will be Jason Donald who gets traded. I would offer him to the Tigers (who need a ss) for Ordonez to replace Burrell.
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Could Marson’s value be any higher? We have D’Arnauld ready to step into the role of catcher of the future.
I say we see what Marson can net us in the terms of major league players that we could use to repeat in 2009!
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Better than it looks for Jason Jaramillo. Which really sucks for Jaramillo, it seems the Phillies don’t think he deserves a chance. I think Marson starts at AAA and Jaramillo gets a fresh start in a new organization.
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I, too, am beginning to think that Marson starts the year in AAA with a likely promotion by late spring or early summer. Donald is going places and he’s going there fast. He’ll start with the big team and don’t be surprised if he ends up in the rookie of the year chase – he’s for real.
By the way, I like the moves the team has made this offseason, including ridding themselves of Steve Smith – he was a liability and everyone knew it.
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Marson should go to AAA and be available if needed later in the year. Try Jaramillo as backup to Ruiz. I’m not that concerned with Ruiz offense for next season. We were first and second in league in scoring with Ruiz and with Feliz or worse. Biggest concern is LF and getting above average seasons from Rollins/Utley/Howard.
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I’ve always like Ruiz and think he has earned his spot on the team. However you really need two catchers you can count on for a good ML team.
I don’t think anything has changed, Jaramillo will be traded and Coste’s job as backup will be determined by the ST performance of Marson and Coste. I think catcher is the type of position where it wouldn’t hurt to let a guy ease into the job rather then be thrown to the wolves.
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As I believe in pushing young players, I’d have Marson start the year as Ruiz’s backup. He can work with the team’s pitchers, catch a game or two a week and slowly develop as a Major Leaguer. The “must play everyday” theory is BS. Utley started as a platoon guy and slowly took over 2B from Polanco…Marson can do the same. There is no reason to strand Marson at AAA for the 09 season.
On D’Arnaud: He is a great prospect but lets remember that he hasn’t played above the low low minors yet. Lets not go crazy to trade Marson because of D’Arnaud’s potential. I am a huge D’Arnaud fan but he’s still a few years away.
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I think it depends a lot on Burrell…if he leaves and we are forced to deal with less offense from LF, I think Marson can step in right now and back up ruiz.
I think there is a reason they kept him with them during the post season rather than having him in the AFL.
Coste can still be an effective pinch hitter. If So Taguchi was the best 25th man we could muster this season, than I have no idea why we would send a competent major league bat on his way this next season.
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Ruiz will and should be the starter next season, remember he did hit .259 with 54 RBIs on ’07. If he did that this year we wouldn’t be talking about him right now. I would like to see Marson win the backup spot out of ST, and get at least 1/5 of the starts. But starting the season at AAA would probably be good for him as well for his development, so I see it as a no-lose situation, JUST DON’T TRADE HIM.
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Well for one…teams don’t typically carry 3 catchers and we already have a very good backup 1B in Greg Dobbs. That leaves Coste as a man without a position on the bench. He can’t handle anything but 1B/C and that limits your options way too much in an NL game. I’d personally give Donald and Marson a legit chance to win spots in ST.
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Remember still that Marson only has 4 ABs above Double A. If Ruiz is going to be the full-time starter, that means that Marson gets 175 ABs at best at the major league level. I don’t know if he should sit for that long rather than help develop him. That is why I would think he would start the year in Triple A, get some ABs and playing time in there before his is kept on the major league roster. Obviously, it also depends on Spring Training. I think the plan, heading into the offseason, should be for Marson to start the season in Triple A. As for Coste, I don’t see him having too much trade value, but he would have value to the Phils as a backup C/1B/3B/LF and RH pinch hitter, irrespective of Marson’s presence, especially considering that we carried Taguchi, Cervenak and/or Tracy as the 25th man throughout the year.
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Ruiz will be the starter next season. The interesting decision will be the backup spot. I think the choices are Coste, Marson, or a veteran pickup. It seems the Phils don’t think too highly of Jaramillo, who likely will be traded. My early guess is Marson wins the backup job and Coste is sent to AAA.
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I hate to say it, but pretty soon, Coste is out of a job. Marson needs to be brought along and Coste is not quite a good enough hitter or good enough fielder to either be the right-handed pinch hitter off the bench or extra infielder/outfielder. It’s a shame, too, because you can’t help but love the guy. Who knows, maybe he has another great ST next year and defies expectations – it’s happened before.
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Having Marson and Jaramillo compete for readiness and allowing Coste to move on with Ruiz being #1 would cover the position. If Marson really needs a little more polishing as people here say, it would be a mistake to abandon Jaramillo until Marson, our near future starting catcher, is really ready.
Don’t see any reason for Coste to remain with the team. Trading him might yield a small return; perhaps trading him for a minor lg prospect would give him a place to play out a season or two before his ML career is finished.
Don’t like trading Jaramillo; when Marson (more muscled up) is fully ready to join the big club only then should Jaramillo be tradable.
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While I don’t agree with it, I think they’ll trade Marson for an outfielder although trading Donald for Ordonez is absolutely a possibility which would probably negate a Marson trade. In that case, I think Marson would back up Ruiz and catch 2 games a week.
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Ruiz is to important to the staff to not start next year. His game calling and defense were, for me, one of the main reasons for the turnaround of the staff this year.
Marson should start the year in AAA but should be promoted if he shows that he is ready at the plate. The Blanton/Myers starts would be perfect for him.
Coste should not be in Philly next year.
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Coste = gone
Marson and Jaramillo compete for #2 in ST
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With all this thinking about Donald and Marson, I think Carrasco is really our 3rd best prospect.
We shouldn’t trade Donald away since we actually may have a need for him. Where as there is depth behind Marson.
Also please, no Ordonez trade talks here, him and his $48+ Million ain’t coming to Philly.
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Put Marson in the back up catcher role out of ST place Coste into the primary RH hitter off the Bench and part of a platoon in LF (if needed)… If we grab a LF this off season let Marson start AA (only because of JJ in AAA) until we can find a trade for Coste!!
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This was a down year for Ruiz, offensively. Bill James predicted him to hit .280 this year. .280! He’d be hitting 7th if he’d pulled that off.
Again, I think everyone’s plans have their merits but you have to wait and see what happens when spring training comes, but Jaramillo has no role on this team. Unless they keep Marson at AA he is logjammed. He needs to be moved while he has value and if you’re going to go inexperience at ML back up you’d better go Marson. You can’t have Marson jump Jaramillo and expect to be able to get any value from his trade whatsoever.
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It seems everyone agrees Ruiz is the starter. The questions are who is #2 and what do you do with Coste?
I actually think these 2 questions are independent of one another. I think if you can’t acquire a right-handed bat to platoon in the outfield with Jenkins/Stairs/Dobbs, then Coste could stay on as a RH pinch-hitter; otherwise, I think Coste is gone.
As for backup catcher, I would try to maximize Jaramillo’s trade value while also giving Marson another half-season of everyday AB’s and calling games. If I’m the GM, unless Marson dominates ST, I start the season with Ruiz/Jaramillo on the big club and Marson in AAA. Jaramillo gets traded after some major league ABs and Marson gets called up at that time.
However the season actually starts, I think there’s no question it ends with Ruiz/Marson.
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If Amaro is smart he would deal Ruiz while his value is high. Lets remember Ruiz is not a spring chicken, he is going to be 30. I would deal Ruiz and let Marson and Coste battle it out next year. Having Coste aroudn allows them to ease Marson into the roll. Lets also not forget that DNaurd is a year or two away and he might be the best out of all of them
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I know its not a MLB board but Vic wins a GG!!! Say What?!?
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Again on D’Arnaud: He hasnt played above Low A. Hold off on the anointing oil till he proves himself at Clearwater and more importantly Reading. He’s a great prospect at this point, nothing more. You cant trade away your current starting catcher because of a Low A prospect no matter how gold-plated he seems at this point.
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NEPP – Gold Gloves are based mostly on popularity, highlight reel plays and offensive performance – hence Jeter having so many.
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Coste is more valuable to this team than the string of 25th and 26th caliber players that filled this roster. At time this season, this roster carried Taguchi AND harman or Cevenak etc.
Coste is a legitimate bat, even if it is clear that his catching is inferior to Ruiz.
Unless we actually get real players to fill the 25th spot, Coste is an upgrade.
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Good discussion. Carlos Ruiz shouldn’t lose his job after the postseason he just had. Chances are good he’ll hit a little better in 2009. This spring Coste, Marson and Jaramillo should battle it out for backup duty. If Coste doesn’t win the job he should be let go. I expect Marson will win the backup job in ST and be ready to take over in the second half of 2009 or 2010 depending on Ruiz’ production at the plate and Marson’s development behind it. Jaramillo has a shot, too, but he’s become expendable with the emergence of Marson and he needs to play himself back into the Phillies plans. One way or another a trade is likely to remove one of these names from the list. Hopefully it isn’t Marson, who is an absolute on-base machine. Bottom line: it should be Ruiz’ job to lose until the All Star break at least. After all, the most important job of a catcher is to handle the pitching staff and get the best out of them night in and night out. By that measure Ruiz had an excellent season.
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See that Lou went the other way today in the AFL and ripped a three bagger DHing for the Mesa Phillies. If Marson has a big ST how can Ruben not keep him on the opening day 25 man. Maybe Charlie will name Coste his third base coach. LOL!
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Ruben just told DNL over the phone from the GM meetings that the 5th starter will come from Carrasco, Happ, Kendrick and Carpenter in response to the question is Carrasco in the mix. for a starter spot.next year. That sounds like Moyer is expected back . Should be one of the most interesting Spring training in some time because actual spots and positions on the 25 man will be determined by performances in Grapefruit League games.
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I can’t understand why people keep on talking about Jaramillo. I would be willing to bet most ever organization. Must have a least one 27 year old catcher who hits 250 in the minors. and can play a little defense. He has proven to be a mistake as a second round draft choice. He has no trade value.
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Coste feel off the earth in the summer. Yet another guy
who doesnt get on base .311 post all star
c
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I think it’s about time for Coste to move on. Let Marson and Jaramillo compete for a spot on the big club behind Ruiz. If Marson shows that he’s more capable than Jaramillo at this point, let him start his career by being eased into it. He can get some more experience against major league pitching and learn the guys on our staff. If Jaramillo wins the spot, there’s no harm in Marson starting at AAA and getting experience there for some or all of next season.
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Coste and Jaramillo have close to ZERO value. Marson is a player, leader and winner. You cannot trade him and he should be given a shot at ST to earn the backup role. I would play him 2/5. If they are going to go with a young pitcher in the 5 spot that is fine. I think that means they will spend some money in left field. I think the Phils front office likes the offense to be good. It sells tickets.
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Well, it’s a great situation to have. I think Lou will start in AAA and come up sometime in June or July. At the same time, if Ruiz gets hurt, then he becomes the starter. You relaly can’t take Carlos’s job away from him after how well he did defensively this year, and how he stepped up in the postseason.
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Think that Marson will take over Coste’s job as the backup catcher and will get 1-2 starts per week depending on how the schedule works out.
If Marson shows he can handle the job, Jaramillo will be moved around the trade deadline as part of a deal to fill any holes that appear on the roster due to injury.
In 2010, Marson will become the full-time catcher and Ruiz will be traded as his arbitration number and age continue to rise..
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Honestly, am I the only one that thinks Amaro is too talkative so far? I almost prefer the KGB secrecy that was the Wade and Gillick regimes.
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U MEAN Wade could talk.
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Ruiz has played his way into a full starter position with Jaramillo/Coste going for the backup. Let Marson get AAA experience and bring him up AS Break. Barajas had a good season, maybe we can pick him up if backups fail. Show Marson how to block a plate…
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I think people are overrating Ruiz. I loved what he did in the postseason, but that’s a small sample size. He was awful this year at the plate. He’s was below average throwing out runners (20 for 85). He’s going to be 30 next year so don’t expect much improvement. I put very little weight behind “handling a staff”. Pitchers ultimately have veto power over a pitch call. I think Lidge likes him because he does a nice job of blocking balls behind the plate, which is something that helps Lidge more than a typical pitcher because of his slider.
Start the season with Ruiz and Marson in a 70/30 timeshare and ease Marson into the starting role. Ideally the roles are reversed by the end of the season. If Marson struggles mightily, then we can always bring up Jaramillo or bring in someone cheaply from the outside to backup. The arbitration clock is already ticking on Marson so we might as well play him now…
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to pat, i couldnt agree more about ruiz and marson. from what i hear marson will not be a liability defensivesly. the only disagreement i would have is forget jaramillo, i would rather keep coste.
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I don’t think Marson anything truly left too prove in the minors…hitting against AAAA guys at Allentown won’t be much in the way of development. Let him start in a 2 games per week timeshare with Ruiz, with Chooch getting the rest of the starts. If he proves he can handle the staff/the pitching, give him more at bats, like they did with Utley/Polanco years ago. Plus, I don’t think the Phils kept him around for the postseason because they needed a bullpen catcher, it was to expose him to that atmosphere to be ready for 09.
Since he’s already on the 40-man, it would be unwise to burn an option year if he can contribute to the big club.
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i would send coste packing since he is pretty old and probably doesnt have much left in the tank and would use marson the way the phillies used coste this past year
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If Marson had a year at AAA already, I’d have Ruiz and Marson as my catchers next year. Since Marson hasn’t had the AAA experience, I’d start him there unless he beats the crap out of Ruiz in ST. He needs to play, not be Ruiz’ caddy. If Coste has another year in him, I’d keep him. Jaramillo would be odd man out and I’d let him try somewhere else (if we can get something for him or throw him into a deal, I’d do it.) If Coste has reached the end, I’d throw him a great retirement party and promote Jaramillo as the backup to Ruiz.
I heard a rumor the Phils have mentioned they’d be willing to trade Rollins. Would Donald get a look then? [Sorry I’m off-topic]
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Have some of you been paying attention????
AAA is a hole they put you in when you want to get you out of the way.
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Lets put it this way take the Ironpigs pitching staff last year
What would a batter learn hitting against them. It would take nerve to trade Ruiz so i dont think it will happen. Is there a young third baseman we could trade for????. Marson to the show no matter what.
And expect more power the next 3 years as he and his swing mature.
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Well, here it is. As long as Ruiz gives good defense
and contributes even as much as he did last season
I believe he would be considered the #1 guy.
Defense is what it’s about, and Ruiz puts a
good swing on the ball, anyhow. Now , I
think Marson (and Donald) would start in MLB.
Usually they start off alternating at beginning
of year, if you look at the catching rotations over
the years. Ruiz being used where the defense
is needed.
Didn’t they ask the same question a couple
of weeks back?
Somebody mentioned Barrajas. Already been extended
by current team (Toronto, I think) for $2.5 million, like that.
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I have never been a big Ruiz fan, but wow, a commanding performance behind the plate during the WS can change your outlook.
I would now package Marson for Peavy or Holliday and go for it all again next year. Keep Jaramillo. With the catching depth in this system, it will be worth it.
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when I say worth it, I mean its worth the risk of losing out on Marsen.
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I believe the comments about Barrajas were joking…
We only want Holiday for Marson or Carrassco if we can extend his contract and with Boras, that isn’t likely. The comments about the 5th starter were obvious to anyone paying attention. That’s where they’ll save money. Happ has the inside spot with Kendrick and Carrasco at AAA, if they’re not traded for an outfielder. As far as trading Ruiz, you never trade a good starting catcher with only a rookie and a shot journeyman behind him especially when the pitchers love him. For those that want to trade Coste and Jaramillo, get a visual on what valueless looks like.
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Marson should start 2009 at AAA, and I think he will. Playing once or twice a week won’t help his development, and he already got the “seasoning by osmosis” through staying with the club in October. Ruiz is a better hitter than he showed in 2008, and for that matter his second-half numbers at the plate were fine.
By midseason, if he’s struggling, Marson can start to work in; on the other hand, if Ruiz is doing well at the big-league level and D’Arnaud is holding his own as he moves up the chain, Marson is a fantastic trade chip at the deadline.
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“I think people are overrating Ruiz. I loved what he did in the postseason, but that’s a small sample size. He was awful this year at the plate. He’s was below average throwing out runners (20 for 85). He’s going to be 30 next year so don’t expect much improvement. I put very little weight behind “handling a staff”. Pitchers ultimately have veto power over a pitch call. I think Lidge likes him because he does a nice job of blocking balls behind the plate, which is something that helps Lidge more than a typical pitcher because of his slider.”
I couldn’t agree more. The fact the guy had a decent postseason really overshadows his horrendous production at the plate this season. He or Feliz would always hit into a double play when the bottom of the order came up.
The game is moving on from “defense first” catching. If Lidge really likes Ruiz that much, then let Ruiz come into the 9th inning to play defense, like he did when Coste started this year.
If we are going to keep Feliz then we need to upgrade offensively at catcher because neither Feliz or Ruiz are getting any younger, and nothing they showed this season suggests their already putrid numbers will improve. I’m all for the catcher who bats .290 and gets on base much more than Ruiz will be able to next season. It’s not like another catcher will significantly decrease the production of our pitchers! Marson has earned a shot at cracking the lineup and at least splitting time. Like others have said, keeping him in a mercenary AAA league at this point is a waste.
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Not to belabor the point, but these two stats are very telling:
-Lowest OPS of all NL catchers with at least 300 PAs: Carlos Ruiz
-Of NL catchers who caught at least 800 innings, Ruiz had the second worst SB against % at 76.5%. Brian McCann, a far superior offensive C, finished last and would’ve finished in a virtual tie w/ Ruiz if he had thrown out just 1 more opposing baserunner.
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Pat, he also caught 26 out of 33 Hamels games and 20/33 Moyer games. Coste was better during Myers’ starts. By all indications, Marson is a good defensive catcher and probably wouldn’t fare much worse than Ruiz.
Also Phillies pitchers are just bad at holding runners close. Marson’s CS% was pretty good at 36%this year (with a bad staff).
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Look, let’s face it, Carlos isn’t the best option at catcher and Feliz isn’t the best option at third. Two of our best and most advanced prospects play those positions. This isn’t rocket science. Those young players need to be transitioned into those positions in a gradual way – it’s all set up quite well unless someone decides that it is a good idea to trade half of our young players for Matt Holliday, which would be a really dumb idea under the circumstances.
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Why go with our pitching prospects
2006 free agent starters
Miguel Batista 25 mil 4-12
Barry Zito 126mil 10-17
Jason Schmidt 47mil 1-4
Mark Mulder 13mil
some successes among american sighning the think only
Lilly and Marquis made the postseason
notice i didnt even meantion Eaton because i start crying
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I love the phillies catching situation.
First, don’t bring Coste back. Great guy but…
Second, Start next year(2009) with Ruiz as the MLB starter and Jaramillo as the back up. Jaramillo has fallen out of favor but the guy provides solid defense and experience with the younger pitchers that are on the way. Start Marson Double A with a July promotion to Triple A. Start D’Arnoud in Clearwater and move him up to Reading when Marson goes up to Lehigh.
Third, after this upcoming season(2010), trade Ruiz to away and have Marson and Jaramillo as the catching tandem in the majors. Start D’Arnoud in Reading with a July call up to Lehigh.
Fourth, the 2011 season is when you have to decide between Marson and D’Arnoud. Trade D’Arnoud if Marson is the catcher we hope he can be or trade Marson if he is not getting it done and give D’Arnoud his shot.
Now as I have said in a previous post, with Peavy on the trade block we should offer the Padres a package of Ruiz, Kendrick, Happ/Carrasco, and another prospect not from the top end of the farm, for Jake Peavy.
A rotation of Hamels, Peavy, Myers, Blanton, Carrasco/Happ is a top of the majors type rotation.
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Phil,
Ruiz, Kendrick, Carrasco, and a b-level prospect gets you laughed out of the room.
The Phillies gave up more than that for a back of the rotation starter in Blanton. It will take much more than that to get a front of the rotation guy like Peavy.
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So what can we trade Jaramillo for, a double or single A pitching prospect with promise?
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Peavy has a full no-trade clause and has already said he won’t waive it for Philly…not that we have the prospects anyway. It would take Marson, Donald, Carrasco and something to even make them consider it. He’s locked up below market rate for 3 more years….its gonna be a hefty price. (higher than Haren or Santana easily)
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Nov 6 News: Peavy could be traded by Monday to either the Cubs or Braves, ESPN-AM 1000 in Chicago is reporting.
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Spin: Peavy was a Braves fan while growing up in Semmes, Ala. and wants to stay in the NL, so Atlanta could be one location where he’d waive his no-trade clause. However, it’s very early in the process if the Padres really plan to trade Peavy and there will be several more suitors.
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Kendrick is an MLB starter with a record over .500 who I think would do really well in that canyon of a park they have. Carlos Ruiz is an MLB starter at a position the Pad’s are thin at. Personally I thought Ruiz should have been named the WS series MVP. Looking at what the Pad’s would have without Peavy, Carrasco or Happ (or both)would be a lock to make the Pad’s rotation. So that would be another MLB starter. 2 of 5 starters and starting catcher is a sizable load.
If he stated he wouldn’t wave his no trade for Philly then that’s cool, but if we have a chance, I think the chance of Hamels, Peavy, Myers is worth trying everything we can to achieve.
Regardless of anything else, I think our catching situation is the best in the MLB right now. With what we have in the system right now, we should not have to worry about our MLB catcher until at least 2015.
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I don’t think Peavy or Holliday are the direction we should go in. Both are in very favorable parks and have suspect home/road splits. The Phils should follow the Red Sox model. They won a World Series in ’04, but didn’t sell the farm to get back immediately. They even allowed some key players to leave rather than overpay…And they won another series a few years later.
Following that logic, there’s really only one pitcher you’d want to go after..Zach Greinke. He’s young and improving. He’s not yet cost prohibitive, but soon will be for the ROyals. They’re also starved for position prospects. Donald or Marson plus Berry or Carassco could land him. If not him, then we should just hang on to the young guys.
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The Phils need to go into next year with 3 of Ruiz/Coste/Marson/Jaramillo. D’Arnould should be able to make the next step and put himself on the major league radar. The Phils can afford to trade 1 catcher, Jaramillo being the likely canidate as not have a spot in the majors as Marson has passed him. However, Ruiz could be used in the right trade as his value has increased the 2nd half of the year.
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I love Grienke too.
I haven’t heard if KC is making him available. I can’t see how they would with him being so cheap and under their control for a couple more years.
I also have seen stories about his makeup being not so good. The article talked about how he was a small town guy who had troubles with the spotlight.
I may be wrong on that or missed a following article on his adjusting better. He certainly looks like player on the mound and I’d love to have him on our roster.
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Forget Greinke. He’s not available no matter what anyone says or writes. News is slow this time of year and stories fictional. Just look at all the Philly.com non-stories
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Zach Greinke would be great.
What are the chances Gil Meche would waive his no-trade clause to come to a World Champion? The Meche deal was laughed at but it now looks like this: 09:$11M, 10:$12M, 11:$12M. For a Big Three guy, 3Y/35M is a bargain but the Royals might be willing to part with 35M guaranteed money for a package of prospects not named Marson.
Meanwhile AJ Burnett just opted out of 12 M per for two more years. He must want at least 30M for 2 yrs. Probably will take 3 years / 45M to sign him. Tough call. Pending medical clearance, Burnett could be a Big Three mainstay.
Pitching should be the focus. Stack the rotation. Peavy not wanting to come to Philly is a disappointment, but there are a few other options. Go get a #2 and re-sign Moyer.
Hamels, #2, Myers, Blanton, Moyer = repeat.
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Pat the red sox are in a different league than us . They will spend money in free agency and on there farm system. I remember reading how bad there farm system was. Now it is one of the best. The phillies in my mind should really spend money on there farm system and especially the international market. If we had a better system Howard would get his money if we had some outfield ready prospects. we never would have had to go after jenkins .burrell leaving with a LEAGUE Minimum prospect ready would give us the money to pay howard or hamels.same thing with Third base but we haven’t been able to get a prospect through the draft for third since rolen left and we have draft a good amount of them like chapman a flop and others point being with burrell 14 million and jenkins money 8 that 22 million we could for hamels or howard without raising our payroll teams that contend and aren’t big markets are going to lose players. The farm has to be able to replace those players. Right now only marson who will be payed a little under ruiz is ready and donald who replaces a three million dollar player.
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Is it just me but the Padres pick up a 9 mil option on Giles while they are trying to trade Peavy. THat makes no sense
Giles is a good player but Peavy is less money.
maybe I am still asleep and dreaming
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I definitely agree the Red Sox can spend more money, but we should try to do the same thing on a smaller scale. My point was we shouldn’t trade a veteran player making big money. I brought up Geinke because he’s younger, but it’s also reasonable to think the Royals may be open to moving him (sort of like Beckett a few years back). If we can’t acquire a player like that, then we should just hold on to our prospects. I agree 100% that the Phils should use more resources towards going over slot in the draft and signing international players.
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The Giles thing threw me too. Supposedly the Padres GM is going through financial issues due to a ongoing divorce and needs money so they’re cutting back on salaries…then they go and give Giles $9 million. That’s alot to pay for a guy who’s gonna be 38 next year and doesn’t hit for any power at all for a corner OF. Why trade Peavy for prospects if you’re hanging on to high priced vets? Is Ed Wade secretly running SD too?
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Note only 3 sept starts for Peavy one five innings. I thought
they were just protecting his trade value but now you have to wonder:is it medical,person or medical to look personal
RA better not run any red lights on this one
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We don’t have to worry about Peavy as he isn’t interested in coming to Philly and won’t waive his no-trade clause. I just hope he doesnt go to Atlanta as he is being rumored to. It wont be fun to face him multiple times a year.
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Might not be that bad he is a lot more effective against RHB
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Interesting save total domination of the Dodgers (9-0) the last three years he is only a .500 pitcher. I am sure the Dodgers hope Peavy does go to Atlanta
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Seen as the future “Babe Ruth of Cuba” until he defected, Dayan Viciedo has been cleared by MLB to be a free agent. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times has the White Sox ready to snap up the third-base prospect, who is still just 19.
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anyone know anything about the japanese pitcher were supposidly interested in.
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2. Ryan Howard to extensions, there is little chance the Phillies could sign Holliday to a contract that would make Boras happy, and still extend homegrown players like Hamels, Howard, etc.
3. The Phillies’ priority remains pitching, and Carrasco certainly figures into those plans. The Phillies project him to be a No. 2 or 3 starter. If he pitches well enough, there is a chance he could make the team out of spring training. With Jamie Moyer still a free agent, Brett Myers in the final year of his contract, Kyle Kendrick a question mark and Adam Eaton a bust, it would be in the Phillies’ best interest to hold onto somebody like Carrasco. They’re going to need him.
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies_zone/Matt_Holliday_Lets_Review_Shall_We.html
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Good words from Ruben???
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