Spring Training Discussion, week of 19 March

Spring Training 2012

If anyone is still in Clearwater, I’d much appreciate you going and picking up the minor league work groups sheet and scanning/emailing it to me. Thanks!

172 thoughts on “Spring Training Discussion, week of 19 March”

  1. Do you have the early one from lat week?

    Here’s what I received from a friend in CLW (who is now home):

    Group 1
    C
    Lanning
    Stumpo
    Suomi

    IF
    Abreu
    Barnes
    Cartwright
    Duran
    Hanzawa
    Hulett
    Overbeck
    Rizzotti

    OF
    Clevlen
    Kennelly
    Mitchell
    Spidale
    Susdorf
    Thompson
    Tripp

    P
    Brummett
    Bump
    Cisco
    Cloyd
    Cochran
    Ellis
    Feierabend
    Friend
    Gailey
    Kiker
    Kissock
    Mariotti
    Morillo
    Naylor
    Pettis
    Worthington

    Group 2
    C
    Hill
    LaFrenz
    Rupp

    IF
    Alonso
    Franco
    Gonzalez
    GreeneT
    Hillman
    Martinez
    Murphy
    Ruf
    Schoenberger

    OF
    Alvarez
    Castro
    James
    Gump
    Myers
    Hewitt
    Rice

    P
    Arias
    Birmingham
    Bonilla
    Buchanan
    Claypool
    Colvin
    Johnson
    Lugo
    May
    Neris
    Pettibone
    Rodriguez
    Shreve
    Sosa
    Way
    Whatcott

    Group 3
    C
    Chavarin
    Moore
    Numatta

    IF
    Asche
    Ford
    Peredomo
    Quinn
    Silva
    Stassi
    Villalobos
    Walding

    OF
    Altherr
    Amaro
    Collier
    Dugan
    Hudson
    Lavin
    Pointer
    Unda

    P
    BarnesC
    Biddle
    Brough
    Cusick
    DavisR
    Duke
    Durham
    Garner
    Gomez
    Hernandez
    Hollands
    JohnsonC
    Knigge
    Morgado
    Morgan
    Murray
    Van Leur
    Wright

    Group 4
    C
    Bedford
    Clark
    Quaranto

    IF
    Black
    Cardozo
    DuffyC
    Mendez

    OF
    Eldemire
    GreeneL
    Tocci
    Tromp

    P
    Bastida
    Cooper
    Giles
    GonzalezL
    Inch
    Joaquin
    Kinder
    Kleven
    Manzanillo
    MartinezL
    Musser
    Nesseth
    Nuñez
    Perez
    Pirela
    Sasaki
    Sosa
    Stewart
    Warner

    Group5
    C
    Astudillo
    Fick
    Pizarro

    IF
    Malcolm
    Marshall
    Mora
    Valezuela

    OF
    Francisco
    GonzalezD
    Knight
    Olmo
    RodriguezH

    P
    Bautista
    Best
    Casimiro
    Cota
    MartinezM
    Minarek
    Morales
    Oviedo
    Paulino
    Reyes
    Rios
    Rojas
    Santos
    Serrano
    Shull
    Therrien
    Vargas
    Walter

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  2. Unfortunately, it’s looking more and more like Freddy Galvis is going to be the opening day second baseman.

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      1. I consider it a bad thing because of the reason he’ll be playing every day…

        It’s not a knock on Freddy.

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  5. I’m starting to think it’s time to move on from Utley, not saying they should cut him, but they need someone who can play 300 AB’s at second (with Utley playing every other game at best), and preferably be able to float to short and 3rd when those players need a break. That means we’ve got the need for a player who’ll hit 500 times this season in the infield, and also needs to be an offensive force given the positions and players he’s replacing. To say i’m concerned about the phillies ability to score runs at this point has got to be the understatement of the year.

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  6. I do not have a good feeling about this season. While we have the best pitching staff in baseball, we are in big trouble on offense. The biggest problem is that the type of offense they will need to play with this lineup is not what this manager is comfortable managing. The Phils will need to manufacture runs big time and not wait around for the 3R HR. Charlie has been unable to get the guys to buy into this the past few years in the playoffs and i don’t see it getting better this year.

    I think it would be fun to see Pierre or Podsednik anchor the top of the lineup and be a pest to other teams the way they have been to us over the years. But, having one of them in the lineup with Galvis and Rollins and Victorino swinging from their heels is not enticing to me.

    When will the good news start coming out of Clearwater????

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    1. I completely agree, the phillies are looking like a 90-92 win team right now. Our outfield should be top 5 good with Mayberry, Pence and Vic, but our infield is going to be atrocious. I’m not sure I believe in the concept of “small ball” and “manufacturing runs”. I’m pretty sure I’ve had this conversation on this site about the topic at some point over the last few years but i’m not sure when. That said, statistically speaking, there is no such thing as relying on “small ball” or “the 3 run HR”, it’s either you’re on base or you’re an out. One option the phillies could take would be the following:

      Pick up Chase Headly who’s 27 with decent power and a decent OBP to play 3rd. Flop Polly to 2B/3B relief and make Utley 2B/1B till howard is back full time. and then depending on his health see what you have at that point.

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      2. Very much agree with “statistically speaking, there is no such thing as relying on “small ball” or “the 3 run HR”, it’s either you’re on base or you’re an out.” My diatribes about small ball aside, the key point is that the team as constituted is going to rank near the bottom of the league in runs scored (assuming no Utley or Howard), whatever strategies are used.

        If Utley is going to be out for a while, they need to pick up someone & fast to replace him. No, Galvis is not the answer – better option that MM probably, but still not a good option.

        I also think that this much strengthens Brown’s case to go north with the team (pushing Mayberry to first until Howard returns). They can live with his defense.

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        1. Gotta agree with you on that last point. As bad as Brown’s defense has looked, at this point they need the bat.

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      3. An untested 3rd b. Mark Trumbo is available at the right price. Angels have a back-log at first base.

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  7. Yeah this Utley thing is really bad. I don’t doubt that he will play this year, but he is just a shadow of his former self. For him personally, his only option might be DH but at his salary and health, nobody is going to take that on.

    As for the Phils, the reality is pitchers get hurt. If we get lucky this year and see our top 3 starters go through the year healthy and pitching like they can, we have a chance. But we now have zero margin for error because this offense has the potential to be bad if it doesnt change the approach. With limited trade chips left, it’s going to be tough to overhaul any part of this offense until next offset.

    This may be the future of the Phillies – make or break. The performances of Dom, Mayberry, and Galvis could determine our fate in 2012 and many years beyond.

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    1. Agreed – this news is not just about Utley and Galvis. It is about the ability of Mayberry and Brown to make up some lost offense. I think Galvis will be a plus defensive fielder and will hold his own as an 8 hitter. But Mayberry and Brown are going to have to play really well for them to make up for this lost offense. I think the team is married to the idea of starting Brown in the minors, but, if he does well at the plate and ok in the outfield, they are going to stick him in left field – they almost have to do this.

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  8. So, the Freddy Galvis era begins!

    @JSalisburyCSN Ruben says opening day unlikely for Utley. Condition in both knees. Won’t say where utley went. Galvis the guy at second.

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    1. Chase Headley….he has a pedestrian career OPS of .735 but has got pop in a alarge playing field in SD….what would the Pads want? Worley or Brown to start.

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  10. Excellent point can the 3 of them seize their opportunity. I look forward to seeing how it all unfolds.

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  11. While I understand you sentiment about small ball, what i meant was we’ve asked Rollins and Victorino to be table setters the past few years and on base guys. They are not comfortable in that role. if we had Pierre as a table setter, that would allow them to go to a spot where they would be required to drive runs in, not set them up. i agree Brown would help the Lineup by adding some power. What would be wrong with playing him 7 innings and getting him out for a defensive replacement?

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  12. BTW,
    I would not be surprised to see Howard out all year and Utley return a shell of his former self. I see the end of the road coming for him as well. Let’s pray Doc is ok and just working on stuff. Recall last spring when he was in regular season form. I do believe this is rare for him to struggle like this and am hoping it is not physical. That would be disastrous.
    I would sign for 92 wins right now@!!!!!

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  13. This is really depressing. If you read about the general prognosis of knee injuries of this type, it is not very good and it is not surprising that he has not had surgery as there is really no established surgery that can reliably deal with this problem. I am bummed out because, of all the players I have ever watched, I’d have to say that, on the whole, Utley has been my favorite.

    Well, I am turning the page mentally. If he shows up some day and starts playing well again, it will be like acquiring a new player. But can you imagine if they had not also signed Rollins? This year could have been a full fledged disaster.

    As it is, everyone should hold tight. There’s too much talent on this team to write them off now. That’s what everyone did when the Cards lost Wainwright last year and look how that turned out for them. I’ll tell you this much – there are now new opportunities in this organization for Dom Brown, Fredd Galvis (pronounced GAHL-vees – according to him), John Mayberry, Laynce Nix, and even Cody Overbeck (left field and first base), if he comes out hitting like gangbusters. I actually expect several of these players to step up and do pretty well. I also expect that Ruben will again trade a whole ton of young prospects for some hitting, but I don’t think Dom Brown is going anywhere.

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    1. Imagine how Garcia feels. A wide open door and it slams in his face, two years in a row.
      Can be a cruel game.

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    1. Try Mayberry, Galvis, Rollins and Polanco. I wouldn’t consider Thome a starter, though Wigginton is sure to see alot of action the first half of the season, if not longer

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      1. Wigginton and Thome should never be on the field at the same time. Wigginton has proved he is absolutely brutal with the glove. I see Wigginton posting a sub 300 OBP, another season of a playing below replacement level and me breaking my TV every time he grounds into more double plays than Wilson Valdez.

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    2. No. Hoping for .260, .325 OBP and .425 SLG. 20-22 HRs. Would be a good sophomore year for an older player.

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    1. Need Polly at 2nd permanently. Wiggy at 3rd. Mayberry at 1st. Galvis backup. Unload mini mart he is terrible. Need a trade asap. Any takers for Blanton? If Polly out then Galvis at 2nd. No good news from Clearwater. FYI starting pitching has been poor!!

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      1. Ive only been advocating heahe,sdley for 2 years thank god people agree. Aa for utley am. L. Dh. Same with brown how can anyone whose seen browm play the of. Actually believe this guy is competent. He,s a butcher. Good to see someone mention overbeck. Why is,nt rizzotti in the equation at 1 st , he,s certainly better than brown. Sorry for the spelling.

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  17. Good job again today by Joe Savery and Jake Diekman. Maybe the Phils will have a 2nd lefty in the pen.

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        1. You won’t be disappointed. If he doesn’t open up with the team it won’t be his fault.

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  18. We are freaking out too much. Just remember:
    Halladay
    Lee
    Hamels
    Papelbon
    Pence
    If one of them gets hurt, then maybe we should panic.

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        1. Ibanez was ranked last in mlb last year with a fielding percentage of .995. Brown has a career fielding percentage of .955. , in case you dont trust your eyes. He is a .234. Mlb hitter. In the minors he averaged 16 hrs, 80 rbis. And .290 ba. If he attains those numbers inthe mlb. His defense will more than nullify them.thats a big if. Thats why i maintain his future is as a dh. He is not the rf from atl. Send him to cleveland for donald, who only hit .318. Send blanton toronto for travis snyder. And unfortunitlysend utley to an amer league contender as a dh. The phillies knew damn well utley,s legs were shot.they are so afraid to go young. Ais whats the big mystery about rizzotti, aside from being blocked by howard, who imo is out for the year.
          .

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          1. Wow we all thought you were being sarcastic about trading Brown for a quad A player named Jason Donald. A more ridiculous statement may even be thinking Joe Blanton and his contract could net Travis Snider. Ill pass on your any of your judgements from now on.

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            1. Bob – what were you doing reading any of his judgments to begin with? Hadn’t you seen any of the other doozies he’d posted? Tin foil hats are all the rage….

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          2. You know there’s reference sites where you can look up stats, rights? Ibanez’s fielding percentage wasn’t “last” in the National League, it was second.

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            1. Fielding Percentage is a measure of how many of the balls you get to do you make a play on. The problem is Ibanez is a LF version of Jeter, he makes the play only if you hit it to him, but there is no way he can get to it. Brown’s problem is that he is terrible at taking the right path to the ball and turns the routine into an adventure, he could be a plus plus defender in left if he could read a ball off of a bat and position himself to catch it.

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            2. I’m not even addressing the validity of fielding percentage. Just that if you’re going to use it as anon2 is, you can’t claim that .995 is a last place figure. It’s clearly not. .985 is league average, .965 is last place among qualifiers (Alfonso Soriano),

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            1. Ibanez’s OBP last year: .289
              Domonic Brown Career: .314 (.333 last year)

              Domonic’s got the potential to have a .400 on base percentage and close to .500 slugging in the Major Leagues… you don’t trade that for a AAAA player like Donald who can’t even touch Domonic Brown’s offensive numbers.

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            2. D.brown will have obp .400? And a slugging % of .500 why he should be hitting cleanup right now. I just wonder if cleveland would send donald to the phils for brown. As for fielding % no sh#t. That why bowa is not considered better than conception, despite having a higher %. Ibanez was last or 30th on bb last year. Check bb reference. Where are all you genius’ questioning why thome and not rizzotti. Were not talking about the past were talking about now. And if all you parrots are right about brown Why isn,t he with the big club. Give me a rational explanation.

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            4. What should pp see larry?. Stick to bb not your fantasy driven inferiority. Give me reasons not whining .tell me facually why a .955 fielder is major leager. Tell me why donald is a aaaa ballplayer. Tell me why thome is better than rizzotti or overbeck. You cant. All you and your minnions can do is cry or give irrational attacks. For someone who suupposedly likes the minor leagers you certainly dont look like it. Oh yeah where is the outcry for dieckman over savery. Its not even close. See what i mean pp. Boo hoo.

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            5. Jesus Larry. Why can’t you prove that a major leaguer with an .838 OPS and 604 career home runs is better than a player with a .747 OPS in Lehigh Valley. YOU CAN’T, THAT’S WHY!

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            6. Calm down, pp denies that there are brown haters around here. I’m pointing out that there is at least one -you. and you are clearly a hater. you think you have good reasons to be a brown hater. fine, uou’re wrong, and everyone here knows it. But as I said before I have no interest in engaging you on the issue. He honestly thought you were joking about trading brown for table scraps. Just want him to see that you were serious.

              Maybe the fact that pp assumes you are joking should tell you something, though.

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            8. I knew it. We have thomes 20 year record verses a kid. Thome today is not thome 10 years ago. Maybe we can convince schmidt to return. That is the same logic you just applied alan. No doulbt thome is a hof,er and i love the dude. But,s thats the past. I know you have no problem with mayberry over thome. Nor do i. But dont use past stats to justify your ignoring overbeck, rizzotti or d. Mitch. Illogical .

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  20. Wow chicken little is running wild and the absolute statements continue to astound me. I don’t know what is going to happen any more than any of you know what’s going to happen but based on what I’ve seen I think Freddy can play above avg. Defense at 2b and hit .250 or so out of the 8 hole with a knack for getting some big hits. I’ll take that.

    I think Brown can provide solid offensive production with good OPS and speed. Yeah defensively its going to be bad at times but he’s athletic enough to improve with reps.

    Polanco can roll out of bed and hit .300. Manage his innings properly and don’t assume he’s going to get injured and finally pay close attention to Mayberry and his bat. Wiggy is good insurance to get us through the All-Star break and the trade deadline.

    Pound for pound this pitching staff is as good as there is in the MLB. If we are a bat away there will be someone out there to be had. There usually is.

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    1. I am hopeful Freddy can do that and he certainly should get a shot. If that does not work there are worse things than a lot of Wigginton at 3B with Polanco at 2B.

      Our one surplus is pitching. If we are certain to trade Blanton then we should trade him for a veteran infielder. We will not get a great one, but if we are willing to make a salary neutral deal (i.e the Phillies pay the difference in Blanton’s salary vs the salary of who we trade for), we should be able to acquire some quality depth (Dewitt, Aviles, etc.).

      As long as our big three are healthy we should be able to play .500 ball or a little bit better and provide some time to get Howard and others like Brown (after a month in the minors) into the lineup. There are worse things than being an 88-win team that makes a trade in July to fill any holes for the postseason.

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  21. Minor League ST game results from Tuesday (from Blueclaws Blog):
    (All games vs Tigers affiliates)

    Lehigh Valley (won 5-1)

    David Bush threw four shutout innings before giving way to Mike Cisco (two innings, one run) and Garett Claypool (two shutout). Hector Neris, who, like Claypool, was a 2011 BlueClaw, threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
    Mike Spidale, Matt Rizzotti, Derrick Mitchell, and Albert Cartwright all had two hits for the IronPigs while Cartwright added two RBIs.
    Reading (lost 4-2)

    2010 BlueClaw Jonathan Pettibone got the start and allowed four runs on five hits over four innings of work, two in the third and two more in the fourth.
    Tyler Knigge followed and gave up just one hit over two shutout innings.
    Offensively, the R-Phils had just five hits, one of which was a home run by Leandro Castro.
    Edgar Duran and Jeff Lanning each had doubles.
    Clearwater (lost 4-3)

    Joe Blanton (that Joe Blanton) made a start here today and allowed three runs, only one earned, on five hits across six innings.
    Phillippe Aumont and Michael Schwimer, both of whom had been in big league camp, got some work here, throwing an inning of relief each (Aumont allowed one run).
    Trey Ford led the offense, going 3-3 with a double. Brian Pointer had a triple, RBI, and a walk.
    Positionally: Kelly Dugan played first (for I believe the first time this spring), Stephen Malcolm second, Tyler Greene short, Trey Ford third. The outfield (left to right): Aaron Altherr, Diego Gonzalez, and Brian Pointer.
    Lakewood (lost 8-5)

    Tough outing for Austin Wright, who gave up six runs in 2.2 innings. He gave up 10 runs in 33.2 innings with Lakewood last year.
    Kenneth Giles (2.2 innings, one run) and Austin Brough (two shutout) were the next two pitchers.
    On offense, Luis Amaro and Nolan Clark each had doubles while Roman Quinn, Peter Lavin, Larry Greene, and Chris Duffy added hits.
    Positionally: Chris Duffy played first, Jairo Cardozo second, Roman Quinn short, Mitchell Walding short, Peter Lavin left, Jaindido Tromp center, and Luis Amaro right.

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    1. Larry im still waiting for the reasons that brown is anythinh but a dh. And since not thinking a player is hyped up to be make someone a hater.if so i guess im a hater. Big deal. Now cry to daddy. And by the way you only speak for the lunatic fringe. Let me know when brown makes an mlb. Roster. I believe donald already has. Btw do you really think you have a secret pact with pp. Im sure he hangs on your every word.

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      1. Brown will make lots of errors but he has at least average range today. Add above average speed and a plus arm and you have someone with the potential to be an above average outfielder defensively. He is also the only close prospect who could add to our offense. People make way too much fuss about errors. If Brown improves his routes in the OF he will be just fine out there, certainly better than Ibanez and Burrell and others ever were.

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      2. So Donald making one of the worst rosters in the AL is an achievement? Brown is trying to crack arguable the best roster in baseball – not exactly an apple to apples comparison, is it anon2??

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      4. Anon2(John)….no secret pacts. Everyone has an a right to opine on an opinion. I remember 4/5 years ago when you talked about Jason Donald on the local philly AM sports talk show at 6AM, and you raved about him being perhaps the next Ryne Sandberg. Well we all do that with our favorite prospects—projecting greatness on past greats. Thats fun and exciting for the imagination. I did it with Dom Brown a couple years ago as another Darryl Strawberry. But most times we realize it doesn’t work out that way and we move on. Doanld. in this case, just may not be the answer.

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      5. ” Let me know when brown makes an mlb. Roster. I believe donald already has. ”

        Who played in more games in 2011 and had more PA? Go ahead and check, I’ll wait.

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  22. Huh… interesting. Never thought I’d see someone say Brown wasn’t good enough for the MLB because of his defense and then in the same paragraph advocate calling up Rizz. Can’t say I agree, but to each his own, I guess…

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  23. One funny thing, though, is that John’s point about Thome versus Rizzotti may make more sense at some level than people are giving him credit for. Now, of course Thome is a much better hitter, even at the age of 41. And if we’re talking about a guy who is mainly going to pinch hit, and DH in away games against AL teams, go with the better hitter.

    But Thome, if he can play the field at all, can’t play it often. And with Howard out for … what, two months at least, it looks like now … someone has to play first base. It’s now looking like either Wiggington will play there, or Mayberry will and Nix will fill in in left. Neither of those options is terribly inspiring. Nix seemed like a decent – not great, but okay – option when it looked like he would be at best a platoon player or deep reserve. As an every day regular … yikes. Wiggington seemed like a decent pick up playing some third base, maybe even occasionally filling in at second. But as a regular first baseman for 2 months. Yikes again.

    As a regular for two months, Rizzotti, for all his faults – lack of defense, and likely marginal production for a major league first baseman – looks to me like a better option that 2 months of regular play from Nix/Wiggington.

    Of course there is as we know another option, one which the Phillies don’t seem to want to consider and which John would be horrified by. But if Brown isn’t an option, plugging Rizz in at 1B for 2 months is not a bad idea. Of course it is even less likely to happen than Brown playing in left and moving Mayberry to first, since Thome has a major league deal and the optics of letting him go at this point would be quite poor.

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    1. Andy i understand lokeing brown believe it or not but although his arm is incredidly strong it is incredibly inaccurate. As for donald playing for one of the worst rosters in bb. I would trade thr indians line up for thephillies in a second, rick. I did,nt say play rizz or overbeck, i said i find it really strange they,re not even in the equation. And larry,s point is correct . It,s what i said. My team agree or disagree is ruiz c mayberry 1st rollins ss pence rf vic c. Now here,s where my deals come in. This may or not be doable. Blanton for will middlebdooks red sox. 2nd brown for donald 3rd. Back ups gillies and d. Mitch of. Luna and galvis inf. Wigganton lf. Nix has not looked good at all. Dieckman is so much better than savery it,s not funny. Elarton my other righty, please no herndon. And rick imagine the phillies staff with the tribes lineup. Any comments about middlebrooks? I, havent seen him but a boston friend is for it.

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      5. Dom Brown for Jason Donald is so laughably stupid I can’t believe I even wasted the time responding, other than the fact when I first questioned it PP assured me that you were joking. I have to believe that he assumed you were joking b/c nobody would even attempt to argue that a blue chip prospect with an offensive beta similar to Brown’s should be traded for arguably a UT infielder from a second division team. Apparently we (PP and I) were wrong, as you are indeed that clueless.

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  24. Last year before he became a reuglar I suggested the Phils do whatever it took to trade for Emilio Bonifacio. Since I had to endure the “The Nattering Nabobs of Negativity” ,i now want to proclaim how freaken right I was. Thank you for the applause/

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    1. nowheels, I was the sole person here to back you up on this, but in fairness, the price for him probably would have been too high even then.

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      1. Maybe but what would his worth to the Phils be now. “If it fits you have to commit”.

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      1. The rule 5 bargain turned out to be an expensive patch because it cut off the search for a real ball player.
        I also remember a lot of flack about worrying about the 25 man. Funny how they don’t stay 25 for long

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  25. It’s good to see they are playing Dugan at 1B. That leads me to believe they are trying to make room for more Outfielders. If Dugan plays 1B, then Altherr, Eldemire, Hudson and Pointer can play full season ball and get full-time at-bats.

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    1. Playing Dugan at first base puts him in a position not to succeed since he has demonstrated very little power. Moving a top draft pick around like this does not bode well for him.

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      1. Is there anyone out who has the balls to name your starting eight or do you just critisise anyone who does. Romus , anonymous bob sleeping who are your teams?

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        1. Morning John…..constructive criticism. My only contention was the merits of Jason Donald at this stage of his career and how much of an advantage he would be in the lineup.

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          1. i understand your ppint but having put my team out there i,m just wondering if anyone hss taken the time to come up with the team that will go north. Rather than laugh at mine come up with your own. I thought that was the reason for following our minors. Btw good morning romus.

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            1. I put mine out there a few days ago but you would not have liked it. I have Brown hitting 4th against RHP with Pence 3. I’ll drop him down to 6 against LHP and leave him out against a nasty LHP like Kershaw. And I’ll replace Brown late in games for defense.

              My swing man will be Polanco. I’d bat him 3 against LHP and 5 Against RHP. My bench would consist of: Pods 4th OF, Wiggy, Nix, Thome, Gosewich, Montanez, Orr. Taking 11 pitchers north is all.

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        2. Actually plenty of guys have been posting starting-8’s and thankfully only yours involved trading a potentially elite prospect for a utility infielder.

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      2. I agree that playing Kelly Dugan at 1B doesn’t help him much, but I don’t consider him much of a prospect at this point. He is not a premium defender, and he has spent 3 seasons in short season ball, without putting up serious numbers. Better they sacrifice him, than hold back 4 players (Hudson, Altherr, Pointer and Eldemire) who seem to have more ability.

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        1. Hey guy. Why don’t you take the time to learn how to use your phone and the reply button on the site, so you don’t stomp all over everybody else’s conversations with your incoherent nonsense.
          Its rude and ignorant.

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      2. Don’t forget Kyrell Hudson. He should get the start in CF. I see Altherr in LF and Eldemire in RF. Dugan will play some OF, 1b, and DH while Pointer can play some OF/DH

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  26. Mark Reynolds is available. Although he is a strikeout machine, he hits for good power and can play 1B and 3B. Is anyone familiar with his capability of playing those positions defensively? Having him at 3B and Polanco at 2B doesn’t seem like a terrible option, independent of the salary issue of $7.5M this year and what it would take to acquire him.

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    1. Ive thought about reynolds myself. Hes a free agent 2013. Hes not a good 3rd baseman but obviouly a power bat. 1st a plus. Chase headly , free agent 2013 is my 3rd baseman.
      ..

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      1. Just FYI Reynolds was a butcher at 3B last with a sub .900 FP%. He is also owed $7.5 Mil. Aside from 37 HR potential there isn’t much to like about his offensive game. Sub .250 hitter 200+ Strikeouts.

        One of either Trumbo or Kendrys Morales has to become available at some point. Morales if healthy can play 1B and move to LF if and when Howard Comes back. Injuries aside I like Morales better and would probably cost less because of age and injury history but truly is a middle of the line-up type hitter.

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    2. Reynolds can more than handle the position defensively. Reynolds would be an asset on offense despite his limitations. He isn’t the type of player I’d go out of my way to acquire though. He’s the type of player you tolerate if you have him cheaply.

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      1. A couple years ago with the Dbacks he had more k’s then is average. I think he was even under the Mendoza line.

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    3. I don’t understand where this logic that Polanco will be better at 2B comes from? Is it that you just don’t want to give Freddy a shot to do the Job.

      I don’t think Polanco can play 2B at this stage. Don’t think he has the range to do it. Freddy will get to more balls.

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      1. Has Freddy done something wrong at second base I don’t know about. From game 1 he played like a good vet at second and stands to get better. Leave the china doll at third base and hope the poor guy can get through the season,

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        1. Played well today in the field against the Jays…didn’t bat that great today…then again no one seem to bat well today other then Mayberry.

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    4. I agree that Polanco should be moved to 2B, at least until Utley is back. They need to bite the bullet and let Wiggington play 3B, until they see it cost runs. A lineup Galvis and no Utley or Howard, has a chance to be the worst in the league.

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      1. So who plays first? Mayberry? Then who plays left? Setting aside the option that dares not speak its name, Nix I presume.

        If it comes down to Nix versus Galvis – indirectly, of course – I choose Galvis. Though better (if we can’t have Brown) is probably to go outside the organization.

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        1. Pierre or Posednik plays left. This lineup can not support Galvis. As it is, the opposing pitcher will get a breather from the 5 through 9 hole. Galvis followed by the pitcher will be a nightmare.
          I do agree that Brown in the lineup in the 1 or 2 hole, would solve some problems, but they aren’t going to do that.

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          1. Its a stretch that Pierre makes this team. I don’t think a weak hitting LF – which both of those players are – is the solution to a line-up that is desperately low on power.

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          2. Thinking about this by lineup position rather than by defensive position is important. A projected lineup this spring with Utley probably looked like this: 1 Rollins SS 2 Polanco 3B 3 Utley 2B 4 Pence RF 5 Victorino CF 6 Mayberry 1B 7 Nix/Posednik/Pierre LF 8 Ruiz C 9 Pitcher

            Without Utley, we could say the 1, 2, and 9 spots don’t change. With Galvis, maybe you move Victorino to 3rd, Mayberry 5th, Brown 6th, Ruiz 7th, and Galvis 8th. So the questions become:

            1. In 3 hole, can Victorino do what Utley was going to? I think yes.
            2. Can Mayberry match Shane’s output in the 5 hole? Not likely, but we’ll see.
            3. Can Brown match Mayberry in the 6 hole? Offensively I think he can.
            4. Can Ruiz match the other LF’s in the 7 hole? Probably.
            5. Can Galvis match Ruiz? Probably not.

            To me its all about Mayberry and Brown, not Galvis and Wigginton.

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            1. It is truly stunning how the presence, or absence, of one great player – Utley – can so dramatically change the look of the line-up.

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            2. No, that is not quite right. Utley is hurt all of the time anyway. It’s the loss of Howard, combined with Utley, that makes this lineup look awful.

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          3. Neither option is terribly inspiring.

            Of course one sub-issue here is just what do we expect Galvis to hit? If he is (say) .200/.240/.280 – well then even Pierre or Pos would be a decent offensive upgrade. But if Galvis is closer to .240/.290/.330 – well that still isn’t exactly what you want from your second baseman, but I’m not at all sure that the fairly marginal advantage offensively of a Pierre or Pos over that is worth potentially weakening yourself defensively at 3 or even 4 positions.

            Which really brings home the point that there are no acceptable options in the organization unless you plug Brown in LF – and even then, Galvis at second would still be marginal at best. My bet is that a move will happen.

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        2. I think the decision of Galvis at 2B vs Wigginton at 3B is more about what production we get from LF and 1B. I would open the season with Dom in LF and Mayberry at 1B on most days, and if those guys perform offensively, I’d rather see Polanco at 3B and Galvis at 2B and put the best defensive team on the field. Then if we aren’t getting offensive production out of Brown and Mayberry, we may be forced to get Wigginton’s bat in the lineup and move Polly to 2B.

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  27. By the way, I agree that the right guy to pick up is Kendry Morales, assuming he is close to healthy. He is a middle of the order hitter and could help them in many ways currently unforseen over the next few years.

    By the way, is anyone following the game? Gameday says Michael Martinez is playing. That cannot be right, can it?

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      1. I hate to say this , and u can agree or disagree, but utley is done in the nl. The last thr angels need is pitching. And do u think the phillies staff wants brown in the of. The only answer is dealing brown and blanton. As it stands this lineup has 3 big holes.

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        1. Well, if you want to talk about trading Brown and maybe a guy like DeFratus or Diekman for Dustin Ackley (I LOVE that guy), well, then maybe I’m interested. Otherwise, I’d pass.

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          1. You would probably also have to include someone like Maikel Franco in that deal – I’d still do it, however. Ackley could become the next Utley (if there is such a thing).

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  28. Bring back Brian Bocock, he is batting .492 this spring!!!!!! I would be very happy if the Giants released Theriot and we brought him in to fill the Valdez / Martinex roster spot, and have him play a bit more at a couple of different positions. Low salary and wouldn’t have to trade anyone.

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    1. Dustin ackley i would trade half the team for ackley. Throw in smoack.i know when i mentioned will middlebrooks someone dropped dead from latopughing since he,s the sox top prospect. Well since brown is our supposed top prospect do you think blanton and brown would do it.

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      1. I’ve stopped engaging you John, but since this is a fair question, let me answer it. There are, in my opinion, three reasons why that wouldn’t happen.

        The main one is that third base prospects are much more rare than corner outfield prospects.

        The second is that I’m not sure that that would line up in terms of need for the Sox.

        The third is that, even a fan of Brown such as myself has to acknowledge that his trade value is lower now than it was a year ago. Partly because of Amaro’s ill considered remarks, and partly because, yes, he has had some defensive issues, albeit not to the extent that some (you) think.

        But let me ask you this, John. You believe that Brown can’t be anything other than a DH. Now, again I and most people disagree, but IF you are right, why would the Sox even consider such a deal? Even as good a hitter as Brown is (and there again, you don’t fully agree on that point, either), if he is limited to DH, his value is not that great.

        To put it another way, you believe that Brown for Jason Donald is an even deal. Would the Sox for a minute even consider Donald and a 4th/5th starter coming off an injury & being paid 8 million for Middlebroooks? Of course not.

        Bottom line: even if Brown is as good as I (and others) think he is, the deal you suggest won’t happen. But if the Sox shared your low opinion of Brown – they would laugh us out of the room if we suggested such a trade.

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        1. Please just stop engaging him. His posts aren’t even addressed to the right people in the right parts of the thread- it should just be so easy to let them disappear in the din. His opinions are ill-informed, poorly formatted, unchangeable and in the wrong place. You can’t fix him.

          Put more aptly, when you find a troll just stop crossing his bridge.

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        2. Here is my thought on Brown’s defense. Never heard a single word about defense being an issue the entire time he was a prospect. I believe he has a case of Mackey Sasser-itis or Rick Ankiel-itis. If they send him back to AAA to start the year and he gets called up later this year, he’s going to have the same stress and pressure to perform defensively in the big leagues. My POV on this is let’s get it over with. Let’s throw him into the fire April 5th and let him work through it. He is not a bad defender he just needs to get over whatever mental block he has, and like any other young player, maybe he needs to learn a little bit on running better routes and making better decisions out there. Having said that, we’ve had Luzinski and Burrell and Ibanez and Jeffries and Incaviglia and others out there so he’s not going to be much, if any, worse than some of those guys. Let’s throw him out there, let him work through the struggles and he’ll be fine. There is no better time than now.

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          1. I also never saw a bad report about Brown’s defense before last year. In fact, because of his speed and athleticism, I was left with the impression that he could develop into a superior defender and baserunner.

            I would like to see Brown become the regular LF by mid-year. Of all the healthy candidates who could see playing time either in LF or at first other than Thome, Brown could be the best hitter in the group right now.

            One word of caution. Although I never saw a bad report about Brown’s defense before 2011, I never saw a good one either. At the moment, Brown on defense appears to be a health hazard, dangerous to himself and others. Can anyone cite authoritative positive scouting reports about Brown’s defense? (We know he has a cannon, but so does Vlad and not always to good effect.)

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            1. Most of the reports on Brown’s defense in the minors were mixed. Good speed and arm balanced by bad routes to balls and a few too many errors. My impression was that he was only an average defender though his minuses were things he could work on and improve upon.

              Way too much has been made over his defense. He had a few bad high visibility plays and clearly his head was not in the game after his demotion last year. I am OK with having him sent to AAA if that is what is needed to answer any questions about his defense. I think he will be back by early May or traded to an organization that better sees his value as a player. Hopefully we have not squandered all of that value though mishandling him.

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  30. Nick Hernandez is been long-tossing @120-feet and eventually will be throwing off the mound, with hopes of pitching sometime this summer. He turns 24 in July. He missed all of 2011 being on the DL with the shoulder surgery. Do the Phillies get an extra year for him in the Rule 5 requirements since he was DL in 2011?

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  31. Does anyone know who is considered the better defensive Shortstop between Edgar Duran and Gustavo Gonzalez? I’m guessing Gozalez has a chance to be the SS at Clearwater, but if Duran is a superior defender, Gonzalez, Tyler Green and Villalobos are in a log jam at Lakewood.

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    1. Larry thanlk you for info. What you guys dont under is i have nothinh against browne i dont know him but please tell me hes as good a hitter as bull or burrell . Play him all year devalue him more or maybe he,ll be a star. And now that fascism rears it ugly head PLEASE DONT ENGAGE ME, SKUNKY OR ANON VOR. OR ANY OF YOU AFRAID OF OPEN DISCUSSION.

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      1. I heard you on the Angelo Cataldi show this morning, John. You sounded just as dumb in real life as you do with your posts. Funny that you got cut off when you proposed the Dom Brown for Will Middlebrooks trade (again!). lol

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        1. Actually that would be an ideal swap for the Phillies….but Sox will need more in that transaction.

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      2. He’ll probably strike out less than Burrell and of course Burrell was one of the slowest guys in baseball while Dom’s got above average speed on the bases. He’s not likely to have Pat’s power right away but he could certainly get there. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s as good of a hitter as Burrell was in a couple years.

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    1. I did,nt propose a middlebrooks trade moron , i asked someboby who knows more about the sox than anyone on this site what was the statis of middlebrooks. Time is the determining factor in how long i,m on. I,m on 3 days a week. Why dont you call. I like to give this site as much pub as possible. I,m sure with your brilliance youll become a star.

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      2. Yeah, well, I noticed you highlighted his .230 batting average (in sporadic at bats), but didn’t mention anything about his on base percentage, pitch selection, plate discipline, etc. I gotta tell you, I laughed out loud in real life when Angelo said you know more about baseball than anyone in the studio. Just stop.

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        1. You actually did propose a Middlebrooks trade. All you have to do is scroll up. Your post, not mine: “Now here,s where my deals come in. This may or not be doable. Blanton for will middlebdooks red sox.” And you asked about it on the radio too. Are you really going to try to deny that?

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        2. And, no, I have no interest in calling in. I can barely even listen to those idiots. I put it on because Mike and Mike was on commercial.

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      3. Did I read that right? Call a radio station 3 times a week, make a fool of yourself, and accomplish stardom.
        Simply delusional. A loser who thinks he’s a star because he broadcasts his stupidity, publicly, every chance he gets.

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    2. When I read the Down Goes Dom headline I thought it meant he was hurt and all I could think was “not again!” I think Dom is going to go down to AAA for a month and a half or two, be the best hitter in the league (I expect a ridiculous slash line like .325/.425/.600) and get enough reps so that he is adequate in left field. When he gets back, he will hit the ground running as a batter, will field his position adequately (albeit awkwardly at times), we will all thank God for the added offense and all will be forgiven.

      In the meantime, I am very curious to see how Rizzotti and Overbeck will perform. Each of them have a very brief, but legitmate, window of opportunity here. Hopefully, they know that.

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      1. I am a Brown fan, but I don’t think we should try to whitewash his defensive shortcomings. Brown has been getting outfield reps since 2006. How much improvement can we expect with two more months of reps? I don’t have any answers about Brown’s defense; I just have questions.

        At some point in 2012, I would like to bring Brown up and make him the regular LF, but he could fail because of the glove.

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        1. Yes….d’stairs…questions should be addressed at the minor league coaches who worked directly with him for 5 years on OF skills. Years ago reports indicated he had ‘passable’ defensive skills…not the best, but average, however with his great speed and strong arm…surely not what we have seen lately with balls in flight.

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  34. The optioning of Dom Brown to minor league camp does not surprise me. What it shows is that the Phillies, although desperate for hitting and especially left-handed hitting right now, are not willing to have him play left field with his current fly-catching woes. There has been a lot of discussion here on how he can’t be any worse than Burrell and Ibanez were, but that seems to be mostly based on a statistical analysis of his range as compared to their range. The problem is that Brown’s outfield play does not pass the eye test. He may get to more balls than some of our past leftfielders, but when you watch a game you can never be sure that a ball he gets to would have been over Ibanez’s head. What you can see clearly though, and so can Ruben and Charlie, is that he misplays balls that would have caught by the other guys and is turning routine outs into baserunners. His excursion to the minors does not mean that he will never again play for the Phillies, but it will be a test of his maturity and ability to focus on his weaknesses and eliminate them.

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    1. Well put…IMO, last thing I would want to see is Dom Brwon blowing a line drive at him in LF and having the ‘Bank’ boo-birds start to deride him…that would be devastating to his confidence.

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    2. Well stated. What I am very encouraged by are the comments of virtually everyone who has worked with him about how cooperative, hard-working and mature he is. This, I think, bodes well for his long-term adjustment to the position. And, again, I honestly can NEVER remember an athlete as good as Brown (fast, good arm, otherwise coordinated), who cared and worked hard, who did not turn into at least a passable outfielder. Dave Kingman had the type of athletic talent that Brown has but Kingman was a Class A jerk and never worked at his game. Lonnie Smith made boneheaded plays but, due to his speed, statistically, he was about an average outfielder. Manny Ramirez was a horrible outfielder but he did not care about fielding and was another jerk. The other bad fielders I can think of were bad because they were slow or could barely throw the ball (or both – see Raul Ibanez).

      I think, long term, Brown will start out being merely passable and will probably evolve into at least an average fielder. He will still probably make a bunch of stupid looking plays (like Hunter Pence does with some frequency), but those bad plays will be neutralized by his speed and arm. I think the concern about Brown freezing in front of boo birds at CBP really is legitimate and that’s why he needs to have a good month or so of solid fielding at AAA before he is promoted again. But it will be hard to wait because he is going to hit the holy hell out of the baseball.

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      1. Thanks for bringing up Lonnie Smith. He ran the Phillies during that great September into the pennant; then he did it with two other teams. He seemed always to be in the World Series. Great memories. If Brown reminds you of him, he’s a keeper for sure.

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    3. I will say, I agree with this. But I’m still having a hard time understanding how this could possibly have happened. Was the Phillies minor league coaching so daft that they didn’t realize he needed lots and lots and lots of repetitions in the outfield to fix his route running?

      It’s one thing if you have a player who arrives at a ball on time only to drop it, or someone who is too slow to catch up to a ball, or too weak to hit the cut-off man with authority, or even a player who just doesn’t give a shit, and rather than do a sliding catch just lets the ball bounce to him. That’s not dominic brown. Brown has an arm, has the speed, but with him, it seems obvious his problem is with his spatial skills (though to be honest, you’d think that would affect his batting/OBP as well if you think about it from a modern psychology perspective, but for some reason it doesn’t). He sees the ball, his brain projects the wrong path, and he ends up out-of-position.

      So, can it be fixed? He’ll probably never run “great routes” but can he get better? Of course, but to do that he’s going to need reps, and I don’t mean in-game necessarily either. Kid needs to pull a Michael Jordan (I remember reading a story about him shooting the ball 1000 times a day for 4 years strait). 500 fly balls a day for 2 months strait. Well, that’s what I would do anyway. If I wasn’t so worried about how abused this kids confidence is at this point, I’d send him to extended spring training.

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      1. You’d think repetition would help – and off a live batter, not a fungo. I know he already had these issues in RF, but I’m sure the position switch has perpetuated them.

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        1. Agreed about the live batter, but that’s what extended spring training is for. Surely in light of how badly we need him, go spend 100k on a retired “AAAA” outfielder to hit it off a tee to right field, the job would be for 2 months, 500 times a day. Ahhhh if only it were that simple.

          As to the switch to left, it probably wouldn’t have mattered (the switch) had his route running not be crappy to begin with.

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  35. Does anyone on this site watch enough lehigh games to give us daily visual (not statistic) reports on his defensive play?? I ask becuase I’d love to keep tabs on him down there as I’m sure come June, I’m going to be practically begging the gods for offensive help.

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  36. [mod edit from James: I’m removing the content of this comment. Anon2 has been taken care of. Do not engage these people and feed them, just ignore and move on]

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    1. Dropping the hammer, dang.

      Anyways, I’m sad to see Brown not make the team from the get-go, but I certainly expected it. On the other hand, who in their right mind would have predicted Galvis would (most likely) have more MLB plate appearances than Brown by this September? There’s just some weird things going on with Phillies prospects it seems like.

      Here’s hoping a trade is on the way to shore up the offense. Hopefully one that includes Blanton and not prospects.

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  37. I figured Brown was a longshot to make the team once Laynce Nix was signed. It’s tough to envision a scenario where Nix is strictly a bench player when the Phils already have Jim Thome to fill the role of a lefty pinch-hitter.

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  38. From Rumors and Jason Stark
    I needed a fresh start. I needed a new team,” said Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie to ESPN’s Jayson Stark about his trade from the Brewers. Lawrie feels Milwaukee tried to change his effusive personality, though GM Doug Melvin disagrees.

    Interest???

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    1. yes……for Lawrie that will be one order of Vance Worley, and a side of Dom Brown and one choice of dessert from the Jersey shore of Lakewood.

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