Around the System, Starting Pitching, Lower Half

Around the System

Below the fold is an update on the Starting Pitching in the lower portion of the organization. Feel free to comment and question.

Lakewood

Jesus Sanchez, Will be 22 in September, Acquired as a Catcher in 2006 from the Yankees in the Bobby Abreu deal. In Lakewood Sanchez went 10-6 with a 3.44 ERA in 26 starts.  136IP, 42BB 120K, 0.82 GO/AO, .265 opp. avg.(.233 with RISP) 1.31 WHIP. In his first full season on the mound, Sanchez was flat out impressive, improving with almost every start.  His ERA in the second half of the season was a full run and a half better then the first half, and he gave up just 4 home run balls all season. While just 5’11, Sanchez struck out nearly a hitter an inning this year with very good control, striking out just about 3 for every walk.  Look for him in the Clearwater rotation next season.

Heitor Correa, Age 20, Signed in November 2005 as a Free Agent out of Brazil.   In 22 games (21 starts) for Lakewood, Correa was 7-8 with a 4.13 ERA.  124.1 IP, 50 BB 89 K; 1.56 GO/AO, .261 opp. avg. (.269 with RISP); 1.43 WHIP. Correa got off to a very strong start but came back to Earth in the seasons second half with a markedly higher ERA as well as other peripherals. I would look for Correa in Clearwater next season as part of their rotation.

Justin DeFratus, Will be 22 in October, Phils 11th round pick in 2007 draft.  In Lakewood this year, DeFratus pitched in 36 games (12 starts) and went 5-6 with a 3.19 ERA. 110 IP, 16 BB 101K, 1.82 GO/AO, .258 Opp avg. (.276 with RISP); 1.14 WHIP.  The 6’4, 215 righty for California was dominant as a reliever (1.58 ERA; 0.97 WHIP) before being given a shot in the rotation.  His first several starts were very rocky, but he showed great progression since.  He will certainly be promoted, but to where and whether it is in the rotation or the ‘pen is up for speculation.  De Fratus did end this year on the DL with an onlique injury.

Trevor May, Will be 20 in late September, 4th round pick in 2008 draft by the Phils.  May started 15 games for Lakewood, going 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA. 77.1 IP, 43 BB 95K, 0.77 GO/AO, .211 opp. avg. (.169 with RISP); 1.30 WHIP. May was just short of dominant in his time with Lakewood this season.  The  only real issue was his control at times, but he more then made up for that with his power pitching.  Look for May to move up a level to Clearwater and pitch in their rotation from the outset of 2010.

Matthew Way, Will be 23 in January.  Phils 5th Round pick in 2009 draft.  After being drafted in June, Way went right to Williamsport and completely dominated going 2-3 with a 1.67 ERA in 8 starts.  37.2 IP, 8BB 43K; 0.95 WHIP.  Way then went on to Lakewood to close out the campaign and was excellent for the BlueCLaws as well, going 4-1 with a 3.11 ERA in 37.2IP.  He walked just 4 and struck out 42 and had a WHIP of 0.98. Combined Stats: 6-4, 2.39 ERA in 14 starts, 75.1 IP, 12BB 85K, .209 opp. avg., 0.98 WHIP. If the Phils follow past course, they will consider double jumping Way to Reading next season so he becomes more age appropriate at AA at age 23.

Williamsport

Nicholas Hernandez, Age 20, drafted by the Phils in the 12th round of the ’09 draft.  8-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 15 games (all starts).  80IP, 20BB 67K, 1.15 WHIP, .242 opp. avg. (.187 with RISP). Hernandez looked very good after getting drafted in June.  I would expect a progression into the Lakewood rotation for next season.

Siulman Lebron, Age 22, Signed as a free agent in 2007.  16 starts, 5-6 with a 4.48 ERA.  88.1 IP, 18BB 67K, 1.27 WHIP, .283 opp. avg., .427 with RISP. After starting off the season very well, Lebron has taken a step backward towards the end of the season with an ERA over 6 in August.  With his advanced age and this being his 3rd year in the organization, I would not be surprised to see Lebron let go, to clear the way for younger starters.  The numbers with RISP are scary.

Josh Zeid, Age 22, drafted by the Phils in the 10th round of the ’09 draft.  15 starts, 8-5 with a 2.94 ERA.  79.2 IP, 20BB 72K, 1.05 WHIP, .217 opp. avg., (.246 with RISP). Zeid has pitched very well for Williamsport.  Again, I expect him to be moved along at least into the Lakewood rotation, possibly to Clearwater depending on other moves.

Jon Pettibone, Age 19, drafted by the Phils in the 3rd round of the ’08 draft.  9 games (8 starts), 2-4 with a 5.35 ERA .  35.1IP, 16 BB 36K, 1.50 WHIP, .261 opp. avg., (.228 with RISP). Pettibone has shown flashes of brilliance, winning NY Penn League Pitcher of the Week in late June, but has also struggled at times, with three starts in mid July having been very rocky. He missed about 5 weeks on the DL, and I would expect him back in Williamsport next year. Still only 19, Pettibone, when healthy has shown promise.

David Noles, Age 23, drafted by the Phils in the 23rd round of the ’08 draft.  The small framed lefty dominated the GCL, before going up to Williamsport.  For the GCL Phils, Noles threw in 5 games (3 starts) and was 0-0 with an 0.50 ERA in 18 innings.  He walked 7, struck out 20 and had a WHIP of 1.05.  In Williamsport, it has been much of the same, 9 games (7 starts), 3-2 with a 2.34 ERA , 42.1 IP, 11B 39K, 0.99 WHIP, .203 opp. avg. Noles, especially at 23, should be moving up to Lakewood next year.  It is pretty clear this level of competition is beyond him. Late Note: Noles was promoted to Lakewood late in the season, and made 2 appearances (1 start), going 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA.  Combined ’09 stats: 4-2 1.72 ERA 16 games (11 starts), 68IP, 20BB 68K, 1.22 GO/AO, .195 opp. avg., 0.99 WHIP.

Gulf Coast League

Kevin Angelle, Age 21, drafted by the Phils in the 32nd round of 2009.  12 games (all starts); 3-3 with a 1.89 ERA; 57 IP, 19 BB 42K, 1.05 WHIP, .204 opp. avg. (1.70 with RISP). Has not given up a home run ball in 12 starts.  Angelle has been a nice surprise as a low round draft pick and a move to Williamsport or even the bottom of the Lakewood rotation is not out of the question.

Ryan Sasaki, Age 18 (will be 19 in Oct); drafted by the Phils in the 13th round of the ’09 draft.  11 games (all starts), 3-2 with a 3.78 ERA.  52.1 IP, 14BB 38K, 1.14 WHIP, .240 opp. avg.(.294 with RISP). Sasaki has been fairly steady and looks to be ready for a move into the Williamsport rotation to start next season.

Julio Rodriguez, Age 19, drafted by the Phils in the 8th round of the ’08 draft. 11 games (8 starts).  1-2 with a 3.08 ERA, 49.2 IP, 14BB 56K, 6 homers allowed,  1.00 WHIP, .197 opp. avg. (.244 with RISP). This was Rodriguez’ second year in the GCL, his first starting when he was still 17 years old.  I am sure the Phils primarily liked what they saw, his only real issue being the home run ball.  It seems pretty clear from his line that the opposition rarely hits Rodriguez, but when they do it goes a long way.  His line shows alot of promise.  Next year, Williamsport.

Jared Cosart, Age 19, drafted by the Phils in the 38th round of the ’08 draft.  Still recovering from injury, Cosart saw action in 7 games (5 starts).  He was 2-2 with a 2.22 ERA.  24.1 IP, 7BB 25K, 0.78 WHIP, .143 opp. avg. Very limited action from Cosart who may begin in the GCL with a hopeful move to Williamsport or Lakewood after he proves his health.

Todd Van Steensel, Age 18, Signed as a free agent in 2008. 12 games (5 starts); 2-1 , 5.83 ERA; 29.1 IP, 8BB 29K, .314 opp. avg.,(/239 with RISP) 1.60 WHIP. Van Steensel didn’t show a heck of alot in his first year in the United States, but I would expect that he would have another year to prove himself in the low minors because of how young he is.

43 thoughts on “Around the System, Starting Pitching, Lower Half”

  2. These would be simply guesses but Inch, i believe will be in the GCL until he proves he can move on. COlvin is more of a crapshoot. Im leaning towards WIlliamsport on him. With SHreve, it simply depends on his health. At 22, once he gets on the mound, he could move quickly, but probably Williamsport to start.

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  5. I know Hyatt was mostly a releiver but he did start a few games…what about him??? Will he be in a reliever section??He was much older than his compettition but he did dominate.

    Good stuff, thanks for these reports!

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  7. Austin Hyatt will be covered in the bullpen report. Look for it over the next couple of weeks…as will Freddy Ballestas.

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  9. I wonder if James has been approached by larger entities regarding this site…

    Like, shouldn’t the Phillies just make this their official Minor League site at this point haha.

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  10. JoeDE,

    i believe he has. I know he has been approached many times about advertising on the sight and i assume for sight purchasing too. But James made this sight so that there was an objective place to discuss phillies prospects. He didnt want to make money off of the website with ads that cluttered it up, and he if it was the phillies site, everything would be rose colored. A little parity and perspective goes a long way.

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  12. I’m optimistic that Correa’s poorer second half is just lost stamina due to not playing last year. Next season will tell us a lot more. Ditto on Garcia. Tough to no what to make of these mysterious disapperance of the Phillies LA prospects.

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  14. Nice effort by Trevor May tonight: a six inning, two hit, no run, 8 strike out, 96 pitch outing. First time since Aug. 1st he pitched more than 5 innings. DH Sabastian Valle, who led the GCL Phils to the championship last year with a clutch double and homer, hit a three run homer and drove in another run with a single to lead Lakewood to a 2-0 sweep in the best of three northern division semi finals in the Sally. Good to see on the way a big game pitcher and someone who likes to hit with RISP in a post season environment.

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  15. Great writeup.

    If I had my way I would start them this way(no pun intended),

    Way- at AA

    May- start in Clearwater, think about Reading. It’s time to think about pushing guys through the system like everyone else. If I’m right on May, he will be the Phils number 2 one day, maybe 1 if he really can have a plus curve, plus change and a well above average fastball. This really depends on his stuff and mind set. He sounds like he can more then handle it.

    Cosart- Lakewood, as long as he has progressed in ST

    Shreve- Same as Cosart

    Pettibone- depending on ST and health(one of my major concerns right now for him) I would send him to Lakewood.

    Colvin- Again depending on ST, I would like to see him go to Lakewood.

    Sanchez- Clearwater, if he has the right stuff he could be a good reliever.

    Defratus- Probably should be in Reading. Get him some innings starting, then think bulpen.

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  17. Hey, why don’t I just go eat some hay, make things out of clay, lay by the bay? I just may! What’d ya say?

    I love that movie.

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  18. Rickey branch-

    I will garentee you that there is not a baseball player out there who doesn’t like to hit with RISP. I don’t think that Valle did it cause he’s “clutch”, more because he’s “good at hitting” and there happened to be men on.

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  19. I will give Van Steensel a season pass because of his age and first in pro bal and away from home country. THere is almost nothing you can tell from stats in that situation, unless the stats are very positive. If he improves noticeably next year, then there is something to work with.

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  21. ” It’s time to think about pushing guys through the system like everyone else. ”

    I see why people make this argument, but I think it’s misguided for a couple of reasons. (Though you may be right about May in particular).

    Firstly, I don’t think most players benefit by being pushed through the system. The ones that do benefit are the “star” level players – and while there are some guys in the system who might have that potential, there aren’t many “sure fire”* guys in the lower part of the sytem now. Maybe you’re right about May, but a little perspective here: as impressive as he has been, I still wouldn’t put him in the sure fire star class, at least not yet. If he excels at the same level in Clearwater next year, then maybe, maybe think about bumping him to Reading in mid-season.

    Secondly, and I know people hate to hear this, but in the age of free agency & arbitration, you want to guarentee getting a star player’s peak years before FA. Look at Utley and Howard. Both arrived a little “late” for players of their caliber.** But from the Phillies’ perspective, they arrived just in time – the Phillies got their peak years when they were cost controlled. One could argue that most of the credit for the recent Phillies’ success goes to those two guys – not just their performance, but their (relatively) low salaries (even this year their salaries are below market) which allows money to be spent on other pieces.

    *Okay, no one at that level is TRULY a sure fire star, but I think you get my point.

    **Yes, part of the reason for this is that they were college guys. But the point remains the same.

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  22. That said, it is clear from this year’s aggressive mid-season promotions that the Phillies are (for better or worse) moving towards a more aggressive monir league promotion policy. We’ll see how it works out.

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  23. I think the writer has missed on just one player badly. Jarred Cosart. I see no reason, with his periferals and stats, that he isn’t in Lakewood’s starting rotation next April. Who’s to say he isn’t as good as Trevor May right now.

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  26. Van Steensel went through strings of good games and bad games, one positive was his velocity, maxing out at 88mph in extended, to toppping out at 91mph in the regular season.

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  33. Jack,

    Gregg has done a wonderful job, throughout the year, sizing up the prospects for all positions. I’m sure he’ll be starting a thread to discuss corner infielders, middle infielders, outfielders and catchers. We all know we’re stocked with OF’ers but infield prospects are weak. Catchers are an interesting discussion now that Marson’s gone.

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  34. Bellman–
    Thanks for the compliment and there will be posts…This week will be devoted to the bullpen and then I would expect position by position posts to begin next week, taking us into right around the start of the Arizona Fall League.

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  36. Making the top 30 picks will be very interesting again this year. May and Way are both top 20 with May probably top 10 at this point but there’s lots of talent that won’t make it. After Taylor, Brown and D’Arnaud (the only catcher on the list), there will be lots of pitchers.

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  43. they already told siulman he might start in clearwater next season he told me if every goes well in spring training im from williamsport so i got to know the plyers from there really well

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