I’ve kind of been holding back, but I guess its time to just make a simple statement. He’s 18. He pitched in a Northeastern state, thus his workload/exposure was more limited than say, a kid from California. He’s a true 18 year old pitching in a league where the average prospect age is 19-20, with lots of 21-23 year olds. He’s gotten off to an awesome start. He has a big arm. He throws hard. Guys with 95-97 mph fastballs are supposed to be blowing away lousy/raw/unrefined hitters. But he’s made a total of FOUR starts. He’s thrown 24 innings in full season ball. There is absolutely ZERO upside in rushing him this season. The Phillies should continue to monitor his delivery and mechanics, as well as his innings. There’s no need to rush him to A+ this season. Tell me what the downside is in him staying in Lakewood all season, throwing 130-140 innings, striking out 160 and posting an ERA of 2.35, and then promoting him to Clearwater for next year? Here’s a test case in Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner, a first round pick, was considered raw and many felt he needed time to develop because his secondary stuff wasn’t all that refined. He blitzed the SAL last year as an 18 year old (essentially 1 month older than Knapp this season), striking out 164 in 141 IP and posting a 1.46 ERA. The Giants left him in A all season, resisting the urge to rush him, and his secondary stuff improved throughout the year. He’s now their top prospect and one of the best prospects in the game, and his development wasn’t stunted because the Giants let him dominate the level he was at.

Bottom line? There is absolutely zero reason to rush him. Lets let him dominate at Lakewood this season, keep an eye on his arm and his pitches thrown, and then move him to Clearwater next year. He’s not going to make it to Philly before 2011 at the absolute earliest, and at that point he’d be 20. Everyone take a deep breath.