A myriad of roster moves by Lehigh Valley, most importantly, the promotion of OF Domonic Brown to Lehigh Valley. The 22 year old was hitting .318/.391/602 with 15 HR 47 RBI and 12 SB’s for Reading so far this season, and hitting .345 during the month of June. Outfielder Rich Thompson who was hitting .287 for Lehigh Valley and was among the league leaders in stolen bases was sent down to Reading, as Reading OF Tyson Gillies was placed back on the DL with his ongoing hamstring issue. Gillies came off the DL to play a few games but was quite obviously still injured, and needs more time.
As Greg Dobbs is joining Lehigh Valley this evening, 1B/3B Neil Sellers has been sent down to Reading. Sellers, 28, was hitting .268 with 1 HR and 17 RBI’s for Lehigh Valley. After two years approaching 20 HR in Reading, Sellers lost his power game in Lehigh Valley. Although hitting fairly consistently, he simply was not driving in the runs expected from a corner guy. This move will obviously allow Dobbs regular at bats.
Infielder Luis Maza was sent to the Houston organization without the exchange of compensation. Maza started the year as the starting 2B in Lehigh Valley, but struggled mightily recently and the 2B job has been taken over by Melvin Dorta. Acquired by Lehigh Valley from the Toronto organization was OF Chris Aguila, 31. Aguila was playing at the Toronto AAA affiliate in Las Vegas and was hitting .275 with 4 HR and 21 RBI in 160 AB’s. He was a 3rd round pick in the 1997 draft by the Florida Marlins and saw some major league time with Florida. He figures to be a 4th OF in the Lehigh Valley mix.
Phuture Phillies 
Dobbs and Brown…Lehigh should be a bit better now.
Good for Dom Brown. This is right in line with a Sept callup/2011 MLB debut.
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Great news, he is definitely deserving
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Let’s see how Brown does now at LV. Another step in the progression and learning.
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If Dom rakes in LhV, he will be up in September and don’t be surprised if, suddenly, somebody gets injured in September and, low and behold, Dom Brown is on our post season roster.
Man, this is exciting – it’s be a loooooong time since we’ve promoted a top notch prospect (Hamels, 2006).
I wonder if Matt Rizzotti will be promoted soon as well. I’m guessing they are going to give him at least another 2 to 3 weeks to make sure that the current run is not just a statistical abnormality.
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Good job Dom! With Brown, Singleton, Cosart, Carpenter, Colvin, and Gose all in our system it seems like we’re back after all these trades.
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Here we gooooo!
I’m not sure about the Sellers move. I understand getting Dobbs ABs but they add another body to the 1B/3B logjam at Reading. Rizz, Bozied, Overbeck and now Sellers. Must be another move coming. I don’t think it’s to move Rizz to LHV.
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Dom Brown is not going to be on any post season roster in 2010.
Just to gain some perspective, take a look down the road to Atlanta and Jason Heyward.
After his initial splash, Heyward’s hitting .189 with 1 HR and 7 rbi in June with an OPS of .554. I just don’t get the assumption everyone’s making that Dom Brown’s going to come up to the Phillies and hit like he is at AA.
Like Heyward, Dom Brown’s a terrific prospect who should be very good over the LONG TERM. But he’s not going to be the Phillies savior in 2010.
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Hey Pants I like the excitement and we are on the mend after these trades, but adding Carpenter to those names is a little out of line if you ask me.
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Agreed with 3up3kkk on Brown. I don’t think they’ll start the clock on him just yet, let alone give him any consideration on the postseason roster.
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Yeah Pants, “which of these things is not like the others?” – Carpenter. Did you mean someone else?
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T.A.F.K.A.M.B. – so you think Dom won’t come up until June 2011 then? Because a September call up is the same as a 2011 April, clock-wise, isn’t it.
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No way they hold him down for 2 months next year…yeah, it kills us a bit for Super 2 status but they can’t afford a gaping hole in RF next year. Maybe hold him down for a few weeks to gain the extra year of service time but not the full 2 months…unless they sign a legit RH placeholder for the position that they can then platoon in LF with Ibanez. And I dont mean Francisco.
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Was hoping this would be coupled with Mayberry promoted to Philly to DH this weekend / PH and the removal of one of the redundant backup middle infielders. Will take progress where you can get it I guess.
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Its clear that Jimmy still isn’t 100%. They probably want to keep an insurance policy around for the next week or so until they’re sure he’s okay long-term.
Not that they still couldn’t do that with Castro clearing waivers down to Lehigh. Though there is the possibillity that Castro would refuse the assignment and they they’d have no insurance policy left as Bocock is not a legit option for a callup.
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I dont think he would have to BE heyward this year. Heyward is playing full time on a team where they need him tp produce. DB could come up in sept and start 2-3x a week against righties and bat 6th or 7th with ALOT less pressure. I think he could perform in that role and it would get him ready for 2011.
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If they have any intention of giving him a shot at RF next year, they’ll bring him up in Sept to give him a taste of MLB pitching as well as see where he’s at.
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Now I finally have a reason to check the Lehigh box scores!
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What I don’t understand is how people can say brown, wont come up and hit. No one can be sure what he will do, but I would take him over ibanez. those double plays are killers, Ibanez served his purpose, he carried this team, in the first half of last year, dominic brown is the future.Some guys can handle coming up and failing and going down, you have to know the kids makeup to determine that, unless people are scouts, cant see the negative comments,
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The Phillies will absolutely not waste a year of service for a month of “2 games a week to get a taste”. It will never happen. You didn’t see Taylor come up last year did you? And he hit better in AA. However, Dom could force the issue with his playing and if Ibanez continues to struggle. When Dom gets called up, it will be to play every day. I didn’t think that would happen until 2012 or mid 2011 at best but watching Raul every day has been tough and then Dom goes and hits 345 in June to force his way up to AAA and now, I’m not sure. My guess is that if the big club can win without him, they’ll leave him down but, if its close in late August and they think they need a spark and Dom hits 320 in AAA and Raul is still hitting below 250 then……
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I did mean to put Carpenter there I still think the guy will be solid. You guys are the same ones tearing up Joe Savery for not being good the last few years. If you look at his college stats its obvious he’s still working his way back from the injury. He has true number 1 stuff if he can work on his fastball and sinker more.
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Murray has it right. They aren’t going to bring him up for a “taste”. He also properly referenced Michael Taylor. They didn’t bring him up and they aren’t bringing up Brown either.
The only way they bring him up is if Ibanez and Fransisco gets hurt.
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Michael Taylor was hurt last September.
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Congrats to Domonic! Thanks for tracking all the updates, gregg.
Brown comes up in Sept if he continues to hit well in LHV and either: 1) the Phils are in a pennant race and they think Brown will help; or 2) someone gets hurt. The whole goal for the Phils is to win and they will not care about his service time if they think he will help them win this year (or at least they shouldn’t care). That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them call him up for a taste even if he weren’t needed.
Can either of Sellers or Bozied play OF? The OF in Reading is down two guys with Gillies on the DL and Brown promoted, and they only gained one in Thompson.
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ya no kidding i will finally have a reason to follow a lehigh valley game
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someone cut the guy off that just defended carpenter and savery. he’s on posting probation
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Boston Phan –
Actually Mahar can play the OF, and don’t forget about Spidale, so they actually have 4 OF’s that can play –
Berry
Spidale
Thompson
Mahar
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@utley26 Sorry I’m defending our prospects, I look at both these players and think they’ll both be good. Savery has electric stuff and while I’ll admit Carpenter is fringey I still think he’s going to amount to something.
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‘savery has electric stuff’…really? then why are his numbers so bad? he’s a LH specialist at best.
carpenter is a 6th starter. unfortunately most MLB teams use 5 man rotations.
other than that, I’m excited about both guys. can’t wait to see them in a royals or pirate uniform
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His numbers are bad because he’s still rehabbing from his injury. Carpenter might be a 6th starter on a team where the rotation includes Halladay/Linceum/Jiminez/Harang/Stasburg but I’d say he could be a 3-5 anywhere else.
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LOL.
Rehab from injury? That has to be a joke.
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carpenter is a 3 is even funnier
not trying to be an A-hole. I just think you need to be a lot, lot, lot more realistic with the phils prospects
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Thanks Matt, you make a good point. I was more thinking about the 1B/3B logjam that Bellman brought up and hoping it could be alleviated by one of Sellers/Bozied hitting the OF. Looks like that is fairly stocked already, eh?
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I think Carpenter might be a #5 and that’s more credit than most will give him. He may have a career more like Chad Durbin, which is fine. Savery with electric stuff? Nope. He’s not rehabbing, whatever stuff he had in college before the injury is gone.
As for Brown, like a few others have said, now I’ve got a reason to follow the box scores in LV. Congratulations are in order to him on the promotion, which he deserved. I’m a little surprised the Phillies allowed him to move up already but his bat seems like it’s ready. I think he might make a big league appearance when rosters expand, but that depends on his performance from now until then.
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wow found someone worse than me, savery is electric???? yeah if he is putting his hand in a light socket, Carpenter a third starter? yeah on a high school team. maybe
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Just a minute here. I don’t know if Carpenter will ever be a third starter but to assume that anyone who suggests that is a possibility doesn’t know what he’s talking about is not fair. Carpenter is 25 years old. His won-lost record in his first year in AAA (2009) was 11 & 6 with an ERA of 3.35. This year he is 6 & 6 with an ERA of 3.74. Guys with AAA records like this and worse have been successful ML pitchers.
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yea you have to be realistic about savery, opponents are hitting .303 off him and he barely has more strikeouts than walks, sounds pretty damn electric
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brown will be facing hellickson tonight, pretty good test for your first AAA game
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Yeahh that’s gotta be someone just stokin the fires of the comments. If Andrew Carpenter was anywhere close to a 3rd starter I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t be trotting out Kyle Kendrick every fifth day.
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Carpenter is easily a 3rd starter…in AAA.
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nepp you know where I can find players signed and bonus paid for all teams ? ty
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Whats worse – including Carpenter on our elite prospects list, or including Aaron Harang as part of his “perfect” rotation?
“Halladay/Linceum/Jiminez/Harang/Stasburg”
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I am glad someone mentioned Heyward. He sucks right now. I think bringing Brown up in a playoff push would put significant pressure on him. Coming up with bases full of Howard, Werth, Ibanez in a tie game in the 5th is not pressure?
Brown is likely to be a top level starter (like the scuffling Heyward) but his initial performance is unknown. Ibanez is a proven vet and, yes he may stink even worse than Heyward is now, but at least vets have proved they were once able to hit major league pitching and might do so again (like Burrell).
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Congrats to Brown for performing with the label of ‘elite #1 prospect of the organization’. He deserved the promotion. Will Brown go to LF or RF? Might be telling as it related to Werth and Ibanez future. I think he stays in RF and Mayberry goes to LF.
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cameron rupp signed and was assigned to class a- williamsport
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Good move. I think this allows the Phillies to evaluate Brown against advanced pitching. Is he good enough to play in the majors? Given 2 months of AAA hitting, the team will have a better indication of his true level of ability. I don’t think Brown will go up this year, but if Ibanez were to fall to injury you’d have to seriously consider if Brown is the best option.
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First off Rico, Harang has stretches where he flat out dominates and it’d be foolish to leave him off. Secondly I’m glad it seems I have some support with Carpenter being a big league starter. Those who disagree about Savery will hopefully be surprised.
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It’s nice to have some optimism about a player. But if a guy is indeed “rehabbing from injuries” 3-4 years after he suffered them, they’re probably not going away.
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Oh. He wasn’t joking. When is the last time a guy took 4 years to rehab from an injury?
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Scott Mathieson? But then he showed ability on the mound.
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life without Brown will be an adjustment for Reading it appears, I went out to Harrisburg for tonights loss. Mahar was in RF, Sellers was 2B. Rizzotti was given the start at 1B and had 2 pretty good plays on the field that I saw. The line up was Berry, Spidale, Sellers, Rizzoti, Mahar, Overbeck, Gosewhich, Galvis and finally the pitcher of course. Been wondering about Bozied he was replaced as DH half way through last nights game and didn’t play tonight (don’t know if this was just casue of Rizz at 1st or if maybe he hurt himeself last night as being replaced at DH I thought was odd for their top RBI guy) Reading had chances in the 8th and again in the 9th but it obvious to me the lack of Brown will take some getting used to. Rizzoti struck out twice but had two solid hits. Galvis had 2 as well. Sellers wasn’t so hot and was definetly the missing link in Brown’s 3 spot. the mere fact that Chavez was put in to pinch hit rather than Bozied as the tying run at the plate 2 outs bottom of the 9th shows me something is up with Tagg
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Let’s call up Garcia…what has he done…hit in close to 30 straight and batting .330+. He is a better option then Sellers at 2nd base.
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poopypants, your tag name is perfect. get potty trained and come back to us in a few years. you need some work in k-6 because your comments are horrible. even worse than an amaro contract
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Also a congrats to Lenny for using W-L record to defend carpenter. bravo
I need to stop reading these comments…I feel like I’m listeing to 610
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Hard to believe Poopy is not pulling our chain on that one. If I wanted to raise a ruckus, I would say that Savery was electric. Perfect strategy and it worked.
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Queue the denial.
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Agree diamond, that’s why I’ve chosen not to engage him. Way too off the wall. At least all the Rizzotti backers have a reason to discuss. He’s just trying to get under peoples skin. Stop engaging him and he will go away
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So, Dobbs DH’s and 0-4 with 2 strikeouts, might take a while for the rhythm and timing to return given regular playing time, maybe he gets called up August 30. I say he should play 3B, however, this is the way to increase his utility and to enable the moving of Castro if need be. The call for the immediate insertion of Mayberry and moving of Castro now crowd, illustrates they don’t think out roster moves in depth, because they say that the versatility of Polanco enables this move, position-wise, but in order to move Polanco to SS or 2B, one would have to move the only reserve Infielder in their scenario, Valdez to 3B to do so, and if some other Infielder was injured there would be no defensively adept Infielder available in that scenario. And a roster should always have a couple of options for each position albeit with players covering multiple positions theoretically. Such a roster would also remove the use of Valdez for the most part unless starting, and I still see no indication that Mayberry would be any more likely to deliver a base hit in a pinch hitting situation than Valdez would.
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New expression for Lehigh Valley people, if bad stuff happens like a tree falling on your car, you can say “I have BUMP luck”.
Congrats to Brown and save a place for the RIZ.
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The National’s organization threw a ringer in against Rizzotti last night at Harrisburg in major league lefthander John Lannan. Rizzo got three at bats against him. He fought Lannan off in his first at bat and drove a single up the middle. Lannan got him the next two times when he tied him up on a fast ball to get a check swing strike out and broke a curve over the inside corner for a called strike three in the other at bat. Matt roped a hard hit ground ball up the middle that took a bounce over the shortstop for a base hit in his final at bat against a Senator lefthanded reliever. All in all not bad for big Rizzo at the plate against lefthanders.
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I feel like we are getting into Swindle territory again, mayberry isn’t a major league 4th outfielder, so please lets go on to guys who can play.
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No one has realy focussed here on what is a pretty interesting part of these moves. Had LV not acquired Aguila, Thompson would not have been demoted to Reading. Since Thompson was having maybe his most effective year ever at AAA, one wonders if he did something to aggravate someone in the organization?
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Chuck
Through the years it seems that a lot of phillies decision are driven by personal motives.
Start with F. Jenkins thru Cliff Lee but get a lot of paper you will need it.
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Brown’s promotion has thrown Readings batting lineup into mass confusion. Tonights line up 1)Thompson 2)Chavez (WTF?) 3)Sellers 4)Rizzotti 5)Spidale 6)Goeswhich 7)Galvis 8)Berry 9)Flande. Again no Tagg after being removed 2 games ago mid game as DH. Looks like Overbeck was told to take a seat after 2 weeks of very poor play. 3rd is being positioned by Sellers.
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My prediction on Overbeck proved correct. Brown with a slow start too hopefully he picks it up.
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Did I just see someone defend Carpenter with win-loss record and ERA? I didn’t know *those people* visited this site.
Anyway, congrats to Dom Brown! My favorite prospect for the past couple years running. I hope to see him in September, but I don’t like the chances of it actually happening.
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