The draft is next Tuesday, and I hope to have my mock draft polished up and published on Monday, so look for that. I wanted to make two points though in the meantime. The first point is that everyone who writes for this site does it purely because they care about the Phillies minor league system. No one here gets paid, there are no ads on this site (a service to you), and there is no money. The style that someone uses is their style, and anything they contribute is more than you’d get if it was just me writing one or two articles a week. To criticize these people for providing you a free service seems unfortunate to me. If you know of a better website out there for your Phillies minor league news, by all means check it out regularly. But please refrain from the ticky tack insults of the contributors here. 99% of the folks here are excellent, the 1% who try to stir the pot are sometimes just the loudest. If there’s something you want to know about a player or an affiliate, by all means ask the person who writes the report, but if they’re unable to find out, don’t hold it against them. That’s just silly. Check below for more…
The second point involves patience. I talked about this after Jason Knapp’s fast start, and I guess with the “trade Werth so Taylor can play” comments, I have to stress it again. There is absolutely zero need to make room for Michael Taylor right now. The Phillies are first in the division, and Werth has a .797 OPS, 32nd among all qualified Major League OF’ers. Just 12 games ago his OPS was near .900. Last year he had an OPS of .861, and in 2007 he had an OPS of .863. He’s not a mediocre player, he’s an above average corner OF who plays good defense. He’s what we should hope Michael Taylor is in 3 years. Generally speaking, you don’t trade a good major leaguer in the middle of the season to plug in a prospect in AA. Werth is signed to a reasonable contract for this season and next, and is likely to end up with an OPS that ranks him near the second tier of all ML outfielders. That’s not something we need to quickly replace. The Phillies “held back” Ryan Howard in the minors, and they were rewarded by getting his absolute peak years in the majors while he was cheap. Taylor is only 23, he still has plenty of time. When he is inserted into the team, he should be ready to enter his prime and shouldn’t miss a step. But we have time. Werth is a good player, he’s not hurting the team right now in any way. If that changes, of course, then we can evaluate it. After 4 starts, Knapp was ready for the big leagues, now he has a 4.64 ERA and he’s still in Lakewood. Kyle Drabek had an awesome AA debut, lets not clamor for him to be put in the rotation just yet, or Bastardo to be turned into a reliever, or anything else rash. Lets just wait a little while and see how things play out.
Phuture Phillies 
Well said on both points.
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Odd we talk about this one or that one and Berry might be the one promoted or would they bring up Mayberry for CF is Vic
is out which seems likey
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While I agree with you in general on the patience, I am beginning to wonder about whether we’ll see Drabek at CBP this season.
The Phillies on position players tend to promote slowly. Pitchers seem to be different… it’s very important to have arms in the minors that can contribute. AA is not all that far from ML. I think Drabek needs to get a few more starts in but – that said – if Drabek is consistently good – I honestly cannot think of a better RHP pitcher in the system – peripherals and all. I’m not saying he’s ML ready today – but he may become the best RH option.
Getting back to position players- Taylor is blocked on several fronts. But with the Phillies carrying an extra pitcher at this point in Taschner, that’s not going to last. It will be interesting to consider who it is who will go up, if not Mayberry. RH bat off the bench or DH for interleauge.
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If Victorino is out, Werth becomes the primary center fielder and I imagine the Phillies would plug in a Mayberry/Stairs platoon.
As per the site, I think there’s a tendency to line score watch which creates greater urgency from the games than there really should be. A half a season can fool you, let alone the last start or last ten games.
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Word up to James. Total BS to complain about Crupper or anyone elses reports. Go to the games yourself if you don’t like it. Thanks to James and all the contributors for their contributions to our “work”days.
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agree on trading werth. actually, i think that taylor and brown are perfectly timed out.
i view taylor’s timeline as second half of next year. that way, they will be able to see him in the bigs for a half of a season decide whether or not to re-sign werth. same thing for brown, who is timed to coinside with ibanez’s contract expiring. the odd man out is actually mayberry. but he provides insurance right now in case of an injury and that is good too. amaro is very smart and has timed these three talented prospects perfectly. i don’t see him trading either of them unless it brings back a cheap and quality arm. i.e. not an oswalt or peavy. if you look at their roster and the salaries due in the near future, they will really need low priced position players in 2-3 years. so if they can have both corner outfield positions manned by cheap but quality players, that really opens things up. as such, they can not pay $15 mil. for a pitcher.
as for the ribbing…i agree that some times it goes too far, but i also think that some times people are too sensative. suggestions on how to improve are not insults. i really haven’t seen anyone insult him. that being said, this blog is better with Jeff’s posts than without, so we should respect his wishes.
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I agree on Werth. I thought two years was perfect for him because by the end of next season we would know with some certainity if Taylor would be ready for 2011. I don’t think it’s impatient to put his ETA as a 2010 September call-up.
I do want to point out something else mentioned on here, if I may, regarding the team not being aggresive with guys. I think the promotions of Drabek, Worley and Bastardo (to AAA, not the big club) has shown that they are aggressive, if the guy merits the risk.
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Here’s the perfect storm for Taylor to play in the bigs this month-
Victorino on the DL
Mayberry promoted-
Werth to center
Mayberry/Stairs platoon RF
When we play Tampa and Toronto in a few weeks and Victorino is still on the DL the n Taylor gets a shot as DH or Stairs DH’s and Taylor plays the field.
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Taylor is the best r-handed bat in the system. Excellent fielder with strong arm to hold runners, and enough speed to score from first and steal some bases. If there is a DL issue bring this multi-talented player up. He will certainly gain from more tenure, but there is little reason to not have it take place in the majors. If you haven’t seen him play then you cannot appreciate his ablities or his readiness. It is all there.
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Good points on all fronts. I don’t know if Taylor couldn’t be producing respectable corner-outfielder numbers within the next year, or even now, but any present hankering to replace worth or victorino is way premature.
Also, just a heads up to a site that I came across recently that I enjoyed, y’all should check out
http://www.baseball-intellect.com
the writer recently did a couple scouting reports on Drabek, Worley, knapp and Stutes and his archives contain more reports, particularly on recent draft picks. Most interesting part is they include video of the plaryers with comparisons of past and present mechanics and what have you. Seems very professionally done.
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I absolutely agree that unless maybe Werth and Vic get injured, there is no need to promote Taylor. I am interested though if he is a guy who could be a September call-up. He would definitely be a huge bat off the bench and the stretch run experience could help. Or perhaps a AA playoffs run could be more beneficial.
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Taylor’s not on the 40 man so barring something unforeseen I don’t see him in Philly this year.
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Agree Taylor, might actually be productive in majors this year, as locked in as he is.
However, Phils have him and Brown timed to take over for Raul and Jason within the next couple yars and will be conservative in their progression. They will not want the clock to start on Taylor, looking to maximize his longevity and value with Phils. Can’t argue with their thinking.
But all bets are off if Werth were injured and Mayberry started stinking up the place–both are possibilities, even though it is obvious Mayberry has huge talent.
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Wow, I spend a few days in the hospital getting a knee replacement, and all sorts of things happen in the Phils organization – Brown goes on a power surge, Drabek gets promoted and looked sharp, Bastardo and Happ had great MLB wins (and the Big Club swept San Diego), Mayberry’s back in the Majors. Hell, even Mattair was productive. Maybe I shouldn’t have left…
– Jeff
p.s. Oh yeah, I think the earliest we see Taylor in Philly might be as a September call up.
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Well said James – the fact that any one of us who get this great information and phils minor league “chatter” would ever take a shot at someone providing information. And also agree we should take a slight step back in annointing some of these folks for the Hall of Fame after a big game.
That said, two more things. James you are a buffoon, and I heard Hewitt had three hits in EST – how come we’re not bringing him up???? 🙂
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RodeoJones Says:
Taylor’s not on the 40 man so barring something unforeseen I don’t see him in Philly this year.
Rodeo bisenius is,so little problem there. Baseball is always about the unforeseen isnt it my friend
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Wait, he has had only 3 hits in the entire EST?!?!?!? Oh Christ….
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It is very unlikely Taylor will be on the 40 man this year. If I was the Phillies, barring 2 starting OF’s ending up on the long term DL towards the end of the season, it just wouldn’t make sense.
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There goes Steve making friends again
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i just saw kevin czerniki? on dnl. he said drabek was 98-99 on the gun last night. now knowing most guns are hot ill still take 95-96. also he said , no big revelation, taylor belongs at lhv. and surprise taylor not brown is their most sought after prospect. NO DEALS now. no need for any.
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Well said James. For all of us that want to play GM, play Fantasy Baseball and leave Ruben to do his job, which he is doing better than any of us can. The Phils will not start the arb clocks on Taylor or Drabek before there is a spot for them or unless there is a compelling need. If Victorino goes on the DL, they’ll obviously bring Mayberry back and platoon him with Dobbs or Stairs. Why should they bring Drabek up to the majors this year, even in Sept? We should all just want him to pitch well in AA and not be allowed to throw too many pitches since he threw very few last year. I still think there will be a trade for a veteran pitcher (not a rental) in July when the asking prices come down. Myers won’t be back next year and Moyer could be inconsistent all year and I don’t think they want to count on Bastardo pitching in a pennant despite how good he looked the other night against a bad team in a big park.
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Three hits in est. Now one person says he is going great, not someone is saying he isn’t who do we believe.
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taylor had 3 hits last now hitting .351. why we dont need a trade. to qualify this the only player i would deal for is haren. now with our staff of hamels,happ,bastardo,blanton,and moyer, what would happen if we say dealt for lee bedard etc.? number 1 who would you send down not hamels not happ not blanton hes pitching well and has been there, moyer if not for his experience i would let him go if he reverted to mays form but i doult he will. bastardo all he does is throw strikes at 95 mph with movement. so unless you want bastardo out of the rotation and are willing to give up say carrasco donald or marson or brown or taylor or drabek for someone who will block bastardo you cant want a deal. look at next years rotation hamels happ bastardo drabek and if we make a deal then worley or stutes who im not as high on i mean stutes. but if worley carrasco stutes blow up a deal would be fine. but i have a feeling worleys big time. so there is my staff 2010. hamels happ drabek bastardo and worley,and weve given up no one. taylor replaces werth 2010 brown replaces ibanez 2011. marson replaces coste and donald replaces brunlett. win while replacing personel.
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I read the scouting reports on Worley , they think he is a back of the rotation guy or a relief pitcher, He seems to throw two types of fastballs. and good secondary stuff, I wonder why they think so little of him. or is that too harsh a statement? I mean off what he is doing he is a three or better, to me that is, but never saw him pitch so it’s just off what I read about his starts so far.
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mikemike as you know i place great importance on k to bb ratio i.e. bastardo,drabek and i thought from what his stats are worleys k to bb ratio is somewhere around 4 or 5 to 1. which is my cardinal rule for a pitcher. if you dont walk batters even with good but not great stuff youll usually win. thats why i have hope for carrasco. and thats why i rate cloyd over knapp. if a pitcher has really good stuff and doesnt walk anyone youll pretty much always win. check the big time aces. always 3-1 good but not great to 5-1 great.
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taylor is a monster. he is tearing the cover off of the ball. hitting everything in sight. i think that it is clear that any open questions on him have been answered.
is he a one year wonder?…he is actually getting better. his stats in AA are better in almost every category. walk rate is up. k rate is down. slugging percentage is up. OPS
is just plain silly high. this guy is an animal.
he has got to be a top 25 prospect if not top 10.
serious question…when was the last guy we had putting up the stats that he is putting up in AA?
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Probably go back to Pedro Swann/Gary Burnham in 2006 or Randy Ruiz in 2005.
Difference is that none of those guys were really prospects but were older organizational players who where old for that level.
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Yes, thanks to all contributors.
Patience for all prospects. Especially Drabek. He’s going to throw a lot of innnings this year, and I don’t think any of them should be beyond AA. There are four or five guys that should get call ups before him. This is his first full season after surgery. Let him build strength in the arm. No sense calling him up and have him throw his arm out.
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On a 2008 draft note, one of James’ favorite guys Brett Devall is tearing it up. Imagine if we snagged him instead of the K-Train?
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Again I say back off Drabek already has 70 innings He will be pushing 200 at this rate 5 inning is enough for a couple weeks
then long outing short outing or variations. Where is pitches is not as important as how much.
MT doesnt seem to be listening to the conservative voices. one odd stat he seems to hit better at night .370 I gotta check out last year
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BA Prospect Hot Sheet list Taylor and Drabek.
Taylor #6 Drabek #10
Taylor and Brown as potentially best outfield tandem in minors for any organization
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Murray
Ruben need to establish himself in the eyes of, baseball, fans, and his bossed . Why would he worry about a stinkin “arb clock”. Personally i hope i am around long enough to worry. Taylor could get his feet wet in interleague. Let the small market teams worry about “golden u know what ”
btw other then this point I enjoy your posts
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“Why would he worry about a stinkin “arb clock”
Because even big market teams (Yankees aside) have budget limits. And because even if a team doesn’t have spending limits, the free agency clock is ticking as well. Would it make sense to to trade a year of Taylor in his prime for a couple dozen at bats in 2009?
Now, it’s possible to be TOO concerned with the arbitration and free agency clocks, but really I fail to see why you would want to bring Taylor up this year. Really the only significifant playing time he would get would be (as you suggest) DHing in interleague play. But even assuming he is “ready” and plays well, how much diffference would he make DHing in a few interleague games?
The real issue is 2010, and honestly I’m not sure what the Phillies should do. But for 2009, he is just fine where he is (with maybe some time in AAA as well).
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Service time is a big issue. Even teams that can spend (and we do have one of the highest payrolls in baseball) want to maximize their return on dollars spent. The Phillies just paid Howard a lot of money for this season and the next two, but they got what will probably end up as his best seasons for well well well below market value because they kept him in the minors until he was not only ready to play, but ready to produce at a high level. Teams that bring guys up when they aren’t ready (the Mets and Fernando Martinez) give guys service time, which makes them more expensive sooner.
Taylor should come up when hes ready to be a full time player, or when a window opens for him to be a full time player. Starting his service time clock and burning an option year to give him 20 AB’s isn’t smart. Mayberry is 2 years older and already on the 40 man roster, so he should be the first option if Werth or Victorino have to miss substantial time.
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I see a lot of reasons that make sense in bringing Taylor up.
First, there is no better time than when a prospect is hot and confident and the big club is rolling along winning it makes the trial transition comfortable.
Second, if he is successful he allows for a trade of a more costly contracted player and the difference in expenses would offset any addition costs down the line if he continues to succeed and becomes a super 2.
Third, he is the best rh batter in the system and plays his position with athleticism and intelligence. Having watched him play he does things as though he is playing chess.
Forth, Listening to this kid in interviews he has a plan and I don’t think any hardship will unravel what he has to offer long term.
His potential play outweighs any financial concerns or disappointment in productivity that might occur in giving him the spot.
It is always a big question mark, but to see him in person and watch over a few games the excitement he can generate with his play, I come away saying the time is now.
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Speaking of Taylor, he and Drabek made BA’s Hot Sheet.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2009/268290.html
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Anon,
So you are one of the guys that thinks we should, in the middle of a pennant race, trade a proven, good hitting, good fielding, bargain priced outfielder so we can replace him with a guy who has two months in AA under his belt?
I’m sorry, I think that’s crazy, no matter how good that prospect is.
I’ll grant you, though, that the arbitration/free agency clock doesn’t matter in your scenario – your scenario is wrongheaded for other reasons. The arbitration/free agency clock is, however, a reason not to bring him up in a more limited role, as is being suggested by some others on this board.
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I have been wrong many times before, doesn’t keep me from making decisions. SEye-popping numbers alone do not define Taylor
Tony Zonca
Outfielder Michael Taylor has been so terrific, you could hang his first two months as a Reading Phillie on a wall and frame them.
Though numbers hardly define the 23-year-old Floridian, they can’t be ignored. He has stroked his way to a second straight award – three if you count last August – as Philadelphia Phillies Minor League Player of the Month.
He followed up an April in which he hit .338 with stellar offensive numbers all across the board, with an even better May: .330, 18 runs, 6 HR, 23 RBIs, 18 runs, 1.005 OPS.
Overall he was hitting a lusty .351 with 10 homers, 40 RBIs, 35 runs scored, a .608 slugging percentage, and a 14-game hitting streak on his portfolio for good measure.
Those are impressive bona fides, to be sure, and while you watch this marvelous 6-6, 250-pound athlete, you have to wonder why anyone would question his abilities, especially as it applies to swinging a bat in the heat of battle.
Taylor squares up the baseball as well as anybody who has worn a Phillies uniform in recent memory. He hits the ball so hard, so consistently, that you might think he’s the only one using an aluminum bat.
But baseball, like most things in life, is all about timing. And so there were those early doubters.
Early on, back to his high school days at Apopka High, he became almost a Rorschach candidate . . . his critics could read into him anything they wanted.
“I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum,” Taylor said, “so I know how quickly it (opinions) can turn. I went from unknown to having a good summer my senior year in high school to being rated the next best thing to being bad again in five weeks. It really is someone else’s opinion of you. I’m not saying that wasn’t important, but it wasn’t the only thing for me.”
Taylor was a big-time player at a big-time high school whose baseball program was annually ranked nationally. He hit .409 as a senior with corresponding power numbers. He could have gone anywhere he wanted to continue his baseball career.
He chose Stanford. Three thousand miles away. A school whose undergraduate program is ranked in the first tier among major national universities by those in the know. Stanford’s acceptance rates are among the lowest, if not the lowest, in the country.
“Three factors were important for me (in selecting a school),” Taylor began. “First and foremost was my education. Getting the type of grades that can get you to an elite-level type of college was something I really wanted to pursue. Second was obviously baseball. My career was important to me. I wanted to go somewhere were I had a good chance to win and learn and play with other great players in a great conference and hopefully get to the College World Series.
“Third was weather. I’m a warm-weather Florida guy. So Stanford kind of fit the bill for all three. When I was being recruited they were No. 1 in the country. They had been to the World Series five years in a row, in the finals three out of those five years. Obviously the academics spoke for itself. It’s a beautiful area with a lot of things going on. The minute I stepped on campus I knew it was where I wanted to be.”
Taylor grew up in a home where academics came first. Because of the influence of his parents, David and Sheryl, he developed within him a reservoir of learning of such depth to be almost bottomless.
“We did a lot of different things to continue to work the mind,” said Taylor, a straight A student in high school and a political science major at Stanford. “My parents talked about education going beyond just what you do in the classroom. Continuing to grow (intellectually) as much as you can is what was always emphasized in my house.”
For example, Taylor was encouraged to read “Treasure Island.” When he was 7. Another summer he and his younger sister, Jennifer, had to list all the imports and exports of every Caribbean nation. Another year they built to scale a model of a workable building.
The challenges of Stanford? Cervantes once said, “To be prepared is half the victory.” Michael Taylor was prepared.
“For me I’m always looking for a challenge,” Taylor said about his college choice. “It was such a no-brainer for me because just the feel of the place was me. Just being around so many bright individuals who are going to change the shape of our planet for the next 30, 40, 50 years, and have an influence on not only the sports world, but on science, the law world, government, literature (was great). To know these people and learn from these people was special.”
Much was expected of Taylor on the ball field. He started 59 games as a freshman. Batted a respectable .289 with modest power numbers. He hit for the cycle in one game, a rarity for a freshman.
To some, it wasn’t good enough.
His sophomore year he jacked his average to .325 in 60 games, with five home runs and 39 RBIs.
Again, some were expecting more from a guy who had been an All-American in high school.
This is where the timing part of the story shows up. Taylor played in the prestigious Cape Cod League that summer. His numbers were down, even though he had a productive postseason for a team that won the championship.
Scouts took notice.
“I really knew I could play this game for a long time,” Taylor said. “How good would I be? Obviously I couldn’t sit there and say I was going to be a big leaguer. I did know I had the ability to play the game at a high level. I knew I hadn’t gotten as good as I could get at that point.”
Taylor got off to a rather slow start his senior year for a so-so Cardinal team. It wasn’t till a surge at the end – he had 16 multiple-hit games in his last 19 – that he was able to boost his average to .335 with 12 homers and 59 RBIs in 55 games.
It was good enough for All-Pac-10 honors. But it only got him drafted in the fifth round in 2007. You look at him now and you wonder how 172 players were taken before him.
Again, it was timing. By the time Taylor had begun to heat up, the scouts had drifted away. Their reports were already in the computer.
Then, again, it could have been the juvenile diabetes that Taylor contracted just before his 11th birthday that made some organizations skittish.
“I really didn’t know what diabetes was,” Taylor said. “The only thing I knew is that I couldn’t have candy on Halloween. I wasn’t 100 percent sure of what was going to happen, but like I said, I have a fantastic family, great parents, and they did a great job of educating me to where the next two or three years I was able to take over management of myself.
“It hasn’t been a hindrance at all. The only hindrance it’s been is that teams had questions about it. I had a couple of teams tell me they wouldn’t draft a diabetic high, and they had some medical concerns about it. It presents its own set of challenges, but for me, I can go out there and perform at a high level as a diabetic, so if you do the research and take care of yourself and are steadfast about it you’re going to be fine.”
It seems nothing can dent Michael Taylor’s cast-iron assurance.
After experiencing some growing pains for short-season Williamsport in 2007, Taylor came on like gangbusters the next year for Steve Roadcap in Lakewood. He tore it up, hitting .361 in 67 games before getting a shove to high Class A Clearwater, where he came on at the end to bat .329. Between the two he swatted 19 home runs and knocked in 88.
“I really like the way he strives to elevate his game with runners on base,” said the Phillies manager about a guy who is hitting .467 with runners in scoring position this year. “He’s just an RBI machine.
“He’s gotten better this year. His outfield play’s gotten better. He continually works hard before the games, taking balls off the bat. He knows he’s got to get better at that. He continually goes to the cage and gets his swings, and now he’s utilizing the whole field (at the plate). He just continues to get better.”
You talk hitting with Taylor and it’s as though he’s got a CD-ROM in his head when it comes to his game plan.
“His plan starts during batting practice,” Roadcap said. “He goes out there and works on certain things. He just needs to keep refining.”
Any doubt that Michael Taylor is going to be an everyday player in the big leagues before long?
“No doubt about it,” Roadcap snapped.
Take that, you unbelievers.
This story was posted on June 5, 2009
eeing how there isn’t a real GM on this board then all can have a shot at what could be right.
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From BP:
choms57 (Philly): Shameless plug here, but check out phuturephillies.com for Phils prospects. Anyways, love your work on fangraphs, being a Phillies fan myself I need to ask. How satisfied are you with the season so far and would you deem Brown and Drabek untouchable?
Eric Seidman: I’m the kind of guy that considers nobody untouchable. If the Mets, for whatever reason, called Amaro and said “Hey Rube, Johan for Brown and Drabek?” it wouldn’t make much sense given the window the Phillies are currently playing with and that Brown and Drabek MIGHT be good in the big leagues in 2012. It’s all about the goals of the organization. It seems to be very tough to both win now and prepare yourself to win in the future, and if the Phillies have to unload Drabek and Brown in order to get an Oswalt/Peavy type, they should do it.
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a pop for phuturephillies!
I agree with Seidman. If we have a chance to acquire an elite pitcher, I’d trade whoever is necessary, though my preference is to hold onto Brown and Drabek. If Toronto offered Halladay for Brown, Drabek, Carrasco and Donald, I’d drive all of those guys to the airport.
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I dont think so Pat. Johan is the ONLY thing Omar has done right cuckle. I said before the season I questioned Putz’s
contract . He had pitched only 10 games in June an July
less in April and May. Omar remains the best exec on the phillies.
Taylor almost always starts out cold with a new team. This year he didnt. A sign of maturity? OR did he start out cold for
him and now is warming. Lets say he is what i think, he would increase the team’s value more than any Arb thing by putting even more fannies in seats and increasing the viewing interest. Hell Taylor shirts would more than pay
for any Arb thing since he would be a hit now not five years from now
If I am wrong the clock doesnt mean a thing.
Btw Not bringing in Mayberry or Berry endangers the team
by forcing Victorino to play on an injury when it isnt neccessary. They were lucky Hamels wasnt hurt by not leaving him in Florida until things warmed up instead they pitched in a exhibition. A little common sense would help
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Anon,
None of that is even borderline responsive. You don’t bring up prospects to replace a regular as good as Werth in the middle of a pennant race, period, no matter how good the prospect is. It just doesn’t make any sense from a risk/reward perspective. It isn’t done, and shouldn’t be done.
I wonder if you could find ANY example of that being done, ever, in baseball history – a rookie being brought up to replace a healthy, quality regular in mid season for a contending team. Replacing an injuried or poorly performing player is a different matter. I’ll concede that if (perish the thought) one of the Phillies outfielders goes down with a season ending injury, they would have to at least consider giving Taylor a shot. But absent that occurence – no.
The issue isn’t whether Taylor is “ready.” The Phillies aren’t running their team to benefit Taylor or his fans. They are running their team to win. Werth is much more of a “sure thing,” without the uncertainty that ANY rookie represents. They don’t have hole in RF, why risk creating one, even if that risk is small?
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Seidman’s on fire, takin a crap on the Met lover Joe Sheehan’s theory that Howard should be platooned. Man, I hate Joe Sheehan. And giving a second Phils blog a plug!
ashitaka (long beach, ca): Would you platoon Ryan Howard?
Eric Seidman: No, no, no. Have I made myself clear? As I have mentioned in my BP pieces numerous times, context is the key when evaluating splits. Lefty hitters fare worse against LHPs than righty’s, it’s a proven fact. When looking at Howard, you want to compare his performance against LHPs to the league average LHH-LHP performance, NOT his own individual split. There were some studies done over at The Good Phight in the off-season essentially showing that Howard was right on par with the league average for hitting same-handed pitching. No, he might not have deserved the MVP award in 2006, but he is in no way a scrub. Add in his really solid glovework this year that has largely gone unnoticed and he is a valuable asset.
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nowheels,
Somehow I think that I trust the Phillies to properly evaluate their player’s injuroes than I trust you to do so, despite your vast medical knowledge and close physical examination of the player concerned. If there was any significant risk of aggrevating his injury, I’m sure that the Phillies would bring up Mayberry.
I can’t follow the logic of your latest plea to bring Taylor up, except to point out that I don’t see many people coming out to see a guy sit on the bench and occassionally DH. Or have you joined the “replace Werth with Taylor” craziness.
Really, nowheels, get off the Taylor kick. Taylor isn’t going to be brought up this season (barring a season ending injury to a starting outfielder, and even then probably not). I think the reasons for that are very good – really, indisputably good – but right or wrong, it’s not happening.
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LarryM,
This is a Phillies Prospect site so I am advocating for the Prospect. He could very well be excellent for the team and more so than your alternative, but again I am advocating for the prospect. When the world was deemed flat men only sailed with the proven routes until one of the crazy broadened the horizon. There might be an injury now and the big club may need pitching so I say utilize the best rh bat in the system and allow for another path.
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****If Toronto offered Halladay for Brown, Drabek, Carrasco and Donald, I’d drive all of those guys to the airport.****
I’d buy their tickets…
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Larry if I told you and April I had a vision and Tony Bastard not only was starting for the Phils,and that only a Gonzo Hr kept out of shutout innings but that he would outduel Peavy .
What would you have said. Do me a favor go buy a warehouse then you can put stuff in neat little shelves with numbers on them.
Baseball is a vibrant game not checkers. The phillies management is hardly flawless. Its getting better with Pete here. Its not there quite yet
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am i reading the confirmation hearings for sotomayor? siedman sounds disoriented. as much as werth drives me crazy imo theres no need to bring up taylor,and i dont think nowheels is saying that. hell be up in 2010 and it has nothing to do with arb. werth is not some bum hes streaky as hell but thats it. this team should stand pat unless haren or halliday ( which wont happen) become avaiable. right now this is a 95 win team. win while changing but only to the proper extent. experience does have its value.
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it was hard to tell who was ripping the phils if it wasnt siedman my apoligies was it this guy sheehan?
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Anon,
Okayyy … but I thought that we were fans of Phillie prospects because we were … Phillie fans. So it doesn’t make sense to “advocate” for a player when adding that player would go against the needs of the team. As for “the big club may need pitching,” that’s not an argument for trading Werth, that’s an argument for trading Taylor who, despite the fact that Werth is a better short term solution for a contending team like the Phillies, has more trade value because of his potential. Not that I necessarily think they should, but Werth wouldn’t be the centerpiece of a trade for a 1 or 2; Taylor might be.
Nowheels – Did you even read my post? Bastardo is here, against expectations, because of an injury, combined with a dearth of major league ready starters in the system. He is not being brought up to be, say, the last man out of the bullpen. You just haven’t responded to (and can’t respond to) the simple fact that it would be insane to burn time on the arbitration/free agency clock, and possibly interfere with Tayor’s development, to bring him up to mostly sit and DH on the road against AL teams.
John,
A month ago you were ready to ditch 4/5 of the starting rotation. Two weeks ago you were advocating for a big trade for a starter. Now you want to stay the course.
Mind you, I think you are mostly correct this time (I’d be a little more likely to pull the trigger on a trade than you, but there is no rush). But you need to get a little perspective. It’s a long season, and things even out (for good or ill). Ironically, one could argue, with the injury to Myers, there is if anything MORE reason for concern now than there was a month ago, despite the (much) improved starting pitching.
Can you at least admit your early season panic was a bit premature?
As for “95 wins,” yes, I think that the Philles as currently constituted could win 95 games. And then most likely lose in the first round. I still wouldn’t trade any of the top prospects for just anybody – it would have to be the right deal.
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larry,larry,larry 1 month ago i was not ready to ditch 4/5 of the starting rotation just 2/5,s. and low and behold we have 2 new starters as i said and i fail to see how having much improved pitching would lead to more concern,a strange dichotemy. the phils will win 95 games and lose in the 1st round.i see youve been to madame rue,s palm reading again and the sheer genius of not trading a top prospect for just anybody, whoa why didnt i think of that, i was ready to trade drabek for well, just anybody.as for my perspective it has changed. i can only help so much larry but try office of the vatican exorcism department perhaps then youll see were here for you. were really here to help.
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btw lets remember the heroes who fought at normandy to keep the world free.
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