Box Score Roundup; April 12th

Box Score Recap

Welcome to the box score roundup. My goal is to publish just a bare bones recap of the night’s action every night and then have that serve as the springboard for discussion during the following day. As always, I ask that you keep the discussion on the site prospect relevant, but I’ll basically just create one of these per day, you can use it to talk about the previous night’s action, and then if side conversations break off relating to prospects, so be it. Gregg is going to put up new posts during the day if something newsworthy breaks, as he did today with the BJ Rosenberg to the DL post. I’ll write posts during the week if something major happens and I want to give my spin on it, and as I mentioned last night in my weekly notes column, I’m hoping to have a long piece once a week. We should have affiliate reports for the 4 full season affiliates throughout the year, hopefully Jeff pops in from Clearwater every once in a while, and lots of other stuff. But for now, let’s get to the box scores, check below…

AAA: Lehigh Valley lost 6-5.

John Mayberry Jr: 3/4, 1 R, 1 3B (1)

Andrew Carpenter: 3.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 0 K (4 GB, 4 FB)

AA: Reading won 4-3.

Tyson Gillies: 0/4, 1 R, 2 K
Freddy Galvis: 1/3, 1 BB, 1 R
Domonic Brown: 2/4, 1 2B, 1 R

Drew Naylor: 6 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 2 K (6 GB, 9 FB)
Michael Schwimer: 1.1 IP – 0 ER – 1 H
Sergio Escalona: 0.1 IP – 1 H, SV (2)

A+: Clearwater won 4-3.

Anthony Gose: 1/4, 3B (2), 2 R, SB (3)
Tim Kennelley: 1/3, 2B (1), 1 R
Matt Rizzotti: 2/3, 2B (1)
D’Arby Myers: 2/3, 2 2B (2), 1 R

Heitor Correa: 4 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K (5 GB, 3 FB)

A: Lakewood won 7-4.

Jonathan Villar: 1/4,2 R, 1 BB
Jiwan James: 3/5, 1 R, 1 2B (2)
Leandro Castro: 1/2, 1 R, 1 2B (1)
Sebastian Valle: 2/4, 1 2B (2)
Domingo Santana: 1/3, 2 R, 1 BB
Anthony Hewitt: 3/4, 2 2B (2), 1 HR (2)

Jon Pettibone: 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 K (4 GB, 2 FB)

Anthony Hewitt is off to a dream start at Lakewood, and after a rough 0/5, Domingo Santana has gone 4/10 with 3 K and 1 BB, a nice rebound. Jiwan James is a monster. That is all.

74 thoughts on “Box Score Roundup; April 12th”

  1. james and hewitt are both of the “tools but not much baseball experience” variety. its so great that they are doing so well, but its not going to continue without bumps in the road. u gotta think hewitt may have figured something out though, considering he was hot all spring and unreal so far in the season

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  2. This outfield at Lakewood is very exciting. There are 5 guys there, upon Collier’s return loaded with tools. 15 years ago, they would have been the best 5 athletes in the system. Now there are even others who can get in that group. Seeing Hewitt off to a good start like this would have to build some confidence. He must have changed something to have a hot spring and carry it into the season. My guess is once Collier comes back, the hottest guy, James, will move to Clearwater to team with a decent player in Gose. Santana can fly under the radar with these guys around. That is good considering he has been focusing so much on getting his driver’s license.

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  3. This outfield at Lakewood is very exciting. There are 5 guys there, upon Collier’s return loaded with tools. 15 years ago, they would have been the best 5 athletes in the system. Now there are even others who can get in that group. Seeing Hewitt off to a good start like this would have to build some confidence. He must have changed something to have a hot spring and carry it into the season. My guess is once Collier comes back, the hottest guy, James, will move to Clearwater to team with a decent player in Gose. Santana can fly under the radar with these guys around. That is good considering he has been focusing so much on getting his driver’s license Exciting times on the Pharm!

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  4. I don’t know if anyone’s noticed but James has 3 outfield assists in 5 games: 2 @ 3rd & 1 @ Home. He’s getting a reputation.

    Naylor pitched 5 perfect innings ( 15 up and 15 down). He had that bad inning where he gave up the 4 hits (all singles) and 3 runs. Nice outing!

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  5. The only bad about Jiwan James forcing his way to Clearwater is he will lose developement time as a CF. He will probably have to be moved to RF. The opposing team may as well give this guy 1st base in his first ab every game. The guy is like 8 for10 in his first 2 ABs of games.
    Can not wait to see who gets moved when Collier comes back. So many guys are performing at that level, and James, Castro and Hewitt are all 21, it could be a tough call.

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  6. looks so far like the scouts were right about Gillies. They said when he moves up he wont get those cheap infield hits, hope he adjusts. James is interesting to me at 21 he looks like a real legit prospect, didnt he start as a pitcher?

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  7. The next step in the development for James and Hewitt is when pitchers start to pitch around them, they manage the plate and take the walks.

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  8. mikemike,
    I don’t think the scouts were saying he won’t get ‘cheap’ infield hits as he moves up. Their are plenty of Speedy guys who get infield hits in the show. IIRC scouts were saying guys with not much power in the lower minors tend to get the bat knocked out of their hands as they reach AA and AAA. That being said with his spring training work and track record of great plate discipline a week of 6 k’s and 0 BB’s with a .136 Avg reeks to me of just a tough week. I hope he adjusts as well

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  9. LKW- Hewitt , in the 3 for 4 with a strikeout. Only around a couple of strikeouts on the season. Looking up. Valle and Santana starting to get some rythm as well, for now.
    Regulars Hewitt, James, Castro, Villar, and Barnes all sport Batting Averages above .350.

    The automatic awarding of a spot at Lakewood to Collier should not be the plan. The move should be to move Darin Ruf to Clearwater, when they adjudge Singleton ready to assume 1B. James, Castro , and Hewitt do not have the experience to be rushed up like that, Castro did not excel at Lakewood last season, and the other 2 are not nearly ready. Collier did not excel at Lakewood , batting wise , nor even at Williamsport last season. When the likely move of Singleton comes , Williamsport will have an opening at 1B. Collier can assume that or if he can not do the position , Dugan can switch with him from LF. Altherr, Dugan, and Hudson should play at Williamsport and Collier can fill at 1B and/or DH. Let him hit his way to Lakewood, there are 4 guys ahead of him who should play at that level.

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  10. A show of hands for who had written Hewitt off before this season?

    I’ll be honest – I really wasn’t expecting much. Sure I held out some hope – but wow – he’s way exceeding what I thought would be a good start for him. This is exciting.

    Jiwan James was another guy who I had some hope for – but again I didn’t expect him to come out this hot.

    It’s great having all of these guys at Lakewood. They’re going to hit a lot and keep turning over the line-up which should lead to plenty of at bats for all. I had been worried about how they were going to get everybody some action – but hitting like this will create the opportunities.

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  11. CLW- D’Arby Myers and Kennelly to C and LF replacing Naughton and Mitchell who each had had back to back 2 hit games. RHP for “Yankees” so not a platoon for Kennelly. Both did well, so the results of who gets playing time will follow. Gump and Susdorf played also, Susdorf not hitting much so far. Still , there is no crying need for OF’s at this level Korby Mintken has been at 2B for a couple of games. Rizzotti seems to accepted his seemingly too low assignment, and is hitting some. Maybe he will be awarded the call-up, when/if Darin Ruf is advanced to Clearwater. Then they can kick Bozied upstairs and move Andy Tracy to more of a 1B/DH role. The resolving of the Cody Ransom/Neil Sellers situation is the key to the system this early season.

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  12. Ruf moving to Clearwater has no connection to Castro or James moving to Clearwater. Castro already killed NYPenn and will probably be hitting over .300 when Collier comes back. IMO, he should not have had to repeat Lakewood in the firts place. There is no one blocking him at Clearwater.
    Singleton makes much less sense in Lakewood than Castro or James has to Clearwater. One, he is blocked by a decent player. Two, there is no place for Ruf, unless the Phillies cut another player(they already cut a decent 1b this year). Three, he is only 18 years old and he can play in NYPenn and still be young for the league.
    What makes you think Singleton has enough experience to be double jumped at 18, but James and Hewitt can not be moved up quickly at age 21?

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  13. @ DPhrey, regarding Hewitt: (raises hand)

    Yeah, it’s only fifteen at-bats, Small sample size, etc etc, but it has certainly gotten him back on my radar.

    – Jeff

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  14. Does anyone know if DArby was hurt? I can’t imagine that he wouldn’t have played before now if he was healthy. It was a nice first game for him. There are still people in the organization who think he can play if they just put him in the lineup and leave him alone. Hewitt said in an interview that the hardest thing for him in the past was identifying the offspeed pitches and that he’s now doing that much better. When you talk about a player being raw who strikes out a lot, that’s the number one thing that he has to improve on. Its a very encouraging start for the very strong young man. As for putting Collier back in Williamsport (and trying him at 1B), are you kidding? He’s a very talented big time OF prospect who had one bad year. I’m sure someone will either get moved up to Clearwater or Domingo will lose playing time if he starts struggling. I don’t believe Huf will get moved up either. They already have guys sharing time at Clearwater at 1B and they don’t want to release either of them. Every year, someone has a hot streak and there are calls to mov ethem up a level. Most of our prospects are young and need experience and success. Very few will get moved up until late in the year, barring injury, unless they just have monster years. Just enjoy all the talent we have that’s performing well, it is fun following this group. By the way, Marson is hitting under .100…

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  15. At the beginning of last season Castro started at Lakewood and had to be demoted to Williamsport where he did well. Being as he was in a Short Season League in his 1st year in the States , he does not have the professional at bats or experience, to gamble on moving him up mid-season. James, likewise , was a pitcher some 3 seasons back, injured some 2 seasons back, and has only a short season as a professional hitter, another gamble to move up mid-season. Castro, James, Santana, and Hewitt all need to play (if they continue to do well ), and one would have to DH. That is why Ruf is relevant, as , if Singleton is moved up without an advancing of Ruf, Ruf’s superior defensive capabilities would keep him at 1B and Singleton would have to DH. If Singleton is not considered ready to move up, the retort would be, The scouting reports all say he is a very professional hitter, and purportedly more qualified age and experience wise than Domingo Santana.. Ruf moving to Clearwater is not a problem, because it is clear they will not keep all of Durant, Rizzotti, and James Murphy all at Clearwater, and Rizzotti and Murphy are well qualified to move up to Reading. At Reading, Tagg Bozied and Kevin Mahar are well qualified to go to LVIP, where one could split 1B/DH with Andy Tracy. This would require the resolving of the 3B Quandry with Cody Ransom and Neil Sellers, which I said in other places is the key to the system. Eventually , I believe that will resolve in some way.

    See?

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  16. Btw, I was not pushing for James to be moved up, and certainly not Hewitt. Just pointing out that the argument of double jumping Singleton is contrary to the argument of being patient with the raw James and Hewitt.

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  17. Marfis – I hate to say it, but it would probably have been easiest if Tracy retired after last year and Sellers could have moved to 1B.

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  18. ~raises hand~

    Yeah, Hewitt has been a pleasant surprise. I would be quite excited if he were to turn into something. I love success stories like his and he is, by all accounts, a great young kid.

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  19. might be a small sample size for Hewitt, but it’s the best 15 AB of his professional career, at a level he hasn’t played at before. Hard not to get somewhat excited about it.

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  21. “See?”

    No, I don’t see. Singleton has a little over 100 professional ABs and is 18 and you want him double jumped to Lakewood. Leandro Castro has 483 professional ABs, is 21 years old and has nobody in front of him, but you think he does not have enough experience to play at Clearwater. That does not make any sense.

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  22. I think if Santana is hovering around .200 or so when Collier is ready, they would send Domingo to Williamsport.

    I’d love to see Santana stick in Lakewood, but I agree that Collier deserves a few at-bats in New Jersey before returning him to the NY-Penn.

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  23. Collier is going to spend the bulk of this season at Lakewood. That’s why he’s on the Lakewood roster and that is what the article in APP said. Anyone who thinks otherwise is overthinking things and ignoring clear indications from the club as to their intentions for him. I think the more interesting development is whether Santana moves down or one of James/Castro/Hewitt moves up.

    mike77 has it exactly right – if one of those three moves up, he will take playing time from any CLW outfielder not named Gose. Singleton did not win the 1B job at LAK and will probably spend the whole year at WPT. He will be very young for the NYPL and will face college pitchers for the first time. It should be a very good challenge for him.

    I love our young pitching. Anyone else notice Velasquez pitched 3 solid innings in relief last night? Is it possible they’re still considering him as a starter and will have him and Correa share the 5th starter spot?

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  24. Where is Hewitt playing? I know he was taking some reps in center at the end of last year, but I like him better at 3rd considering our organizational depth

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  25. Nice to see the three teams with prospects off to good starts after going thru the five man rotation for the first time. Two of the three are in first place and they have a combined 11-4 record. Even the veteran ladened 1-4 AAA team has seen all five of its games decided by one run.

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  26. Has Austin Hyatt now a SP in Clearwater ? He pitched 6 inn with 7 K with a .50 WHIP. I think he relieved JC Romero after JC pitched the first inning so I don’t know if he will be used in long relief or a starter .

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  27. None of Castro, James or Hewitt are going anywhere. Castro failed miserably at Lakewood last year, James has less than 150 professional at bats, and Hewitt literally hasn’t had any success before this year. If Collier needs at bats when he comes back, it’ll be Santana getting bumped down to Williamsport so he can play everyday.

    And I don’t see what the huge resistance is to giving Singleton a shot at Lakewood — provided, of course, there would be at bats for him. Bozied should clearly be in Triple-A, Rizzotti should be bumped to Double-A, and I always thought Ruf (as a 23-year old and a 4-year college player) should have started in High-A anyway. I’m doubtful that happens at this point, but anyone arguing tooth and nail against moving Singleton to Lakewood, while implicitly accepting Santana’s presence there, needs to reevaluate their position.

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  29. Hewitt’s performance this season, albeit very small sample, has surprised me as well. I for one looked at his selection as a #1 pick with skepticism. Hopefully he continues to put it all together and takes it 1 step at a time and turns out to be a special player. I am back on the Hewitt Bandwagon! 😉
    The slugging % is nice to see as well as the advertised power potential looks evident.
    The pitching by far is blowing me away as well. I can not remember so many strong performances back to back. The system looks strong.

    Again just wanted to mention… the Wed pitching match-up to keep our eyes on Drabek & Aumont at Reading…. that will be awesome.

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  31. fwiw, i was under the impression that Singleton was held back in XST due to needing work on defense, not anything offensive related.

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  33. What position do you think they’ll keep Hewitt at? SS? 3B? OF?

    I mean, I’d imagine we need a prospect at SS in the very near future to replace J-Roll, but is Hewitt that athletic to be a defensive SS?

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  35. Hewitt was tried at 3b was terrible and at the end of lastyear was moved to the outfield. There is a 0.1% chance that he will be anything but an outfielder and a 0.0% chance he will be a shortstop

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  37. Wow, just nobody tell the local talk radio stations about the Drabek/Aumont match-up. If Drabek doesn’t get shelled it will be the end of the world.

    My guess regarding the Lakewood outfield situation – Phillies management sat down with Santana and made it really clear that they like him – and that they want to get him as many at bats as possible – and to that end they’re starting him in Lakewood until Collier is ready to take his spot. There’s probably a provision that has him staying to rotate in and DH if all goes well – but I’m sure they tempered his expectations and left themselves a way to get him to low A ball if he wasn’t swimming – while still saving face for the young man…just a thought.

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  38. Phillyfriar, the discusion of Singleton moving to Lakewood has nothing to do with Santana or any other OF at Lakewood, for that matter. At least not from my point of view.
    I just challenged the thought that Singleton, who only has (100 ABs) GCL experience, is experienced enough to go to Lakewood. If that is the case then Castro, James and Hewitt have enough experience to jump to Clearwater. Castro definitely has enough experience to go to Clearwater. The fact that there is only one OF prospect at Clearwater, and you have other OF’s waiting to get a chance at Lakewood, would make it more logical that Castro get jumped. Singleton is blocked at his position and he is young enough to justify holding him bsck.

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  39. summary of KG’s article is:
    – Heading: Sleeper Alert!
    – great athlete
    – didn’t hit much first 1.5 years
    – always had great tools
    – off to a great start. hitting for power and not striking out.

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  40. Mike77, I know you weren’t specifically addressing Santana, but I was just highlighting the fact that it’s a bit silly to argue that Singleton (at 18 and with 119 pro PA) isn’t “experienced” enough to head to Lakewood, while not questioning what Santana (at 17 and with 139 pro PA) is doing there.

    Furthermore, it’s not all that unusual for high school draftees to start their first full season in Low-A. With regard to the outfielders, though, it would be unusual for a raw 21-year old outfielder with just 15 Low-A PA (Hewitt) to be promoted to High-A; and it would be unusual for a raw 21-year old outfielder with just 157 professional PA (James) to be promoted to High-A; and it would also be unusual for a raw 20-year old outfielder with 94 Low-A PA (Castro) to be promoted to High-A.

    I’m probably overkilling to drive the point home here, and I guess it’s not out of the question that the organization would give Castro a crack at High-A, but when the simple alternative is to let Santana get at bats at Williamsport everyday, I honestly don’t think it’s much of a question (at least from a developmental standpoint).

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  41. Does anyone remember a prospect who has looked as inept as Hewitt has early in their career and gone on to great things at the next level? I’m sure there are examples out there. Just looking for a glimmer of hope.

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  42. I looked and couldn’t find a hitter. If you expand the field, Daniel Bard looked as terrible as a pitcher can be a few years ago.

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  43. The teaser blurb on the BP article is what I find the most interesting, that the Phil’s farm is flush with talent, just a few month ago it looked to be depletted. I can’t believe that the entire organization has been so dramatically changed over the last few year….I don’t think people will be talking about 10k loses again anytime soon.

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  44. My argument on James’ promotion was due to what I have heard to be a great instructional league followed by an impressive spring. I know he does not have the AB’s, but he seems to be progressing quickly. The last thing I want to see is Santana sent backwards. I think this kid will be ok. It will take a little time. BTW, who are you pitching around in that lineup? Pick your poison, they are all hitting the ball a ton.

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  45. Speaking of Blue Claws – is Jeremy Hamilton out of baseball? He was an awfully high pick to just drop out like that, but it’s happened before (remember Tyler Mach?).

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  46. Thanks Murray ……Austin Hyatt had a no hitter through 5 inn and gave up 2 hits in 6 inn with 7 K …great start for him

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  48. I really hope Hyatt jumps to reading by the end of the year so I can see him pitch. His success is undeniable but I have the feeling that he doesn’t have very projectable stuff. Does anyone know what the scouting report is on this guy?

    Also I understand he got hit pretty hard in his first start but I still don’t get why Matt Way is in Lakewood, he rocked Lakewood last year and he was a high draft choice out of college. I’d assumed they wouldn’t be so conservative with this guy.

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  49. Maybe they were right about May. Their concerns probably have something to do about command, or working on pitches or something that might prevent May from succeeding in Clearwater. I’d give them the benefit of the doubt on this.

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  50. It’s not really a ‘double jump’ per se to have a player who was successful in GCL start the next season in Low A, as I don’t think the two short season levels can be so clearly delineated. Honestly, I expected Singleton to be in Lakewood out of the gate, but reading that they’re keeping him in xst to work on defense makes sense. At their respective ages, James Murphy and Darin Ruf are also two guys I thought should probably have been challenged. If we’re satisfied with Singleton’s defensive work early on, I see absolutely nothing wrong with sending him to Lakewood, bumping Ruf to Clearwater, and Murphy to AA.

    As far as the Lakewood OF situation goes, I had also hoped the front office would be a little more aggressive with Leandro Castro. He certainly struggled in Lakewood last year, but he did show some glimpses, and really put in some good work at Williamsport. In only his second season stateside, the fact that he wasn’t thrown off by his early struggles at the higher level tells me a lot about him as a player, and is the chief reason I would have liked to see how he’d have responded to a Clearwater assignment.

    A big part of determining whether to be aggressive or patient with particular players is the simple mathematics of age-relative-to-level, but it’s almost as important (if not moreso) to get a good psychological read on the individual and really understand what kind of situation, challenge, encouragement, etc. he’s going to respond to.

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  51. Isn’t Matt Way a soft tossing lefthander??. I heard the same thing about singeton he was held back for his defense. I just dont see why he cant be moved to low a even at his age, see how it goes, others have done it maybe he can be a special player like heyward or others who have moved up the ladder fast.

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  52. Also, I was wondering if anyone knows about Davey Lopes’ involvement with any of the minor leaguers during spring training? I noticed that he’s been gone from the big league club for the start of the season after the tragic death of his brother in a fire, but was curious as to what extent he’d been around in March, and how much he might have worked with any guys not on the big league roster. I saw something on here (or somewhere) about the minor league baserunning instructor being in Lakewood recently. Anyone have a good read on what kind of basestealing instruction the Phillies provide their minor leaguers? With as much speed as we have in the system, and as many green lights as guys like Gose, Castro, Hewitt, J.James, etc. seem to get, I’m pretty excited to see what these guys could do with some focused instruction and refinement of their instincts.

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  53. Toddzilla what I meant to say was scouts said Gillies legged out a lot of infield hits, which in the highter leagues he wouldn’t because the infielder are better. Point is I really dont know if this kid will ever hit. My mind still cant figure out why we didnt get a third base prospect for lee, seeing we have done in the minors,

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  54. The confusion is more than understandable and I know you know who you’re talking about but it’s Matt Way, not Trevor May. Anyways, I was under the impression that Way was actually very good at controlling his pitches. He struck out 85 last year compared to only 12 walks. Not sure what his third pitch is but I believe his money pitch is his change. Seems like there isn’t a serious issue with him, not enough to keep him in low-A.

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  55. bp, regarding instruction from Davey Lopes to the Lakewood ‘toolsheds’: They must not get much instruction from him. In listening to their games it seems as if they have 3 or 4 base running errors per game. Lakewood would probably average 10 runs per game if not for base running blunders.

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  56. I don’t have a problem when people spell Hamels or Halladay incorrectly – but if we start getting Trevor “May” (great start in Clearwater) confused with Matt “Way” (lousy start at Lakewood), I think many people are going to get unnecessarily confused.

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  57. Mike77, I think such events are pretty common from most teams in the low minors. Teams are full of inexperienced players and they are bound to make mistakes. It’s a learning process.

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  58. For Jon who asked about Hyatt, I was at his game and he pitched very well in the 1st 4 innings Fastball at 89-91(I believe he gave up no hits). His 5th inn. he got hit hard but right at his fielders. In his 6th inn. gave up a 2run HR(to d’Ardaud) and well hit double before getting out of the inning. I was impressed but then its only one start, like to see how he does in his next start.

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  59. Worley seems to have better stuff tonight. Fastball at 89 in the second inning according to Brian Seltzer the play by play guy.

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  63. Worley retired the first 7 batters he faced, but really fell apart in the 3rd, allowing 9 batters to face him, giving up 4 runs, on 4 hits, 2 of them being triples. He also hit a batter in the inning and walked one.

    I can’t believe this is the same guy who pitched 2 months (I think that’s how long it was), with excellent command at the beginning of last year. I understood what the Phillies were doing with starting him at AA, as he was an advanced pitcher, but I wonder if his confidence is now shot. Obviously, they know about his makeup more than a bunch of bloggers, but you have to wonder…

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  65. This must be tough loss night. I like to judge players by what they do that is exceptional. Young Santana looks like a future star on a very interesting team.

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  66. This is about as positive as a 2-1 loss can get. The starting pitcher pitches great, Valle continues to get back on track and Santana continues to astonish and gains steam. My sense is they understand exactly how fantastic this young man is going to be and they hope that nobody notices for a while so he can get adjusted. Note that the team has not said a single word about him . . . anywhere . . . . it’s like he doesn’t exist and they can hide him really well on this team because it’s just chock full of young talent. They just don’t promote 17 year-olds to Lakewood – I am sure they think he’s extraordinary and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s in Philadelphia by the time he’s 20.

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  69. AROD GOT TO THE ML @ 19. COLLIER MAY HAVE TO START AT WILLIAMSPORT. IF IT WAS MY CALL I PROMOTE CASTRO TO CLEARWATER ONCE COLLIER IS READY.JAMES HAS TO FEW PRO @BATS AND HE AND HEWITT NEED A FULL GOOD YEAR @LAKEWOOD TO BUILD CONFIDENCE. SANTANA IS A STUD. 9 MONTHS YOUNGER THEN THE 2ND YOUNGEST GUY IN FULL SEASON. PHILLIES WOULD NEVER RUSH A 17 YEAR OLD UNLESS THEY KNEW HE COULD HANDLE HIMSELF.

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  70. SANTANA WOULD BE HITTING .500 IF NOT FOR THE 0-5 OPENING DAY. I HERD FROM A GOOD SOURCE THAT HE WAS VERY UPSET THAT DAY BECAUSE HE HAD JUST FOUND OUT THE EASTER BUNNY DID NOT EXSIST! HAHAHAHA

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  72. I believe Griffey Jr was also 18 when he debuted.

    ~checks BR.com~

    Nope…he was 19 in his first season.

    Al Kaline (HoF) debuted at Age 18 as well…as did Ty Cobb.

    Its pretty rare.

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  73. Joe Nuxhall-15, how’s that?
    Sellers v. Ransom significance. Both have done enough to play at AAA. Andy Tracy-professional hitter who they would like to play at 1B and/or DH, to be a pinch hitter after September or an (extreme) disaster replacement for Howard before that.
    If one of Sellers/Ransom is moved, or if Tracy moved and Sellers went to 1B, They could bring up another veteran minor league semi-regular to split time with Tracy or Sellers as 1B/DH.
    Tagg Bozied or Kevin Mahar are well qualified to move to AAA from AA . To replace one of these, James Murphy and/or Matt Rizzotti could go to AA. Darin Ruf, actually 24, and a 4 year College player, is qualified to go to A(A) from Lakewood. And this will enable Jon Singleton to assume 1B at Lakewood. All the current 4 young OF’s doing well could stay at their proper experience level , and one could DH. And there is no room at the Inn for Zac Collier, and since Singleton went to Lakewood, he can 1B at Williamsport or switch off with Dugan to LF or DH. That’s my plan. Ergo, the key to the system.

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  74. “PHILLIES WOULD NEVER RUSH A 17 YEAR OLD UNLESS THEY KNEW HE COULD HANDLE HIMSELF.”

    I agree with this statement. In fact, the Phillies are usually almost painfully slow in promoting players, particularly younger players. My conclusion is that they MUST feel that, as a player and a person, Santana is completely off the charts as this move (sending him to full-season ball at 17) is unprecedented for the present group of people running the farm system. And nothing Santana has done in Lakewood thus far suggests that they were wrong in promoting him.

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