A final look at the Outfielders in the Minor League system at year’s end, how they produced in 2010, and what we can expect in 2011. A look at the Starting Pitchers in the Top Half of the system (Lehigh Valley, Reading and Clearwater) coming next, probably Sunday.
Lehigh Valley
John Mayberry, 26, 495 AB’s; .267/.328/.412 with 15 HR and 65 RBI; .350 vs. LH, .239 vs. RH; 20/23 SB; .266 with RISP; 7% bb rate, 21% k rate; 307 Post All Star. Mayberry has had the same trouble this year as in years past in that he has alot of trouble hitting righties and strikes out too much. That being said, he hits over .340 against lefties, can run and produces runs. He has one option left and I wouldn’t be all that surprised if he were in a dogfight with Ben Francisco(arb eligible) for the 5th outfielder spot next season in Philadelphia. Remembering Chase Utley’s first year as a “pseudo regular” for the Phils, Charlie Manuel may want to platoon Dominic Brown against certain lefties and Mayberry could provide punch against those lefties.
Rich Thompson, 31, 476 AB’s between Reading and Lehigh Valley; .284/.339/.382 with 5 HR and 45 RBI; 41/45 SB; .150 vs. LH, .317 vs. RH; .266 with RISP; 6% bb rate, 14% k rate. Another very good season for Thompson who provided spark to a generally lifeless Lehigh Valley team. His obvious trouble is hitting lefties but it would do the Phils organization well to bring Thompson back to Lehigh Valley in 2011.
Reading
Kevin Mahar, 29, 364 AB’s; .261/.342/.423 with 13 HR and 53 RBI; 6/10 SB; .272 vs. LH, .257 vs. RH, .271 with RISP, .246 Post All Star, 11% bb rate, 22% k rate. Mahar was steady but was somewhat inhibited by injury. He can play several positions and the Phils know what they have in Mahar, so they probably will want to bring him back. Whether Mahar believes he may have a shot at the majors through another organization most likely will answer where he plays next year.
Timo Perez, 35, 161 AB’s; .255/.320/.385 with 4HR and 25 RBI; 4/5 SB; .190 vs. LH, .291 vs. RH, .297 with RISP; .255 Post All Star; 8% bb rate, 12% k rate. Perez did an adequate job as a mid-season fill in for Reading after the loss of QUintin Berry and Tyson Gillies but I’d be surprised to see him back.
Mike Spidale, 28, 479 AB’s; .303/.354/.378 with 3 HR and 50 RBI; 31/44 SB; .296 vs. LH, .305 vs. RH; .295 with RISP; .297 Post All Star; 7% bb rate, 12% k rate. AN outstanding year for Spidale who was extremely consistent all year. Again, with some depth needed at the upper levels in the OF, bringing Spidale back would do the organization well.
Tyson Gillies, 21, Hit .238 in 105 early season at bats. Has been out since May for all intents and purposes with his hamstring issues, and has recently created additional issues with the criminal justice system (cocaine charges) that must be addressed. 2011 is a real question mark. Assuming he is able overcome his criminal charges in whatever fashion (acquittal, pre trial diversion, probation, etc. etc.) I would think he starts over again in Reading.
Clearwater
Derrick Mitchell, 23, 398 AB’s; .264/.323/.447 with 13 HR and 51 RBI; 28/34 SB; .310 vs. LH, .245 vs. RH; .235 with RISP; .273 Post All Star; 7% bb rate, 21% k rate. After several fairly miserable seasons, Mitchell opened some eyes this year putting up decent power numbers and showing very good speed. The Phils, 23rd round pick in the 2005 draft is completing his 6th season in the Phils minor league system so decisions will need to be made. He now has well over 700 AB’s at High A so unless the Phils are prepared to offer him a spot in Reading, he wont be back in my opinion.
D’Arby Myers, 21, 239 AB’s; .268/.318/..360 with 3HR 28 RBI; 14/17 SB; .263 vs. LH, .270 vs. RH, .302 with RISP; .274 since July 1; 6% bb rate, 25% k rate. Myers, the Phils 4th round pick in the 2006 draft is Rule 5 eligible this year, although both his protection and selection appear doubtful Myers has continued making small steps forward but still has a lot of work to do. 2011: CLearwater to start, Reading by Mid Season.
Steve Susdorf, 489 AB’s; .278/.343/..411 with 11 HR and 77 RBI; 6/10 SB; .264 vs. LH, .284 vs. RH, .359 with RISP; .295 Post All Star ; 9% bb rate, 20% k rate. An extremely solid year for Susdorf who surprisingly spent the whole year at High A after seeing some time in Reading last year. Raked with runners in scoring position. He will be 25 by the time next season starts, and the 2008 draft choice should be starting in Reading next year. I don’t think it is totally out of the realm of possibility that the Phils take a “sink or swim” attitude with him and double bump him to Lehigh Valley.
Drew Rundle, 22, .237/.328/.271 in 57 AB’s between Williamsport and Clearwater, with 0 HR and 7 RBI. Originally a 14th round pick by the Cubs in 2006, Rundle was picked up late in the season to fill gaps in the system.
Lakewood
Leandro Castro, 21, 502 AB’s; .257/.305/.406 with 10HR 81 RBI, 78 Runs, 22/35 SB; .250 vs. LH, .260 vs. RH, .273 with RISP; .248 Post All Star; 6% bb rate, 17% k rate. Castro produced a ton of runs this year for Lakewood and should be ready for Clearwater, starting for them in 2011. His batting average is lower than where it should be. SIgned as a free agent in 2007.
Michael Dabbs, 23, 222 AB’s between Williamsport and Lakewood; .297/.352/..396 with 2 HR 21 RBI; 13/22 SB; 5% bb rate, 18% k rate. Dabbs, a 17th round pick in 2009 had almost identical numbers in Williamsport and Lakewood. Will be 24 at the beginning of next year and should be moved aggressively.
Brian Gump, 23, 147 combined AB’s between GCL, Lakewood and Clearwater with a line of .218/.285/.313 with 0 HR and 9 RBI.5/7 SB. Gump was a 26th round pick in the 2009 draft and struggled mightily this year, first in Clearwater, and then by injury in Lakewood. Because of the glut of outfielders in the lower levels, Gump could find himself an odd man out.
Anthony Hewitt, 21, 440 AB’s; .202/.243/.327 with 11 HR 49 RBI; 10/16 SB; .203 vs. LH, .202 vs. RH, .191 with RISP; .163 Post All Star; 3% bb rate, 35% k rate. Phils 1st round pick in 2008. I don’t pretend to know where to start with Hewitt, or where he will go in 2011. His line is as bad as it gets and with a k rate that looks as bad as his at Low A, who knows where to go from here after 3 years, Making Jeff Jackson look good.
Jiwan James, 21, 556 AB’s; .270/.321/.365 with 5 HR and 64 RBI; 33/53 SB; .238 vs. LH, 281 vs. RH,292 Post All Star; .219 with RISP; 6% bb rate, 22% k rate. James will be in CLearwater next year, starting in CF. Still a work in progress, the converted pitcher must continue to work on his discipline both at the plate and on the base paths. That being said, a successful 2010.
Williamsport
Aaron Altherr, 19, 209 AB’s between GCL and Williamsport; .297/.339/.411 with 1HR 25 RBI; 12/18 SB; 5% bb rate, 16% k rate. Lots of promise for the 9th round pick in 2009. 2011: Starting corner OF in Lakewood.
Migeul Alvarez, 21, 258 AB’s in Williamsport; .329/.361/453 with 1 HR and 34 RBI; 13/20 SB; .264 vs. LH, .355 vs. RH. .247 with RISP; 4% bb rate, 18% k rate. Excellent season for Alvarez, who was signed as a free agent in 2007. As he has been in the organization for 4 seasons, the Phils may be a little more aggressive with him next year, starting in Lakewood but Clearwater not out of the realm of possibility.
Zach Collier, 20, Phils 1st round pick in 2008 draft, missed the season due to injury. Assuming his health, he should be in Lakewood next year.
Kelly Dugan, 19, Hit .576 in 33 AB’s in GCL and then .250/.343/.350 in 60 AB’s in Williamsport. 26% k rate in Williamsport. I don’t think Dugan has seen enough AB’s to immediately move him into the Lakewood starting lineup. 2011: Lakewood to start, then back to Williamsport unless major production for the BlueClaws.
Kyrell Hudson, 19, 156 AB’s; .173/.205/.205 with 0HR 15 RBI; 11/14 SB; .107 vs. LH, .188 vs. RH, .225 with RISP; 3% bb rate, 28% k rate. Just an awful year for Hudson who was the 3rd round pick of the Phils in 2009. He did improve his average over the .163 he hit in the GCL in 2009. 2011: Williamsport
Domingo Santana, 18, Lakewood: 165 AB’s; .182/.322/.297 with 3HR and 16 RBI; 15% bb rate, 44% k rate. Williamsport: 186 AB’s, .237/.336/.366 with 5HR and 20 RBI; 4/8 SB; .311 vs. LH, .213 vs. RH, .238 with RISP; 11% bb rate, 35% k rate. Santana, who came in with such high expectations, did not live up to them in 2010. That being said, he is only 18 with a ton of raw talent. 2011: Maybe the same plan as 2010…see how he does in Lakewood then move him back if need be.
GCL
Luis Beltre, 18, 74 AB’s; .189/.218/.324 with 1 HR and 6 RBI; 3% bb rate, 34% k rate. It was the first trip over to the States for Beltre. 2011: Repeat GCL
Brian Pointer, 18, 7 AB’s after signing late for the 28th round draft pick. 2011: GCL to start
Bill Rice, 22, 61 AB’s; .230/.342/.426 with 3 HR and 9 RBI; 3/4 SB; 14% bb rate, 10% k rate. .278 with RISP. 2011: Could see some AB’s as a backup in Williamsport of Lakewood
Luis Unda, 20, 155 AB’s; .245/.287/.329 with 0HR and 16 RBI; 2/6 SB; 5% bb rate, 10% k rate; .196 vs. LH, .266 vs. RH, .333 with RISP. Not a horrible year for Unda, but certainly not great. 2011: Williamsport
Phuture Phillies 
ill punch a baby if Mayberry is on the 25 man next year over Francisco
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Someone for the phillis was quoted in the Inquirer that Hewitt would repeat Lakewood. Said you have to earn a promotion.
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Mayberry won’t beat out Francisco for an OF spot, if he’s on the roster he’s the 5th outfielder and Francisco is the 4th.
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I predict the winter will be good to JJ and he comes out hard in ST.
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We are not as well off at OF as I thought we were…Gillies better get his act together so that he has a chance to replace Ibanez in 2012. Does antbody know if the Phils are gonna try Singleton in LF…I kinda remember someone saying that he was shagging fly balls in left before Lakewood games towards the end of the year…I see Phils OF next year as Ibanez Victorino and Brown…I would use Fransico and Gload more often in OF to ease the load on Brown and old man Ibanez…but if Gillies is not ready I dont see another OF prospect close enough to help…we may need to go FA route in 2012 or FRansico to buy time for some prospects to develop.
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I could see the Phils giving a one year contract to a good righty outfielder. He could spell Brown early in the year and when Brown is ready to play full time, the free agent could then spell Ibanez in left.
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Yeah not impressed with Mayberry…if the pitch ain’t straight he won’t hit it. If Werth is gone I’m fine with a Ben Francisco getting time with Brown next year.
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OK with Brown, Ibanez, and Vic supplemented with Francisco and Gload.
Question: will Mayberry plat at AAA LV next year…being the emergency OFer call-up? If he has 1 yr remaining before free agency….that would work. Remember, though not an outfielder, Sweeney IMO should be resigned as R PH and fill-in for Howard when the hurt bug bites, even though Gload does 1st base also.. So that is another Righty bat for the 25.
The idea of seeking an experienced righty OFer who is past his prime but still a threat vs. lefties is a good one.
What should be a positive take on the OF at the farm has undermined just by Gillies. IMO, the FO was counting heavily on him to rise through Reading to LV in ’11 at latest. Now he is at a standstill which screws up the “plan.” Still viable but tardy, to replace Vic at ’12’s end has been on their mind. Hope he gets a fire in his tail and shows up to their expectations.
Can he go to the AFL? Or a winter league somewhere??… Mexico? That could help.
Alvarez, James, Altherr besides Gillies seem to have the most possible upside. Looking for a power righty…still,
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Sweeney is a nice bat but there’s no way you can carry two pinch hit specialists on a five man bench.
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I think the Phils should be patient with that 5th spot on the bench. If there are any bargains available late in the offseason that is great, otherwise give Mayberry a chance and if he is not producing they can add someone in-season. Its a shame Francisco doesn’t have more of a platoon split.
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There is zero chance of mayberry beating out francisco. Not sure where that comment came from.
Mayberry isn’t an MLB player on a pennant contending team.
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Gregg, I see you’re still not on the Mitchell bandwagon. 17 outfield assists playing all 3 positions for a second year outfielder seems to be pretty impressive.
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You say that if the pitch ain’t straight Mayberry won’t hit it and Francisco a 5th spot on the bench, well Brown has played five years of poor defense it’s not getting better and he has not shown any consistency with his hitting except he has not hit good in the majors. Brown is not ready for the majors he seems to be a minor league player not a major leaguer. He’s one of those guys who play’s better in the minors.
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Domingo Santana, 18, Lakewood
Kelly Dugan, 19, Lakewood
Zach Collier, 20 Lakewood
Aaron Altherr, 19 Lakewood
Golden Era these last few years at Lakewood, time to move nearby and get season Blueclaws tickets.
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Dont worry Werth will be signed at the expense of victorino who will bring in a crop of talent for a player of his caliber locked up at a affordable price. Then James or Gillies will take over when Ibanez leaves.
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Back to minor league OF’ers for a moment:
Who has the best Assist / Game average in the Phils Minor League System (OF’ers)? Luis Beltre with 4 Assists in 23 Games.
Who has the most Assists by an OFer? Mitchell (17), Castro (14), James (10). Gose had 15 when he was traded.
Who is the only OF’er to play more than 30 games and not make an error? Susdorf in 88 games. Steve has committed only 1 error in 133 games over 3 years.
Who has the most errors of the OF’ers? This is painful… Hewitt with 7. Santana had 6.
Add that to the mix….
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i really wish we had jacob stewart and brenton allen in that mix
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Is there a player in the world who wouldn’t play better in the minors?
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****You say that if the pitch ain’t straight Mayberry won’t hit it *****
“Bats, they are sick. I cannot hit curveball. Straightball I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid. I ask Jobu to come, take fear from bats. I offer him cigar, rum. He will come.”
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Don’t forget Gauntlett Eldmire he will be in the mix also.
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I’ve wondered what the plan is for Eldmire next year once he’s healthy – I guess it depends on how he does in Spring Training, but do they start him in Lakewood?
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The rankings
LEFT FIELD
1. Leandro Castro
2. Miguel Alvarez
3. Steve Susdorf
4. Geancarlo Mendez
5. Derrick Mitchell
(Jon Singleton is listed as a first baseman. If given consideration at the top of the list, he would rank first.)
CENTER FIELD
1. Tyson Gillies
2. Jiwan James
3. Aaron Altherr
4. Gauntlett Eldemire
5. D’Arby Myers
RIGHT FIELD
1. Domonic Brown
2. Domingo Santana
3. Kelly Dugan
4. John Mayberry
5. Anthony Hewitt
Last season I rated Kyrell Hudson somewhere in the 40s. So far he’s hit .171 in the minors with no semblance of pitch recognition and absolutely no power. At least Anthony Hewitt has demonstrated that when he connects, it will fly.
Gillies and James are the same age. What’s better, a .619 OPS in AA or a .686 OPS in Low A? Off the field developments are a concern, but for now I’m giving Gillies the benefit of a doubt and rating him ahead.
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I was in a chat room recently with csnphilly.com writer Jim Salisbury and he intimated that he knew a RH OFer that was on Amaro’s radar screen but he was going to “sit on” the story until a more appropriate time. He gave no clues as to the name or the quality of the player but was convinced of the Phillies interest.
Other than Mayberry there isn’t an OFer in the system that’s close to the majors.
Jiwan James is the guy I follow the most and have the highest hopes for.
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I feel if the Phills cannot retain Werth, they need to move Ibanez if possible and just allow the best player to win a 5th OF spot. I think a platoon of Mayberry and Brown might work and Francisco in Left would provide at the least some solid defense.
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I think the Mayberry as the 5th OF comment centered around Francisco being arbitration eligible. If the Phillies deem it more important to have a cheap option there, Mayberry will win out. It has nothing to do with talent, it has to do with contract.
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GregA – yeah I think Mayberry’s chance of making the Phillies is more a question of payroll than talent. I know everyone is all up in arms about how Mayberry can make perennial contender; but just as Amaro is counting on a cheap bullpen; I think he’s also counting on a cheap end of the bench.
And frankly, you need youth to step up and grow into these roles.
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Thanks Alan for reminding me about Geancarlo Mendez. He had 5 OF Assists and no errors in 50 games. He also split some time at 1B and 2B with no errors in 7 games. That’s not bad for a soon to be 21 year old (November).
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Honestly, in a perfect world, there is no way Mayberry beats out Francisco. But this isn’t that perfect world. Francisco has seen barely any time as a 4th outfielder this year and Charlie doesn’t seem to think highly of him as an outfielder. Mayberry would be more useful as a defensive replacement and as a lefty-masher (judging from his numbers, I’m saying that he can hit breaking stuff from lefties) and while Francisco may be a better overall player, for the roles they might need, I could see them giving his spot to Mayberry. Besides, who knows? Maybe U.C. can teach him how to hit a little bit.
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And I’m not sure why everyone’s worried that our potential 5th outfielder wouldn’t be very good. That’s why he’s the 5th outfielder. If they handed a regular starting spot to Mayberry, I’d be worried. I’d cry AND punch a baby.
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I think the outfielder Amaro is going to trade for is Ryan Spliborghs.
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Ah…Mayberry, the dream that never dies.
Also, getting rid of Ibanez in favor of a platoon (of 2 other players) is a bit stupid. Ibanez has actually had a pretty solid year with a .797 OPS since May 1st. Yeah, its not great but for a 6 hole hitter, its acceptable. If he were platooned with a solid RH bat, he’d be more valuable as he’s actually hit RHP really well for much of the season.
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****I think the outfielder Amaro is going to trade for is Ryan Spliborghs.****
Cody Ross has been mentioned as a possible platoon bat with Dom Brown. I could see that happening. They could also consider giving Gload ABs in LF if Ibanez really hits the wall. A Gload/Francisco platoon wouldn’t be the worst thing on earth if Raul goes down or is completely ineffective (something I doubt actually…I suspect we’ll get another season in the .750-.800 OPS range from him in 2011…especially if he’s managed correctly).
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NEPP-
While I agree trading Ibanez for a platoon isn’t the most ideal situation, the Phills do have a payroll limit and if they can save half his salary it may better be served to move him and use that money towards the pen for a quality lefty. Bastardo has not stepped up and I have less and less faith in Zags. What would be stupid is to go with a similar pen next year. I have more faith a platoon of 2 players in LF or RF + a quality lefty would be better than Ibanez and the status quo in the pen. I just don’t see the Phills massively raising payroll to the point where they are over $150. They need to cut some where.
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How about Ext ST for Dugan, seemed to help out a few players this year. While on the other hand a few players that they started in full season leagues with the intention of pushing them down once the short season started, seemed to stuggle at all levels.
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Great List Alan. Ibanez is not being replaced.
Ibanez batting in the 6th hole 72 RBI’s – 2nd on the team to Ryan Howard’s 100 RBI’s.
Werth batting the vastly better for RBI’s 5th hole 70 RBI’s.
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Honestly, I’d almost rather have Mayberry in a platoon rather than Francisco, because Francisco doesn’t really have a dramatic L/R split. And they really don’t seem to be high on Francisco.
Also, RBI’s are totally the best way of judging a player’s production. They’re on baseball cards, right?
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Amaro (and Gillick before) has demonstrated a willingness to swap out players a lot more than Ed Wade ever did. I believe Victorino will stay due to his speed, but I could see Werth (his decision) and Ibanez (via trade) both gone, replaced by Brown, a free agent RH OF, with Gload and Mayberry, with Ben traded (or non tendered). With Ruiz, Howard, Polanco, and Ibanez, you have average or below speed. With Utley and Rollins, you have speed but with guys who are getting older. I believe the Phils will think about replacing Raul with a younger RH hitting option in LF to balance the lineup and get more athletic.
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Sir Alden-
First, he’s got 46 RBIs from the 6th hole. He’s actually been better from the 3rd hole so by your logic I guess he should replace Utley? He’s 2nd on the team because a) Utley was injured and b) Werth is hitting horribly with RISP and he’s still ONLY 2 behind Ibanez.
Second, he is really struggling versus lefties. If he ends up being platooned what sense does that make? Would you rather have a $12 million platoon player or pay $6 million to get rid of Ibanez, platoon 2 guys and use the other $6 million to net a quality lefty and put some towards a 5th OF or bat off the bench?
Third, Francisco has 31% of Ibanez’s RBI total in 24% of his ABs.
I am not saying this will happen but considering they do have a budget and cannot possibly keep everyone and get a quality pen piece, I fully expect someone to be traded. Ibanez makes the most sense since Vic’s speed and his ability to play CF is lacking in the lineup once Werth departs. I understand if people have faith that 1 or 2 of Mathieson/Bastardo/Zags/DeFratus/Schwimmer might contribute next year and eliminate the need for spending money on a quality reliever but I on the other hand do not agree with that. And since this team isn’t the Yanks or Red Sox they won’t be spending $160 million plus so I feel resources need to be used to the best of their ability. Thus Ibanez, as great as 72 RBIs is, needs to go if it can save the Phills half of his salary.
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I wonder what type of deal Magglio Ordonez would want… there’s no way the Tigers are going to pick up his option.
His career splits against lefties are sick… .325 BA .954 OPS.
In 3 games at CBP his numbers are .455 BA with a 1.208 OPS
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A couple of thoughts and observations.
First, I think they really are going to try to sign Werth and will pay him roughly market rates. The reason is that Werth would then replace Ibanez the next year and Brown would become the regular right fielder. Brown will start in AAA next year and, if he keeps killing the ball, he will be brought up in June and will start to take at bats from Ibanez. If Werth is not signed I could see the team doing some other creative things – signing a rent-a-player for year to platoon with Brown or using their minor leaguers to trade for a top notch outfielder. Honestly, I don’t think they know what they are going to do yet if Werth doesn’t sign so it’s impossible to predict.
Ben Francisco may get at bats and, to me, he is the guy who could come out of nowhere. He’s better than we (the group here) think he is – he just never has a chance to get into a rhythm as a player.
Mayberry is not a very good player – I don’t give a damn whether he is up or not as I think his upside is extremely limited.
When the year started I thought our outfielders would be great. One outfielder was great and the others either failed to impress or were just too far removed to draw an conclusions on. I still think there’s some good talent there – but we didn’t see it this year.
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Gregg,
In your write-up of Derrick Mitchell, you imply that he will become a minor league free agent this year. That is not the case. In order to become a six-year minor league free agent a player needs to play seven seasons in the minor leagues. Since Mitchell would not be a free agent, the Phillies could send him to any team in the system at their digression with no input from Mitchell. I have enclosed the Major League Operating Rule that applies. It is rule 55.
“Rule 55 – Minor League Free Agency
• Eligibility – On October 15 a player shall become a minor league free agent (“MLFA”) unless the player has remaining renewals on his contract (generally six years from original signing). As a MLFA, the player may negotiate a deal with any MLB or MiL club.
• Successor Contract – A player shall not become a MLFA if the player enters into a successor contract prior to October 15
• List of Eligible Players – On August 1, the Commissioner shall circulate a list of all players eligible to become MLFAs the following October 15.
• Petitions to Change List – A player may petition to amend the list if that player believes to have been erroneously omitted. A club may petition to amend the list if the club believes the player was erroneously included.
• Final List – On October 16, the Commissioner shall issue to all clubs the final MLFA list.
Despite the term “six-year free agency”, the duration of all original minor league contracts is actually seven years across the board, unless the team sets a different term (which is rare). Partial seasons are included, and if a player signs a contract starting in a future season, that is the first season of the seven-year term. So the term “six year free agent” is essentially a total misnomer, except that you can do the math by adding six to the player’s first contract year to determine when he’ll be a minor league free agent. Here is the relevant language from the Minor League Uniform Player Contract:
VI. Duration and Conditions Of Employment
A. Unless a different term of this Minor League Uniform Player Contract is set forth in Addendum A, Club hereby employs Player, and Player agrees to render, skilled services as a Minor League Player in seven (7) separate championship playing seasons, commencing with the beginning of the championship playing season identified in paragraph 3 of Addendum A, or the portion of that regular championship playing season remaining after the execution date of this Minor League Uniform Player Contract, as specified in Paragraph 4 of Addendum A, whichever date is later.”
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I don’t know why people here think that Manuel doesn’t have faith in Ben Francisco. The guy is a 4th outfielder. He will rarely see any playing time anyways.
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I would guess the OF Salisbury is talking about is Cody Ross. I know we were interested in him at the deadline. Not much out there FA-wise. Marcus Thames, Austin Kearns, maybe Michael Cuddyer.
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Their minor league OFs at the Clearwater level and up is very unimpressive. Their best talent is at the lower levels. I don’t see anyone in the Phillies system taking over for Victorino or Ibanez in the next few years. On the big club, I am counting down the days that Werth leaves the Phillies. Forget his numbers, which aren’t all that impressive anyway, he is a “space cadet”. He makes more bonehead plays, on the bases, in the outfield, and at the plate. I have never seen a player look at so many pitches right down the middle. He is forever hitting with an 0-2 count, making it a tough job for him to hit his pitch. Goodriddance “Werthless”. Welcome DBrown!
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Despite all his issues Mayberry is a power RH bat. He K’s a ton but has some speed and has a chance to be an above average defensive RF. He is controllable and would have little value as a trade piece so keep him at the first callup OF again next year.
Not keeping Francisco because his splits are even seems silly to me. He should be the 4thOF and can play everday if someone is injured. He can play all the OF positions (none of them well but he has decent speed and a decent arm). I doubt he makes more than $1M in arbitration since he has such limited playing time. On some teams he would be a starter and hit .250 with 15HR and 15SB.
Both Mayberry and Francisco have options for next season and with Gillies future uncertain both need to be kept in the system.
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The 2011 Lakewood OF seems like it will be very crowded next season:
LF = Alvarez, Collier, (Mendez INF)
CF = Altherr, Dugan?, (Eldemire)
RF = Santana, Hewitt
Maybe stash someone at 1B = Duffy (OF), Murray
All of those guys should get full season ABs, but how?
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One thing that was kind of weird is that Gose was traded even though the team apparently knew at the time that Gillies was facing arrest. Likely the alternative would have been trading Singleton, and I’d say that they made the right call. And I certainly wouldn’t undo the trade. But they had to know that trading Gose was really going to leave them shallow in OF prospects, given the uncertainty regarding Gillies.
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Mayberry’s line vs LHP came in just 123 ABs. Given that he slugged south of .500 even with that high average and that he’s established a career platoon split far south of that figure, why are we trusting a small sample? Mayberry has played three AAA seasons and established himself as a merely average AAA player. I really don’t see him capable of hitting MLB pitching.
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NEPA–
Thanks for the clarification. I appreciate it.
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did anyone see the joe bisenius is in the majors with washington now
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Hold on LarryM I agree with you AGAIN. And the sad part Houston only wanted Gose for trade bait.
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Prediction: Watch out for Brian pointer next next. He will we in the top 20 prospects by the end of the year if he stays healthy
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I had the same thought as LarryM, regarding the inclusion of Gose in the trade. They already knew of the arrest at the time. My initial thought was they didn’t think the charges would hold up against Gillies, so they aren’t that concerned. My thought now, is they like Jiwan James as much as Gose, and it had nothing to do with Gillies.
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Still learning about the minor leagues, but most of the production numbers here seems low. Is this normal or do the phils just have a weak minor league system for hitters.
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Is it possible that the outfielders from lakewood James , Dabbs, Castro, and Gump end up in Clearwater?
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Mayberry- don’t think they replace Francisco with him, as Francisco’s arbitration award will not be that much, and don’t think Mayberry offers as much. For next season’s bench they need a RH Hitting combo OF who can also play 3B, (maybe 2B 1B also). If they start Brown and Ibanez they will need at times to sub in a RH hitter, so Francisco is there, and the bench will include a SS adept IF (Valdez signs back?) C Schneider, and OF/1B Gload. That leaves one opening and since they have one IF only on bench, the 5th guy should be 3B/LF acceptable at least.
CLW- I see they move up Jiwan James, Castro, and Brian Gump and Michael Dabbs sharing OF spot and some DH, I have Steven Batts as 3B (Barnes at 2B, Buschini as reserve) and Batts can play some OF as well.
LKW- the OF situation there , candidates: Aaron Altherr, Domingo Santana, Miguel Alvarez, Kelly Dugan, Anthony Hewitt, Gauntlett Eldemire, and Kyrell Hudson, Zach Collier. That’s how I see it, with some less experience types headed to XST. I figure this sort of log Jam may be a factor in the unknown ( to me) resolution of the Mike Sweeney trade. Maybe one of these guys might go . Only guys with enough service time would qualify, so, since the Lakewood season just ended and no resolution has been announced,, maybe it is someone from Lakewood. Maybe Hewitt, so this might be a talent sacrifice they might want to clear a logjam, also maybe Collier as secondary on that. They might wind up having to sacrifice anyway. That would leave Altherr, Santana, Alvarez, and Dugan to fill the OF/DH positions on next season’s Lakewood, and Hudson, Eldemire, and (maybe ) Collier are ticketed for next season’s Williamsport. Or maybe there will be a cash outlay for Sweeney and that will be it.
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I feel so much happier now I urdnestand all this. Thanks!
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