Around the System–Corner Infield

Around the System

First trip around the system, looking at how the Phillies fare at each particular group of positions.  Look for the Middle Infield report towards the end of the Week.

Lehigh Valley

Jeff Larish, 30, .250/.343/.500 in 92 AB’s; 6HR 13 RBI; .269 vs. LH, .242 vs. RH, .190 with RISP; 12% BB rate, 25% K rate.  26 games at 1B with 1 error (.996), 9.73 R/F. Not bad, not great thus far for Larish.  Lehigh Valley needs his avg to come up.

Ronnie Belliard, 36 , .277/.370/.383 in 94 AB’s; 1HR 11RBI; .214 vs. LH, .303 vs. RH, .222 with RISP, 12% BB rate, 12% K Rate. 26 games at 3B with 3 errors, (.962), 2.88 R/F. Exactly what you would expect thus far for Belliard. Adequacy.

Reading

Cody Overbeck, 24, .291/.336/.592 in 103 AB’s; 9HR 24 RBI, .318 vs. LH, .284 vs. RH, .333 with RISP, 6% bb rate, 25% k rate. 15 games at 1B without an error, 9.07 R/F, 3 games in LF without an error. Overbeck is clearly opening eyes after being named EL Player of the month for April. Has recently begun seeing time in the OF.

Matt Rizzotti, 25, .327/.374/.574 in 101 AB’s, 4HR 16 RBI, .304 vs LHP, .333 vs. RHP, 9% BB rate, 22% K rate. 13 games at 1B with 2 errors (.982), 8.31 R/F. Still ripping the ball and still struggling in the field.

Carlos Rivero, 23, .270/.375/.393 in 84 AB’s, 2HR 12 RBI, .250 vs. LHP, .275 vs. RHP, .304 with RISP. 12% bb rate, 18% k rate. 27 games at 3B with 4 errors (.938), 2.22 R/F. Rivero has been decent after being acquired in the off season from the Indians organization.

Clearwater

Joe Savery, 25, .413/.456/.548 in 104 AB’s; 1HR 13 RBI, .467 vs. LH, .404 vs. RH, 8% BB rate, 8% K rate. 14 games at 1B with 1 error (.992), 8.71 R/F. A promotion needs to happen soon.  Simply overmatching High A pitching.  His lack of power is theonly concern but I hesitate to even mention this as he is hitting .413.

Darin Ruf, 24, .278/.364/.474 in 97 AB’s, 3HR 15 RBI, .333 vs. LHP, .268 vs. RHP, .250 with RISP, 10% BB rate, 19% K rate. 15 games at 1B with 1 error (.993), 10.07 R/F, 2 games at #B with 1 error. Ruf has been doing what he is supposed to do in the early going.

Travis Mattair, 22, .234/.324/.422 in 64 AB’s, 3HR 16 RBI, .286 vs. LHP, .228 vs. RHP, .375 with RISP, 9% bb rate, 22% k rate. 20 games at 3B with 3 errors (.933), 2.10 R/F and 2 games at 2B without an error. Has been on the DL for about a week. Still inconsistent at the plate, good with the glove.

Note: Jeremy Barnes will be covered with the MI, this time around.

Lakewood

James Murphy, 25, .235/.309/.500 in 98 AB’s, 7HR 19 RBI, .321 vs. LH, .200 vs. RHP, 9% bb rate, 31% k rate. 26 games at 1B with 1 error, (.996), 8.88 R/F.  Steve Balboni type numbers.

Stephen Batts, 25, .192/.306/.423 in 52 AB’s, 3HR 8 RBI, .000 vs LHP, .256 vs. RHP, 9% BB rate, 30% K rate, .190 with RISP. Has played 1 game at 1B (no errors), 6 games at 3B committing 2 errors (.905), 3.17 R/F, and 5 games in LF with 2 errors (.846). Batts need to take it up a notch or his time may be short lived as a 25 year old at Low A.

Geancarlo Mendez, 21, 308/.372/.436 in 78 AB’s, 0HR 11 RBI, 6 SB; .200 vs. LHP, .358 vs. RHP, .250 with RISP, 9% BB rate, 14% k rate. Has played 11 games at 3B and made 3 errors (.893), 2.27 R/F. A nice surprise in the early going.

22 thoughts on “Around the System–Corner Infield”

    1. RF is a defensive stat that measures how much ground a defensive player covers it is called Range Factor.

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  2. Isn’t Perdomo playing third base and batting over .300? Too few opportunities at third base? Will he be in middle infielders?

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    1. Perdomo has played just one game at 3B and 13 up the middle. He will be covered with the middle infielders.

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      1. Thanks Gregg. I must have seen the onbox score of the only game he played. Looking forward to middle infielders.

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  3. Carlos Rivero (23 at Reading) is outplaying Travis Mattair (22 at Clearwater) so far. Picking Rivero up, while Cleveland was trying to slip him off their 40 man, may turn out to be a shrewd move. I recall reading Indian, minor league, fans questioning the move by their front office.

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  4. I’m happy overbeck is getting time in LF. His problems on defense will hold him back at the hot corner and there’s not really any room for him at 1B. I think it’s a good move, I hope he takes to it and maybe some day fill a bench job in Philly.

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  5. I just noticed that Carlos Rivero has a higher OBP than either Rizzotti or Overbeck. He also has a higher BB% and lower K% than either Rizzotti or Overbeck. That is pretty good for a SS/3B. Maybe we should clamour for a promotion of Carlos Rivero, too.

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  6. So does the impending new Collective Bargaining Agreement. There’s been a good deal of talk that a new CBA will include some new Draft rules, including a hard slotting system that would help eliminate the holdouts, deadline deals and above-slot bonuses. If this is the last year players can cash in by throwing a big bonus demand out there, knowing that next year they might be penned in to a set amount, perhaps some — especially high schoolers — will decide to go pro rather than walk away and head to college.

    “I think we will see a few more kids sign. We expect that,” the first scouting director said. “The other side [agents] are telling them they’re not going to see the amount of changes that are being talked about. But we feel good about those big changes, like hard slotting or an acquisition cap.”

    http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110504&content_id=18627008&vkey=draftcentral2011

    I found the above quote interesting and did not know where to place it…. Getting psyched for the draft!

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    1. I don’t think that hard slotting stuff will make it through the process. They could , however, get luxury tax or allotment tax that Union will endorse as it is the system used for the signing of MLB players. They could assign a cash value for every pick in the draft, and make the choices tradeable with the allotment traveling with the pick. Say the first overall pick was assigned an allotment of 5 million and the through the first round the allotment was reduced by $100,000 per pick on through the 32nd pick which would be around $2 million. 2nd round picks would be alloted at $1.5 million , 3rd round at 1 million , and 4th round at half a million. Then they could reduce the # of rounds to 25 and allocate $ 150,000 per pick. Say a team with 1st overall pick had an allotment of their picks of $10 million in total, that would be their pool money. If they exceeded that amount, they could pay a pool tax of 100 % of the pool , and if , in this example , the total was 10 million and one cent for all signees that offseason.they would then pay that amount as a pool tax in addition to what they spent on players. If it was a 50% pool tax they would pay in an additional 5 million. The rate of tax would be negotiable and players drafted or UDFA would also apply to the pool , so if Nations do not make their players available it makes no difference. Pool taxes paid could go to a players Medical Fund or a Building Fund in an agreed to formula. This is the plan I would like to see.

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      1. I think hard slotting can make it into the contract. The players would greatly prefer reduced compensation from teams signing a FA to wild bonuses for draftees. Eliminate the comp and the players have no say on draft bonuses, although their blessing it is a plus from anti-trust standpoint. This change could involve smaller pools of Type A and Type B free agents, an age limit on these two types, reducing the from-the-signing-team-comp to a 2nd or 3rd round pick, rather than the current 1st or 2nd. The weaker teams could still be protected by giving the team losing the pick an extra out-of-thin-air-created-pick in a 2nd round sandwich slot as well as the first round sandwich. Weaker teams could also be helped by not requiring that arb be offered to pick up the 2nd round sandwich pick.

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  7. I need to see Savery improve his HR and RBI numbers before I clamor for him to be promoted. I wonder if there is a chance of him moving to RF or 3B where his arm would be a factor?

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    1. Promoting him will automatically increase his HR numbers. Look at what happened to Rizzotti last year. Reading a much better HR park than CLW.

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      1. P.S. The last thing I want is for Savery to be given the impression that he won’t be promoted unless he hits more HR. He has a great line-drive swing that is producing excellent results. Don’t want to lose that for the upper-cut HR approach.

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    2. Yes, back to the move to 3B thing, his arm would be a factor as those who throw left at 3B have certain disadvantages.

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    1. I don’t remember Savery being a flamethrower anyway. Wasn’t his fastball mid 80s? That’s not what I would consider a great arm in the outfield.

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