Box Score Recap 8-29-2012

Box Score Recap

Roman Quinn with another triple – his 11th.  Mitch Rupert tweeted that broke a Short Season record at Williamsport.  Someone pointed out in the comments in the last couple days that he only has 8 doubles all year.  Probably stretching singles.

Elsewhere, 3ER, 5H, 3BB and 9K in 6IP for Ethan Stewart, coming off several not great outings.  2 hits and 1 2B a piece for Asche and Ruf, who also walked twice.  And an OK line from Adam Morgan – 3ER, 6H, 4BB, 6K in 6IP. 

 

LV  REA  CLR1  CLR2  LKW  WIL

 

95 thoughts on “Box Score Recap 8-29-2012”

  1. Biddle’s line looks fine. 5K 1BB. Looks like they bunched a few hits and hit a homer. I’ll take it.

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    1. And a pickoff for added measure. I agree it’s a fine line. As long as he keeps the K’s up and the BB’s down, I’ll be happy.

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  2. Asche’s Reading OPS (.892) is inching towards .900. Quinn’s a triples machine, and LGJ hitting his share of doubles as well. Cesar and Valle each with a pair of hits for the Pigs … good to see!

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    1. Quinn is now leading WPT in OPS. A big part of WPT failures is that the college guys have been underwhelming for the team (Serittela, Perkins, Guth).

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      1. Cameron Perkins, Williamsport. Led all Phillies Minor Leaguers with a .429 average and 12 hits in 7 games. Eight-game hitting streak ended Sunday (14-33, .424). For the month of August, he’s hitting .368. Perkins has played 3B, 1B, RF and been used as a DH. After being drafted by the Phillies in the 6th round this summer out of Purdue University and signed by Nate Dion, the 6-foot-5 right-handed hitter joined the Gulf Coast League Phillies. He played five GCL games (.158) before moving up to Williamsport. In 59 games there, he’s hitting .296

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      2. Perkins and Serittela have been at the top of the batting average for most of year. Thus Serittela being selected to the ALL Star game. Perkins has been as hot as you can get the last month or so. Guth was 4th out of the 237 pitchers in the league in WHIP and his ERA was very good before the injury (tried to pitch when hurt ….4 runs in 1st and his come back game) and out for 5 weeks. I would suggest you actually watch the games and If you listen to the games, they will give you some insight as well.

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        2. Citing “batting average” hurts your argument, but then again citing their .734 (Perkins) and .770 (Seritella) also would hurt your argument. Both of these numbers are below-average for college guys playing premium offensive positions.

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    2. With the exception of Ruf, Asche would be leading the Eastern league in OPS if he qualified. Thomas Neal is a distant second to Ruf (.867 vs. 1.041).

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  3. Ruf needs to to get his BA from .320 to .323 to get triple crown for Eastern league. The player ahead of him, Holt, is now in triple AAA so his .322 is firm.. I’m pretty confident Ruf will get that .323 but will Asche hit .324 at this rate (if he qualifies)?

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    1. Let’s just get Ruf to the big leagues now. He is the second coming of Pat Burrell, so let’s see it already…

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  4. I am all about bring asche up for final month. Just to have him around the club, and work with Rollins and chase and Polly. Be good for his offseason to get ready. Getting very close

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    1. It won’t be for a while, I can see this Reading team getting to the finals with how they’re currently constructed. Probably not until the middle of Sept.

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    2. Not going to happen. No need to start Asche’s clock early for only 2-3 weeks and he’s going to the AFL anyways.

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    3. Beyond ridiculous. He is not on the 40 man. They are not going to start eating up his option years, in his 1st full season.

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      1. Are you sure that a Sept call-up begins a MLB clock for free agency purposes?

        I seemed that players and teams got a free look-see for Sept call-ups.

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        1. Oh yeah, options start, not service time I think, like Andy mentions below. There’s no reason to burn an option in 2013 unless they plan to use him for a long period and send him back to AAA, like an early season injury to whoever winds up playing 3B.

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        2. Art D, I’m not at all an expert in MLB roster rules, but I do know that if you call a player up, you must put them on the 40 man roster. Once you put a guy on the roster, I believe you have to option the guy back to the minors.
          This is one of the reasons Cesar Hernandez has been moved so aggressively. For some reason, that is still not clear to me, they placed Hernandez on the 40 man roster after his season at Williamsport. They double jumped him, because they were eating an option year, then promoted him to Reading even though he struggled a little. Then he got moved to Lehigh relatively early, when guys like Ruf were having better seasons.
          The way I understand the rule, Hernandez has burned 2 option years, while still in the minors. Teams try to avoid losing option years, because it limits their ability to send players back to the minors once they get to the majors.
          I believe this would be the case with Asche, he would lose an option when they send him to AAA next year, but someone can correct me if I am wrong.

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          1. I believe that you are correct on Asche’s option years. Hernandez was put on the 40-man (and subsequently double-jumped to Clearwater) because he had to be protected from the Rule 5 draft, if I remember correctly. Williamsport was his fourth season of minor league ball.

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          2. When a player is on the 40 man roster and is sent to the minors in a season an option is used for that season. They can place a player on the 40 and assign them to any level they want, but it may be they move them a bit faster in case they are not far enough along before the options run out. If they can not handle the promotions it will not do them good and maybe they shouldn’t have placed them on the 40 to begin with. If Asche is all that some on here think, he will not use 3 options anyway, so , if they think he is ready now, what difference does it make?

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      2. It would mean using an option next year, not this year. I agree they should probably not, though it is more to have Asche go to Arizona and concentrate on that.

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        1. I believe they can just give him a non roster invite to spring training next year and he can spend plenty of time with the right people. Don’t think that impacts options in any way.

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          1. I agree that it would be unnecessary to bring him up at all in Sept. He’s had a pressure-packed season with his moving UP from Wlmsprt 2 levels to Clwtr and then another level to Reading.

            It would be good to give him a “breather” before going to the AFL. Watching him there could be very interesting.

            I’d also be primarily interested in Simon, Joseph, and Collier. Simon could be auditioning for a spor in the pen in ’13 after some time at LV. Collier will have the opportunity to label himself as a real prospect. And Joseph will be getting ready for Lehigh Valley. Like many here, I woulden’t be surprised if Valle is used to sweeten the deal for a an outfielder who hits from the right side.

            So following winter ball will ease our way into the spring.

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      1. I agree with you. You certainly don’t want any part of “Polly” rubbing off on anyone. Polly should have retired a few years ago. He might also pick up a bad habit or two from Rollins who appears to hustle only when it benefits him as evidenced by today’s game when he bust it down the line after hitting a weak pop fly to shallow right to leg out a double, which looks like a line drive to right center in the box score. Later on, Rollins pops up again, this time in front of the plate (Rollins pops up regularly in his never ending and selfish desire to hit HRs).Knowing he has nothing to gain by hustling to first, he leisurely jogs. So when Niese drops the ball, Rollins remains on first. If he had run half speed, he would have reached second base. It was nice to see Manuel bench him. It is about time he held a player accountable for his actions. He needs to do this more often.

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      2. Can’t hurt them. I don’t think it’s a valid reason for an MLB call up though.

        That said, it really depends on the players… Like a Jamie Moyer type who embraces the role of mentor. I don’t think there’s really anybody on the team like that at this time.

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        1. Belive it or not…Juan Pierre is an excellent mentor. Well liked by all and talks and engages in conversation with everyone at the park who he happens to meet, from attendents/ushers to ball boys whenever they run into him. On the field he hustles, only his age/stamina works against him.

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  5. Not to say it was a horrendous start by Biddle but is it just me or does he seem to do much worse when his starts are pushed back. Could be nothing but it is interesting

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    1. It’s entirely possible. When you’re in a rhythm and are forcibly knocked out of it (for whatever reason), it can have adverse effects on a person psychologically. It’s possible that the extra day makes Biddle think too much about his pitching, for example. I’m not sure there is any evidence this is happening, though. I’m sure someone will look it up now.

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    2. I think, as it was pointed out earlier in the thread, he was just victimized by a long ball after letting a few guys on base. It happens. His K/BB rate looked strong.

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        1. I misread how the runs were scored … was thinking he let a few guys on and allowed a homer.
          Victimized means exactly what it sounds like — home runs happen to pitchers, and when they happen with men on (as I incorrectly thought it had), they plate a bunch of runs in one swing.

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  6. I was at the Reading game last night hoping to see history made and to see Asche and Morgan for the first time. My thoughts;
    Ruf: He scorched a double down the left field line in first ab and it was apparent the pitcher wanted nothing to do with him walking him the next to times finally giving him something to hit in last ab and Ruf smoked a ball to the right of ss that literally knocked him over.
    Asche; His double was a nice hustle play as he ran hard and as soon as the rf bobbled the ball slightly cutting it off Cody made it a double. Defensively he seems to have a lot of range to his left making 2 nice plays on slow bouncers in the hole that he cut off and started 2 double plays.
    Morgan; He struggled with control after striking out the first batter on 3 pitches. His fb was 89-92, curve 72-77 and something else 80-84 on Reading’s gun. I think he was hurt by Fox catching who is very poor defensively.

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    1. Glad to get yr report. Thanks.

      Glad to see Asche looking good in the field in addition to his two hits with hustle. Another merit badge.

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      1. Dusty on Asche: —- “He’s been awesome. He’s having a great year,” said Wathan, noting that if Darin Ruf had not been hitting homers at a record rate for Reading, all of the talk would be about Asche. “He’s another guy whose bat is going to play. He has a tremendous upside with his bat. To be at this level one year out of the draft is exceptional. The last guy who was at this level just one year after the draft was Pat Burrell and he was a first-round pick. Cody was a fourth-round pick and he wasn’t expected to be here. He was expected to maybe be at Clearwater at the end of this year.”

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          1. Damn, Dusty should’ve mentioned that he spoke with you Art! 😉

            Now I’m trying to think if what Dusty said was accurate (about him being the first player since Burrell to be at Reading one year after the draft). I thought B.J. Rosenberg got a double jump mid-season from Lakewood to Reading in 2009, and Stutes and Worley started in Reading the same year, but my guess is that he meant position players. That’s pretty impressive

            – Jeff

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  7. Remember when Ethan Stewart was being talked about here a lot in the beginning of the season? He’s ended up having a pretty terrible year.

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    2. Too many walks have been a problem ,but that’s why you work on command at this level, his curve ball works very well and generally before the blister issue he was the most consistent pitcher at this level, terrible is a extreme word to use in his case look at the numbers again, it’s not about K’s only.

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      1. I was mostly looking at his Ks, BBs, and his GO/AO ratio, which suggests that he’s not an extreme groundball pitcher who could get away with mediocre K numbers. I don’t know anything about his stuff so maybe he’s got the talent to improve, but there’s not much that’s encouraging about his performance.

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  9. Shame on la and Washington for bringing up trout and Harper so early and start those clocks. Shame on any team that brings up a prospect having a great season. And trying to fill a hole where as the free agent market is bone dry and trades going to gut the farm again. No player should be called up unless puts a full year in AAA. Give me a break. Hmmm chase or galvis or let’s see what Cody can do for you. I am sure a lot of guys on here played pro ball and know what it is like to be in a clubhouse. I think the poster was just trying to say maybe the philles have faith and since this season is shot go ahead and fire away

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    1. The suggestion was to bring up Asche before the end of this season, not to play, but to sit in the club house. Why in the hell would you start the clock on him to have him in the clubhouse?

      Also, don’t compare Asche to Trout. Just don’t. Or Harper, for that matter. Besides, they were called up to help the team reach the post season, something we basically can not do this season.

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    2. Trout and Harper were first round picks and elite prospects. Contrary to what a lot of people on this site feel, Asche is not on their level. And historically, the Phillies do not fast track prospects. The Phillies want their prospects to struggle in the minors instead of the bigs. For the most part, this has worked out pretty well (Burrell, Hamels, Rollins, Utley, Howard, Myers). In fact, you can probably say that what the Phillies are doing with Asche is out of the norm for them since Asche is already at AA in only his second year in the minors. Asche has likely shaved off a year in his development.

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      1. Burrell was rushed a bit and struggled from the tailend of ’02 through ’04. In ’07 a FO guy, name escapes, maybe Arbuckle, not sure, said they may have brought him in a year to soon. But he worked his way through it.

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      2. I would argue the other way as well, players like Brown, Galvis, Kendrick, and Bourn were rushed to the majors where they struggled or developed late. The front office I think feels especially burned by what happened to Brown and does not want to rush another prospect they see as having a regular role until there is a spot for them to fill that role. I like pushing them through the minors to challenge them but I think they are much more willing to let a guy sit in AA/AAA rather than rush him up to the bigs

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  10. If Ruf could be a .250 25hr guy with subpar lf defense a la Burrel, would that still project as a everyday type? Additionally if Burrel had the humble entry into pro baseball a la Ruf, would the Phils stuck with him for so long as a starter?

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    1. If Ruf could also manage a .370+ OBP like Burrell then sure. Burrell was a very good hitter even if he was never the superstar he was projected to be.

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      1. Kubel is an interesting comp. All the usual caveats – Kubel had a taste of the majors at 22, but in fairness we’re not going to find a comp that matches up well with Ruf on an age basis.

        Here’s the thing – if Kubel is a realistic comp – and I think he is – it just IMO bolsters the case for Ruf as best suited for a DH role or 1B. Kubel isn’t much of a LF at all – even with over 500 games there. If Ruf is that bad as a fielder, but has a Kubel level of offense, he should be looked at as a first baseman or DH. Unfortunately, that is problematic if you are a Phillies’ fan.

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        1. No, It’s problematic if you’re a phillies management fan. If Howard was in the last year of his contract right now we’d be having a very different conversation. Word is Ruf is above average at first defensively.

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    1. I’m actually wondering if a 21 homer month would be a professional baseball record. I know Sosa has the Major League record with 20.

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      1. But they test for PEDs much more carefully in the minors than in the majors. And when Sosa did it, they weren’t testing at all. So, I think we can say this may be a more honest twenty homers than Sosa’s.

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      3. The Reading Phillies as well are stating that 20 is the monthly homerun record in all of baseball. I can’t find anything that disputes the claim.

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        1. Yeah, I guess I should’ve mentioned that right now he has 20 – I doublechecked that before the post. I was just pondering if he hits one more.

          It’s one helluva power surge, regardless

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  15. Readings notable performances tonight

    Gillies 2 for 2 with 2 doubles, a run scored and a walk
    Asche 0 for 3 with a run scored
    Ruf 2 for 4 4 RBI’s, 3 run record homer avg up to .321 one point behind for the triple crown
    Castro 3 for 4 avg up to .285

    Friend ties franchise record with his 24th save in 24th try

    Ruf was also named Eastern League MVP and rookie of the year just prior to the game

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      1. ‘The only R-Phil’s to win both awards were Ryan Howard (04) and Marlon Byrd (01)’, thus…..Ruf is destined for a MLB career somewhere between Ryan howard’s success and Marlon Byrd’s success. I am game.

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    2. Castro’s quietly had a very good year. Yes, his walk rate is horrible but his K rate is amazing for such a free swinger. He’s turned me into a fan this year.

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    1. I thought I remember reading on this site that he and Asche are roommates, and both have a ridiculously strong work ethic.

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  17. Think about it, next year we could have a natural second baseman playing third, a natural shortstop playing second and a natural first baseman playing left. Ruben better know what he is doing.

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  18. Thebig questions about Utley are whether he has the quick reaction time for 3rd base and whether his arm is strong and accurate enough. Both are real questions. However, it’s interesting that the FO is thinking out of the box.

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  20. Recently I have become very confused with respect to the term “prospect”. How do people using this site define this word? For what it’s worth, this is my view of the word: I consider a prospect to be someone in a team’s minor league system that has not yet played in the ML but is viewed as “potentially” being able to, some day, become a productive member of the major league team (or some other ML team in case of a trade}. By that definition how can there be any argument regarding whether Ruf of Ashe are prospects. After all, its not just fans who are talking about these players as possible additions to the team in the next few years but even the manager and GM have talked about them. Doesn’t that make them prospects whether they eventually make the team or not?

    I think it would help the discussions and maybe eliminate some of the animosity on this site if we could at least agree on the meaning of this word. If not would the people who do not consider Ruf a prospect, at least let the rest of us know what they mean by the this word.

    One other point: by my definition age is not a factor in defining someone as a prospect if he is still thought to have chance to make the ML team.

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    1. I think Ruf had given the Phillies the impression that he could hit, but not enough to be considered a major league prospect, given his position, which calls for a much higher slugging percentage because it is not a high-skill position. He has changed that with this extraordinary display. It has been enough to change their minds into thinking he could be a prospect if he can learn another position. If he can’t play in left field, there is always the American League and designated hitter. You almost have to treat this question as it comes up.

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    2. A prospect in my mind is a player who profiles to stick on a major league roster as at very least an important bench player (in other words profiles to have a decent, 3+ year, career in the majors). This is why Freddy Galvis was always a prospect regardless of his ability to hit, because there is always a role for a slick fielding shortstop. Ruf is borderline because it is debatable about whether he profiles to stick in the major leagues.

      A prospect has to do more than just make it to majors, he has to profile to stick as a major leaguer and it has to do with not just the skill set but that skill set fitting into a role on a major league team.

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    3. Asche and Ruf are entirely different cases.

      NO ONE is saying Asche is not a prospect. Even the most skeptical “expert,” Keith Law, isn’t saying that, and even the most pessimistic people on this site think he is a good prospect. The dispute on this site regarding Asche is over upside and WHEN he could become a regular in the majors.

      Ruf is a different matter. I personally think he has worked his way into prospect status, albeit borderline prospect status. To have a guy like him do that at his age, given his prior performance and pedigree, is virtually unprecedented – which is one reason there is a reluctance to even acknowledge him as a marginal prospect. The barriers to him becoming a major league regular are still substantial.

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    4. Click on “My Prospect Philosphy” under the Primer tab at the top of this site. It provides an excellent, well-reasoned explanation of what makes a prospect.

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  21. Thanks for your common sense post Lenny! I don’t understand why some people can say that someone doesn’t stand a chance to be a productive player in the big leagues,if he didn’t have a chance yet.Sure,he is a little older for double A,but every player is different.Look at Jose Bautista,the age he was when things fell together for him.(And I’m NOT saying that Darin Ruf compares to him as a player) Darin Ruf probably won’t put up numbers like Ryan Howard did in the past,but how about this,if he is given a chance,he could possibably have better numbers than Ryan Howard in the next five years.

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    1. Jose Bautista is a terrible comp because Bautista was a failed prospect, a guy that always was well regarded but couldn’t but things together. He is more of a cautionary tale on not giving up on someone like Brown. The whole point of the minor league system and talent evaluation there is so that you don’t have to waste a major league roster spot to prove whether someone can make it or not. Using the minor leagues to say someone won’t make a good big leaguer is the whole point of the minors.

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    2. The thing about Ruf is that there really AREN’T valid comps. If he has any significant success as a regular in the majors, it would be virtually without precedent in modern baseball history. Not saying it can’t happen, just that every comp you can come up with for him is pretty off base.

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