Thinning Ranks

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Three more Phils were sent from Major League Spring Training to the Minors late yesterday.  SS Brian Bocock, 1B Andy Tracy and Relief Pitcher Ehren Wasserman all were re-assigned to Minor League camp, leaving the Phils with 35 on their roster.  Both Wasserman and Tracy are expected to be on the Lehigh Valley opening day roster with Bocock’s assignment a bit more of a question mark depending on the Phils needs throughout the system.

30 thoughts on “Thinning Ranks”

  1. Has Bocock shown enough to fill the Brad Harman role? Can he take over for Castro next year (or this year, if Castro is below the Mendoza line). I know Bocock’s bat has been in question, but he looked like he could hit a little lately.

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  2. A little bit off topic, but I wonder if Brad Harmon is even in anyone’s camp this year? I would think his gap power would allow him to get a second chance with someone else.

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  4. Bocock had a good spring. His numbers seemed stronger then Castro.LHV does have a lot of infielders so he may start at Reading.
    Tracey at 1b
    Valdez at 2b
    Chavez or Ransom at ss
    Sellers or Ransom at 3b

    Maybe have Bocock playing 2b at Reading next to Galvis

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  5. I got Wasserman as around 30, so he might eek out a few more years. He’s a submariner, so maybe that tilts the numbers a bit on the minor league side. Maybe he will get a chance for long term appraisal in the majors.
    Bocock- I wonder why they added him. Now for AAA I see Valdez at SS, with Luis Maza at 2B, possibly backed by Melvin Dorta and/or Ozzie Chavez, or the player getting alot of time in the early exhibition season- Keoni DeRenne. At AA I see Galvis (playing exhibition schedule there) along with I am hoping they move up Harold Garcia, and backed by Fidel Hernandez. So moving Bocock in AAA or AA would require moving a veteran out at AAA or bouncing one of the younger veterans at AA down to Clearwater. Now if they move somebody to Clearwater , I can see some openings down there as I currently see, if all the higher projected stick or are released, as Hanzawa at SS, J. V. Andino at 2b, and Korby Mintken in reserve, If they didn’t slip the release of the last 2 past me, unawares. I believe if Bocock is not placed at AAA, which would likely require the release of Valdez or Maza, he won’t be found in the MLB anytime soon. And since Juan Castro hit .300 in MLB last season, I take those numbers over Bocock, and all you are likely to get for an MLB reserve Middle INfielder is a small sample, especially on the 2010 Philly squad. What is required is defense that can be relied upon not to give the loss of a game in a late game substitution, and reliable defense on a more long term basis. Maybe Bocock can give that, perhaps he can prove it some time in MLB. Cody Ransom , I say less likely to fill that bill.

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  6. I think both Bocock and Ransom have showed enough to get a LHV job. Chavez would seem to have a job and so would Maza and Sellers. I think Valdez is the odd man out to be released. I don’t know anything about DeRenne or Dorta. It will be much more fun watching Reading’s games, that’s for sure.

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  7. If Andino is the 2B at Clearwater, then that makes Jeremy Barnes the 2B at Lakewood. And if that is the case, then Buschini will have to play 3B at Lakewood. That forces Mattair to graduate to Clearwater.
    Mattair has not hit at low A. It is hard to see him competing in the FSL.

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  8. Bocock was acquired because he has options. For a short term (15day DL) he could be shuttled back and forth to the minors as needed. All the vet guys would become free agents after they were called up. For a longer term issue or later in the year those guys would be better major league options.
    Wasserman could show something this season and have a shot at a roster spot next season. Also seems like a late season callup.
    Mattair needs to be promoted to Clearwater. They only have so many years to see what he can do. His defense is good, lets see what happens with the bat.
    Herndon is an interesting case. Do the Phillies try to trade a ‘better’ player back to the Angels to keep him? Can he still refuse a minor league assignment and then become a free agent? Assuming he continues his success, my guess is that they put him on the 25-man roster until Lidge is back then offer him back to the Angels.

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  9. At this point, they should really consider keeping Herndon and plugging him into Condrey’s role. The numbers game will kill him though. They won’t release Moyer to keep him or demote KK and they shouldn’t do either. He’ll be able to stay through early April at least as Romero/Lidge (at least 1 of them) will likely be DLed to start the year.

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  10. Watching the Phils on TV. Herndon needs to stay. He has a nice sinker and change-up. He had 2 k’s and 1-2-3. I first thought no way Moyer does not make this team but now I’m thinking Kendrick and Herndon are more the future and that future is now.

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  11. Yeah, Herndon needs to stay. They should postpone the decision as long as they possibly can to get themselves as many options as possible. I think Romero probably won’t be ready until late April anyway. The player I saw today (Herndon, that is), has very good stuff, throws hard and has several pitches, all of which move like crazy. This guy could end up being our set-up man in the immediate future. Who’d have thunk it?

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  12. The Phillies should just make a deal with the Angels and keep Herndon. The Angels obviously did not want to tie up a 40 man spot on Herndon, so just trade them one of our arm that do not need to be protected.
    Give them Mike Cisco. He would not be a terrible loss, and it frees up a starting spot in AA for someone with more potential.

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  13. The trade is a good idea – we have to have some loose part that is worth it to the Angels. I don’t think Mike Cisco is enough, but someone like John Mayberry plus another tangential bullpen arm (Escalona?) might be. Herndon looks like he’s worth it.

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  16. Catch22, Mike Cisco would be enough. Mayberry and Escalona, too much. The Phillies do not have a lot of LH pitching and that is premium. Mayberry is likely to be as important to the team this year as Herndon. All it takes is an injury to any one of the 5 OF on the Major League roster. Mike Cisco’s name, his BA ranking, and the fact that he does not have to be protected for 2 years, could make him an acceptable return for Herndon.
    (BA ranks Cisco higher than Herndon. Why, I do not know ).

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  17. Nice thought on the trade, but I have to think angels are paying as much attention to his performance as the phils are. and may not want to trade him if he is not kept on roster.

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  18. Sibs – the trade is so the Phils do not have to keep him on the roster – they would acquire him outright. If the Phils want to keep him on the roster, they don’t have to trade him, he just has to spend the year on the MLB roster – that’s it. As between the Phils and the Angels, it’s just a big game of poker.

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  19. Mayberry and Escalona is a fair trade. I’m convinced that Mayberry is a 5th OF, with the ceiling of a 4th OF on a bad team, and Escalona is a AAAA pitcher.

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  20. Mike Cisco was the most effective of the four starters who appeared in today’s AAA and AA games against the Blue Jays at the Complex . With Galen Cisco looking on Mike pitched three strong innings with two strike outs giving up only one hit, a solo home run in the AA game. He came on for J.C. Ramirez to start the top of the 5th. Ramirez settled down after a rocky start and pitched three strong innings after the first inning during which he gave up two runs on three hits. He struck out two and walked two over the first four innings of the game. sergio Escalona struggled in the 8th giving up a run on three hits. Edgar Garcia pitched a clean 9th inning with a strike out. In the AAA game Joe Savery and Ryan Vogelsong each gave up two run homers. Mike Stutes pitched the 9th giving up only a walk as he makes his conversion to a reliever.

    In the AA game Tyson Gillies contnues to play amazing baseball as he laced a triple to right center and scored on a Freddy Galvis single to left in the first and made several great plays playing center field including a basket catch while running toward the fence in right center to take extra bases away from a Jay. The most unusual play of the day was the Gillies catch of a very high pop fly to medium right center when he called off Dominic Brown. Gillies crossed in front of Brown who was standing still at the time in right and caught the ball on the run about 15 feet to Domonic’s left while heading toward the right field foul line. Just plain unbelievable the range Gillies has.

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  21. It couldn’t be Mayberry and Escalona. In theory the Angels would want players not yet on the 40 man roster. Low minors types.

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  22. Exactly, Alan. The Angels would want guys who do not need to be placed on the 40 man. Cisco, Naylor or Hyatt, let them take their choice. You can replace guys like that every year in the draft.

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  24. I think Mayberry would be too much also. If his improvement is real, he could be a very nice 4th OF, who could eventually develop into a passable regular with time, at least for some teams. Give him this year to see if the new plate discipline is real.

    Guus like Cisco, Zags, maybe Stutes, are the ones to dangle.

    The flexibility to send a new bullpen guy up and down to keep him sharp and develop within the needs of team has a lot of value.

    Of course, all of this is predicated on Phils thinking he is better than what they have, maybe somwhere between a Condrey and a Madson–a good 7th inning guy maybe.

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  25. Class A outfielders thing- I see today on the recap from Lakewood Spring Training, I see it was Hewitt in CF, Dugan in LF, and Castro in RF. I think Dugan was 3-4, they seemed to imply he was doing well.

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  26. Cisco keeps getting better why trade him. No one knows his ceiling NO ONE. So how can u say you can replace him. Moyer and the IR solves everything for a while.

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  27. Mike Cisco is a 5’11 RH pitcher that throws 88-90. His ceiling is 5th starter.
    IMO, it is not likely he reaches that ceiling. There are not that many 5’11 RH starting pitchers that throw less than 90. Before someone ridiculously compares him to Greg Maddux or Tim Lincecum, Cisco does not have a plus major league pitch. Maddux had a plus-plus change-up and curve. Tim has a plus-plus fastball, curve and change-up.
    Cisco also gives up too many HRs. He has AAAA written all over him.

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  28. First rule of PhuturePhillies: Never EVER compare a prospect to a Hall of Famer.

    ~building on mike77’s comment~

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  30. “I think Mayberry would be too much also. If his improvement is real, he could be a very nice 4th OF, who could eventually develop into a passable regular with time, at least for some teams. Give him this year to see if the new plate discipline is real.”

    Wait, what improvement? He’s had 32 spring training at bats, and walked once. Is there something I’m missing?

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