this is on another subject, but after herndon and carpenter’s performance tonight, i can see mike schwimer’s point. herndon’s been terrible in his last two outings.
1. OF – Domonic Brown (Phillies) – (.239) 1 for 3 with a run, BB and K
3. OF – Jon Singleton (Clearwater)- (.281) –1 for 4 with a run and RBI (35)
4. RHP – Jared Cosart (Clearwater) – (7-6, 3.26) – 7 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB and 4 K’s (win)
6. C – Sebastian Valle (Clearwater) – (.324) – 2 for 5 with a 2B (14), 2 RBI (28), 2 runs and 2 K’s
13. OF – Domingo Santana (Lakewood) – (.255) 0 for 4 with a K
15. OF – Aaron Altherr (Williamsport) – (.304) – 0 for 4
17. C – Cameron Rupp (Lakewood) – (.243) – 1 for 4 with 2 K’s
18. OF – Jiwan James (Clearwater) – (.264) – 3 for 4 with a 2B (15), 2 runs and a BB
24. 1B – Matt Rizzotti (Reading) – (.292) – 0 for 3 with 3 K’s
27. OF – Miguel Alvarez (Lakewood) –(.270) – 1 for 3
28. OF – Kelly Dugan (Williamsport) –(.268) – 2 for 5 with a 2B (2) and a K
Others:
1B – Cody Overbeck (Lehigh Valley) – (.172) 0 for 2 with a BB and a K
2B/DH – Cody Asche (Williamsport) – (.230) 1 for 4 with a 2B (4) and RBI (4)
3B – Maikel Franco (Williamsport) – (.288) – 1 for 4 with a 2B (4), 2 RBI (13), BB and a K
3B – Harold Martinez (Williamsport) – (.235) – 2 for 4 with 2 K’s
SS – Freddy Galvis (Redding) – (.261) –0 for 4 with a K
OF – Derrick Mitchell (Redding)- (.286) – 0 for 2 with a K
OF – Steve Susdorf (Redding) – (.341) – 1 for 3 with 2 K’s
OF – Zach Collier (Lakewood) – (.278) – 2 for 4 with a CS (10) and a K
OF – Anthony Hewitt (Lakewood) – (.241) – 0 for 4 with 2 K’s
OF – Kyrell Hudson (Williamsport) – (.247) – 1 for 5 with a K and 2 SB (7)
OF – Herlis Rodriguez (VSL) – (.289) – 0 for 3
LHP – Mike Zagurski (Lehigh Valley) – (2-0, 2.41, 10 SV) – 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB and a K
LHP – Joe Savery (Redding) – (0-0, 1.50) –1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB and 2 K’s
LHP – Austin Wright (Williamsport) – (0-0, 2.00) – 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB and 5 K’s
LHP – Bryan Morgado (Williamsport) – (0-0, 3.60) – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB and a K
RHP – B.J. Rosenberg (Reading) – (2-4, 4.65) – 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB and 3 K’s (loss)
RHP – Lisalberto Bonilla (Lakewood) – (0-1, 1.49, 4 SV) – 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB and 12 K’s
its really becoming a joke. They take the 40-man roster stuff way too seriously. I mean if they waive Carpenter and the Royals claim him, is that really going to affect the organization? We continue to lose games because of these guys, and its time to play guys on merit before anything else. Carpenter, Herndon, Baez gotta go, Schwimmer, DeFratus and (soon) Madson up. Then Ill be happy with the bullpen
The Phils are playing at almost a .667 clip since June 1 they were saying on the broadcast. Trying to think of a game the Phils bullpen “lost” before this and I guess you could say the Red Sox game (the Hamels injury game) but I think the last game they lost (Baez) was 6/3 vs. Pittsburgh. Carpenter will go back down next week after the break. Then when Lidge and Contreras comeback later this month you will see Perez and Mathieson go back down. They Phils bullpen has done a good job for losing three different closers and cutting their top lefty going into the year.
i probably would’ve had stutes and bastardo combine for three innings, because there’s a day off tomorrow. no way you bring carpenter in a one-run game.
I don’t fault the Phillies for trying to see what they have in Carpenter. He has had a really good season in Lehigh Valley in relief and they’re giving him a few opportunities to see if he can replicate those numbers in the majors.
Herndon had 10 straight appearances without giving up an earned run before his last two outings. It’s not as if he’s been terrible/useless. Though these last two have been really bad. He was pitching well and the Phillies didn’t have to burn an option.
We all want to see Schwimer, Aumont, and de Fratus in the big leagues. But the Phillies are currently 8 games up on the Diamondbacks for a playoff spot. They can afford to keep pitching Baez/Herndon/Carpenter while they wait for other players to come back from the DL. Wasting an option year on players that you hope to keep for a while when you have that luxury is kind of silly.
It’s not clear to me why people would rather have Schwim up than Carpenter. They have very similar results so far this year in AAA. Schwim has more Ks, Carp has fewer walks and more groundballs. Why do people think Carpenter is garbage but Schwim will be so much better? If you have two minor leaguers who are essentially performing the same, it would be foolish to promote the one not on the 40-man.
My feeling is that promoting players to the next level based on the results at the previous level is always iffy. As the mutual funds guys like to say, “Past performance is no guarantee of future results”. This is especially true if the past performance is at a lower level than the projected performance. Therefore, you have to use trial and error. So far, Stutes and Bastardo have been successful; Mathieson, Herndon, Zagurski and Carpenter have not. So you keep trying promising prospects until you find one that works. Of course, one could argue that Mathieson et al. need more time to be evaluated fairly, but a some point, especially in a decimated bullpen, it will be time to move on to test Schwimer and De Fratus.
I agree that those guys will get their chance, but it does not make sense to use them instead of Carp. A side point, but past performance does tell you a lot about how a player will do in the future. That’s why players with good results get promoted.
I stated that past performance was not a” guarantee of future results”, not that it was irrelevant. My point was that you try someone who is promising, based in large part upon past performance, but if he doesn’t perform, you try the next candidate. I have no problem with them bringing up Carpenter and giving him a chance. So far this season, his MLB ERA is 8.10. His career MLB ERA is 9.00. Of course, he needs to have some more chances, but at some point you have to move on.
Nice start tonight by Wright for Williamsport. The team held on nicely and Murray filled the cleanup role with a home run.
Cosart won in typical fashion for this year. He was hit around a bit, but won. Nice return to the lineup for Myers.
Congratulations to anyone who made it to the Lakewood game today. You saw a good game and a pitching performance to remember in a young man’s life. Outstanding! I wish him many more.
Actually Cosart has pitched in some tough luck this year…he is holding teams to a .215 average before today and in the last two games before this he was 0-2 giving up 4 runs in 13 innings and only 8 hits. Clearwater really hasn’t hit that well as a team.
He may have had some bad luck in getting wins, but his BABIP is .253 which suggests he is actually getting lucky on balls in play. He has a K/9 of 6.7 and a BB/9 of 3.5. His FIP is 3.97. Not bad, but certainly nothing like what I expected out of someone rated so highly.
I am also liking Wright so far. He got hit around in the SEC, so perhaps the level of competition is helping him, but the scouting report from BA suggested there is more potential in him. I hope he has tapped it.
I think Brown was hosed out of a triple tonight. He did not argue, but that is not his personality. I know some people are going to make this play into a key part in the game, but its really on the umpire. Brown should not feel demoralized at all about this. Also, the real story of the game was injuries. Kendrick was not supposed to start tonight. He’s not a guy who can give you six or seven innings reliably. We were going to have to rely on our bullpen tonight, and right now it is the Pigpen. No one in the Pigpen stepped up. Howard just missed a bomb that would have left many other yards. The only reason this game is significant is because the Braves are playing so well. Otherwise, I’d feel good about a series victory.
What’s left of Carp’s career was saved by the DP. I know they were saving Bastardo for Atlanta but please Swim for Baez. NOTE TO PHILS The money is lost . Man up and get rid of Baez.
They were not saving Bastardo for Atlanta, they were holding him back for a potential save situation which is standard protocol on the road. Home teams usually pitch their closer in the 9th inning regardless because a home team doesn’t have a save opportunity in extra innings.
yes cosart’s low strikeout numbers are worrisome for me considering he is still only in A ball and throws in the upper 90’s with what keith law called a “hammer curve” , Is there anyone who has seen him pitch recently who can offer some more insight
Nice game from the Cutters tonight as they finally showed some signs of life on the road. Austin Wright pitched very well after giving up a moonshot in the first inning. For a lefty, he is a real power pitcher, something you don’t see too often – I could see him being a successful reliever down the road, worst case scenario.
Franco with another big hit tonight extending his team-leading RBI total to 13. Murray with a big-time shot over the wall in left, although he had to leave the game late as he is battling a sore wrist. Hudson only got on base once, but stole second and third with extreme ease… Diaz had a nice little game at catcher; 2 for 4 and one of his outs was a screaming liner that almost went for a two-out, two-run single. Had a bunt hit and went first to third easily on a single to center field.
As far as the relievers, Gomez pitched alright – he’s just a nice righty to have, good stuff and good control, can go 3 innings, etc. Morgado had a very impressive eighth inning and Duke gave the Scrappers no chance in the 9th.
Any other questions feel free to ask! (Sorry, no radar gun that I could see at the field)
One of Martinez’s hits last night was a bloop to center, but the other one he squared up pretty well. He just hasn’t totally blown me away yet…it looks like the potential is there, but he just needs a little more time to put it all together.
His defense is definitely special, though. A couple nights ago he made two bare-hand plays to nab runners on swinging-but dribblers up the line. Franco and Martinez are splitting time at 3B almost 50/50, and so far both of them look like plus defenders at the hot corner.
Thanks J I really appreciate it. I am routing for both he and Franco. I’ve seen Martinez play on TV a few times last year. He looks the part so when we drafted him I decided to follow him along and we’ll see how he develops.
Martinez’s K rate is bad (about 36%), but hopefully it’s just small sample size/adjustment to the pros. It’s good to hear positives on his defense though.
GCL- boxscore said Yacksel Rios played SS, check it out.
They dropped Langley down from LKW and has played regular so far, not good for new additions it looks like.
DSL-7 team steals including 4 for Lad Berroa.
VSL- Francisco Silva identity finally for real, I guess, finally arrives and plays SS for a couple of games. Haven’t seen Jair Morelos in a couple of games. 3 fielding errors for Silva.
One of newest signees Gustavo Martinez hitting well lately, almost at the production BA of Herlis Rodriguez, more noted on here.
LVIP:- no hits RDG- 2 hits.
CLW- Singleton plays LF, Ruf 1B, Valle DH,Suomi C, everybody hit it seems.
LKW- Lisalverto Bonilla 9 IP, 12 Strikeouts.
Something like that happened a few clicks back when they had Francisco Diaz as CF and they had the other Diaz OF on team. Today , they still have Francisco with a game in CF,(one at 1B,2B,3B, also. I tend to think Francisco did play in CF. Rios- whoever did the boxscore put Y. Rios , so I expect he knew there is also a N. Rios. Maybe Yacksel also played SS in HS, and they will try him there until or if the other HS SS’s sign or not. Could not find anything on Internet about Yacksel other than in a list of guys drafted by Phillies.
Seems that every year there is a too old college pitcher that dominates for W’port. There was Matt Way, Eric Pettis and now it looks like Ryan Duke is following that trend. Granted, dude is too old for the league; but it’s always neat to see someone dominate.
“He’s looked great as a starter,” Rupp said. “I caught him last year in Williamsport, too, where he made a few starts. He’s got a 93-94 mile-an-hour fastball. He’s got an unbelievable change that he can throw at any time and that looks like a fastball. He has a slider that’s a pretty good pitch, too. It’s his third pitch and I think it’s an above average breaking ball.”
Haven’t seen him play but he’s supposed to be a superior defender. He’s caught 29% of the attemped basestealers. He has only 3 PBs in 58 games. He has 7 errors but it may be a few airmailed throws. He’s a 240 lbs guy so I wouldn’t want to run into him trying to score.
When I wrote the stuff above I was reminded of a minor league game (non-Phillies) a few years ago. The catcher overthrew the 2nd base bag and hit the centerfielder in the chest with his throw. I was in seats behind homeplate and the catcher and home plate umpire almost couldn’t continue the game, they were laughing so hard.
LAKEWOOD REPORT from WED, JULY 6:
It is pretty obvious that the story of the day was Lisalberto Bonilla- I can’t tell you how impressive he was (but I will try). Let’s start with the filler part of our program (the offense)…Hewitt, Mattair and Santana looked awful at the plate. Santana did reach on an error on a hard hit ball to 3B but that was the extent of it. Top hitters on the day were Collier with 2 hits (both off a soft-tossing lefty named Ray that we couldn’t generate much against) and Duran with 2 hits. Bad news is Collier had issues on the bases getting picked off when he left early on a steal against said lefty. Edgar Duran hit the ball hard- he singled in the first. The Hagarstown 3rd baseman dove and got a piece of it but it rolled into LF, Duran tried for 2nd but got gunned out. Edgar ended up being the hero with a hard line single down the LF line after Rupp had opened the 10th with a nice single up the middle (backup catcher Lanning ran for Rupp and scored the winning run). Duran’s winning hit came batting lefty and he went with the pitch nicely. Someone asked about Rupp’s defense. If you haven’t seen him, his body is like a barrel- he has some of the shortest and thickest legs you will see on a ballplayer. Hard to believe as thick as he is that is really 6-1. He did a nice job behind the plate and threw out a runner trying to steal. Now let’s get to the really good stuff. Bonilla was absolutely amazing. I am not going to pretend to be a pro scout but this kid looked special. In the first inning he struck out the side on 10 pitches (2 swinging, 1 looking). He has a nasty slider that dives down that the Hagarstown guys were swinging over by a wide margin. Then all of the sudden he starts using this change up that had them baffled as well. He had a very large number of swings/misses with both of those off-speed offerings. In inning #2 he did not throw a single ball and got them out 1-2-3. Inning #3 was also 1-2-3 with 2 K’s and a foul popout to the catcher. The first hit was actually a bunt single in the 4th by the leadoff man that was a close play at 1st, but Bonilla cruised through the rest of the inning. In the 5th, he got in trouble with 1st and 3rd but calmly pitched out of it. He continued to dominate all the way through the 8th. I was surprised that Truby sent him out for the 9th (the game was still scoreless) and sure enough after a groundout, the next two batters got on (clean single and then a bunt where Bonilla tried to field and tag the runner but dropped the ball, after picking it up he flipped to first but was too late and Murphy dropped the ball anyway). When Truby came out to the mound, I was sure that would be all for Bonilla. Nope sportsfans, he talked his way into staying out there (assuming he speaks English), and proceeded to induce an inning- ending 6-4-3 DP. Sadly, the Claws did not score in the 9th and get Lisalberto the win he deserved. Lendy Castillo pitched a nice 10th and then Duran sent the fans home happy with the winning base hit! As far as Bonilla, in the first inning he threw a good amount of fastballs (varied from 88- to an occasional 93) and only used the slider for an out-pitch. As the game wore on, he threw fewer and fewer fastballs and had less velocity on most of them but he had them baffled with the slider and changeup. Suddenly late in the game (it was a very hot afternoon), he reached back and threw 90’s again even matching his high for the day with a 93 mph fastball in the 9th inning. All in all, it was a masterful performance- he had Hagarstown guessing all day long (and usually guessing wrong). His mixing of pitches was great and he seemed to be able to throw any pitch at any time in the count for a strike. Unfortunately, the milb.com boxscore doesn’t say how many strikes and pitches he threw but I can assure you it was an impressive ratio. On a personal note, the last 3 years, I have gone to one Lakewood game each year and they have won all 3 on walkoffs:
2009: Anthony Gose singles in winning run in bottom of the 9th
2010: Schoenberger scores on a wild pitch in bottom of the 9th
2011: Edgar Duran singles in Lanning in bottom of the 10th.
Heading to Reading on Monday!!
PP- if you think this post is worthy, feel free to put it in as an article.
Nicely done! Bonilla has been on my radar since Wolever talked about him in an article last year. I believe he said his frame and demeanor reminded him of Pedro and he loved his change up.
Darin Ruf seems to be pushing himself into some legit talk as a kid who can hit but he reminds me of Rizz. Valle is also on a tear he wants it bad.
I must admit I don’t have time to read everything written on this site (though I wish I did), but has anyone been talking about Eric Pettis. I saw him pitch twice last year for W’port and was not at all impressed other than his results. Obviously most of his decisions last year came in relief so you can chalk some of that up to luck but his other stats are also impressive. He is already at Clearwater and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. His ERA and K per inning have been strong at every level and his BAA hovers around .200. When I saw him, he seemed to throw with mostly arm and I didn’t think he would be successful. Anyone have any comments on him?
missing 2nd base happens, but the larger problem are fundementals. brown imo will be fine offensivly ais .250, 15 hr,s 50, is fine , next year .270 20 hr,s 70 rbis. etc. no pressure on the kid but per last year he,s still turning singles into doubles. didn,t anyone teach him routes. his concentration needs alot of work, not running out balls, missing 2nd and poor defense. but this stuff is fixable and they better get too it. i believe he,ll fix it and be a plus right fielder for some time.
“Bonilla has got long loose arms, a good fastball and a very good change-up,” said Gorm Heimueller, Philadelphia’s minor league pitching coordinator. “The big thing for him has been to get him to trust his fastball. When he was in the GCL he could throw the change at any time and get people out. “But he has to be able to use his fastball to make his change-up that much better. He knows he has a good pitch in that changeup. He’s learning to trust his fastball more and it’s paid off for him.”
Your pitching line of the night might have come from a name you haven’t heard before, but he’s quickly becoming a big pop-up guy in the Sally League that has scouts lining up for another look. Moved to the rotation in early June, Bonilla features an average-to-plus fastball with natural sink, but his changeup is his best pitch, as a true plus offering with plenty of depth and fade. Limiting Sally League hitters to a .179 batting average, with an improved breaking ball, he’ll continue to climb Phillies prospect lists.
Should be interesting to see where he ends up on the end-of-season lists. His stuff makes him sound a little bit like Julio Rodriguez, and it looks like the organization is taking the same approach with him (pitching both as a starter and out of the bullpen).
Everything I’ve heard is that J-Rod is in the upper 80s whereas it seems Bonilla is in the lower 90s. So I think he has a little more “stuff” than J-Rod.
Amazingly, it looks like Julio Rodriguez is YOUNGER than Bonilla (albeit by a slim 3 months) and playing at a higher minor league level. So, it appears, by reports, that Julio’s fastball is slower but his overall development is faster. Weird? Or is it just that Rodriguez developed a good breaking pitch at a young age that has so far confounded most young hitters?
I saw J-Rod throw 93 last year at Lakewood. However, it was in relief (Shreve started). Many pitchers seem to throw harder in relief since they don’t have to pace themselves. It could be that J-Rod will end up as a reliever, but barring injury, I think he has a MLB future.
Hey everybody, been a reader here for the past few years, thought I’d make a post since I was at the Clearwater game last night. Thought I’d post up some impressions on the notable guys for anyone who’s interested. Granted I don’t see a lot of live games and am hardly a scout, so take it for what it’s worth.
COSART 5IP 6H 3R 3ER 2BB 3SO 1HR… definetly wasn’t sharp on the mound. Seemed a bit agitated out there. Never really settled in. Looked like he was having trouble consistently locating his fastball. Heaters topped out at about 95 (via scoreboard) a few times. I’d say his fastball probably averaged about 91-92 for the game. Could’ve just been my imagination but seemed like the harder fastballs were flatter with slower ones having more movement on them. But it might have just been that he was running them up the ladder making them look flatter.
Hard to really get a read on how effective his secondary stuff was considering he was struggling with the fastball location. He was able to throw his curve for a strike. Batters weren’t really squaring the pitch up from what I could tell, except maybe one or two he left hanging. I guess it was a change up he was throwing in the low 80s. Seemed like his arm slot was repeated consistently from what I could tell. Really, he was having trouble putting batters away. Got two strikes a lot but couldn’t get the K. Gave up a homer to the first batter of the game. On a full count, he put a fastball right down the pipe and the guy was all over it. He might not have been fooling too many guys, but his stuff was good enough that they weren’t able to square up a whole lot of balls. Only 3 of the 6 hits were well struck. 1 infield single probably would have been an out with an Mlb caliber SS behind him (Hanzawa made a nice diving stretch to his right, but didn’t have enough arm to beat the runner). Two back to back walks in the third really hurt him.
All in all though he battled. Wasn’t phased when he got into some jams. No Kendrick style deer-in-headlights look. I’d say that was the big positive I left with. Though he struggled he stayed after it and got the win. While he might not have been sharp, his raw stuff was still enough to have some success.
Also, he fielded his position very well. Comfortably handling a couple of slow choppers sent back towards him and an impressive snag on a ball over his head he stretched out for. Did a decent job holding runners on I guess. Throws over to first were a bit inaccurate in the first inning moving off the front of the bag toward the line. But got much better and accurate later in the game.
JAMES 4AB 2R 3H 1BB… had a great game. Tremendous athlete. Most physically imposing player on the field. Seemed really comfortable at the plate, liked going after the first pitch. I’d say he’s an aggressive hitter but still had the ability to draw a walk and take balls. Has a nice swing, maybe a bit long at times.
Extremely impressed with his baserunning. Great instincts and reads on the balls put in play. Executed his part of a hit and run perfectly to go first to third. Alertly scored on a past ball. Read it so well he scored standing up even though the ball didn’t get too far from the catcher.
Later in the game, on second, grounder at 3rd baseman who looked him back. James kind of gave a juke back to second and drew the throw to first, than took third anyway with his speed. Kind of a clever play and allowed him to score on a sac fly with the next batter.
Went first to third easily on another single he read perfectly. Oh, he runs hard too. On his double, he blooped one in to shallow left and was able to stretch it for two since he busted it out the box. Very kinetic on the bases trying his best to distract the pitcher and get in his head.
Very smooth out in center. Looked like he was getting good reads. Was able to chase down a hard liner to right center fairly easily.
Funny anecdote, before each at bat he scribbles something into the edge of the dirt with the end of his bat. Couldn’t make it out, but whatever it was it worked for him as he reached base four times.
SINGLETON 4AB 1R 1H 1RBI… had a solid game. Plays with a relaxed confidence, especially at the dish. His approach and quick swing are as described. (Though don’t think he was on the same page with the ump as far as the strikezone. Especially, early in the game. He checked some swings, expecting them to go for balls, but were called strikes anyway). Very comfortable hitting with two strikes. Had a nice sac fly out to left. Always great to see a young player who can target the opposite field. Nice piece of situational hitting. Should have had two hits on the game. Ripped a liner to right center, but the RF made a nice sliding catch.
Looked fine out in left. Handled a couple semi-routine flyballs he had to move for easily. Hustled after the balls in front of him. If I were being picky, I’d say there was one shallow looper he didn’t get a great jump on. Twitched to his left, before coming in on it. But it was a hard read heading out to left center before slicing back toward the line. One of those low fly balls that are kind of right at you, which as I understand are the hardest to read. Even with a great jump, I don’t think a speedy fielder could have got it anyway.
His error came with runners on and he had to chase down a liner and was definetly rushing to get the ball back in. Threw to the wrong bag, allowing runner to take third. Basically, just a mental mistake from a guy still learning the position. Not something to be concerned about at this point. I didn’t see any reason why he can’t make for a solid left fielder. There was certainly no Ben Franscico cha cha-ing going on out there.
VALLE 5AB 2R 2H 2RBI… had five walks. Joking of course, loves to swing. Does make a lot of contact and fights off pitches. Oddly enough though, I believe he took the first pitch on his first four ABs. Could’ve had three hits, but was robbed on a great diving catch by the LF in shallow left.
His zeal got the better of him on two strikeouts, swinging at garbage. Probably was looking for fastballs. The first was particularly disappointing considering he had a man on second, no outs. Failed to move the runner, swinging for the fences. Must be watching too many Phillies’ games *rimshot*
But, he made up for it in the ninth. With two strikes it was nice to see him shorten his swing and dump one into shallow right for his second rbi on the night.
DH’ed so didn’t get to see him behind the plate.
Anyway hope somebody finds these ramblings interesting.
Just to be clear, I really wasn’t commenting on his all around mental attributes. Certainly not qualified for that. Just on that particular play he showed a good understanding of his ability and was able to put it to use.
Thank you sir. Great write up. Gets me excited about James. A good fielder with excellent base running skilsl. Get’s you dreaming that his floor is a 5th outfielder and with development….
Yeah, probably. Gose has improved every aspect of his game across the board over the last 3 years despite going from Low A to AA in that period. Slugging is up, average is up, OBP skills are up and his SB efficiency is way up this year.
He’s starting to look like a pretty elite prospect.
I am a bit surprised both made it. Singleton because of his lost time and poor month or so. But he caught fire recently and supposedly his swing is back so it makes sense he is still in Top50. I am still waiting for his power to develop but the rest of his hitting/approach seems elite.
Cosart still flashes good stuff but he really has not been a dominant pitcher. I have no idea how the other “Top” prospects have done so I have no guess on how far he would drop.
D’Arnaud is hitter better than I expected but I figured he would be a good catcher. He should at least be a quality backup (Marson like).
I still hope James can develop like Gose. I know James is much older but he lost two years with an injury (and being considered a pitcher). Gose looks great at 20 in AA. Speed and defense are awesome, power is better, BB are up but K’s are a bit too high. He could easily be ranked higher.
Jiwan James is still young…he just turned 22 this yr…age appropriate for high A…I think he and Collier have to be the future CF after Victorino because Gillies can’t get on the field.
(I remarked on being impressed with his improvement last start, and that’s obviously held true. Could be working his way towards a spot start in Philly later this year after all.)
I wonder what Collier is hitting after his slow start. This start can be chalked up to rust, since he hadn’t played the year before. He’s hitting .280 or so, but he must be hitting .320 or so since he got the rust off.
I’m excited about J.C. Ramirez because Chuck Lamar thinks he’s very talented and throws very hard. The Mariners seems to have a knack for finding big, hard-throwing Latin pitchers- Hernandez, Pineda. That run he gave up today was unearned, by the way. An error by Rivero, who has 17 or so errors. This seems like too many. I’ve heard people rave about his defense however.
I’d like a velocity report on Lidge. It’d be great if he could start to click again and we’d have another guy in the bullpen. Right now, we have just two. We could have 5- Madson, Contreras, Lidge, Stutes, Bastardo. There are a lot of guys with upside but who are still unproven- Herndon, Mathieson, Carpenter. I’ve been a fan of Herndon, but he needs to start putting it together. He lost his triple-A year. I wonder if this is hurting him. Our last two losses have been due to the fact that other team has been able to get to the Pigpen.
Also, I’ve been thinking about Amaro’s privileging of pitching. Think about it- a position player has about 4 chances to impact a game at the plate and about three chances to impact the game on the field. Inevitably, 65-75% of his at-bats are going to end in failure. Pitchers are instrumental in every play in every game. A dominant starting pitcher therefore, like Cliff Lee, is much, much more impactful than even a strong position player, like Jayson Werth (when he played for us). A strong position player can have three hits, including a two-run homer- a fantastic game- and the team could very easily lose. If a starting pitcher, on the other hand, has a fantastic game, the odds are very high that you will win. Hitters are fun, but strong starting pitchers are the best sort of player around.
Phuture Phillies 
this is on another subject, but after herndon and carpenter’s performance tonight, i can see mike schwimer’s point. herndon’s been terrible in his last two outings.
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What was his point?
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1. OF – Domonic Brown (Phillies) – (.239) 1 for 3 with a run, BB and K
3. OF – Jon Singleton (Clearwater)- (.281) –1 for 4 with a run and RBI (35)
4. RHP – Jared Cosart (Clearwater) – (7-6, 3.26) – 7 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB and 4 K’s (win)
6. C – Sebastian Valle (Clearwater) – (.324) – 2 for 5 with a 2B (14), 2 RBI (28), 2 runs and 2 K’s
13. OF – Domingo Santana (Lakewood) – (.255) 0 for 4 with a K
15. OF – Aaron Altherr (Williamsport) – (.304) – 0 for 4
17. C – Cameron Rupp (Lakewood) – (.243) – 1 for 4 with 2 K’s
18. OF – Jiwan James (Clearwater) – (.264) – 3 for 4 with a 2B (15), 2 runs and a BB
24. 1B – Matt Rizzotti (Reading) – (.292) – 0 for 3 with 3 K’s
27. OF – Miguel Alvarez (Lakewood) –(.270) – 1 for 3
28. OF – Kelly Dugan (Williamsport) –(.268) – 2 for 5 with a 2B (2) and a K
Others:
1B – Cody Overbeck (Lehigh Valley) – (.172) 0 for 2 with a BB and a K
2B/DH – Cody Asche (Williamsport) – (.230) 1 for 4 with a 2B (4) and RBI (4)
3B – Maikel Franco (Williamsport) – (.288) – 1 for 4 with a 2B (4), 2 RBI (13), BB and a K
3B – Harold Martinez (Williamsport) – (.235) – 2 for 4 with 2 K’s
SS – Freddy Galvis (Redding) – (.261) –0 for 4 with a K
OF – Derrick Mitchell (Redding)- (.286) – 0 for 2 with a K
OF – Steve Susdorf (Redding) – (.341) – 1 for 3 with 2 K’s
OF – Zach Collier (Lakewood) – (.278) – 2 for 4 with a CS (10) and a K
OF – Anthony Hewitt (Lakewood) – (.241) – 0 for 4 with 2 K’s
OF – Kyrell Hudson (Williamsport) – (.247) – 1 for 5 with a K and 2 SB (7)
OF – Herlis Rodriguez (VSL) – (.289) – 0 for 3
LHP – Mike Zagurski (Lehigh Valley) – (2-0, 2.41, 10 SV) – 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB and a K
LHP – Joe Savery (Redding) – (0-0, 1.50) –1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB and 2 K’s
LHP – Austin Wright (Williamsport) – (0-0, 2.00) – 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, BB and 5 K’s
LHP – Bryan Morgado (Williamsport) – (0-0, 3.60) – 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB and a K
RHP – B.J. Rosenberg (Reading) – (2-4, 4.65) – 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB and 3 K’s (loss)
RHP – Lisalberto Bonilla (Lakewood) – (0-1, 1.49, 4 SV) – 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB and 12 K’s
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ketch–I believe Cosart only went 6. Whatcott started the 7th.
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I think he actually went 5 and had 3 ks
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Yeah, I screwed that up.
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its really becoming a joke. They take the 40-man roster stuff way too seriously. I mean if they waive Carpenter and the Royals claim him, is that really going to affect the organization? We continue to lose games because of these guys, and its time to play guys on merit before anything else. Carpenter, Herndon, Baez gotta go, Schwimmer, DeFratus and (soon) Madson up. Then Ill be happy with the bullpen
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The Phils are playing at almost a .667 clip since June 1 they were saying on the broadcast. Trying to think of a game the Phils bullpen “lost” before this and I guess you could say the Red Sox game (the Hamels injury game) but I think the last game they lost (Baez) was 6/3 vs. Pittsburgh. Carpenter will go back down next week after the break. Then when Lidge and Contreras comeback later this month you will see Perez and Mathieson go back down. They Phils bullpen has done a good job for losing three different closers and cutting their top lefty going into the year.
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overall, they’ve done an outstanding job, i agree. btw, why doesn’t perez get in?
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The bullpen has been good because of 3 pitchers. Bastardo, Madson, and Stutes being lock down. Aside form them they’ve been garbage.
The reason they haven’t lost too many games is the starters have made it possible for them to hide all of the junk in the pen.
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i probably would’ve had stutes and bastardo combine for three innings, because there’s a day off tomorrow. no way you bring carpenter in a one-run game.
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I don’t fault the Phillies for trying to see what they have in Carpenter. He has had a really good season in Lehigh Valley in relief and they’re giving him a few opportunities to see if he can replicate those numbers in the majors.
Herndon had 10 straight appearances without giving up an earned run before his last two outings. It’s not as if he’s been terrible/useless. Though these last two have been really bad. He was pitching well and the Phillies didn’t have to burn an option.
We all want to see Schwimer, Aumont, and de Fratus in the big leagues. But the Phillies are currently 8 games up on the Diamondbacks for a playoff spot. They can afford to keep pitching Baez/Herndon/Carpenter while they wait for other players to come back from the DL. Wasting an option year on players that you hope to keep for a while when you have that luxury is kind of silly.
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It’s not clear to me why people would rather have Schwim up than Carpenter. They have very similar results so far this year in AAA. Schwim has more Ks, Carp has fewer walks and more groundballs. Why do people think Carpenter is garbage but Schwim will be so much better? If you have two minor leaguers who are essentially performing the same, it would be foolish to promote the one not on the 40-man.
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You’re problem is that you are using logic. These days, among many commenters on this site, that is as bad as (shudder) using statistics.
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Because the grass is always greener with the prospect who hasn’t been seen to have actually give up a run in a game yet.
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My feeling is that promoting players to the next level based on the results at the previous level is always iffy. As the mutual funds guys like to say, “Past performance is no guarantee of future results”. This is especially true if the past performance is at a lower level than the projected performance. Therefore, you have to use trial and error. So far, Stutes and Bastardo have been successful; Mathieson, Herndon, Zagurski and Carpenter have not. So you keep trying promising prospects until you find one that works. Of course, one could argue that Mathieson et al. need more time to be evaluated fairly, but a some point, especially in a decimated bullpen, it will be time to move on to test Schwimer and De Fratus.
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I agree that those guys will get their chance, but it does not make sense to use them instead of Carp. A side point, but past performance does tell you a lot about how a player will do in the future. That’s why players with good results get promoted.
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I stated that past performance was not a” guarantee of future results”, not that it was irrelevant. My point was that you try someone who is promising, based in large part upon past performance, but if he doesn’t perform, you try the next candidate. I have no problem with them bringing up Carpenter and giving him a chance. So far this season, his MLB ERA is 8.10. His career MLB ERA is 9.00. Of course, he needs to have some more chances, but at some point you have to move on.
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K’s in the minors are better indicators of success in the big leagues.
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Carpenters K/9 this year is 10.0. That’s outstanding. Schwimer’s is better, but both are exceedingly good.
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Nice start tonight by Wright for Williamsport. The team held on nicely and Murray filled the cleanup role with a home run.
Cosart won in typical fashion for this year. He was hit around a bit, but won. Nice return to the lineup for Myers.
Congratulations to anyone who made it to the Lakewood game today. You saw a good game and a pitching performance to remember in a young man’s life. Outstanding! I wish him many more.
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Actually Cosart has pitched in some tough luck this year…he is holding teams to a .215 average before today and in the last two games before this he was 0-2 giving up 4 runs in 13 innings and only 8 hits. Clearwater really hasn’t hit that well as a team.
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He may have had some bad luck in getting wins, but his BABIP is .253 which suggests he is actually getting lucky on balls in play. He has a K/9 of 6.7 and a BB/9 of 3.5. His FIP is 3.97. Not bad, but certainly nothing like what I expected out of someone rated so highly.
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I am also liking Wright so far. He got hit around in the SEC, so perhaps the level of competition is helping him, but the scouting report from BA suggested there is more potential in him. I hope he has tapped it.
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Cosart’s low strikeout numbers starting to worry anyone else? He only has 6 K’s in his last 18 innings.
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In 18 innings? Ah no…
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pitching coach has staff pitching for contact. Teaches these kids how to pitch not just always go for the punch out.
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I think Brown was hosed out of a triple tonight. He did not argue, but that is not his personality. I know some people are going to make this play into a key part in the game, but its really on the umpire. Brown should not feel demoralized at all about this. Also, the real story of the game was injuries. Kendrick was not supposed to start tonight. He’s not a guy who can give you six or seven innings reliably. We were going to have to rely on our bullpen tonight, and right now it is the Pigpen. No one in the Pigpen stepped up. Howard just missed a bomb that would have left many other yards. The only reason this game is significant is because the Braves are playing so well. Otherwise, I’d feel good about a series victory.
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i thought he touched the bag, too. braves are doing what you’re supposed to – beat the crap out of struggling teams. they’re on a serious roll.
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CSN has article up , Brown says he didn’t touch the bag. Manuel said he went to argue , umpire said it wasn’t close.
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It wasn’t close. Brown made a base-running mistake. It happens..
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Kerwin Danley is one of the worst umpires in the league. I can’t understand why that guy still has a job.
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I agree with you on that but Brown still missed 2nd base..
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By the video it was too close to call, I don’t know how it wasn’t close.
Too bad Florida’s CF whiffed on the ball or Dom would have held up at 2nd.
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If the Phillies continue to win series it won’t matter how the Braves are playing. I always feel good about taking 2/3, especially on the road.
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Amen to that….2/3 is the key!
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What’s left of Carp’s career was saved by the DP. I know they were saving Bastardo for Atlanta but please Swim for Baez. NOTE TO PHILS The money is lost . Man up and get rid of Baez.
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They were not saving Bastardo for Atlanta, they were holding him back for a potential save situation which is standard protocol on the road. Home teams usually pitch their closer in the 9th inning regardless because a home team doesn’t have a save opportunity in extra innings.
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Noone has mentioned that the Pigs got no-hit tonight? Guess they really miss Mayberry.
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Let’s expand this a bit. 2 hits between Reading and LHV. Bonilla pitched an incredible game with 14Ks and 0 runs in 9 IP and didn’t even get the win.
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Oops, slip of the finger. Only 12 Ks for Bonilla. Darn it, who cares? He was shutdown yesterday. He had a GO/FO of 12/2 also.
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Lisalberto!!!
Also, is Savery now headed towards a career as a left-handed reliever?
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Savery’s a tweener right now, He’s a 5 day a week DH and 2 day a week reliever. He’s a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.
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yes cosart’s low strikeout numbers are worrisome for me considering he is still only in A ball and throws in the upper 90’s with what keith law called a “hammer curve” , Is there anyone who has seen him pitch recently who can offer some more insight
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In his last 27 games, RP Michael Schwimer is 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA, 6 saves, and is averaging 11.8K/9. Say no more.
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Zagurski has 10 saves, 13.0K/9, and is 2-0 over the season in AAA. And he is a terrible major leaguer from what I have seen.
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Question about missing players: Matt Way, Nick Hernandez, Steven Inch, Eldmire, Ryan Sasaki, Chace Numata, Stephen Malcolm.
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DL, DL, GCL, DL, Suspended, DL, Unknown (rumored to be sent home)
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Malcolm was reportedly booted from spring training for misconduct, and I think Eldemire’s on the DL with some sort of injury. No idea about the rest.
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Whoops, I should refresh before posting.
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Nice game from the Cutters tonight as they finally showed some signs of life on the road. Austin Wright pitched very well after giving up a moonshot in the first inning. For a lefty, he is a real power pitcher, something you don’t see too often – I could see him being a successful reliever down the road, worst case scenario.
Franco with another big hit tonight extending his team-leading RBI total to 13. Murray with a big-time shot over the wall in left, although he had to leave the game late as he is battling a sore wrist. Hudson only got on base once, but stole second and third with extreme ease… Diaz had a nice little game at catcher; 2 for 4 and one of his outs was a screaming liner that almost went for a two-out, two-run single. Had a bunt hit and went first to third easily on a single to center field.
As far as the relievers, Gomez pitched alright – he’s just a nice righty to have, good stuff and good control, can go 3 innings, etc. Morgado had a very impressive eighth inning and Duke gave the Scrappers no chance in the 9th.
Any other questions feel free to ask! (Sorry, no radar gun that I could see at the field)
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Does Austin Wright look as goofy in person as his milb.com picture?
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Haha no…I laughed pretty hard when I first saw that too, because it makes him look like a big goof, when in fact he’s pretty much all-business.
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What no mention of Martinez’s 2-4? I know he struck out 2x he seems to SO a lot. I’d like to know is he hitting the ball hard and playing a good 3B?
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One of Martinez’s hits last night was a bloop to center, but the other one he squared up pretty well. He just hasn’t totally blown me away yet…it looks like the potential is there, but he just needs a little more time to put it all together.
His defense is definitely special, though. A couple nights ago he made two bare-hand plays to nab runners on swinging-but dribblers up the line. Franco and Martinez are splitting time at 3B almost 50/50, and so far both of them look like plus defenders at the hot corner.
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Thanks J I really appreciate it. I am routing for both he and Franco. I’ve seen Martinez play on TV a few times last year. He looks the part so when we drafted him I decided to follow him along and we’ll see how he develops.
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Martinez’s K rate is bad (about 36%), but hopefully it’s just small sample size/adjustment to the pros. It’s good to hear positives on his defense though.
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GCL- boxscore said Yacksel Rios played SS, check it out.
They dropped Langley down from LKW and has played regular so far, not good for new additions it looks like.
DSL-7 team steals including 4 for Lad Berroa.
VSL- Francisco Silva identity finally for real, I guess, finally arrives and plays SS for a couple of games. Haven’t seen Jair Morelos in a couple of games. 3 fielding errors for Silva.
One of newest signees Gustavo Martinez hitting well lately, almost at the production BA of Herlis Rodriguez, more noted on here.
LVIP:- no hits RDG- 2 hits.
CLW- Singleton plays LF, Ruf 1B, Valle DH,Suomi C, everybody hit it seems.
LKW- Lisalverto Bonilla 9 IP, 12 Strikeouts.
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ah just saw Singleton played LF
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Saw that on Yacksel Rios. I suspect that’s just a typo (misentered at milb.com) and the guy who played SS was Nerio Rios
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Something like that happened a few clicks back when they had Francisco Diaz as CF and they had the other Diaz OF on team. Today , they still have Francisco with a game in CF,(one at 1B,2B,3B, also. I tend to think Francisco did play in CF. Rios- whoever did the boxscore put Y. Rios , so I expect he knew there is also a N. Rios. Maybe Yacksel also played SS in HS, and they will try him there until or if the other HS SS’s sign or not. Could not find anything on Internet about Yacksel other than in a list of guys drafted by Phillies.
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Seems that every year there is a too old college pitcher that dominates for W’port. There was Matt Way, Eric Pettis and now it looks like Ryan Duke is following that trend. Granted, dude is too old for the league; but it’s always neat to see someone dominate.
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Rupp on Bonilla :
“He’s looked great as a starter,” Rupp said. “I caught him last year in Williamsport, too, where he made a few starts. He’s got a 93-94 mile-an-hour fastball. He’s got an unbelievable change that he can throw at any time and that looks like a fastball. He has a slider that’s a pretty good pitch, too. It’s his third pitch and I think it’s an above average breaking ball.”
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Nice to hear such a glowing report about a young pitcher. I think someone else said Bonilla was 90-92, so a 90-94 range is promising.
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Mr. Rupp batting .371 during nine game hitting streak himself Unfortunately with 1BB/9K and 0 HR. Any reports on his defense from Lakewood?
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Haven’t seen him play but he’s supposed to be a superior defender. He’s caught 29% of the attemped basestealers. He has only 3 PBs in 58 games. He has 7 errors but it may be a few airmailed throws. He’s a 240 lbs guy so I wouldn’t want to run into him trying to score.
When I wrote the stuff above I was reminded of a minor league game (non-Phillies) a few years ago. The catcher overthrew the 2nd base bag and hit the centerfielder in the chest with his throw. I was in seats behind homeplate and the catcher and home plate umpire almost couldn’t continue the game, they were laughing so hard.
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Has anyone heard anything recently about Tyson Gillies? Is he still on the DL? About to come off anytime soon?
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LAKEWOOD REPORT from WED, JULY 6:
It is pretty obvious that the story of the day was Lisalberto Bonilla- I can’t tell you how impressive he was (but I will try). Let’s start with the filler part of our program (the offense)…Hewitt, Mattair and Santana looked awful at the plate. Santana did reach on an error on a hard hit ball to 3B but that was the extent of it. Top hitters on the day were Collier with 2 hits (both off a soft-tossing lefty named Ray that we couldn’t generate much against) and Duran with 2 hits. Bad news is Collier had issues on the bases getting picked off when he left early on a steal against said lefty. Edgar Duran hit the ball hard- he singled in the first. The Hagarstown 3rd baseman dove and got a piece of it but it rolled into LF, Duran tried for 2nd but got gunned out. Edgar ended up being the hero with a hard line single down the LF line after Rupp had opened the 10th with a nice single up the middle (backup catcher Lanning ran for Rupp and scored the winning run). Duran’s winning hit came batting lefty and he went with the pitch nicely. Someone asked about Rupp’s defense. If you haven’t seen him, his body is like a barrel- he has some of the shortest and thickest legs you will see on a ballplayer. Hard to believe as thick as he is that is really 6-1. He did a nice job behind the plate and threw out a runner trying to steal. Now let’s get to the really good stuff. Bonilla was absolutely amazing. I am not going to pretend to be a pro scout but this kid looked special. In the first inning he struck out the side on 10 pitches (2 swinging, 1 looking). He has a nasty slider that dives down that the Hagarstown guys were swinging over by a wide margin. Then all of the sudden he starts using this change up that had them baffled as well. He had a very large number of swings/misses with both of those off-speed offerings. In inning #2 he did not throw a single ball and got them out 1-2-3. Inning #3 was also 1-2-3 with 2 K’s and a foul popout to the catcher. The first hit was actually a bunt single in the 4th by the leadoff man that was a close play at 1st, but Bonilla cruised through the rest of the inning. In the 5th, he got in trouble with 1st and 3rd but calmly pitched out of it. He continued to dominate all the way through the 8th. I was surprised that Truby sent him out for the 9th (the game was still scoreless) and sure enough after a groundout, the next two batters got on (clean single and then a bunt where Bonilla tried to field and tag the runner but dropped the ball, after picking it up he flipped to first but was too late and Murphy dropped the ball anyway). When Truby came out to the mound, I was sure that would be all for Bonilla. Nope sportsfans, he talked his way into staying out there (assuming he speaks English), and proceeded to induce an inning- ending 6-4-3 DP. Sadly, the Claws did not score in the 9th and get Lisalberto the win he deserved. Lendy Castillo pitched a nice 10th and then Duran sent the fans home happy with the winning base hit! As far as Bonilla, in the first inning he threw a good amount of fastballs (varied from 88- to an occasional 93) and only used the slider for an out-pitch. As the game wore on, he threw fewer and fewer fastballs and had less velocity on most of them but he had them baffled with the slider and changeup. Suddenly late in the game (it was a very hot afternoon), he reached back and threw 90’s again even matching his high for the day with a 93 mph fastball in the 9th inning. All in all, it was a masterful performance- he had Hagarstown guessing all day long (and usually guessing wrong). His mixing of pitches was great and he seemed to be able to throw any pitch at any time in the count for a strike. Unfortunately, the milb.com boxscore doesn’t say how many strikes and pitches he threw but I can assure you it was an impressive ratio. On a personal note, the last 3 years, I have gone to one Lakewood game each year and they have won all 3 on walkoffs:
2009: Anthony Gose singles in winning run in bottom of the 9th
2010: Schoenberger scores on a wild pitch in bottom of the 9th
2011: Edgar Duran singles in Lanning in bottom of the 10th.
Heading to Reading on Monday!!
PP- if you think this post is worthy, feel free to put it in as an article.
– NYPM
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Nicely done! Bonilla has been on my radar since Wolever talked about him in an article last year. I believe he said his frame and demeanor reminded him of Pedro and he loved his change up.
Darin Ruf seems to be pushing himself into some legit talk as a kid who can hit but he reminds me of Rizz. Valle is also on a tear he wants it bad.
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I must admit I don’t have time to read everything written on this site (though I wish I did), but has anyone been talking about Eric Pettis. I saw him pitch twice last year for W’port and was not at all impressed other than his results. Obviously most of his decisions last year came in relief so you can chalk some of that up to luck but his other stats are also impressive. He is already at Clearwater and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. His ERA and K per inning have been strong at every level and his BAA hovers around .200. When I saw him, he seemed to throw with mostly arm and I didn’t think he would be successful. Anyone have any comments on him?
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missing 2nd base happens, but the larger problem are fundementals. brown imo will be fine offensivly ais .250, 15 hr,s 50, is fine , next year .270 20 hr,s 70 rbis. etc. no pressure on the kid but per last year he,s still turning singles into doubles. didn,t anyone teach him routes. his concentration needs alot of work, not running out balls, missing 2nd and poor defense. but this stuff is fixable and they better get too it. i believe he,ll fix it and be a plus right fielder for some time.
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“Bonilla has got long loose arms, a good fastball and a very good change-up,” said Gorm Heimueller, Philadelphia’s minor league pitching coordinator. “The big thing for him has been to get him to trust his fastball. When he was in the GCL he could throw the change at any time and get people out. “But he has to be able to use his fastball to make his change-up that much better. He knows he has a good pitch in that changeup. He’s learning to trust his fastball more and it’s paid off for him.”
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over on prospectus
Lisalberto Bonilla, RHP, Phillies (Low-A Lakewood): 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K.
Your pitching line of the night might have come from a name you haven’t heard before, but he’s quickly becoming a big pop-up guy in the Sally League that has scouts lining up for another look. Moved to the rotation in early June, Bonilla features an average-to-plus fastball with natural sink, but his changeup is his best pitch, as a true plus offering with plenty of depth and fade. Limiting Sally League hitters to a .179 batting average, with an improved breaking ball, he’ll continue to climb Phillies prospect lists.
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Should be interesting to see where he ends up on the end-of-season lists. His stuff makes him sound a little bit like Julio Rodriguez, and it looks like the organization is taking the same approach with him (pitching both as a starter and out of the bullpen).
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Everything I’ve heard is that J-Rod is in the upper 80s whereas it seems Bonilla is in the lower 90s. So I think he has a little more “stuff” than J-Rod.
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Amazingly, it looks like Julio Rodriguez is YOUNGER than Bonilla (albeit by a slim 3 months) and playing at a higher minor league level. So, it appears, by reports, that Julio’s fastball is slower but his overall development is faster. Weird? Or is it just that Rodriguez developed a good breaking pitch at a young age that has so far confounded most young hitters?
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I saw J-Rod throw 93 last year at Lakewood. However, it was in relief (Shreve started). Many pitchers seem to throw harder in relief since they don’t have to pace themselves. It could be that J-Rod will end up as a reliever, but barring injury, I think he has a MLB future.
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If he continues to dominate I wouldnt mind them being aggressive because most kids in the Sally have never seen a change up let alone a plus change.
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93 with a killer change up is heady stuff. This kid is for real.
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Hey everybody, been a reader here for the past few years, thought I’d make a post since I was at the Clearwater game last night. Thought I’d post up some impressions on the notable guys for anyone who’s interested. Granted I don’t see a lot of live games and am hardly a scout, so take it for what it’s worth.
COSART 5IP 6H 3R 3ER 2BB 3SO 1HR… definetly wasn’t sharp on the mound. Seemed a bit agitated out there. Never really settled in. Looked like he was having trouble consistently locating his fastball. Heaters topped out at about 95 (via scoreboard) a few times. I’d say his fastball probably averaged about 91-92 for the game. Could’ve just been my imagination but seemed like the harder fastballs were flatter with slower ones having more movement on them. But it might have just been that he was running them up the ladder making them look flatter.
Hard to really get a read on how effective his secondary stuff was considering he was struggling with the fastball location. He was able to throw his curve for a strike. Batters weren’t really squaring the pitch up from what I could tell, except maybe one or two he left hanging. I guess it was a change up he was throwing in the low 80s. Seemed like his arm slot was repeated consistently from what I could tell. Really, he was having trouble putting batters away. Got two strikes a lot but couldn’t get the K. Gave up a homer to the first batter of the game. On a full count, he put a fastball right down the pipe and the guy was all over it. He might not have been fooling too many guys, but his stuff was good enough that they weren’t able to square up a whole lot of balls. Only 3 of the 6 hits were well struck. 1 infield single probably would have been an out with an Mlb caliber SS behind him (Hanzawa made a nice diving stretch to his right, but didn’t have enough arm to beat the runner). Two back to back walks in the third really hurt him.
All in all though he battled. Wasn’t phased when he got into some jams. No Kendrick style deer-in-headlights look. I’d say that was the big positive I left with. Though he struggled he stayed after it and got the win. While he might not have been sharp, his raw stuff was still enough to have some success.
Also, he fielded his position very well. Comfortably handling a couple of slow choppers sent back towards him and an impressive snag on a ball over his head he stretched out for. Did a decent job holding runners on I guess. Throws over to first were a bit inaccurate in the first inning moving off the front of the bag toward the line. But got much better and accurate later in the game.
JAMES 4AB 2R 3H 1BB… had a great game. Tremendous athlete. Most physically imposing player on the field. Seemed really comfortable at the plate, liked going after the first pitch. I’d say he’s an aggressive hitter but still had the ability to draw a walk and take balls. Has a nice swing, maybe a bit long at times.
Extremely impressed with his baserunning. Great instincts and reads on the balls put in play. Executed his part of a hit and run perfectly to go first to third. Alertly scored on a past ball. Read it so well he scored standing up even though the ball didn’t get too far from the catcher.
Later in the game, on second, grounder at 3rd baseman who looked him back. James kind of gave a juke back to second and drew the throw to first, than took third anyway with his speed. Kind of a clever play and allowed him to score on a sac fly with the next batter.
Went first to third easily on another single he read perfectly. Oh, he runs hard too. On his double, he blooped one in to shallow left and was able to stretch it for two since he busted it out the box. Very kinetic on the bases trying his best to distract the pitcher and get in his head.
Very smooth out in center. Looked like he was getting good reads. Was able to chase down a hard liner to right center fairly easily.
Funny anecdote, before each at bat he scribbles something into the edge of the dirt with the end of his bat. Couldn’t make it out, but whatever it was it worked for him as he reached base four times.
SINGLETON 4AB 1R 1H 1RBI… had a solid game. Plays with a relaxed confidence, especially at the dish. His approach and quick swing are as described. (Though don’t think he was on the same page with the ump as far as the strikezone. Especially, early in the game. He checked some swings, expecting them to go for balls, but were called strikes anyway). Very comfortable hitting with two strikes. Had a nice sac fly out to left. Always great to see a young player who can target the opposite field. Nice piece of situational hitting. Should have had two hits on the game. Ripped a liner to right center, but the RF made a nice sliding catch.
Looked fine out in left. Handled a couple semi-routine flyballs he had to move for easily. Hustled after the balls in front of him. If I were being picky, I’d say there was one shallow looper he didn’t get a great jump on. Twitched to his left, before coming in on it. But it was a hard read heading out to left center before slicing back toward the line. One of those low fly balls that are kind of right at you, which as I understand are the hardest to read. Even with a great jump, I don’t think a speedy fielder could have got it anyway.
His error came with runners on and he had to chase down a liner and was definetly rushing to get the ball back in. Threw to the wrong bag, allowing runner to take third. Basically, just a mental mistake from a guy still learning the position. Not something to be concerned about at this point. I didn’t see any reason why he can’t make for a solid left fielder. There was certainly no Ben Franscico cha cha-ing going on out there.
VALLE 5AB 2R 2H 2RBI… had five walks. Joking of course, loves to swing. Does make a lot of contact and fights off pitches. Oddly enough though, I believe he took the first pitch on his first four ABs. Could’ve had three hits, but was robbed on a great diving catch by the LF in shallow left.
His zeal got the better of him on two strikeouts, swinging at garbage. Probably was looking for fastballs. The first was particularly disappointing considering he had a man on second, no outs. Failed to move the runner, swinging for the fences. Must be watching too many Phillies’ games *rimshot*
But, he made up for it in the ninth. With two strikes it was nice to see him shorten his swing and dump one into shallow right for his second rbi on the night.
DH’ed so didn’t get to see him behind the plate.
Anyway hope somebody finds these ramblings interesting.
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Well done. Nicely written.
Never thought of Jiwan James as a “clever” player, but that’s great to hear.
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Just to be clear, I really wasn’t commenting on his all around mental attributes. Certainly not qualified for that. Just on that particular play he showed a good understanding of his ability and was able to put it to use.
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Awesome write-up, thanks for sharing! Good to hear about James’s baserunning like that.
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Thank you sir. Great write up. Gets me excited about James. A good fielder with excellent base running skilsl. Get’s you dreaming that his floor is a 5th outfielder and with development….
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Yeah, he really is one of those guys with all the physical ability and just needs to put it all together.
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BA has their midseason top 50 up … 41 Singleton and 43 Cosart
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/07/midseason-top-50-prospects-list/
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d’Arnuad 29, Gose 45
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Gose is going to come back to haunt us but more so the Astros for dealing him for a 1 tool first baseman.
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Yeah, probably. Gose has improved every aspect of his game across the board over the last 3 years despite going from Low A to AA in that period. Slugging is up, average is up, OBP skills are up and his SB efficiency is way up this year.
He’s starting to look like a pretty elite prospect.
So is d’Arnaud for that matter.
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I am a bit surprised both made it. Singleton because of his lost time and poor month or so. But he caught fire recently and supposedly his swing is back so it makes sense he is still in Top50. I am still waiting for his power to develop but the rest of his hitting/approach seems elite.
Cosart still flashes good stuff but he really has not been a dominant pitcher. I have no idea how the other “Top” prospects have done so I have no guess on how far he would drop.
D’Arnaud is hitter better than I expected but I figured he would be a good catcher. He should at least be a quality backup (Marson like).
I still hope James can develop like Gose. I know James is much older but he lost two years with an injury (and being considered a pitcher). Gose looks great at 20 in AA. Speed and defense are awesome, power is better, BB are up but K’s are a bit too high. He could easily be ranked higher.
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Jiwan James is still young…he just turned 22 this yr…age appropriate for high A…I think he and Collier have to be the future CF after Victorino because Gillies can’t get on the field.
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JC Ramirez is dealing
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Too bad he doesn’t know how to win!
(I remarked on being impressed with his improvement last start, and that’s obviously held true. Could be working his way towards a spot start in Philly later this year after all.)
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Phils brass have to be pleased with the turn arounds the he and Aumont have had this year.
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…and that guy Gillies–who we saw infrequently last season and this one– is…..???
Has he become a lost cause? Losing TWO seasons because of injury to his main asset–his legs–speaks poorly for his future in this profession.
Great expectations have turned into a sour taste.
A shame for the guy; it’s not his fault that his body has betrayed him.
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I wonder what Collier is hitting after his slow start. This start can be chalked up to rust, since he hadn’t played the year before. He’s hitting .280 or so, but he must be hitting .320 or so since he got the rust off.
I’m excited about J.C. Ramirez because Chuck Lamar thinks he’s very talented and throws very hard. The Mariners seems to have a knack for finding big, hard-throwing Latin pitchers- Hernandez, Pineda. That run he gave up today was unearned, by the way. An error by Rivero, who has 17 or so errors. This seems like too many. I’ve heard people rave about his defense however.
I’d like a velocity report on Lidge. It’d be great if he could start to click again and we’d have another guy in the bullpen. Right now, we have just two. We could have 5- Madson, Contreras, Lidge, Stutes, Bastardo. There are a lot of guys with upside but who are still unproven- Herndon, Mathieson, Carpenter. I’ve been a fan of Herndon, but he needs to start putting it together. He lost his triple-A year. I wonder if this is hurting him. Our last two losses have been due to the fact that other team has been able to get to the Pigpen.
Also, I’ve been thinking about Amaro’s privileging of pitching. Think about it- a position player has about 4 chances to impact a game at the plate and about three chances to impact the game on the field. Inevitably, 65-75% of his at-bats are going to end in failure. Pitchers are instrumental in every play in every game. A dominant starting pitcher therefore, like Cliff Lee, is much, much more impactful than even a strong position player, like Jayson Werth (when he played for us). A strong position player can have three hits, including a two-run homer- a fantastic game- and the team could very easily lose. If a starting pitcher, on the other hand, has a fantastic game, the odds are very high that you will win. Hitters are fun, but strong starting pitchers are the best sort of player around.
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Anyone see where Rob Roth’s Contract was purchased by the Atlanta Braves http://www.yumascorpions.com/view/yumascorpions/news-134/news_28606 Best of luck to Rob.
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