Projecting the squads; Lehigh Valley

Depth Charts

So, I figured we’d take a shot at trying to assign players to the full season affiliates. The work groups are a general idea, but they aren’t complete and guys tend to move around a bit, so I’m not reading too much into it. We’ll start with Lehigh Valley and then move down the chain. I’ll post the template and then update it as we discuss it in the comments. Check below the fold for more…

C – Marson
1B
2B –
3B – Donald
SS
LF – Slayden
CF
RF – Mayberry

BN
BN
BN
BN
BN

SP – Carrasco
SP – Kendrick
SP – Carpenter
SP
SP

RP – Overholt
RP – Zagurski
RP – Mathieson
RP
RP
RP
RP

59 thoughts on “Projecting the squads; Lehigh Valley”

  8. In my mind, you need to place the prospects and borderline prospects before you add in the organizational filler around them. So in that vein, some random thoughts…

    Kendrick: I guess you pencil him in, but as Weitzel mentioned on Beerleaguer this morning, he could even benefit from heading to Double-A to work on some new pitches.

    Carpenter: I’d drop the act and send him to the bullpen.

    Harman: maybe he should begin by repeating Reading?

    Wow, that’s about it for the “non-organizational-filler” category (though you could certainly argue whether any of the above three even deserve to be classified that way). The rest of the roster will presumably be filled in by the players who lose their roster battles (Majewski/Koplove, Ozuna/Cairo/Giles, etc.) along with the AAAA players the club inked this offseason (Ellison, Nestor, Neal, Lopez, Hollins, Bazardo, etc.). Sounds like the Angels will take Mosebach back, so I don’t think we’ll see him here.

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  9. 1B: Tracy and/or Cervanek
    2B: Giles or Cairo ??? I think Harman should start in AA
    SS: O. Chavez / Ozuna
    3B: Donald (what about Tiffee?)
    LF: Walker
    CF: Thompson / Moran
    RF: Slayden (keep moving him up until he’s in the show or fails)

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  14. Harman back to AA. Kendrick to AAA. Mayberry to AAA. Carpenter to AA. Escolona to AA. Bastardo to AA.

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  15. C: Marson
    1B: Tracy and/or Cervanek
    2B: Giles or Cairo ??? I think Harman should start in AA
    SS: O. Chavez / Ozuna
    3B: Donald (what about Tiffee?)
    LF: Mayberry
    CF: Thompson / Moran
    RF: Slayden (keep moving him up until he’s in the show or fails)

    SP: Carrasco / Kendrick / Carpenter / last cuts
    RP: Overholt, Anderson, Escalona, Last cuts

    The guys who are still up in ST are the wildcards. As they are moved to the minors or released, we’ll see AAA solidify. As we get into AA and lower, we’ll put guys where we think they should start the season.

    I like seeing prospects in AAA who can help the big club in a minutes notice.

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  18. I think the only prospects/non-filler “locks” for AAA are Carassco, Marson, Donald and Mayberry. I think there are a bunch of guys who are on the bubble between AAA and AA depending on how the journeymen shake out of spring training. Bubble guys include Overholt, Escalona, Carpenter, Kendrick, Slayden, Harman, and Bisenius (although at this point I think he’s probably just org filler). Maybe Zagurski ends up in AAA at some point depending on his health.

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  19. Unless Amaro trades for somebody like Jason Michaels, I really think Mayberry makes the big team…the bench could really use a right handed outfield bat, especially with Werth fighting various injuries this spring.

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  20. Mayberry’s average has dropped considerably recently so I think some of the buzz around him is dying off. I think they still try and move Stairs or Jenkins to open up a bench spot but I think that would go to Coste/Paulino, Giles, Ozuna or one of those guys rather then Mayberry.

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  21. I think it actually makes sense for Harman to got to AA. Cairo or Giles will be the AAA 2B until July 1st when they can seek their release for not being on the 25 man, so till then Harman should stay in AA.

    THoughts?

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  22. “Harman back to AA. Kendrick to AAA. Mayberry to AAA. Carpenter to AA. Escolona to AA. Bastardo to AA.”

    Can’t disagree with much there, Detective. I’d mentioned the thought of sending Kendrick to Reading, but with the sheer number of guys that are likely to be battling for rotation spots there (Savery, Garcia, Bastardo, Brummett, Carpenter, and even Stutes and Worley if BA is to be believed), it’d be best to just send him to Lehigh Valley.

    From Section 113: agree completely. Harman just turned 23, so there’s no need to rush him to Triple-A fresh off a .210/.280/.366 year. Harman has had success before when repeating a level — bumping his line in Clearwater from .241/.322/.305 in 2006 to a much more respectable .281/.341/.449 in 2007 — so given that, and what you’ve noted about the Giles/Ozuna situation, there’s no reason for Brad not to start in Reading.

    Finally… if they’re successful in their rehab, we might get a chance to see Scott Mathieson and Mike Zagurski don IronPigs jerseys this summer. After all they’ve been through, it’d be nice to see both of them back healthy and pitching again.

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  23. I think tracy will definately be 1B, and the rotation could look like carrasco, kendrick, carpenter, bastardo, and then probably an older guy like a mazone or walrond

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  24. anyways it will be nice to see lehigh valley get some prospects this year rather than the pathetic excuse for a team they had last year

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  25. Rotation : Carrasco, Kendrick, Carpenter, Bastardo, Lopez
    1B: Tracy, 2B: Ozuna, SS: Chavez, CF: Moran, as far as the rest goes who knows

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  26. I think Harman will start in AA simply because of the middle infielders we have on minor league deals (Giles, Cairo, Ozuna) not to mention Donald and guys like Tracy and Cervanek.

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  27. Just a couple of points. Brandon Watson is now in the Diamondbacks organization. Brian Mazone signed with the Dodgers organization, and Les Walrond will spend this year pitching for the Yokohama Bay Stars. I too, think that Harmon will start in AA after a difficult year last year and the need to find consistent playing time for several players at AAA, most notably Jason Donald.

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  28. Rodeo Mayberry is back lol
    I think the phils should start Mayberry,Taylor, and Brown and start a fight every game. I had better say just kidding or someone take it seriously. What the hell the New Broad st.
    Bullies.

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  29. Going off subject, saw Knapp pitch in an intrasquad game today and he looked very good. 2 inn 1 H 0 R 3 K (Mitchell, Durant and Warren, all 3 played at Lakewood last year)
    DeFratus not so good, 1 2/3 inn, 3 H 3 R 1 W 1 K
    Tomorrow the Blue Jays start the Minor ST season.

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  30. I think Mayberry would be in RF and Slayden in LF because of the discrepancy in arm strength. Also, they have been playing him in RF and CF this spring raving about his athleticism for his size.

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  31. Mayberry is a pure RF…Slayden is barely a LF. Apparently, Mayberry can play CF in a pinch too if UC is to be believed.

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  34. I don’t believe Berry could handle AAA. He doesn’t make enough contact to warrant it.

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  38. Agree Berry needs all the high minors seasoning he can get. That’s his best chance of being a serviceable 5th OF.

    Small point, but Ellison has looked good this ST in fill-in roles and we could see him getting a majority of the time in CF. Moran is too five minutes ago. He projects to maybe a .240-.250 hitter in majors as a 5th OF. Give Ellison a chance to see if he is a tad better for an emergency callup.

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  39. I like the idea of penciling Zagurski and Mathieson into the back end of the bullpen for the IronPigs. Zagurski as the left-handed set-up man and Mathieson as the right-handed set-up man. Ideally, I would like to have Mathieson in some closing situations by the end of the season, then thrust him into Chad Durbin’s spot in the pen for next year. Zagurski could take over for Scott Eyre next year.

    I really like how the team has a solid guy in the upper minors at every conceivable position.

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  40. as far as definite adds go phuture i think tracy is a lock to be the 1st baseman, i dont see anyone else that would play the position

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  41. For the first time in quite some time, it looks like there will be a competitive team in AAA this year. AA looks like it will be horrible though.

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  42. “Is there anyone else I need to definitively add?”

    It’s far from definite that he’d wind up here, but given the logjam in Reading, I can’t see Andrew Carpenter heading there, and he did finish last season with a start for the IronPigs. Someone was saying that the Phils brass still speaks highly of him, so it wouldn’t shock me to see him start in the Lehigh Valley rotation.

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  43. PhillyFriar Let me add Carpenter has had success with Huppert as his manager so AAA makes sense

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  51. Matt, the Reading rotation will be good, and at least Taylor will be at AA, potentially Brown later in the year. They will be a fun team to watch.

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  53. Happ had a less than stellar outing yesterday. He gave up 2 HRs and 3R. He also had 2 BB and only 1 K. I still like him as the #5 starter in Phillie but he might need to start in LHV. Bisenius was smacked around in his only inning of work. I think he starts in AAA.

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  54. I am thinking a couple of months and they switch Bastardo to closer or set up
    Bellman if the phils start Hamels b4 San Diego they are nuts
    there is no upside to putting Hamels in cold weather especially
    when the manager and pitching coach do not always make good decisions on pulling pitcher
    So the believe Happ is safe for now and he can be use a little in the first two games as a releiver

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  55. Carpenter, Nestor and Escalona were sent to AAA. Naughton went to AA and Naylor to A+. A bunch of other guys were sent to minorleague camp. That’s according to MLB.com.
    Is Nestor considered a prospect? He’ll be 25 in August. He averages 10Ks per 9 innings. He had a tough year with the Marlin’s AAA last year. “He has a big-time arm but hasn’t been able to harness it.”

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  56. “Brandon Watson is now in the Diamondbacks organization”
    My daughter is a HUGE B.W. fan…Is there a press release or something re: this move?

    Thanks,
    Ken

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  57. I was going back over some older articles on the web and found one about Marson. It highlighted Jamie Moyer’s intangible value to the team. Moyer was pitching to Marson in a ST game a few weeks back. The article goes on, “In the third inning of Saturday’s Grapefruit League game, Phillies catcher Lou Marson called for a fastball high and inside. Jamie Moyer thought it was a risky choice for the situation but decided to throw it anyway.

    Sure enough, Moyer left the pitch over the plate, and Scott Sizemore, batting ninth for the Detroit Tigers, homered. Moyer had been correct: He shouldn’t have given the ninth man in the order a hittable pitch.

    “If it had been a regular-season game, I would have shaken Marson off,” Moyer said. After the inning, the 46-year-old veteran approached the 22-year-old prospect and explained why the call had been a bad one. “It was a teaching moment,” Moyer said.”

    Marson will store this info in his memory banks. This type of info will help when he’s catching someone like Carpenter. He throws at least 4 pitches. Calling for the right one at the right moment is critical. Pitchers like Carrasco and Happ have at least 1 really good pitch. They can use that to get guys out. Kendrick and Carpenter have to finess it a bit.

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  58. What Mahar? He was in the majors with the Rangers, was one of their top, if not top defensive outfield players all hte way up and has had a solid bat at all levels. Just curious.

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  59. Bellman i have been talking about what a gift Moyer is to pitchers and catchers. You said it better thanks.

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