Monthly Archives: July 2010

On rotation spot designations, upside, and velocity

Other Stuff

The most common question I get when people e-mail me is “What do you think of pitcher X” or “what is pitcher X’s upside”. I figured that this would be a good spot for me to talk a bit about how I look at pitchers, what I focus on, and why, and then to also talk a little about my theory on starting pitching designations in the majors. Hopefully this will answer some questions that people have, or just serve as a good discussion on player evaluation. So check below and we’ll get started.

Continue reading On rotation spot designations, upside, and velocity →

July DSL Update

1. VSL/DSL

The DSL Phillies have now completed a little more than half of their season and stand at 21-19 after 40 games, in 5th place, 3.5 games behind the Yankees and the Giants.  The Phillies are in a new division this year which appears to be more difficult, with big spending teams such as the Yankees, Mets, and Marlins among their competition.

The 2010 Phillies are not the youngest squad in the league, but they have seen some positive performances from younger players.  The better prospects in the Latin American complex leagues tend to be the younger players age 17-19 that are holding their own performance-wise.  The Phillies hitters average 18.9 years old, slightly older than the league average of 18.2.  The pitchers average 19.2 years old, again slightly older than the league average of 18.8. Continue reading July DSL Update →

July 16 Discussion

Box Score Recap

Happy Friday. Last night’s box scores

GCL Phillies lost 6-5.
Williamsport lost 2-1.
Lakewood won 6-5.
Clearwater lost 8-7.
Reading lost 3-2.
Lehigh Valley lost 8-7.

* Jiwan James extends his hitting streak
* JC Ramirez with a CG in the loss, 9 K and 0 BB. That makes 3 straight solid starts for him at AA
* Brody Colvin gives up 3 unearned runs, 0 earned, which makes 5 unearned runs in his last 2 starts. One wonders what his hit totals would look like if his defense behind him was a bit better. Still, his last 10 starts; 62 IP – 1.60 ERA – 37 H – 15 BB – 55 K – 1.25 GB/FB. Absurd. With the scouting reports indicating he’s been 93-95 this year and has hit 97 at times, I’d argue that he’s actually our best pitching prospect, just ahead of Cosart. If Cosart was 100% healthy, I might go the other way, but Colvin appears to be more refined with better secondary offerings, even if his fastball is a tick less than Cosart’s.

Tyson Gillies and Matt Rizzotti Mini Interviews

* Interviews

Tyson Gillies came to the Phillies along with Philippe Aumont and JC Ramirez in an offseason trade for Cliff Lee, sending the all-star to Seattle. Gillies has been hurt most of the year, which is disappointing because you can see during batting practice he has immense talent. Known to be a speedster who can get on base and steal, Gillies has some pop in his bat as well, able to hit HRs to all fields even with an elbow brace on. Thanks to Tyson for his time.

Check below the fold for the interviews

Continue reading Tyson Gillies and Matt Rizzotti Mini Interviews →

Transactions Update

Transactions

Quick update as I am out in Chicago for the Phils series against the Cubs and experiencing Wrigley for the first time…First Reading OF Quintin Berry was picked up by the San Diego organization after being designated for assignment by the Phils, who needed a 40 man roster spot.

Reliever Chad Durbin was activated by the Phils, returning the bullpen to full strength for the first time all season.  Nelson Figueroa was the victim of this activation, as I am sure the Phils hope he clears waivers and accepts an assignment to Lehigh Valley to continue to give them the insurance he has provided thus far.  Also, reliever Antonio Bastardo was activated and optioned to AAA Lehigh Valleym giving the ‘Pigs some interesting roster decisions coming up as well.

July 15 Open Discussion

Box Score Recap

Let’s look at last night’s results

GCL Phillies lost 7-2.
Williamsport won 2-0.
Lakewood won 6-2.
Clearwater lost 1-0.

A bunch of Phillies prospects were in the AA and AAA All Star Games. Drew Naylor had a night to forget.

* Jiwan James extended his hitting streak
* Biddle gave up 7 runs, but only 1 was earned!

Reading Report 6/29-7/14

6. Reading

Back after two weeks, the first complete period without Domonic Brown, who was the main reason for watching this team.

Without its star, Reading split the last two games in June, lost the first two in July, then went on a 7-game winning streak.  Arch nemesis Harrisburg terminated the streak, taking the last three games before the all-star break.

Continue reading Reading Report 6/29-7/14 →

July 14 Discussion Post

Box Score Recap

Here are the results, just two games last night

GCL Phillies won 2-1.
Williamsport won 7-4.

Welcome to the new phuturephillies.com

Site Info

This post will stay at the top of the website and serve as a quick guide for the re-design of the site. Take some time to explore and get accustomed to the new layout. If you’re finding the site for the first time, please read the site overview page by clicking here. If you have any other questions about the site, please send me an e-mail.

Site re-design

Maintenance

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m going to begin to overhaul the site, and you will notice lots of visual changes. Step 1 was changing to a different theme. I think this theme will work better because its cleaner and more sleek. Loyal reader “Rob H” was kind enough to design a custom header for the site, and I think it really is a unique and cool design. I’m going to be making lots of tweaks over the next few weeks/months, so if something seems out of place, it probably is. It may take some getting used to, but I think the cleaner look will end up making the site much more accessible and readable. So, hang with me while I make these design changes, and I hope everyone ultimately likes the finished product.

Update —>; I may as well put this here. I figured out two things tonight. I can remove the text ads that appear under posts, but its costs $30 for a year. I can also tweak the font size and some other aspects of the site, but that costs $15. I think I may hold off on one or both of these for now unless a few generous soles want to make a donation to cover the costs. Both features will eventually make their way onto the site.

Update #2 –> The ads should now be gone. If someone can confirm this, someone who noticed them before under the “possibly related posts” that would be great. Thanks.