TGIF. The boxes
GCL Phillies lost 2-0.
Williamsport won 7-3.
Lakewood suspended at 2-2.
Clearwater won 14-13.
Reading won 8-4.
Lehigh Valley lost 6-1.
3 notes
* Rizzotti 1/4 in his AAA debut
* Harold Garcia at .330/.407/.468 after 109 PA at 2A. Very impressive
* Kyrell Hudson has three consecutive 2 hit games. Progress!
Phuture Phillies 
It’s not often you see a blown save in a 14-13 game.
Big day for Ruf! It would be nice if he could hit .300 by the end of the year.
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Pettibone 6 IP, 6H, 2 ER, K, 2 BBs.
Bonilla 5IP, 3H, 1 ER, 2 Ks, 3 BBs
Sampson 5Ks in 2 IP.
Overbeck 2 -4; hit in 4 straight; batting .385 in Aug.
Santana 0-4; 4Ks
Galvis 0-4; 3 Ks. He’s been red hot in August. Let’s see if he comes back and has a good game?
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singlelton about to dip below .300
WHat’s the consensus now? Not getting good pitches? First half was an aberration?
If he isnt getting good pitches because he is feared by the A- pitchers, isnt that a good reason to bring him up? I know he can work on his plate discipline and he is still young… but certainly as hot as he was early in the year, he has been just as cold
Pre AllStar Break: .373 avg, .672 slg, 9 hr 41 RBI in 134 AB
post Break: .233 avg, .329 slg 3 hr 21 rbi 146 ab
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also. should add his k/bb ratio hasnt changed which maybe isnt bad? Even though he is not getting on base, he isnt striking out more
pre: 22bb, 26 k
post 25 bb, 27k
still having a great year.. all of the league leaders have many more AB and are mostly 23-24 years old which is obviously is too old for A- ball, while Singelton is 19
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In Singleton’s case it would appear that his numbers are normalizing after an unsustainable start. His walks are slightly elevated but not at a high enough rate to indicate that he isn’t getting pitched to anymore.
More likely, he’s example #38,230 of why sample size matters when evaluating players who go through offensive hot streaks. No doubt example #38,231 will be Matt Rizzotti.
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Dave –
I’ll echo what 3up said. He’s just cooled off. The fact that he is still drawing walks is an encouraging sign, as in the fact that he is still 18 (I think). He’s a bonafide, top 3 prospect for me.
– Jeff
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I am sure Singleton is a bit worn out from the grind of his 1st professional season as well. Let’s see if he gets a bump come playoff time. My guess is he will and finish strong.
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Now that Rizzotti’s batting .250 with no power in AAA, can we all admit that he’s not a prospect?
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I have to say that Williamsport C Cameron Rupp has quietly impressed so far this year. His avg is a bit low but his overall power numbers have really impressed, especially in the NY/PENN league.
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It will be interesting to see if Biddle makes baseball americas prospect hot sheet this week. May made it last week and could possibly make it again. I read that Singleton was getting caught up in his own hype.
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Sorry, thist mrssage not
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WPT- Kyrell Hudson- after a few days off from the OF collision with Altherr then the 2 hit games start coming. Altherr though not seeming damaged whatsoever in that collision still has not played since that game (Friday,last)/ Miguel Alvarez has not played for a couple games also, so maybe there is an injury there. Spot filled by minor league veteran , newly signed, Drew Rundle (born in ’87) . Another newly signed veteran, Ryne White has played some at 1B spelling Jeffrey Cusick, who though hitting around .232 is 5th on the team in Batting Average, On Base Percentage, and Slugging Percentage.
2nd day in a row with HomeRun for DH/C Jeff Lanning. Leads team with 7 HR’s leading Cameron Rupp and Domingo Santana with 4 each. Rupp Looks good on offense and defense, looks to have good balance and maybe he can hit for contact and average at some point, then they’ll have something. Lanning and Rupp can fill some of the Lakewood Catching next season it looks like.
Julian Sampson with a couple innings in relief and 4 K’s , or something, doesn’t look like openings for starters in the up above Lakewood, but maybe he can gain some starts at Williamsport before the end of season and move up next season.
GCL- Kelly Dugan playing in CF, looks like a regular , taking over for UDFA, Bill Rice. OF regulars stil not hitting much (Geancarlo Mendez, LF, Luis Unda/ Luis Beltre RF) looks like room to place some new signees from this season’s draft.
Patrick Murray regular at 1B/ with Chris Duffy at DH. Mexican signee Angel Chavarin caught. Looks like 4 young catching prospects splitting playing time , with each having some , but limited success. None getting real playing time, interesting to see if any or more go to the less experienced pool for Instructional League.
Lakeood – new signee Keoni Ruth playing at 2B lately, with the fairly well hitting Alan Scheonberger at SS, Jeremy Barnes at 3B(maybe groomed for utility role) Buschini still injured. Current Pecking Order for OF, Jiwan James, Leandro Castro, Michael Dabbs, Anthony Hewitt.
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The Braves had some decent LH pitching last night. Small sample size would be making any judgments re: Rizz or others on the basis of a single evening.
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i agree on garcia…very impressive. he looks like a major league prospect. steady and consistent, which is what they want to see. not sure he is going to be an mlb all star, but a polanco type player is hugely valuable. would be great if he can be that type of player.
as for the rizzotti move, i think that it basically signals that they will call him up in september or sooner if there is an injury. AAA is filled with former mlb pitchers. so this is about getting him ready.
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Was Rupp a 4-year college guy? If so, I might like to see him go to Clearwater next year. Of course, I don’t know what you do with Valle then, who really can’t do a third year at Lakewood.
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Rupp is a 3 year college guy
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Nunez pitched well but GCL Phils fell 2-0-still at 22-18 leading northern division. Let’s give Matt Rizzotti a shot at aaa ball before condemning him. Phils could use a backup 3b.
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“not sure he is going to be an mlb all star, but a polanco type player is hugely valuable. would be great if he can be that type of player.”
Polanco is an MLB all star. I’m pretty sure he started at second base twice in the midsummer classic for the AL when he was with Detroit.
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Of course, I meant Phils could use backup 1b with Ryan Howard hurt. Good luck to Mike Sweeney!
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That will be interesting with Rupp/Valle next year. Rupp is 2 years older but you think Valle would need to move up.
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Rizz’ fourth AB last night was a long shot to left-center. Huppert said in Reading it would have been out of the park. Give him minute to adjust, and he’ll be hitting the trough in right in no time. Hopefully. Plus, he (and Worley) are about the only reason I have for continuing to go to the games.
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Rizzotti, outside his first AB, which was a broken bat dribbler. Rizzotti hit the ball well last night, his 2nd AB was a line drive to CF which went about 360…
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****That will be interesting with Rupp/Valle next year. Rupp is 2 years older but you think Valle would need to move up.****
Seems like a waste to stick a 23 year old Rupp in Lakewood for the year though. He looks like a guy that could easily jump a level to A+
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Agree on Valle. I think he is doing well enough at A-. Needs to move up. So that’s a problem.
But there are strategies and options. First, either one could go to XST for a few weeks to focus solely on some part of their game that can vault them forward as players. Next, you can juggle a bit. Let’s say keep Valle in XST for a few weeks of April, let him go to Lakewood to get started, then bring him up to Clearwater in June. By that time Rupp will need some breaks and they can swap DH and C. They can also get them started with some IF practice or taking fly balls to get them a little versatile at 1B (Rupp) and LF (Valle). I think they will have to get a little cute with something like this, if not what I said.
Naughton, hopefully is ready to go to Reading, so we can see if his .300 hitting is for real. That should allow them to split June, July, August between Valle and Rupp. in some way. But it will be a challenge. Neither should be at Lakewood for any length of time in 2011, IMO.
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Polanco is a fabulous player – you don’t even realize how good and important to the team he is until you watch him play for a while. We could sure use another guy like that because, when he (Polanco) and Rollins were out, the offense stopped cold and the more I watch the team, the more certain I become that the stoppage was due mostly to their absences as well as the temporarily loss of the deceptively valuable Carlos Ruiz, a player who, amazingly, is now a borderline all-star.
I agree with comments that Garcia could begin as a supersub and move up from there. It makes an awful lot of sense.
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Wanted to emphasize a point I made in last post: Phils seem to be very successful in instructing players in FIL and XST. (Altherr, Inch, Singleton, Shreve have all put in good time there.) Sometimes for a younger player or even an older one with a glaring weakness, intensive focus on one part of their game can be more valuable than just getting in unfocused ABs in April/May. So if Valle defense or Rupp’s pitch recognition of hitting breaking pitches need work, why not give them a month doing that. It’s a long season for the guys who just turn pro, and teams recognize this and sit guys a lot in mid and late season, so you don’t actually lose much by doing this.
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Would it be crazy to vault Rupp to Reading like they did with Stutes and Worley last year? I mean, as a 3 year college catcher at a major program, he could be considered to already have enough experience to jump the rest of A ball.
Thoughts?
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****valuable Carlos Ruiz, a player who, amazingly, is now a borderline all-star. ****
Borderline? His OPS is only 24 points lower than Joe Mauer’s…and most metrics have him as a better defender overall. If you look at guys with over 250 PAs, he’s in the Top 10 in AVG and OBP and Top 30 in OPS…in the Majors.
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That should say, In the NL for the Top 10, not the Majors. Sorry, back to prospect talk now.
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My understanding of Rupp is that he has a great make-up, a good arm, and lots of power potential. However, he needs to refine his approach at the plate and is not a finished product defensively. Hence I think AA is unlikely for him next year.
It’s going to depend a lot on how they perform next Spring, but I would bet a lot of dough that Valle starts at Clearwater next year. That makes me think it is likely Rupp will be at Lakewood to start the season (although I suppose he could start in XST as someone suggested. That seems like a waste, though). It will probably play out that they end up sharing catching duties at some point during the season in Clearwater.
In my head I liken Rupp to the Red Sox’s catching prospect Tim Federowicz. He was a college guy, good defender, potential with the bat. They started him out in the NYPL following the draft then his first full year he played half the year in A- and half the year in A+. While in A-, he split catching duties with another prospect. It can be done and not be detrimental to a players’ development.
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****It will probably play out that they end up sharing catching duties at some point during the season in Clearwater. ****
That kinda worries me as it really seemed to screw up both D’Arnaud and Valle when they tried that with them last year in Lakewood. Neither one had good success till Valle was demoted to Williamsport and D’Arnaud became the everyday catcher for Lakewood.
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What’s wrong with Valle moving to Clearwater and letting Rupp start at Lakewood? If Rupp jumps out and looks too good for the level, move him up after 150 abs.
Having two catchers at Clearwater shouldn’t be that hard to manage. One can DH, while the other catches. Let Valle play some games at 3rd base.
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I was trying to compliment Chooch – not put him down or damn him with faint praise. Remember that this has been his best year by far and his ABs are low. Also, for better or worse, he hasn’t yet been named to an AS game, although that may be coming soon. In any event, I think his evolution has been amazing. From borderline second base prospect, to late blooming minor league prospect, to borderline major leaguer, to good defense no hit, to, well, a hell of a player and a gem in the number 8 spot. That’s all on that – as it is off topic for this site.
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On Rupp, I’d send him to Lakewood and see what happens. There’s no reason to rush him. If he dominates, they can move him up. What’s the rush? Chooch isn’t going anywhere.
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If I can be permitted a brief digression to follow up on the Ruiz comments, I like him a lot, he is underrated, and is having a heck of a season. But an all star he is not. I tend to be a little skeptical of valuing players by WAR, but in this case I think the Fangraphs rankings have it about right: a respectable 5th this year among NL catchers, with the caveat that he might be a little higher but for time lost to injury.
I will say this: say what you will about Amaro’s contract negotiating skills (the one area where I to some extent join in the criticism), but the Ruiz contract is looking brilliant at this point. He will likely “earn” the entire guaranteed value of his contract (3 years) THIS YEAR ALONE. And the Phillies then have a cheap option for the 4th year, which would otherwise have been a FA year.
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Agree I’d start Rupp at Lakewood and evaluate in-season. When Stutes and Worley were jumped, it was a double jump. Moving Rupp to Reading would be a triple-jump. Not sure I’ve ever seen that.
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I don’t understand why Rupp, who is batting .246, with a home run every 30 at bats or so and a strikeout every 5 at bats or so in a league that he is really too old for, should merit any promotion beyond the next level (Lakewood). It would be a different story if he were tearing up the league, but I can’t see any reason to promote him beyond Lakewood to start next year. Those who are suggesting Reading because of his age; why not just bring him up to the Philadelphia Phillies already?
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Rupp’s OPS is above average for that league, and he is an advanced college player. That is the reason there is debate about where Rupp should be placed. Rupp is hitting better than the catchers that were taken ahead of him. Kvasnicka and Gibbs aren’t adjusting to wood bats as easily.
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James has way to many strikeouts, and not much power. t will be interesting to see how he handles Clearwater.
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Rupp wasn’t hitting for a high average in college either. Lakewood is the appropriate level for him to start 2011, but due to his age, I wouldn’t really call that a “promotion”. Valle should start next year in Clearwater, along with most of the Blueclaws.
How about Chase Numata- the other catcher we drafted? Should he start at Williamsport next season? Or since he’s a conversion project, should he get more catching experience first? What about James Klocke? Seems like we really boosted our organizational catching depth with this draft.
I take it the LSU kid is unlikely to sign…since he’d take high 6 figures, I’m not sure that money couldn’t be better spent elsewhere. I like Brenton Allen and all the pitchers. Palka seems like a beast, but he’s virtually a lock to go to Georgia Tech.
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Rupp had been known as a great handler of pitchers at his Texas college. He also has a strong arm. He had plenty of long-ball power there but has had a stiff, left(?) upper arm in his swing which has made him vulnerable to inside pitches.
The coaches are concentrating on correcting this issue which could take a little time since habits are hard to break. Ultimately, he promises to be a .265 hitter with power for 20 HRs/year.
The phils do and should love the value of a superior defensive catcher who calls a good game AND has the vital ingredient of being well able to “handle” his buddy on the mound.
Because of this skill set, and the coach-ability factor (supposedly very coachable), it is likely he’ll be on the 25 in 3 years…or 4 at most.
A worthy successor to Chooch.
On Chooch: Before he was injured early in this season after just a few games, he had shown his hitting ability as a continuation of his late season hitting success of ’09.
Since he is now healthy (?), he has shown himself to be a vital hitter at the lineup’s bottom. Right now, he SHOULD be hitting #6, because of Ibanez’ move to the first third and Werth’s spotty record hitting 4th. Even after Vic returns, Chooch should hit no lower than 7th… while Vic gets himself back in hitting form.
The value of Chooch is his day by day handling of pitchers, his pretty accurate and strong throwing arm, and his handling of pitches in the dirt better than any orther catcher I’ve seen this season.
A guy with those qualities hitting near .300, and being one of the team’s best clutch hitters, surely, to me, qualifies him for All-Star status.
Can anybody cite many other catchers who now have ALL of these qualities? Tough to do.
He is a vital cog…Glad to see him there for at least 2 more years.
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On the Singleton discussion at top of thread: I am getting more concerned buy the day. First, I have no doubt he is a masher and will hit for power and average. Also, he clearly has precocious plate discipline. That’s a combo that will succeed. But to go from hitting .409 in May to .300 in June to .255 in July, to .118 in August (17 ABs only)–with little or no upswings–that’s a bad sign. The .409 to .300 was expected, buy his chart is a downslope getting worse and worse by the week. Also, his BABIPs are in .469 in May, in .305 in June, .287 in July, and .182 in August.
My concern is this: The BABIP downslope could be a tired bat. Maybe the shock of playing every day has smacked him in the face. He’s only 18 and this is his first long year. But he is a sturdy guy and you would think he has a few down weeks, gets his second wind and mashes again for a time, maybe a couple cycles like that. Not necessarily unreal mashing, as in May, but just plain good hitting.
So I don’t think length of season explains such a relentless downward trend.
Factors I can think of:
–Losing patience and swinging at too many pitcher’s pitches
–Just plain pitchers going after him like he was Babe Ruth
–Saw a few comments his early success may have led to overconfidence, so maybe a creeping attitude change to a kind of arrogance and then frustration when his success just dropped out
These and the long season probably explain it all/ My point is that he will have to grow as a hitter and as a person to become a truly standout hitter again. Really reevaluate what’s going on, how he can approach pitchers realistically and not arrogantly, etc. And when you get into the human psyche, there are no guarantees.
I’m not panicking on him. I’m guessing he will have a good year at Clearwater next year and remain a top prospect. But he has some hard work to do to reverse this. How long will it take him to turn this experience into a positive. That’s my concern.
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Singleton has hit a wall…he is 19…he is not use to playing this long…if he is having issues like this two years from now in Reading then I might worry
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i agree i think he will be fine, and he doesnt even turn 19 till next month so he is really young for the SAL
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On Bastardo.
Look, I can ignore minor league relief pitcher performances as well as the next guy, but, come one, after a while, when a guy never lets in a run, barely ever gives up a hit and strikes out like 14 or 15 guys per 9 innings, you really have to pay attention if your major league relievers are struggling. They need to bring this guy up again as they are wasting his talent and perhaps even losing occasional games by not having him play on the big league club. The time is now.
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It boggles the mind that people are panicking on Singleton.
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Bastardo WOULD look good in the pen.
If it is a matter of who goes: it would be an appropriate time to acknowledge the Baez mistake and let him go.
Romero has been horrid of late. Bastardo could be his “assistant.” Now.
Makes sense certainly for these final weeks of the season, IF they are determined to keep Herndon.
Shifting sands.
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Indeed, it does boggle the mind that people are panicking on Singleton. Sooner or later he was going to struggle, somewhere. The Phillies, as an organization, have a philosophy that they LIKE their minor leaguers to go through periods where they struggle so that their first struggles are not in the big leagues and they learn how to work through their problems. Singleont’s current issues are just a blip on the radar screen. If he’s hitting .240 next June in Clearwater, then, maybe, I’ll be concerned, but, short of that, I’m just looking to see how he’ll adjust. HE IS ONLY 18 YEARS OLD, PEOPLE – HE IS NOT A MACHINE AND HE IS NOT A SEASONED PROFESSIONAL YET. GIVE HIM TIME!
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“It boggles the mind that people are panicking on Singleton.”
Not single person in this thread panicked. You are overreacting.
I wrote:
“I’m not panicking on him. I’m guessing he will have a good year at Clearwater next year and remain a top prospect. But he has some hard work to do to reverse this. How long will it take him to turn this experience into a positive. That’s my concern.”
To repeat: The reversal has been extreme and there might be a number of factors concerned. He has work to do to progress. No reason to think he won’t do it, but, he will have to do some hard work to move to a more effective perspective on hitting and tbe more consistent through the season. Same with Aumont. Tons of potential, but hit a major roadblock. Now he has to dig himself out. I think he will. I think your statement was totally uncalled for.
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Oh yeah, agreed that Baez is a mistake. IMO, the team cannot carry both the unproductive Baez and the still extremely green David Herndon. All things being equal, they should probably cut their losses and just release Baez. But, either way, they have to make some adjustments in the bullpen and they’ve got all these guys in AAA, some of whom are, or shortly will be, better than several of their big leaguers. It’s getting to the point where the whole picture really makes very little sense. I’ve said before that, on occasion, they can be really slow in their promotions of players – well, this is one of those instances – see Exhibit A . . . Bastardo.
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With Brown up, Cosart hurt, and Colvin pitching so well I am saying we have a new number 1, thus:
Colvin
Cosart
Singleton
May
James
Valle
Biddle
Gilles
Santana
Defratus
Worley
Schwimmer
Alther
Dugan
Shreve
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i like colvin at 1 his last 4 or 5 box scores all say 5ip 0 er…cosart 2 …singleton 3…may 4…and alot of debating after…lol…james and santana havent sold me yet…i m liking alther more just on results…i like hyatt and worley and maybe defratus in top 10…mathieson valle and rizzotti in top 15
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What no love for Worley?? He is 22/23 and he is having a great year. So far doing well at AAA. He probably will get a call up in Sept along with pitchers Carpenter, Mathieson, Bastardo, and Zagurski. I say move him up maybe 4 spots. I would put Hyatt in the top 15. Kind of mad he is not going to AA this year but I guess Phils have to make decisions on what they have in Flande, Naylor, and Cisco.
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The idea that Hyatt is not currently better than at least one of Flande, Naylor, and Cisco is laughable and, to my mind, he clearly has more upside than any of these players. Hyatt is the true dark horse in the system right now. The player who everyone overlooks who, one day, may end up as an effective #3 in the big leagues. The same can be said of Worley.
Anyone who writes on this blog and takes the position that we have nobody in the system just isn’t paying attention. There are a lot of good arms with several big league ready relievers and starters who will be ready in rapid fire, beginning, I think, with Worley. On top of that there are plenty of OF prospects and at least two bona fide catchers and corner infielders. Only middle infield is thin.
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kphilly: agree Flande, Naylor, Cisco have to be evaluated. I would say Flande has the edge if they protect any of these three. But Rizzotti, Garcia, and DeFratus must be protected before all three. If Naylor and/or Cisco are in their Rule 5 year, the Phils should roll the dice on them, just protect them on AAA roster. Sanchez and Worley need to be protected too. I value Carpenter less than any of these, but he is more likely to get picked, so maybe you protect him too. Somebody else will have to go off the 40-man to protect these guys, I think. They also have a lot invested in Herndon now. Maybe Dobbs and/or Mayberry go off the 40-man, although Dobbs and Polanco are our only real 3B guys. There will be some tough decisions, a tight roster crunch, but I am hoping Phils protect all the guys with upside over the more advanced fringe prospects.
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Singleton as much as said he is a little homesick.
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Sidbream,
I like your top 15, but I would replace Schwimer and Schreve, with Ramirez and Aumont. JC Ramirez is having a better time at AA than Worley had last year at the same age. From all accounts, he has better stuff than Worley. Aumont is the age of a college Junior and didn’t play much HS baseball. I think he still has a chance. Shreve has room to be better, but he is older than Aumont at a lower level.
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Gulf Coast Phillies rolling-24-18 -lead Northern Division. Lendy Castillo WP v. Blue Jays.
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Rizzotti belongs around 10-12, I can’t believe you left him out of the top 15
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Diamond Derby – Dobbs will be gone after this season when his contract ends. That will leave room to protect a minor leaguer on the 40 man roster. And guys who are entering free agency will not be on the 40 either. Guys like Werth and Durbin and even Sweeney won’t be on the 40 at rule 5 time. There will be lots of spots to protect the kids. They often work out deals to re-sign guys like Sweeney and Durbin before the rule 5 then actually sing the contract after.
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Wouldn’t it be cool of they actually did “sing” contracts. But I meant “sign.”
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Bastardo needs to go up. 0 walks 0 runs in his last 10 appearances. Problem is phils want to keep Herndon and Baez is owed like 3.5 mil.
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Catch 22 … I have never seen it written that Hyatt has the upside of a number 3 starter. From all the accounts I’ve read, his stuff projects to middle relief, maybe back end of the rotation. What do you base your future number 3 starter on?
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On Hyatt: The recent milb write-up sounded like he has 3 legit pitches. His FB is just avg but slider and changeup sounded good. He is older but his peripherals are great. I would tend to agree that a Carpenter/Worley projection is more likely than say Ramirez/Happ estimate but his still has two years before he needs to be protected. 2011 at Reading will be his real test. If he is go there then 2012 at LHV and he is a controllable experienced pitcher in long relief for 3 years.
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I’m sure PP will have a post specifically about the 40-man near Sept 1 but it will be interesting.
Bumping Worley to the 40-man was dumb. (Though I assume it was done as trade bait. To bad Ed did not fall for it. Certainly would have preferred Happ, Rizzotti, Worley to the package Phils gave up.)
Herndon needs to go on the 60-day DL which will be tough to do if he never pitches. Some better step on his hand. Baez is stuck with his contract with the hope he might improve next season. Relievers are very unpredictable. I agree Bastardo needs to get called up NOW. Then Mathieson and Zagurski on Sept 1.
In order, I think Mayberry then Brown then Dobbs get removed as Howard, Victorino, and Utley return. (Sweeney is only other option.) I assume Dobbs or Ransom would have to be recalled 9/1 for INF depth taking up a 40-man spot. Last spot goes to a 3rd C? Moyer could go to 60day DL.
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If i remember correctly Herndon has enough time, all the phils would have to do is invent some injury (i.e. muscle strain while holding back a sneeze) and put him on the DL for the rest of the year. Correct me if im wrong, but I think that he has been here long enough that a DL stint would allow the phils to keep him.
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What do you base Dugan being in top 15 on??? Because he was drafted second? Santana is based on what age? just asking because right now dont see why
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Just an fyi, Dugan has had a nice couple of games this past week. Let’s hope that is a sign of things to come!!
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Wouldn’t it be nice if Richie Brockleman’s kid could actually play? (Dugan)
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exactly two months since the first round of the baseball draft, and Phillies scouting director Marti Wolever is still at work trying to sign as many of the team’s 50 selections as he can.
Wolever said the Phillies have signed eight of their first 10 picks, including their top four selections. He is hopeful that deals for fifth-round selection Scott Frazier and ninth-round pick Brenton Allen can be reached before the midnight Aug. 16 deadline.
“I think we’re close with both of them in terms of our relationship with them, and dollar-wise we’re in the ballpark,” Wolever said. “I think it’s just going to come down to a family decision with both of them.”
Frazier, a righthanded pitcher from Upland High School in Southern California , must decide between the Phillies and a scholarship to Pepperdine University. Allen, an outfielder from Gahr High School in Southern California , has a scholarship to UCLA.
Wolever said there are five other players the team has followed closely this summer in the hope they can get them signed. That list includes 20th-round pick Kevin Walter, 21st-round pick Jonathan Musser, 22d-round pick Jonathan Paquet, 28th-round pick Brian Pointer, and 38th-round pick Keenyn Walker.
Walter, Musser, and Paquet are all righthanded pitchers. Pointer and Walker are outfielders.
read this on the draft
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/100176889.html#ixzz0vxox9WrL
Watch sports videos you won’t find anywhere else
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You hear that “invent some injury” thing a lot. But my understanding is that while that kind of thing isn’t closely scrutinized, you can’t really get away with totally inventing something – basically any real injury will do, even if it isn’t the knind of thing that would normally mean a DL stint, but you need something.
Or am I wrong?
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Worley’s not having a good night in the early going giving up 4 earned in the 1st
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You can’t say he broke his arm if its clearly obvious that he didn’t, but who is going to argue with something like a sore elbow. Teams do this stuff all the time, Latos tried not to sneeze, Strasburg couldnt get loose, and whats his name hurt his forearm playing guitar hero or something.
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A few things I’ve read recently
Tyson Gillies will be activated soon and will play in the florida instructional league and the arizona fall league. He is 90 percent ready to go says Chuck LaMar. He also stated he don’t know where Gillies will start once he is activated.
On Freddy Galvis and NL scout who wants to remain nameless said that he think Freddy will never be a quality hitter in the majors and compared him to Mets extra man Ramiro Pena, but did say his gove was all star caliber.
LaMar’s response was that Galvis was expected to hit in between .230 and .240 this year and is on target. Will likely start in Reading again next year. He also has conceeded that Galvis will not become an outstanding offensive player.
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Sorry Sid, can’t take a top 15 minus Ramirez, Aumont and Julio Rodriguez too seriously. Look at Rodriguez’s numbers across W’port and Lakewood this year – two weeks younger than Colvin with better ERA/WHIP/K rate/GO-AO. The only thing missing on the kid is a scouting report. If he’s got any kind of fastball, he’s a top 5 prospect.
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I think its time to move Hyatt up to Reading to finish the season.
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Rodriguez is one of the more under rated prospects on this site. You’re right. If he has a decent fastball and breaking ball, his numbers and age make him a top prospect.
I can’t get excited about Hyatt. All reports I’ve read suggest to me he is an older pitcher fooling younger batters with a change up, and nothing else. If he was LH, I’d have more hope for him. Another Cisco.
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Rizzotti on base all 4 times tonight in his second AAA game. 2-2 with a 2rbi double, a single, walk, and HBP, plus a BONUS SB…
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Nope Peco he’s not a prospect and he’s too old for AAA now.
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Gload weakly grounds out with bases loaded against K-Rod…Just wondering what Rizzotti might have done there….
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Let him AAA for a bit and then bring him up
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jolio rodriguez- 85-88 mph fb, 69-74 curve
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Tom – to me, strikeouts are a big thing and Austin Hyatt strikes out batters . . . a lot of batters. I also heard last year that his FB was actually in the low to mid 90s.
Mind you, I am not saying he WILL be a #3. I am saying he is a darkhorse and sometimes these types of players go relatively unnoticed for long periods of time and just keep surprising you. Happ was like this as well . . . he just kept getting better and snuck up on us.
I would still project Hyatt to be a long-relief guy or a #5, but I think he has some surprise in him. We’ll know much, much more once he gets an extended look in AA. Just keep an eye on him – that’s all I’m really trying to say.
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Hyatt throws as hard as 94 on occasion, and sits around 91. He has a GREAT change-up. Don’t know why that won’t play as he moves up the ladder.
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Peco,
We all are on the Rizzoti bandwagon but Gload is a much better hitter then he is. Maybe you will see him in 2011. Don’t see this yr. I think the call-ups in Sept will be
hitters: C – Sardinha, inf Ransom, Dobbs (if Chase comes back by 9/1), of Mayberry and Brown.
pitchers: Carpenter, Worley, Mathieson, Bastardo, and Zagurski
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“Much better” is a rather strong statement kphilly. What I believe Peco was saying, is that he was “curious” as too what Rizz may have done in that situation…I will be the first(probably not the first) to say that I believe Rizz will be part of the 40 man expansion come the 1st of September, and he will have his chance, just as the “Much better” hitting Gload did tonight
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Time for Eric Pettis to move up.
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Never heard that Hyatt throws 94. Everything that I ever saw, said he is a 87-91 pitcher. Have heard that he has a great change up, but no breaking ball. Being a RH pitcher, he won’t be able to throw that to advanced RH batters consistently. If he was LH, that change up would be intriguing.
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Naylor- yeah, this just might be his rule 5 year, considering he has been on the 40 man roster the last 2 offfseasons. Also on, J. Sanchez, Flande, others. And like was said above when the Free Agents (Werth, Contreras, Durbin, Dobbs (from likely non-tender) J.C. Romero (from likely option buy out, and a couple more hangers on they could bounce (Carpenter, Mayberry), so there will be plenty of room to add all the “must adds” in the offseason.
September 1 call-ups, not as much room, One current opening, moving Moyer to 60 day DL, a wise choice for now considering the lack of need for all the starters in the possible playoffs, maybe they recall some long injured minor leaguers (E. Wasserman, Concepcion) and move them to 60 day DL, to make it four openings and maybe what I would do is bounce Carpenter to bring up somebody better.
Note : Ramiro Pena is the Yankees reserve SS not the Mets, and if Galvis is that, what is wrong with that. Everytime I have seen Pena hit he has showed ability to get hits , including 2 hits yesterday against Red Sox, and all the other times I have seen him. Maybe it is the lack of playing time with Jeter, A-Rod, Cano, etc, that is a factor.
Perhaps people should tone down the direct comparisons of players who bat around 5 times a game with players who bat around once every 2 weeks. Also, I believe the LaMar quote was not exactly that Galvis would repeat AA next season, but that he might or if he did was the meaning.
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****Gload weakly grounds out with bases loaded against K-Rod…Just wondering what Rizzotti might have done there….****
These are the kind of comments that kill me on this site.
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Alex Concepcion is not “long injured”. He was placed on the DL in the neighborhood of two weeks ago
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Eric Pettis moving up? thing. Looks like you finally got around to reading the Williamsport cumulative season stats. Pettis was a starter for a time and did well, then they became concerned he was getting too many innings from College and starting so they moved him to the bullpen. As far as moving up , I’d say wait till after the next Spring Training.
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actually EXACTLY 2 weeks ago Concepcion was placed on the DL. 7/25
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That depends on what your definition of long is. If Alex Concepcion stays injured past September 1, then they could recall him and place him on the MLB 60 day DL and thereby open another spot on the MLB 40 man roster, which was the original topic addressed.
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Not to mention that the Minor League DL list is a 7 day disabled list, so he stayed longer than his allotted time.
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I think we can be pretty certain that Rizzotti would have hit a grand slam. He probably would have paused on his way around the bases to do something kindly for disabled children and war widows, too. He is the greatest hitter in the history of hitters and the only thing preventing him from making the short trip from Lehigh Valley to Cooperstown is the recalcitrance and incompetence of Rube and his stooges.
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Pettis has done well but he probably will spend the time at Williamsport. If Lakewood needs some extra arms for the playoffs…maybe.
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Agree with Mike77. A 24 year old fooling single A hitters doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. That being said, i look forward to seeing what he can do in AA
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Marfis-
Of the nine players placed on the DL this year by Lehigh Valley, ONE has spent just the minimum on the DL. One who considers two weeks a long time must also consider Ozzie Chavez to be a major league player. This argument is clearly not worth any more of my time.
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Julio Rodriguez is the prospect that confuses me. I know above it was stated that his fastball sits 85-88 mph, where did that come from? His K rates are insane for a 19 year old and I just can’t believe he’s throwing that slow. Sometimes you see a “crafty” college pitcher with below average stuff do this but he’s still so young.
Here is part of BA’s 2008 draft preview on him:
“Righthander Julio Rodriguez sat at 83-86 mph earlier in the year, but touched 90 in May and reportedly has been as high as 92”
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As for the Hyatt comment, at least one publication who follows minor leaguers noted last year that Hyatt was touching the mid-90s on his FB (I am sorry that I cannot recall the precise source or sources), a definite improvement over what he had been doing in college.
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Interesting that the Phillies would deliberately hold back a 24 year old pitcher that throws mid 90’s and strikes out hitters. Doesn’t seem to add up. Eh..
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the 08 scouting video on Rodriguez has him sitting at 89. Im guessing hes added a couple of ticks to that.
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I like where your heads at CatStoker!
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The more likely reason that Hyatt has stayed in A ball so long is they probably have him working on his breaking ball. He probably has “touched” 94, but he was a relief pitcher last year. As a starter he would pitch at a lower velocity. The lower velocity, along with breaking ball in progress, equals A ball.
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Only thing you missed CatStoker is that he would have made a majestic pointed to the stands to call his shot prior to hitting the tape-measure grand slam.
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