August 26th Discussion

Box Score Recap

We’re back. Now with box scores.

GCL Phillies won 3-2.
Williamsport lost 4-3 and lost 4-1.
Lakewood lost 5-3.
Clearwater lost 2-1.
Reading won 4-2.
Lehigh Valley lost 5-0.

At least Austin Hyatt pitched well….

44 thoughts on “August 26th Discussion”

  1. I would have liked to see Aaron Altherr get more at-bats this season at Williamsport. Altherr had nearly the same slash line as Dom Brown in the GCL at age 18. This year, at age 19, he has the same slash line as Brown in Williamsport. Both sample sizes are smaller in proportion, but he has good numbers and has performed better than expected.
    Top 15-20

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  2. Feel good story: old friend Knapp is back with 9 shutout innings in two games.

    Velasquez (2-9, 3.49) What a line! Makes you think someone made a mistake.

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  3. Knapp is alive? Good for him. Anyone found Josh Outman yet? He fell off the face of the earth last summer after TJ surgery and hasn’t been heard of since.

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  4. Overbeck continues to be hot. Is he settled in at AA or just a hot streak? Someone mentioned yesterday that he seems to be all about the HRs and his average is down because of it. He’s got power. You can’t deny it but will he hit for average?

    I wonder if Overbeck will go to the AFL? Anyone heard anything on who might be sent to AZ?

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  6. I’m just happy Overbeck’s average is back above Galvis’. That is the stat I have been watching with those two.

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  7. From ESPN (August 22, 2010)
    News: Outman (elbow) is throwing from the mound at Oakland’s minor league complex, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
    Spin: Outman hopes to pitch for the A’s in September. He’s been sidelined since last June after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

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  9. Gotta be excited about Aaron Altherr’s season. Since promoted to W-Port, he’s drawing more walks and striking out less while making the same consistent contact he made in the GCL. Definitely one to watch next year at Lakewood.

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  12. I’ll third on Hyatt. I was certainly one to discount his performance at Clearwater due to age, but I feel better about him now. Sure doesn’t have a great ERA, but does have some nice peripherals … few hits than IP and more K’s than IP. Way too many walks, so hopefully just some adjustment nerves. Important thing to me is he’s missing bats and he’s not getting hit hard … can’t wait to see him the rest of the year and into next year. I’m thinking he has a chance to do enough at Reading to move into top 15 status.

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  13. Rizzotti is almost certainly going to the fall league to polish up and expand his fielding skills. Within a year, the Phils are probably going to have to replace two outfield positions and will also need added depth elsewhere. Rizz is never going to be confused with Michael Bourn in the outfield (can that dude grab a fly ball or what?), but if he could become competent, he becomes a more intriguing player. I am very curious to see how he will perform in AAA with an extended audition.

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  14. Rizzotti and DeFratus are 40-man roster decisions. The Phils tend to send those guys to AFL to determine if they should protect them. Both of these guys will be protected but it is another tryout for Rizzotti to see if he is ‘for real’.
    I fully expect H. Garcia to go since he missed some time this season and should get some time at 3B and maybe SS.
    I expect Rosenberg since he missed tons of time. I thought maybe Gillies as well but not now. Usually a catcher is sent, could be Naughton. Matt Way is unlikely since he is still in A ball. I think Overbeck might be a candidate next season.
    Maybe one of Naylor or Flande to see if they should be removed from 40-man or tried in the bullpen.

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  15. Phx: I’m pessimistic about protecting either Naylor or Flande. They have not bee consistent enough. Maybe development people see something in one of them, relevant to your point, but I’m thinking the decision is made on them. I could be wrong, just think they have pitched their way out of protection status.

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  16. I’m thinking that Rizzotti is going to the AFL to get the exposure for trade purposes rather than to polish up on his defensive skills, especially in the OF. IF the Phillies are interested in trying him in the OF for 2011, they would probably not send him to the AFL but rather get him to the complex in Florida to take fly balls.

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  18. Rizzotti is supposed to spend time in Arizona and Florida.
    Hope he has a credit card that offers rewards…

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  19. How about Worley to the AFL?

    Seems closest minor lg starter…don’t have much confidence in Carpenter. Would they send him?

    Yes…a shame that Gillies couldn’t make up for some of his lost AA season in the AFL.

    C’est la vie.

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  21. Interesting to see which Phils non 40 man roster players are on the Pan Am qualifying team. The GCL’s manager Roly de Armas will be one of the coaches on the team.
    http://web.usabaseball.com/teams/index.jsp?team=940.

    The AFL schedule is out with the Phils supplying the Mesa Solar Sox starting Oct. 12th

    Click to access AZ_Fall_Lge_’10_Schedule.pdf

    Looks like the battle for minor league position player of the month for Aug. is between the GCL’s Geancarlo Mendez who has hit in 17 straight games, hitting .375 and has driven in 20 runs or the BlueClaws Jeremy Barnes who is hitting .400 for the month..

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  22. Interesting point on Singleton today by Stark on ESPN… would certainly be interesting!

    “• Leaning left: When the Astros were dangling Roy Oswalt last month, their No. 1 target in the Phillies’ system was 19-year-old Class A first baseman Jonathan Singleton. But the Phillies stationed Singleton at the top of their untouchables list, even though they’re going to be set at first base (with Ryan Howard) through 2016. One scout recently called Singleton (currently hitting .295/.393/.483 at Lakewood) “one of the most exciting prospects in the entire minor leagues.”

    But for Singleton to ever play in Philadelphia, he’s going to have to change positions. And scouts who have passed through Lakewood recently report that Singleton has begun taking fly balls in left field in pregame work. The Phillies also plan to send him to the Instructional League this fall to work more extensively on learning to play the outfield.”

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  23. Awesome…please let him be as good as Burrell was as a LF. Remember, that’s the bar for acceptable defense out of a LF. If he can approximate Pat Burrell, he’s a huge plus with his bat.

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  24. Speaking of outfielders…. Geancarlo Mendez collected the last two assists of the 9th inning in the GCL game today. He threw out two guys at home to stop the bleeding for Juary Gomez. With 1 out and the bases loaded in the top of the 9th, a Tiger lines a single scoring the tying run but Mendez throws out the guy trying to score from 2nd. Then the next batter singles and Mendez throws that Tiger out at the plate. Back-to-back OF assists and in the 9th. Have you heard of that before?

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  25. Interesting that Mendez is listed as a first baseman on MiLB.com. Maybe he should pitch with an arm like that.

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  26. I was looking at Mendez history. Looks like he played 1B then 2B and now LF. Hopefully then can move him to 3B? He is only 20 so he has time but did not appear to be a high value prospect since he has been moving positions all the time.
    The power numbers are surprising and he has some speed. Would be great if he could play 3B and 2B. I’d like to see him at 3B for Lakewood next season with C.Hernandez at 2B.

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  27. Lost his 18 game hitting streak on Sat. But liked the fact that in Friday’s game Mendez threw out two guys at the plate on back to back plays in the top of the 9th to force the game into extra innings.

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  29. Biddle has been compared to Kershaw. If it’s even close to be accurate, it bodes well for the team.

    Now that we’ve got the farm stocked with some young pitchers, it’s time for them to turn their attention to the hitters. The major league lineup is beginning to show the effects of age. Some of it is an illusion (injuries, off seasons, current slump). Some of it relates to the fact that we appear to be heading into a pitcher’s era. But some of it, however, is probably real.

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  30. Talk about Sudden Death. The northern division winning GCL Phillies host the GCL wild card team Mets in a Best of One opening round playoff game Monday in Clearwater. The winner of that game plays in a best of three final against the winner of the Rays/Marlins Best of One series for the GCL crown. The GCL Phillies last won the crown in 08 led by the likes of Valle, Garcia, Flande, Castro and Schoenberger.

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  31. GCL changed playoff formay. So the Phils have to play 2nd place Mets monday. It used to be just the division winners in playoffs. Go Phillies!

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  32. Very excited w/Biddle…not even 19 yet…we have some good arms in Lakewood and below.
    Overall pitching prospects:
    1. Cosart (injured but still the best arm)
    2. May (can be wild but has done well at Lakewood)
    3. Colvin (he is very close to the top two guys)
    4. Biddle (has done everything so far they have asked in his first two months – another Hamels?)
    5. Aumont (rough year but still has to be considered)
    6. Worley (he will be given a chance for #5 spot in Spring Training)
    7. Ramirez (22 and live arm)
    8. Pettibone (quietly moving up the ladder)
    9. Hyatt (yes he is older but like his numbers)
    10. JRodriguez (based off his recent outings in Lakewood)

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  33. This so-called wild card madness never ends. I suppose the Germans came in second in WW2-so let’s put them in the playoffs with the US, UK and USSR. What nonsense!

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  34. Ramirez and Aumont what have they done to merit top ten consideration???? if they are top ten we dont have much then.

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  35. mikemike,

    Sigh. Rather than gie up, lets try one more time:

    Lets start with the fact that this is not an overall top 10, but a pitching top 10. The fact that Aumont and Ramirez rank THAT LOW in the top 10 is actually an indication of how stacked the Phillies are in that regard. They would rank higher in probably every other minor league system. The Phillies system suffers a bit from lack of position prospects, and lack of major league ready prospects, but I’d wager that when it comes to pitching prospects they have the deepest prospect list of any team.

    Moreover, ranking prospects is much more than simply looking at raw stats. Much, much more. There’s scouting, and making appropriate adjustments for context. Both of these factors strongly favor both Aumont and Ramirez. Many people on this site, in prior responses to you and other people who have denigrated these two particular prospects, have listed these factors. I’m not going to do it again, except to comment that both players have a good shot at major league roles, perhaps mid rotation starters, perhaps as relievers (Aumont especially could close if he can improve his command). They also are a little closer to the majors than some of the higher ranked prospects.

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  36. I’d think Shreve would have to be included in the top 10 pitching prospects list as well. His August has been pretty rough, but here’s a guy who didn’t pitch for a couple years because of an injury and has put up some nice numbers. I like him as a sleeper next season, and probably would put him higher than Hyatt and Rodriguez at least.

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  37. Ramirez has better numbers than Worley had at Reading last year, at the same age. Not to mention, by every report I have ever seen, he has a better arm. He should rank higher than Worley.
    Not going to waste time talking about Aumont’s age or lack of pitching experience. Those who want a reason to keep complaining about the Lee trade wouldn’t listen anyway. It’s not part of their agenda.

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  38. Aumont and ramirez have done nothing to warranty top ten ranking, That was the question put up there and I answered it, Ramirez 89 hits in 74 innings with 11 homruns given up. Who cares what Worley did last year has nothing to do with ramirez numbers, and worley isnt a proven starter yet either. I bet you could go to williamport and find number to say the same about others, dumb argument, this has nothing to do with the trade, but to rank these two up there at this point is to me silly, you are basing it on what we are being feed by who the phillies???

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  40. Yes mikemike..I would rather believe what the Phillies, ya know the organization that has given us a world champship and back to back world series appearances, feed me rather than…um…YOU..sorry.

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  41. wow what are you trying to say?? can’t answer that garbage phutphan makes no sense. are y drinking??? Is this the same organization that has two championship in 136 years, see there are stupid answers for stupid question, go to bed phuture

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  42. 01. Cosart 20yrs loA: 3.79 2.0/bb 9.7/k
    02. Colvin 19yrs loA: 3.28 2.8/bb 7.7/k
    03. Biddle 18yrs r/ss: 3.61 3./bb 10.6/k

    04. T.May 20yrs loA: 3.05 2.9/bb 13/k
    HiA: 5.01 7.8/bb 11.6k
    05.Ramirez 21yr HiA: 4.06 2.4/bb 7.7/k
    AA: 5.45 2.8/bb 7.0/k

    06. Worley
    07. Aumont
    08. Rodriguez
    09. Pettibone
    10. Shreve

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  43. I’m going to, not for mikemike’s sake, but for others curious, to go into a little more detail.

    Firstly, I think that a big part of the problem is expectations. Some people around here seem to think that a good minor league system should be filled to the brim with guys like Cosart, May and Colvin – guys with front of the rotation upside. But no organization can boast that. To have 3-4 guys in that category, plus maybe another 10 with mid to the back of the rotation upside, and maybe a half a dozen (or even more) possible relievers – well, that’s darn impressive. The fact that (say) your 7th best pitching prospect is no longer regarded as a guy with front of the rotation potential … is not a knock on the system.

    Secondly, in terms of the whole “what have they shown,” the answer in some respects is quite a lot. If, again, you look put numbers in context and realize that you don’t ned to be a potential all star to be a good prospect. For Aumont, as PP points out in another thread, you need to take into account his relative lack of experience against qulity hitting. He has potentially very good stuff – and you don’t need to listen to the Phillies’ organization to know that. In 2008-2009 he pitched really quite well, despite being pushed very agressively through the system. He pitched especially well in high A, considering that it was a hitter friendly league. He pitched in AA as a 20 year old, very young for AA, with a very high K rate, albeit also a high BB rate (and a high ERA driven by an absurdly high BABIP rate). This year he took a step back in AA (not surprising given the switch to the potation), but has pitched well in High A – more than a K per IP. And age 21 in high A certainly isn’t old. Bascially he is a guy who WILL pitch in the major leagues if he can improve his command. And I’d MUCH rather have a guy who merely needs to improve his command, rather than the opposite – a guy with good command but otherwise medicocre stuff. It’s a lot easier to significantly improve command than to (say) add 5 mph to your fastball (though the latter does occassionally happen).

    Ramirez on the whole pitched quite well in high A this year. He’s been up and down in AA, but as a 21 year old, his performance there is promising. Last year’s performance was also pretty good considering age/level and that he was pitching in an extreme hitting part in an extreme hitting league. It cracks me up that some people on this board will in one thread dismiss Gillies’ 2009 hitting performance ENTIRELY because of that same context, while not even taking that context into account for Ramirez. Almost a parody of inconsitent, illogical thinking. Moreover, his peripherals have always been a lot better than his ERAs. Maybe that will continue to be the case, but as a general rule peripherals are a better predictor of future performance (as measured by ERA) than ERA itself.

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  44. And, you know, I’m not going to get into a pissing match with anybody, but I do have to say that the mind boggles at the “[i]s this the same organization that has two championship in 136 years” comment. I mean, I think that that the comments about Ramirez and Aumont are … quite uninformed, but to blame the current organization for results that were not only before their time in the organization, but were for the most part before they were even BORN … as I say, the mind boggles.

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