Poll Question: Biggest MLB Impact in 2010?

Daily Discussion

I meant to post this earlier today but haven’t had time, so this works for today/tomorrow. This is simple one, which prospect (ie, has prospect status under the MLB guidelines) will have the biggest impact on the big league club this season? I’ll include the realistic choices in the poll, as well as the OTHER option, if I’m missing someone you want to write in. Again, this isn’t the most improved prospect or anything, just the guy that will have the most positive impact/value at the big league level. Check below for the poll

84 thoughts on “Poll Question: Biggest MLB Impact in 2010?”

  4. RULZ: that’s a good spot. Zagurski didn’t come close to 50 major league innings, but he did spend more than 45 days on the Phillies 25 man roster, so his rookie eligibility is used up.

    It’s obviously between Bastardo and Mathieson, and I’m giving Bastardo the edge because he’s got the clearer path to the MLB roster. Though, I have to say, I wouldn’t be shocked if Mathieson was handling the 7th inning by the time September rolls around.

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  5. This one is pretty easy. It is Bastardo. I predict he will be more effective than Romero.
    If Mayberry still had rookie status, he would be in the discussion. I think he will have a breakout season at AAA and get some meaningful time with the big club in the 2nd Half.

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  7. Went with Bastardo because I think he’s guaranteed a role unless he just ends up stinking. He and Mathieson seem like the two most likely choices. I agree with Alan that Escalona should be inlcuded, he would probably get the next shot at being the 2nd lefty if something happened to Bastardo. He seems like a way better bet than Savery and Brown among others to at least make a ML appearance.

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  9. Bastardo should have a significant impact. If Mathieson breaks through and has a bigger impact, our pen should be quite good. I voted Bastardo.

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  10. Determining rookie status: (according to MLB.COM)
    A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).

    Are we sure Mathieson is considered a rookie? Mathieson pitched from 6/17-7/5 then 8/1-8/17 of 2006, which is at least 36 days. I do not know if was on the MLB roster around his 2 stints. He also pitched on 9/2/2006. Mathieson has 2.071 years of Major League service time, but that doesn’t mean anything though, since some of it was in September or on while he was on the DL.

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  11. Bastardo is my choice but he is a long way from JC Romero. Look at JC’s numbers. He is one of the best lefties in the NL out of the pen. We need him healthy. They only others that might get some time Escalona, Zagurski, and Mathieson.

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  12. I went with Bastardo because he is lefty, he is less likely to be hurt than Mathieson, he has better control than Mathieson, he has post season experience, and although he’s likely going to relieve, there is the extra chance that he could end up starting again if the Phillies have injury problems among the starters.

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  13. I voted for Bastardo, but I have to think that if there’s an injury in the OF then Mayberry will be the first callup. I think he could have an impact this season.

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  14. Bastardo is such an obvious choice in my opinion. He has the last bullpen spot just about wrapped up after his excellent showing in winter leagues. I really expected Amaro to sign a vet lefty to a minor league contract but he seems set on giving it to Bastardo.
    Bastardo has shown he can get guys out but cannot stay healthy to be a starter. He also does not appear to have an off-speed arsenal he really trusts. I really expect him to be a very good reliever.

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  15. I think that a pretty onvious chioce that nobody’s picking is carpenter. I think he’s probably the first guy called up to fill in for an injured starter or reliever. bastardo will probably be in the bullpen pretty soon, but i really think that carpenter has a grea shot at getting a couple of starts and some bullpen innings

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  16. Bastardo but any young reliever is possible unless they do out and get another old donkey.

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  17. Carpenter would have been a consideration for me two months ago. Now I believe Kendrick and Vogelsong will be the 6th and 7th starter. Carpenter may not get a start all year if Jaime Moyer keeps the 5th spot.

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  18. I agree with the poll – Bastardo and then Mathieson. Kendrick and Moyer will compete for the 5th starter slot and, if someone goes down, the other player will step in and start. It’s very unlikely that someone like Carpenter plays a significant role this year.

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  19. Not sure if anyone was following WIP this morning, but the morning team is already placing a huge load on Aumont’s shoulders – saying, in essence, that there will be hell to pay if Aumont gets slapped around tonight by Florida State. I mean, come on already, this is ridiculous. First, it’s not Aumont’s fault he was the most high profile player in that trade. Second, one appearance in an early ST game means nothing, even if it’s against Florida State. Third, he’s a work in progress – he’s not a major league ready player and to judge him as if he were is tremendously unfair. If they keep this up, I will be calling in to the station to try to air some reasonable views on the subject (I intend to use the call name “Catch”) and, if the pressure keeps up on Aumont, I would urge others to do the same.

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  20. Mathieson, Bastardo, Escalona, in that order. Bastardo will make more appearances, but I feel Mathieson will be pitching in higher pressure situations by September.

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  21. That is indeed ridiculous, Catch. Spring training stats altogether are virtually meaningless, let alone the opening appearance against a college squad. And that really goes for every ST player.

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  23. Everybody now, in your best John Lennon accent, sing together “All we are saying is give Phillippe a chance” . . . .

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  24. Cataldi and the rest of those arse clowns have no clue who the minor leaguers even are. He is clueless about all things, but he is even more clueless about guys that are not yet in Philly.

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  25. Bastardo and Mathieson (I picked Bastardo) have to be the choices here. Unless you can tell me which of the other prospects will be moved for the impact player at the deadline this year. Who would’ve thought Brian Schlitter was going to have such a big impact in 2008?

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  26. The best thing you can do with 610 is STOP LISTENING!

    Why anyone listens to that trash is beyond me…these are the same guys that were calling Hamels soft during the 08 WS…when he was our MVP.

    Just ignore them.

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  27. i voted mathieson. but realistically i don’t see any of those guys making an impact on the big league roster. i just chose mathieson because he has the highest upside to do so.

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  28. Ha ha, I wonder what the site hit count will be today after being referenced in the newspaper article on Happ.

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  29. I’m not going to stop listening because I find it to be entertaining as many people do. They are also good at getting guests on the show.

    Normally, I could care less if I disagree with their opinions. I just ignore it. But here, they could really set an anti-Aumont tone in the city that is not fair to this player and, when they want, WIP can objectively make life miserable for a player (remember Donovan at the 1999 draft? That created a tension with the player that has never entirely been alleviated). If possible, I’d like to prevent that from happening.

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  31. Catch you should tell the whole story. It’s not just wip, but phillies beat writers who have saw him pitch, he is wild all over place and mechanics are a mess, the writers even talked to scouts who question if this kid will be anything, it wasn’t angelo or ricky bo saying it, it was relay to them, the fact is most feel gillies is the better player. I really think mathieson will be the stud this year, long as he stays healthy.

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  33. I chose Mathieson for sentiment though he and Bastardo probably have an equal shot. The other contender IMO is Carpenter. A couple of injuries and he could be the 5th starter or eating innings out of the bullpen pretty quickly.

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  34. what the heck do beat writers know about annything other than what the inside of the clubhouse looks like?

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  37. Also went Bastardo but also believe Math is a big sleeper in their bullpen equation. I don’t think they wait long to act if the bullpen falters this year.

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  38. Most baseball people don’t think that Gillies is the better player. BA ranked Aumont in their top 100 but did not rank Gillies.

    The Philly Inquirer beat writers and the WIP talking heads focus on the big-league club, not the minor leagues. Their knowledge of prospects, especially ones just acquired 2 months ago in a deal from a team 3000 miles is basically nil.

    Since most average Phillies fans know little about anything other than the big club, they believe that the Lee trade was a disaster.

    As Catch-22 points out, The WIP crew are paid to be entertaining, not educational and you don’t keep an audience entertained by disagreeing with most of them on a regular basis.

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  39. ****But here, they could really set an anti-Aumont tone in the city that is not fair to this player and, when they want, WIP can objectively make life miserable for a player ****

    Exactly. He’s a AA prospect for godsake, not the second coming of Sandy Koufax. Give the guy a freaking chance.

    On the beat writers, they know as much about mechanics as I do…right between Jack and Sh!t.

    He’s a 21 year old that can hit 97 on the gun with electric stuff when he’s on. He’s a work in progress. To rip him for no reason on being rough like that ON THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING TRAINING is just criminal and wrong. Stupid WIP, Stupid beat writers and stupid casual fans that buy into it.

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  41. ****The Philly Inquirer beat writers and the WIP talking heads focus on the big-league club, not the minor leagues. Their knowledge of prospects, especially ones just acquired 2 months ago in a deal from a team 3000 miles is basically nil.****

    Mind you, the beat writers seem to check THIS site out for info so they typically dont know anymore than the average regular on here when it comes to the prospects. Just like I wont ask a roofer to do some plumbing for me, I’m not gonna ask the beat writer’s opinion on a prospect that he’s never seen before the first day of camp.

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  42. I love the way Bastardo throws the ball and I really think he’ll be in Philly all season. I’ve heard some negative personality things about him from some insiders but it appears that he’s been trailing Moyer around all spring so to me that’s a big plus. Mayberry actually has a better chance to impact the big club than many others on the list above but hopefully he won’t because that would mean someone got hurt.

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  43. Hey I enjoy an opinion as much as the next guy and this board has no shortage of them. Where you loose me is when you try and tell me your opinion is with absolute certainty the correct one. Unless you have the DeLorean with the flux capacitor and you’ve been traveling back and forth to the future to keep tabs on all these moves, you don’t really know any more than the next guy.

    That is just a general statement. I’m not referring to anyone in particuliar just sharing my philosophy on how I laugh off anyone who becomes overly hostile or declarative on their need to be right.

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  44. If I’m Phillies management I’m making Mathieson a starter again to stretch him out in the event of injuries to anyone in the current rotation. They can still use him in relief if that need arises.

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  45. Rick Wise Guy – I think I’ve ready that due to his two TJ surgeries Mathieson just doesn’t have the arm for multiple innings anymore.

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  46. NEPP, the beat guys only mentioned Scwimer’s blog as a source for info, not our tremendously insightful comments or any of the original comment from James or any of the other writers.

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  47. Honestly, I don’t think Mayberry is going anywhere – at least not yet. He is 4th outfielder insurance. He’ll go back to AAA to show whether he learned how to hit a breaking ball. My guess is that he does not have a lot of room for improvement, but if he makes key adjustments or does learn to hit the breaking pitch, he is athletic enough where he could improve quite a bit. He’s no Michael Taylor, but he does appear to be more valuable than Greg Golson, for whatever that’s worth.

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  48. There is so much pitching depth right now that trying to choose any one of these guys over any other is nearly impossible. I’d lean towards Scott Matthieson just because he was there before and I believe he will be back strong this year, but then again a lefty always seems to have a better shot perhaps Bastardo?

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  49. NEPP
    I quit calling when one host said the Phils didn’t need McLouth and then signed Jenkins later. Why listen to someone dumber than myself. Then the same guy said the most important thing is that he is right no matter what. A gaint waste of time unless you like listening to a guy who is looking at pretty girls. no thanks.
    As for media personal attaches or rumors about players and prospect. Its old hat. I remember when the venerable Tony
    Taylor came here. The cubs said he had bad attitude. Baseball people lie period

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  52. ****NEPP, the beat guys only mentioned Scwimer’s blog as a source for info, not our tremendously insightful comments or any of the original comment from James or any of the other writers.****

    You mean Scwhim’s blog on this site? Because he doesn’t have another one.

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  53. Nowheels, everyone who follows the sport can armchair a correct prediction every now and then (although McClouth is nothing special). With that, are you the same guy who complained bitterly that Jason Donald should be handed the 3rd base job last year? I suppose that move would have won the Phillies a 2nd straight ring.
    No more nowheels please!

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  55. And BTW in 2008 the year he could of been a Phil he scored 113 runs as many as Utley and more than Howard for a bad team. Nothing special

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  59. Off night in his first live action in 6 months and the wind’s blowing out to RF pretty bad supposedly.

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  62. Looks bad for Aumont. Then again, the one time I saw J.A. Happ pitch in the minors he gave up seven runs in less than an inning.

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  63. PP, I don’t know if you’re listening to the game

    http://www.seminoles.com/multimedia/baseball.html

    …however, Aumont basically sounded like Ricky Vaughn out there.

    “JUST a bit outside.”

    “Goes for the corner and misses”

    “I dont know how guys are laying off pitches this close.”

    Not worried at all (its a meaningless game) but funny nonetheless.

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  70. I play for the phillies and have been around Aumont all spring. He is a great guy and going to be a hell of a player. he is canadian and when canada beat us in hockey he was a proud canadian and was joking a round with us in the club house. he gets a long with everyone and seem very happy to be with the phillies but there is a lot of pressure on him. he has reporters telling him what he better be able to do here and that he better perform. leave the guy alone. he is a great guy, he is young, he is a great teammate and he’s going to be a great pitcher maybe not right now but he’s going to be very good some day

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  71. I respect your faith in your friend and he didn’t ask to be in this position, this is just the beginning. And no one can change
    it. Good luck to you and him.

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  72. Sanchez had a nice debut. Yeah I know it is against college kids but he struck out the side. I see him making to the bigs as a reliever

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  73. Before anyone panics regarding Aumont, they should read this quote from Dubee…

    Pitching coach Rich Dubee said afterward something Aumont mentioned when I was talking with him over the weekend — the young pitcher is working on getting his mechanics back to where they were when he was a highly-touted high schooler. Aumont was the 11th overall pick by the Mariners in the 2007 draft.

    “We’re trying to find his arm slot. (Before he was drafted) he was lower, and lower with his front side, too,” Dubee said. “Those are things he’s trying to put back together. When you do stuff to change it, it takes a while to break those habits.”

    Link.

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  75. No one’s mentioned Naylor’s 2 Innings with 4 Ks or Savery’s inning with 2 Ks. Last 4 innings Philly Pharmhands had 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 BBs and 9 Ks. It’s a College Team and the first action of the season but it’s something to build on. Brown had a hit and a BB but then again everyone on the Phils seemed to have at least 1 BB.

    If Aumont is working on a some new mechanics then his outing isn’t unexpected. He shouldn’t get discouraged. Don’t get mad… get even. Keep working on it and it will get better. Unfortunately, it might get worse before it gets better.

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  76. Bastardo. If anybody other then him, Mathieson and Carpenter on the above list see the show I would be a little surprised. Not questioning the ability but just the experience and levels they will probably start at.

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  78. Who actually believes that was a phillies player? Cmon only idiots will panic with aumont right now. he is still the most talented pitcher we have in the minors.

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  79. Sibs – unfortunately most of the general public are idiots. However, I don’t think anyone here is too worked up over one outing by Aumont.

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  80. yeah there are some real knowledgeable people that post things here and i really enjoy everyones comments.

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  81. The danger for Aumont is that he has become the lightning rod for people who are still unhappy about the Lee trade.

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  82. The danger for Aumont is that he has become the lightning rod for people who are still unhappy about the Lee trade.

    Nobody likes the Lee trade. It was the surest path to another pennant and maybe Series win. It was surely the best way to boast the bullpen by taking inning away. And was insurance against an injury to Doc. And it would of allowed a gateway for young relievers by not needing to sign FAs . (if our guys failed then the trade route is possible)

    All that being said it was a situation that was bound to put Aumont in this position. Too late now

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  83. I voted Bastardo because he seems assured of an MLB spot and I think he will do well this year. Mathieson is a tremendous guy (have met him 3 times) and you HAVE to be pulling for him. Mayberry is a very good athlete but I have doubts about him being a legitamite MLBer. Being as Ben Francisco is clearly the Phils 4th OF. Even an injury to a regular isn’t necessarily going to mean PT for Big John.

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  84. My son was down in ST and went on and on about how utterly horrible Mayberry looked with his long and awkward swing. He seems to be quite an athlete, so it’s possible that he might still develop, but I’m guessing that he’s pretty much an afterthought at this point. They’ll stick him back in AAA and if something positive happens, I’m sure they’ll just be pleasantly surprised. But I doubt that they have any expectations of him remaining on their ML roster.

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