Open discussion, but first, a thank you

Daily Discussion

Time for a new post with a fresh discussion topic. But first, a thank you is in order. I try to say it every once in a while in post form, but I really appreciate all of the support this site has received in the last 3+ years. By the time you’re reading this, the site odometer will have probably ticked to 5 million. 5 million hits. It kind of blows my mind, considering how the site started. So I wanted to thank a bunch of people, starting with gregg. You’ve been the glue that has held this place together over the last few years. As I’ve changed jobs and moved into a position that doesn’t allow me access during the day, and doesn’t afford me the same free time I had to maintain the site and regularly write, you’ve more than picked up the slack. Big thanks also to Todd, Dave, Cody, Andy, Zac, Chuck, and everyone else who has contributed content here. Another round of applause for all of the regular readers and commenters as well. Different view points are certainly a key to any discussion, and I appreciate that the people who do spend a lot of time here help to self-moderate the discussion and keep people in line, as I really don’t have the time to play nanny at this point. I appreciate each and every one of you who continue to come back, who share the site with your friends, family and enemies. Thank you to everyone who has kindly donated, those who have suggested new features for the site, Rob for designing the banner for the site, and anyone else who has helped me improve the look and features of the site. Really, the success of the site, the way its grown, amazes me, and I’m really happy to have created something that a lot of people get enjoyment out of. So, everyone, give yourself a round of applause.

Now, here is your open post to discuss the prospect things you find interesting. I’ll throw a topic out there. What role do you think Phillippe Aumont will play next year, and at what level do you think he will begin the season?

47 thoughts on “Open discussion, but first, a thank you”

  1. I think Aumont should be a starter on the reading staff and if he does well he should finish the season there and then do Lehigh next season. But if he still has command issues he should be moved back to closer role before end of season and just get ready for that job

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  2. not sure you want a closer with control issues. For the sake of innings, he should be a starter to work on control. If he shows control, but of only two pitches, the bullpen will call. My preference would be to develop him as a workhorse starter

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  3. I hope he begins in Clearwater and stays there all year.
    He has a lot to work on, creation of muscle memory. De-construction
    and Re-construction of his delivery.

    I hope he begins in Clearwater and stays there all year.

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  4. I second the thank you to the guys that keep this site interesting and mostly to you, James. Without you we wouldn’t have this site. 5 million hits? I think I account for a million of them.

    Aumont’s a tough case for me. If I do my pros and cons worksheet on him, I have to put age and potential on the plus side. Of course, potential has never won a single game in any sport. He has the ability to pitch and I love his size. A pitch coming from a guy like Schwim or Aumont is far more intimidating than a throw from a 5’11” guy. The pitch might be equal to or even less in speed and break but it’s all knee caps and elbows.

    On the con side, I have to put the fact that it was a down year for him, moving to the starter’s role, inconsistency, having to move back a level and having to deal with the expectations of being part for the Lee trade.

    With that said, I think he’ll start in Clearwater and then move to Reading. I think he’ll be a starter and with this year under his belt, I think he’ll become a top 5 guy again. His pitching for Canada in the Pan Am games has to give him some confidence. I hope he’s as smart as Schwim when it comes to his pitching. I hope he’s identified some things to work on and I hope the Philly pitching instructors have given him some areas to work on.

    Wow, I used a lot of hope in the above paragraph. Let’s “hope” that his talent will shine through this coming year.

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  5. Clearly Reading out of the question. Some measure of success is imperative. And I believe Reading is a hitters park. I understand the hope you all have but personally I am in the “SHOWME” mode. Plus the biggest need in the organization is a closer.

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  6. He might as well be tried as a starter which would mean Clearwater to start (unless the Lakewood staff all moves up) then onto Reading. Reading to start would not surprise me as the organization doesnt really have alot in the AA & AAA teams.

    It is tempting to have him as a reliever as the Phils will need relievers the next couple of years more than starters. But the organization does seem to have alot of prospects that are now on the cusp of the majors so it would be a challenge.

    So I see him as a starter as plan A.

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  7. He should start the year at Clearwater as a starter and move from there. For a guy who’s struggling with control and probably some confidence getting off to a good start would help.

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  8. I think Aumont is one of these guys who you just can’t rush. He may have a frustrating season and even another one after that and, you know, in the long run, it may not matter. He’s the type of guy for whom the light could turn “on” at any point and he could move quickly from being an inconsistent guy with talent to a real beast on the mound. Truthfully, I see him evolving as a closer and I would be very surprised if he makes his mark as a starter.

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  9. I believe clearwater is the spot to start him as a starter. I think with his problems with control so far, and the starting then reliever issue, just start him as a starter and look at a two to three year process with him to see what you have,he shoulnt be rushed. let him get some success at lower level and move him slow, unless he matures more than we believe he can.

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  10. I believe Aumont should begin at Clearwater but I also believe he should have to earn a spot in the starting rotation. I also want say I really enjoy this website and look forward to reading it every day. Thanks!

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  11. I would start Aumont at Clearwater. He’s still fairly young so there’s no immediate rush for him to move up the ladder.

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  12. Consistency is an imperative for both the Phillies approach to him and for himself as a pitcher. Since he finished at Clearwater as a starter I would leave him there to continue in that role until he achieves some success on a regular basis. A starter’s role will also allow him more time (innings pitched) to develop arm strength and expand his repertoire. Plenty of time to determine his ultimate role if he makes the big show.

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  13. Aumont is a raw prospect who was unwisely rushed. He should remain a starter, but needs experience above all else. I’d start him at Clearwater- no need to rush him.

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  14. I think we all agree he needs innings and should be a starter (at least so far that’s what I’m reading). I personally think he should start in Reading as he seems to be throwing much better at the PanAm games and if he continues to throw well over the winter, then there is no need to start him in Clearwater again.

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  15. First off, James: thanks again. This site is awesome, and I think that all of the contributors make it happen. I like that the posts are generally on topic, and don’t get too contentious. It’s always a pleasure to visit here a couple of times a day. Heck, I even enjoy reading nowheels comments. I’m not sure what that says about me though. 8^)

    I think Aumont’s future is as a closer, but I think he should remain a starter for this year so he can get some reps and work on his mechanics, command, etc. Probably at Reading, since Clearwater’s rotation is going to be a logjam. Of course, if they opt to make him a closer, Clearwater may be a good choice since I’m guessing that is going to be a really good team, and he could benefit from being in that environment.

    – Jeff

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  17. Aumont is an interesting case of a very raw kid with lots of potential still. Its a good problem to have in the organization but there is lots of compression going on with most of that Lakewood staff moving up a level. Jul Rod will already be staying at Lakewood because there’s no room for him at C Water. I don’t want to slow the development of Cosart, Colvin, May, or Pettibone and I, like many others, think Shreve will be stronger next year and be ready for a big year. I think Aumont will therefore begin next year at Reading in the rotation. He needs innings to improve his consistency and he won’t get that in the bullpen. Hyatt, Sanchez, Aumont, Ramirez and Zeid could be the Reading rotation. I’m not sure what to do with Nick Hernandez who looked so good and so advanced before he got hurt last year. Certainly not all as starters, but there will be quite a few future major leaguers on those two staffs. Much better than this year at those two levels. As I’ve said before, history will look back very fondly at that Lakewood staff.

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  18. I agree with a lot of other people on here, that Aumont will start out in Clearwater. He has a lot to work on, but he has good stuff, and seems to have been improving from his horrible start. Hopefully he will work things out, and start putting stuff together.

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  20. I’m fine with Aumont starting off in CLW, but he clearly doesn’t have to earn his spot in the rotation. He is a top prospect and needs to pitch regularly. The cold weather on the April Eastern League nights seemed to really bother Aumont. It would be a good idea to keep him south until June.

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  21. I kind of think that how he pitches in the srping will determine where he should start. I think we all pretty much agree that he has tools, it is all about putting it all together and gaining confidence.
    Best case secenerio: pitching in the Pan Am and some rest over the winter gets him back on track he pitches lights out (or at least much better control) in the spring and seems full of confidence then I would suggest not to ruin his mojo and place him back as a starter in Reading, but not opening day and not to be the ace of the staff. Keep the pressure off the kid and just let him grow and develop at his own speed (if that is possible).
    Worst case scenerio: He comes out of spring training with little improvement or no improvement and still seems to have confidence/ control issues, then I would suggest Lakewood. I agree that we would not want to slow the development of the pitching class headed for Clearwater and there is no reason he could not go back to Lakewood to get his mojo back (if possible at that point). He could always jump to reading from there if he puts it all together. If he doesn’t get on track there after ~ half a season… Hello Bull pen…

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  22. how about mlb bullpen instead of durbin? CLW for sure as a starter, if he is doing well up to reading about midway. He still ends up as a bullpen piece, but not a closer, i think setup man at best like madsen.

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  23. Nails has it right in his first sentence. So much of this depends on what Aumont does in ST that it’s impossible to say where he should go at this juncture.

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  24. The cold weather shouldn’t bother Aumont. He is from Canada. I would like to see him get a chance at Reading to start the year.

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  25. I think Aumont needs another year as a starter and should start in Clearwater. I think if he can work some of his new mechanics into his offseason workout, he can very well be pushed by some of the Lakewood pitchers being moved up. I would definitely consider giving him an invite to ST, so that maybe he can work with Doc.

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  26. I don’t think the Phillies should make Aumont a reliever just yet. It’s good for him to develop several pitches and also get a lot of repetition. The reps and the confidence are more important than anything. Still, I believe he will end up in the bullpen.

    As for our AAA guys, I believe that neither Romero (control not good enough; gets injured too frequently; has lost velocity) nor Durbin (has lost 3-4 MPH on his fastball and has no “out” pitch) will be back. They will keep Baez through at least spring training, but could easily cut him before or during the season – I doubt he’ll be with the team by the latter part of the year. The team will pick up another left-handed specialist to replace Romero and will try to re-sign Contreras (and will likely do so). So, from the system, that leaves us with Bastardo and Mathieson (Herndon’s old spot) to start the year and somebody, I’m not sure who, will end up there by year end – whether it’s Schwimer, or Stutes or DeFratus is anybody’s guess.

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  27. Jim calis answered some Phillies related questions in his chat from Wednesday…

    Doesn’t think Hamels is a good comparison for Biddle (biddle throws harder, but doesn’t have a pitch that compares to Cole’s changeup. Still said he is a good prospect.

    Doesn’t think the Phils mishandled Brown by bringing him up on the bench instead of letting him get more AB’s in AAA…. thinks the playoff exposure is a good thing.

    Doesn’t think that Singleton will be able to move from 1B to OF

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  28. How can Calis possibly know whether Singleton can play first? I think he’s a decent enough athlete that he will be able to learn how to play left. We’re watching Burrell and Ibanez playing left this week. You can’t tell me that Singleton can’t play as well defensively as them after a few years of practice.

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  29. Some people actually do not have the ability to play the outfield. That having been said, I think it’s foolish to think that we can know right now whether Singleton, who isn’t even 20, can handle it down the line. I’d ignore that comment and I think I’d ignore the comment about Biddle. He’s big, throws hard and has ability. Very few 18 year-olds have a strikeout pitch like the one Cole Hamels had when he graduated from HS. Biddle’s got like 3 or 4 years to develop secondary offerings as well as improve his technique and his velcity. The notion that we know his upside right now borders on being laughable.

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  30. Callis didn’t say the comment about Biddle’s upside, he was talking about a comp to Hamels. They have different meanings.

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  31. FanGraphs has Hamels’ fastball at 92 average velocity this season and we’ve seen him top out at 96. Does Biddle really throw harder than that?

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  32. Enough with Singleton in left. Utley needs to be in left in 2012. Can’t stay healthy or throw the ball. Of course Singleton can enhance his trade value if he can play left, so…….

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  34. Oh yeah, there should be a wink after that comment. I’m aware that Singleton is a little on the lefthanded side – I’m guessing he would suffer a catastrophic injury on a takeout slide within a week.

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  35. If Aumont needs to start in Clearwater – make no bones about it – he will. The Phills would make room for him by either converting one of the Lakewood starters to a reliever – or send them back to repeat Lakewood. They have too much invested in Aumont, and he is too talented to not take precedence.

    Zeid will probably go to Reading, J-Rod will repeat Lakewood, and that leaves Shreve and Hernandez as the odd men out in Clearwater. They would go to the bullpen and clean up if any of the starting five (Colvin, Cosart, May, Aumont, Pettibone) get knocked out early. Mid-season promotions would allow them to get back into the rotation, and honestly, the abundance of arms is good as it should help protect them for innings abuse.

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  36. Left field may be Utley’s future very soon. He is a self made man defensively. Self made players so down hill quickly. He is making errors on balls he ate up last year. Time to break in Garcia with an eye to 2012 like Rulz said.

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  37. Colvin, Cosart, May, Aumont, Pettibone

    One of these guys is likely to be traded if Werth goes so they can bring in a bat

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  38. Congrats James. Awesome site as always

    On Aumont, I’d say convert him to reliever permanently and start him in Reading as a 1-2 inning guy.

    On the rest, Utley will be fine. Yeah, he’s had a rough year but he’s had injuries and his defense (despite the monstrosity of an NLCS he’s had) was still quite above average overall.

    If they want to free up cash, they should trade Blanton and use that cash to try and sign some offense or even to try and keep Werth.

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  40. Yeah but overall, his defense was solid. I dont disagree that he took a step back defensively but he’s still been one of the best defensive 2B in baseball the last 5 years.

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  42. Nepp
    Think about how you worded that “last five years”. Its the next two that seem to be a slippery slope.

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  43. Aumont has a great arm that makes the ball squirt every which way.

    The key is finding consistency and a simpler delivery. The Phillies De-Constructed his Delivery last year, so he needs to start to get as much practice as possible.

    I hope he is put in the Rotation at Clearwater and left there for the year.

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  44. Thought this was an interesting question in KLaw’s last chat.

    Michael (PA)
    Can you rank these Phils prospects: Cosart, Biddle, Colvin, May?

    Klaw (2:27 PM)
    Cosart, May, Colvin, Biddle.

    Think I might switch May and Colvin … and maybe even above Cosart. I think Cosart has more high end potential, but Colvin is maybe the safer bet.

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  45. I see faster promotions next year for the pitching prospects who most deserve it. There was a good article in USA Today’s Sports Weekly about how the Giants starters were moved through their system. That Madison Bumgarner made the postseason roster and Barry Zito did not tells you that they value performance above everything else. I think it’s a philosophy the Phils can employ next year as they contemplate their pitching decisions.

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  46. James = Awesome Site

    Agree with others: Aumont in Clearwater rotation. I would start Cosart at Lakewood just to get some confident innings. There are guys like Pettis, Buchanan, Hollands that should be promoted to Lakewood, so I do not know what to do with Rodriguez and Hernandez.. Shreve is much older than the rest of 2010’s Lakewood staff and needs to get consistent innings before he is RuleV eligble. My Clearwater projection now is: Colvin, May, Aumont, Pettibone, Shreve.

    I agree with Tom that Colvin seems like the better of the 4 right now. He has shown the most improvement, has the best secondary stuff, and has not missed as much time as Cosart.

    It is too early to make any determination on Singleton. Hopefully, his position work will not affect his hitting.

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  47. Baxter
    I was led to this old post of yours
    “Jim Klocke, the catcher from Southeast Missouri State, seems like a solid pick. ”

    I wonder if he can get on a fast train. Clearwater?

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