Earlier today, Lehigh Valley announced their 2010 roster.  Similar to the past two years, the roster includes mostly minor league veterans who may be of short term help to the big club, rather then prospect types, but that certainly could change by years end with the names currently in Reading.  Once Joe Blanton is healthy, certainly expect Andrew Carpenter to anchor the Lehigh Valley rotation. As of now the following players make up the roster:

Catcher: Paul Hoover Soon to be 34, Hoover was a 23rd round pick of Tampa in the 1997 draft.  He will be starting his second season in Lehigh Valley and hit .253/.329/.339 with 1 HR and 28 RBI in 245 AB’s with the ‘Pigs.  Hoover threw out 25% on runners trying to steal on him last year and filled in capably at first base when Andy Tracy missed several games.  Hoover has spent small portions of six different seasons in the big leagues and obviously provides some major league depth if Ruiz or Schneider are hurt.

Dane Sardinha–Turning 31 on Thursday, Sardinha was the 2nd round pick of the Reds in the 2000 draft.  He spent most of last season in TOledo (AAA), hitting .178/.250/.314 with 3 HR and 16 RBI in just over 100 AB’s. He is known as a very good defensive catcher and threw out 39% of runners attempting to steal on him last year.  He has 80 major league at bats, spanning parts of four seasons.  He saw some time in the Bigs last year with the Tigers.

First Base– Andy Tracy– The 36 year old Tracy enters his 3rd season with the ‘Pigs and will be the everyday first baseman and occasional DH.  Tracy’s average dipped a bit last year at .254 but was still among the league leaders in OBP (.361) and Slg (.481). He hit 26HR and had 96 RBI’s and was among the league leaders in Walks as well.  The 14 year veteran is a very good guy to have around both on the diamond and in the clubhouse.  He consistently gives you good at bats, is a very good fielder and has spent parts of 5 seasons in the majors, including his September call up with the Phils last year.

Second Base–Luis Maza–29, Can play both 2B and 3B and was signed as a free agent this off-season. He played in the Dodgers organization last year at (AAA) Albuquerque after having spent nine seasons in the Minnesota organination.  Maza hit .300/.340/.428 last seasons seeing regular playing time.  He added 5 HR and 44 RBI. Maza saw time at 2B, 3B, and LF last season and was called up by the Dodgers in 2008, seeing 80 major league at bats. 

Shortstop–Wilson Valdez– 31, was orginally signed by the Expos as a free agent in 1997, and played in both the Cleveland and New York Mets organizations last season.  In AAA ball, Valdez hit .247/.301/.268 with 0HR and 12 RBI in 235 at bats.  He played primarily at SS, but can also play 2B.  He was called up by the Mets due to injuries and saw 86 Major League at bats last year, hitting .256 and chipping in 7 RBI’s.  He has played parts of four seasons in the Majors, two of which he received over 100 AB’s.

Shortstop–Brian Bocock-25, was acquired out of the Giants organization this past off season.  He was the Giants 9th round pick in the 2006 draft.  Last season he played primarily High A, but also received 70 at bats at AA.  He hit .230/.302/.316 with 3 HR and 51 RBI on the year last year.  Bocock did get almost 100 at bats in the Majors in 2008 because of injuries in the Giants infield.

Third Base–Neil Sellers–Sellers, 28, was the 32nd round pick of the Astros in the 2004 draft.  Sellers has hit at every level in the Minors including a great year at Reading (AA) last year , hitting .317/.383/.486 with 17 HR and 86 RBI in over 500 at bats.  His defense is improving, having cut his errors in half from 2008 to 2009, with more chances in ’09. Sellers can also play first if needed.

Third Base–Cody Ransom–34, was the Giants 9th round pick in the 1998  draft and spent last year in the Yankees organization.  He hit .240/.367/.427 at AAA Scranton, with 3 HR and 16 RBI’s in just under 100 at bats.  He began last year as the starting 3B for the Yanks, as Alex Rodriguez sat out his suspension. For New York, Ransom hit .190/.256/.329 in 79 at bats.  Ransom can play any infield position but sees most of his time at 3B and SS.  When he has played full seasons in the Minors, Ransom will produce in the neighborhood of 20-25 HR and 75-85 RBI’s.  Ransom has spent parts of 7 seasons in the Majors and is a lifetime .233 Major League hitter in his 262 AB’s.

Outfield–John Mayberry, 26, was the Rangers 1st round pick in the 2005 draft.  Mayberry spent most of last season manning RF for Lehigh Valley, hitting .256/.332/.456 with 13 HR 43 RBI and 6SB.  He struck out 94 times in 358 plate appearances.  Mayberry got his first cup of coffee in the Majors last season hitting .211 in his 57 at bats.  The major complaint about Mayberry remains plate discipline which seems to be improving based on reports from Winter Ball and Spring Training. Mayberry is a good fielder, has decent speed and an above average arm.

Chris Duffy, soon to be 30, was the 8th round pick of the Pirates in the 2001 draft. After rising up through the Pittsburgh system and stealing 26 bases for the ’06 Buccos, Duffy hit some bumps in the road over the past several seasons, including shoulder surgery in 2008, before landing in the Brewers system last season.  After making the opening day Milwaukee roster, Duffy was sent down to Nashville where he missed the remainder of ther year (June on) for personal reasons.  Duffy provides great speed and he will look to revitalize himself in Allentown this year.

Rich Thompson, the soon to be 31 year old Reading native will be patrolling the IronPig outfield for his third season.  Last year, playing both CF and LF, Thompson hit .265/.334/.366 with 3 HR 36 RBI and 24 SB.  He is a very good defensive outfielder, both covering ground and throwing out 13 runners last season.  One of my personal favorites because of his work ethic day in and day out, Thompson should see fairly regular time once again at the top of the ‘Pig lineup.

DeWayne Wise, 32, agreed to the Lehigh Valley assignment rather then exercising an opt out clause in his contract.  An excellent defender who has played in parts of seven major league seasons, Wise may replace John Mayberry as the outfielder most likely to be called up if an injury strikes.  Last season playing for the White Sox, Wise hit .225 in 142 plate apperances. In parts of 8 seasons in AAA, Wise has hit .257/.309/.442.

Starting Pitching- Andrew Carpenter, 24, was the Phils 2nd round pick in the 2006 draft.  Carpenter was the Lehigh Valley workhorse last season going 11-6 with a 3.35 ERA in 156.0 IP.  He walked 47, struck out 120 and had a 1.34 WHIP.  Carpenter does not have over powering stuff but knows how to pitch and changes speeds effectively.  I continue to believe that Carpenter can be an effective #4-5 major league starter.

Joe Savery, 24, was the Phils 1st Round pick in the 2007 draft.  Between Reading and Lehigh Valley last year, Savery was 16-6, which is extremely impressive on its face.  He threw 151.1 innings, walking 77 and striking out 96.  His ERA was 4.40 and his WHIP was a combined 1.52.  Having seen several of Savery’s Lehigh Valley starts, he struggled each time on the mound but often pitched out of jams.  His control must improve as an average of five walks per nine innings is simply very high.

Nate Bump, 33, grew up in nearby Towanda, and was a 1st round pick by the Giants in the 1998 draft.  Bump spent last season first with the Camden Riversharks (Indepedant League) and then with Toledo, the Tigers AAA affiliate.  Bump was effective in his 10 AAA starts, going 7-1 with a 2.38 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.  Bump is a guy that has seen a good deal of success at the AAA level and has thrown in 113 big league games, although most recently back in 2005.

Brian Mazone, 33, begins his third season with Lehigh Valley (broken up by a short stint in the Dodgers organization).  Mazone had an injury plagued year last year going 2-7 with a 4.63 ERA in 24 games (11 starts).  Mazone has shown the ability to be a very effective starter at this level, leading the Lehigh Valley staff in innings pitched in 2008 with 164.2 and an effective ERA and WHIP of 4.10 and 1.28.  Mazone should take a regular turn in the rotation this year.

Ryan Vogelsong, 32, was a 5th round pick of San Francisco in the 1998 draft.  Vogelsong has spent the last two seasons as a starting pitcher in Japan, after spening parts of six seasons in the Major Leagues, most prominently with Pittsburgh.

Brandon Duckworth, the 34 year old former Phil played in the Royals organization for the last 3 years, spending the ’09 campaign at Omaha (AAA).  He started 19 games, going 3-6 with a 5.31 ERA in 105 innings.  He walked 37 and struck out 67 with a WHIP of 1.35> Duckworth has spent part of 8 seasons in the Majors, making 84 career starts.

Relief Pitching–Scott Mathieson, 26, was the Phils 17th ROund Pick in the 2002 draft.  Mathieson who seemingly has recovered from multiple Tommy John surgeries will be working at the back end of the ‘Pigs pen, probably closing games.  AFter returning mid season last year, Mathieson was fairly dominant going 4-0 with a 0.84 ERA in appearnces ranging from the Gulf Coast League to Reading.  The Arizona Fall League was much more challenging for Mathieson who was still was effective but not quite as dominant.

Mike Zagurski, 27, was the Phils 12th ROund pick in the 2005 draft.  Zagurski is another guy recovering from major arm surgery and his recovery showed a good deal of promise last year as he went 3-4 with a 3.57 ERA in 45 appearances in Reading.  He threw 53 innings, striking out 63, with a WHIP of 1.30.  Zagurski is a lefty who saw a decent amount of time in the Majors in 2007 because of injuries to the Phils bullpen.  After some initial Major League success, there were some bumps in the road which time in the back of the Lehigh Valley bullpen should help with.

Jason Anderson, 30, was a 10th round pick of the Yankees in the 2000 draft.  Anderson closed the year by being Lehigh Valley’s most consistent reliever for the 2009 season. After shuffling between Reading and Allentown, Anderson settled in to make 37 appearances, earning 4 saves in his 50.2 innings of work.  He had a 3.55 ERA and a WHIP of 1.20.  His combined stats last year were, 3-3 with a 3.44 ERA in 51 games (70 IP).  He saved 8 games and had a WHIP of 1.11.  Anderson should have a prominent role in the Lehigh Valley bullpen in 2010. He spent parts of three seasons (32 games) in the Majors, although most recently in 2005 with the Yankees.

Ehren Wassermann, 29, has spent his entire career in the White Sox system, the last three seasons at (AAA) Charlotte.  Last year he was 7-3 with a 3.68 ERA in 43 games, spanning 63.2 innings. He walked 18 and struck out 57 and his WHIP was 1.41. He has a 2.54 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 113 appearances in AAA, spanning those 3 years. The Tekulve/Quisenberry (in style at least), like sub-mariner, spent part of the 2007 and 2008 campaigns in the Bigs with the ChiSox, making 57 major league apperances. He will be a big help in the mid-late innings for a ‘Pig bullpen that struggled in that area last year.

Jake Woods, 28, was the 3rd round pick of the Angels in the 2001 draft.  The lefty was used as both a spot starter (he was used a number of times on very short notice) and out of the bullpen last season for Lehigh Valley, going 5-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 42 games (6 starts). He walked 27 and struck out 53 in his 80.2 innings and has a WHIP sitting at 1.37.  Woods has made 85 appearances in the Majors, all with the Mariners organization between 2005-08 going 8-5 with a 4.60 ERA.

Alex Concepcion, 25, begins his 6th year in the Phillies organization after pitching for both Reading and Lehigh Valley last season. In his 38 combined appearances, Concepcion was 2-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 95.2 innings.  He walked just 12 and struck out 55 and had an exceptional whip that came in just above 1.00.  Concepcion is a guy that can throw multiple innings without issue and should be used in the 6th and 7th innings most often.

Brian Gordon, 31, drafted by Arizona as an OF back in 1997, Gordon made the conversion to Pitcher in 2007 and has seen some success.  He pitched for Oklahoma CIty (AAA) in the Texas organization last season and went 7-3 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 77.1 Innings.  In his 43 appearances, he walked 20 and struck out 51.

Notes: Pitchers John Ennis and Oscar Villareal will begin the year on the disabled list.  Look for profiles when/if they are activated.

—Joe Savery is expected to throw in the Tuesday night exhibition game at Coca Cola Park against Reading.  Look for either  Nate Bump or Brian Mazone to get the opening day start against Syracuse on Thursday.