Box Score Recap – 7/10/2013

Box Score Recap

Not sure what happened yesterday – tried to post the recap thread as I was running out the door, but I guess it didn’t happen. Here’s Wednesday’s games – I included the EL All-Star game at the bottom. Asche and Martin and Gillies doing some work at AAA. A really nice line from Mario Hollands. Again. Guy is eating up the FSL. Too bad he’s 47 years old. Zach Green 2-4 with a BB and another double – his ISO remains over .300. Mark Leiter struck out 6 in his 2 innings of work. Impressive, though he did allow a walk, 2 hits and a run.

And then there’s Larry Greene – 2-4, with 1BB, 1K, 2 doubles and 3 runs scored. He remains warm. Not hot, necessarily, (especially after 2 Oh-Fers in the last three nights and way too many Ks still), but warm – .805 OPS over his last 10. JP Crawford, now…JP Crawford is hot. OPSing 1.001 for the short season. Fire.

Here’s the affiliate Scoreboard from MiLB.

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?sid=milb&org=143&ymd=20130710

7-10-13 boxscores

134 thoughts on “Box Score Recap – 7/10/2013”

  1. Posted this elsewhere but its probably better here….Jarred Cosart called up to the majors and will start today. I know some of you are rooting against the prospects we traded away but I am wishing for him to have a successful career.

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    1. It helps that he’s in the other league. I believe he’ll stick around but I don’t see stardom due to his control issues.

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    2. +1

      Still expect him to end up in the bullpen in the near future (and be darn good there), but I’m looking forward to seeing his starts in the meantime.

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        1. Ouch.

          Cosart was touching 100 out of the bullpen in the Futures Game a year or two ago, I believe. His upside is a fair bit more than that.

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      2. I really hope he becomes the next great pitcher, better than a tom seaver,. and hope same for all four of the guys in pence deal.

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        1. If the main three blossom from that trade…Cosart, Sing and San….then the nails to Rube’s coffin may be aligned and Monty holds the hammer.

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    1. SB #9 should have been a pickoff. Overly aggressive lead, and early jump. Still impressed he has some wheels though.

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  3. What do we make of the new Gillies? How is this for a line? 3 for 4, 3 R, 3B, BB, SB. He has to do it for the rest of the season to prove the swing change is for real, but he could be turning into a solid player or at least a valuable trade chip.

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      1. Definitely have been keeping an eye on him in the box scores recently. Hopefully he can finish the season without any injuries and we can have a few months of data to see how his offensive game has evolved.

        Can someone refresh my memory on how he grades defensively?

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        1. Gillies’ fielding is well above average, bordering on plus. He has all the tools to be a borderline star, but injuries, life and his own conduct have gotten in the way thus far. His talent is very comparable to that of a youngish Johnny Damon. He really does have that kind of ability, but whether he realizes that ability or not is highly uncertain and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he had a very up and down career.

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          1. Let’s put it this way. Prior to this year, Gillies was known for his fielding, base running and hit tool. But when I saw him in spring training, only one younger player I saw (granted, I did not see Tommy Joseph hit in BP and he apparently put on quite a show) hit the ball consistently for more power than Gillies and that was Dylan Cozens. Also, my son saw his 2 homer game in Reading and said that the balls he hit were positively crushed – no doubter bombs that were way out of the park. Gillies is brimming with top shelf major-league level talent and it wouldn’t surprise me if he were called up in late August or September and made a nice showing.

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    3. I’m starting the Gillies bandwagon, and if it already exists, I’ll chip in for gas.

      I can’t believe how much hate this guy gets. Forget the off the field crap, he’s going to stick in the majors.

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      1. I’ll join you on the bandwagon and I’ll chip in for a helmet and medical coverage for the driver of said bandwagon.

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        1. No doubt, I just feel like people either forgot about him and assuming sucks for some reason, or got their hopes up, found out he had a, shall we say, prickly personality, and decided to start hating on the guy.

          He gets way too much hate around here.

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          2. If you’re not a nice person, you’re constantly injured, AND you aren’t performing well when you’re on the field, I’d call that a decent reason for people to be upset with the guy. Especially when he gets in trouble multiple times for his attitude, which leads to him missing even more time.

            I want him to do well because that would be in the best interest of the Phillies, but that doesn’t mean I have to like him.

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      3. I like the guy, but he just hasn’t shown enough to say he’s a major league starter. Yes, I can see him as a 4th/5th OF, maybe even next year, but his numbers just aren’t that good. He is speedy, but has a crap SB/CS history, he was .822 OPS at Reading last year, but didn’t make it this year at AAA to start the season and when back at Reading put up an OPS 30 points lower than last years’. He’s hitting better now and the numbers partially represent a poor start at Allentown early this year, but his AAA OPS is only .609. He is an intriguing prospect, but his game just hasn’t progressed as it should. When does the speed turn into some success on steals? Where is the evidence he can succeed against even AAA pitching. For now, Revere’s job is safe. He’s a better hitter and base runner than Gillies.

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        1. I didn’t say he was a major league starter, but he has a FLOOR of a 4th OFer if he stays healthy.

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          1. Brian……this site was full of Gillies’ ‘lovers’ back 2/3 years ago. Then the injuiries and his own life behavior chipped everyone’s enthusiasm. The hatred was not there all the time. Just go to right drop down menu and go into the archives and check it out.

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        2. Revere and Gillies are entirely different players. Revere has a 70 hit tool, a 70 speed tool, a potential 65 defense tool (even though it currently plays to a 50 or 55), but his power tool is a true 20, his plate discipline is a 30 and his arm is a 25. He’s useful in the right places, has achieved much of his potential, is pretty predictable and deserves a starting job, but he’s very limited. Gillies, on the other hand, is the opposite. He’s as unpredictable as they come, but, seriously, he has tools to dream on – he’s that talented. They need to keep him around until he either does more stupid things or conclusively shows he can’t play. I don’t want to see him making the all-star game as a Royal or Ray in 2015 and, if they release him, that’s just the sort of thing that might happen. Seriously.

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            2. He might have an 80 hit tool. He puts the bat on the ball at a ridiculous clip. And I do mean ridiculous. That shows in his contact rates and his average. If he had even a modicum of power, we’d be talking about him as one of the best offensive CF in baseball, probably.

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      4. The Gillies bandwagon is so circuitous it could be added as a SEPTA route. That said, I’m always on board. 🙂

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      5. Gillies problem is that his offensive numbers just aren’t all that good this year. Last year he posted an .822 OPS in Reading. He was promoted to AAA for 2013, but he just didn’t hit at all at the start of the season. Demoted to Reading, he put up an OPS 30 points lower than his 2012 number. Now back at AAA he is hitting better, but his OPS for the season is still just .609. For all his speed, he has been an awful base stealer, and that is a multi-year issue. There just isn’t evidence of growth in his game from 2012 to 2013. He is currently on a hot streak, but all players have hot streaks in the course of every season — even Hewitt, so it’s hard to give his recent numbers much credence unless he can continue at this level for the rest of the year. He has been a very inconsistent player, in addition to all of the injuries and off the field stuff. He seems to be not as good a player as Revere, although his defense could make him a 4th/5th OF. His hearing disability is an issue, which has already cost him one collision and substantial missed time. We would not want him missing a call from an IF and running over Rollins or Utley. Communication on fly balls in neutral territory is always going to be an issue for him. That he had a collision last season suggests that he and his teammates haven’t worked out a satisfactory solution.

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        1. With all due respect, Allentown, one collision doesn’t prove much, as collisions can occur and have occurred between players whose hearing is norma, as well.

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  4. I think Zach Green is my new favorite guy to follow everyday.
    Do you think he cracks the Top 10?

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    1. It is unlikely unless there are multiple graduations from the AAA portion of the list. It is more an indication of the system’s depth than an indictment of Green’s ability.

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      1. I think the assumption is that he won’t continue on this kind of pace for the entire year. *However* — if he finishes with a 350/600/950 slash line as a 19-yr old, he will absolutely be in our top 10.

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  5. I really like Asche’s progress. To me, he comps to Chase Headley. Similar minor league stats and similar approach. Doesn’t quite walk as much, but walks a lot and has similar power and speed stats. Both with similarly strong makeup.

    LGJ has to do this for a month before I start to take it seriously.

    I like Zach Green too.

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      1. That would be a good idea, but they have to try to get Asche ABs against lefties. If he doesn’t see them, he’s never going to get better against them.

        But yeah, if we weren’t concerned about his development, that would be a pretty ideal scenario.

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        1. I agree with Asche getting ABs against lefties if the Phils are truly out of it. But I would certainly go the platoon route even if they are still somewhat “in it” because I think that platoon would be better, right now, than simply playing Michael Young.

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      2. I think a Asche/Frandsen platoon makes a lot of sense for next year as a cheap stopgap until Franco is ready. On paper it’s at least as productive as Michael Young.

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      3. EXACTLY!!!! I was at the game last night with Michael Young and his half-step range thinking exactly the same thing. I love Asche and, man, I have also grown to love Frandsen as player (I’m told that, as a guy, he’s a class A jerk – but he’s not my buddy so I could care less) – Frandsen can frickin’ play!!!!!

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    2. I love Asche as a prospect, but his minor league numbers are not similar to Headley’s. Chase’s BB rates were significantly higher, he hit more HRs and doubles, his OPS was at least 130 points higher at both AA and AAA and his wOBA was significantly higher at both levels. Headley significantly outperformed him in the minors.

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      1. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that Headley did play in more hitter friendly leagues and he was a year older during his AA and AAA stops than Asche. Still Headley was clearly the better prospect, and was ranked #38 after he tore up AA. Interestingly he only started stealing bases when he got to the majors.

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      2. Agree – as noted above Cody just went above .800 OPS. Average OPS for a 3B in the ML is about .805. His production would obviously dip in the majors. He still has some improvement to do until he can step in as an ‘average ML 3B’, which I think is really his ceiling. Don’t get me wrong, to have a cost controlled average 3B is a great thing. I’m not knocking him, just tempering this ‘call him up now’ attitude.

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        1. Sure that may be the average but only 10 guys are above .800 that have a qualified amount of PAs according to fangraphs.

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        2. That average OPS for a starting third baseman is a few years old (from 2007). With the drop in league offense, it’ll probably be a bit lower now.

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        3. The average OPS for a 3B in ML is not about .805. In 2013 it is .725 (.709 in NL). In fact. per fangraphs, here are the ML (AL + NL) average OPS stats since 2009:

          2009 – .756
          2010 – .733
          2011 – .705
          2012 – .738.

          As you can see the offensive production from a 3B is considerably less than an .805 OPS on average these days. In fact, per wRC+ the position was average offensively overall in 2012 (wRC+ = 100 in 2012), but below average every other year from 2009-2013 (2009 wRC+=98; 2010 wRC+=97; 2011 wRC+=92; 2012 wRC+=100; 2013 wRC+=98, so far).

          When evaluating if Asche can be an average 3rd baseman the conversation should dbe whether or not he can put up a roughly .730 OPS.

          Asche currently sports a major league equivalency line (neutral context) of .251/.305/.379. Good for a .685 OPS. Not major league average, but not far enough off to suggest he couldn’t become major league average or slightly better in his peak years. In the short term, a platoon might allow his offense to play up at the major league level.

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    3. Either you don’t regard Headley as highly or you’re much more optimistic about Asche, but that comparison seems awfully generous. Headley’s WAR was 6.2 last season, good for 7th in the NL. He won the gold glove and silver slugger awards at his position. He lead the league in RBI. Granted, it might’ve been a career year, but I’m not expecting half that production from
      Asche. I guess if you’re thinking of
      Headley as a .750 OPS guy, like he normally is, and not the .876 player he was last year, the comparison is much more reasonable.

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          1. It’s not nonsense. It’s a matter of how much you believe those 300 PAs meant at Reading last year. In 924 PAs outside of Reading Asche has 13 home runs.

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            1. BUT, after having moved up a level after less than half a season in AA, he’s still hitting for acceptable power in a AAA park that is a lot less homer friendly than CBP. Even if his power doesn’t improve (and it almost certainly will, at least to a certain extent), Asche is already a 12-18 homer guy in the majors assuming CBP is his home park. I don’t think Asche would ever hit 30 homers, but he could be one of those guys who hits 16-25 homers and otherwise does a lot of things well. In short, while not a star, one heck of a player.

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            2. I think 16-25 is optimistic. I think your first range is about where he is and probably will end up. At the end of the day you look at Asche’s scouting report you see a whole bunch of 5s and a 6 (hit tool). It isn’t exciting, but I don’t have much doubt that it isn’t a major league regular at third base, and if Franco wasn’t in the system Asche would be a guy you are happy to start but always kind of eyeing an upgrade.

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        2. Major League average ISO for a 3b is .145 (.137 NL). The Phillies have received a .136 ISO from third-baggers this year (M.Young is at .127; Headley is .132). Asche could easily put league average power, give or take. It is whether he can maintain his walk and k rates at the major league level that will determine if he can succeed.

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        1. To play Devil’s Advocate, Green has Asche and Franco ahead of him whereas Pullin hits at a 2B position and there may be a void at that spot. As a result, Pullin may end up having more value to the Phillies if Utley leaves and Hernandez doesn’t work out.

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          1. That’s a trap!!!! A player has value independent of the quality of the organization’s depth chart, especially for prospects in the lower minors. Green is not less valuable as a third baseman because Franco and Asche are ahead of him and Pullin is not more valuable as a prospect because the team is light on prospects at that position. Now, the organizational depth chart may alter the player’s immediately or long term utility to the team, but it does not modify the player’s underlying value. It’s not an insignificant point and many teams have made horrible player personnel decisions by making precisely the value determination you have made (for example, Bobby Abreu fell into the Phillies’ hands for nominal consideration because he was devalued by the Astros because they thought they were all set with Richard Hidalgo – Richard Hidalgo!!!???).

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            2. Don’t worry, it’s alright to be critical. I did fall into a trap by confusing long term utility vs. prospect of generating value at a major league level. Thank you.

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            3. But then again the Nats decide to move Rendon off 3rd to 2nd lasy year in the minors due to Zim blocking him there.

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            4. Ah, but that enhanced his value (quite a bit, actually) as he moved up the defensive spectrum. I was at the game last night and saw him turn a real gem and then smash a homer. He’s one hell of a prospect.

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            5. Well, he’s a major league, so I guess he’s not a “prospect” but you know what I mean.

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            6. the only real concern with Rendon and second was the ankle injuries in college and the amount of time to learn the position. At third base he would have been a plus to plus plus defender (again Asche is right around average with an above average arm)

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  7. If the minor leagues are all about challenging a player and seeing how they respond, it might be a smart move to move Crawford to Williamsport sooner than later. There is no SS prospect in WIL, and unless Quinn repeats there next season, none anticipated for Lakewood either. I’m not saying Crawford’s hot start equals domination of the level, but he is demonstrating contact skills that deserve to be challenged.

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    1. I agree. If he has an outstanding defensive profile that has been reported, and continues to hit like he has, move him up. He seems up for the challenge.

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    2. I don’t see it. He’s striking out 20% of the time and is sporting a BABIP that’s almost .600. He’s done well but a lot of his performance is unsustainable a this point- it’s not like he’s dominating GCL pitchers (or catchers since he’s stolen only 4 bases in 7 tries). I think we may need to pump our breaks on the Crawford excitement.

      Bright future? Yes. But too good for the GCL right now? No.

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      2. I’m not saying he’s too good for the GCL. My point is that he’s already showing very strong contact skills against GCL pitching and might benefit from a bump up to Williamsport at some point this season IF they’re planning to be aggressive with a Lakewood placement next season (given the fact that there is no logical SS in Low A next season other than a Quinn repeat, which I’d prefer not to see). He’s responding well to the GCL pitching in a limited sample … why not bump him up a level and see what he’s made of?

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        1. I wouldn’t say a 20% k rate is showing very strong contact skills. His BABIP is going to normalize at some point and he probably won’t be hitting over .300 when it does, let alone over .400. The GCL seems to be challenging enough for him at this point and that should be all that matters when considering advancement.

          I don’t think they can plan on a Lakewood assignment next year without seeing how he does in games and during whatever practice sessions they have. Too early to decide on that imo. Just let him continue to adjust to a level that’s a challenge for him right now.

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          1. Fair enough. It probably is to early to gauge how aggressive to be with him. That said, if he does continue to perform the way he is currently, I expect an aggressive placement next season.

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    1. His major league equivalent line this year is .304/.375/.389, so his OPS of .764 would be higher than Delmon Young’s.

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  9. Does it seem like other organizations game the system better than the Phils? For example, the cubs are all-in this year with IL signings in fear of an IL draft next year. Same with the Rangers. Some teams have even purchased slot money which is not gaming but smart if you think this year’s class is superior.

    Then you have the Blue Jays not signing their first round pick which might have to do with a stronger draft class next year. So get the extra 1st next year wth the slot money for a deeper class.

    I just feel like the Phils are too conversative. I love the strategy of the cubs the last few years. Go heavy in the IL market, sign a bunch of FAs (with upside) on a 1 year deal then trade for prospects and build the farms sytem.

    This is way off topic but I think the conservative nature of the Phils and their eye towards veteran major leaguers rather than aggressive talent building at the minor league talent will continue to perpetuate itself. I don’t know if it’s the GM mindset or organzational as whole. But I feel as though our recent success can be a hinderance to our future.

    Sorry to be off topic. Just something I noticed.

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    1. The Blue Jays thing would make sense if it wasn’t Bickford who might have had the best arm in the class. They took an overslot guy and failed to sign him.

      As for the International market, I cannot really blame a team for not wanting to punt the ability to sign players the following year. The Phillies are conservative on some level, rather than go boom or bust they like to spread the risk around more on the international market and in the draft.

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      1. I guess my biggest grip of this organization is the lack of balance between the majors and developing players. The league incentives losing now more than ever but the Phils seem committed to a slow sink rather than titanic collapse. Slow sink can take many years to recover from.

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        1. Even if you believe losing is incentivized more than it ever was now, I still don’t think tanking is necessarily a good strategy in baseball. You’re talking about 3 or 4 years before you even see the benefits all the while you’re getting destroyed in revenues and losing fan trust. I’d rather the phillies draft like they did this year every year instead of try to tank, I think the results would end up similar in the long run without costing the team revenues.

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          1. But fans won’t continue to come out if they don’t think they have a legitimate chance of winning. That’s what happened with the sixers fanbase after the 2001 season. The phils will fall vicitim to that if it’s a slow rescede. The fans will stop coming and the slow trickle in from the minors will not be enough to move the needle.

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            1. Yes but in the NBA the only way you get star level players in the draft is through being at the top of the draft. This is not the case in the MLB. NBA rewards tanking where as Baseball really doesn’t because even the best prospects take 2 years to even play at the MLB level. Meanwhile guys like Lebron get drafted and make immediate impacts that are huge.

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            2. My comparison wasn’t the NBA vs MLB systems, it was more the fan perception of the product they are watching. If they don’t believe the team on the field can legitimately contend they won’t go. Yes attendance will drop precipitously if they fire sell their big name players but the recovery may happen much sooner.

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            3. That makes sense , why spend a over a 100 for a ticket parking and food. to watch a team that isnt good. If a teams ownership doesnt care , why should the people.

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    1. Nothing new today, as far as I’ve seen. I’d be happy if we got 4 names tomorrow…Wetzler, Keys, Martarano (officially), and either Jax or Dulin or one other. The first three would be good enough, I suppose, but more would be better, obviously.

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  11. I would not want to follow any prospect–signing strategy of the Cubs, given their lack of success. There must be other teams that we could emulate.

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    1. It a numbers game with the cubs. They’ve accumulated so much young talent that odds are they are going to develop some core players. I like what the Cubs are doing. Time will tell but they could have something special in a few years.

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  12. Is Luis Encarnacion still on the Phillies radar. I realize they have to wait till he turns 16 in August, But it does not look like they have done much with the international market.

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      1. If a kid like that does not assure you that he will sign, you lose more than half your alloted money if you wait for him and he doesn’t. There was a report from a Spanish source that he has agreed to sign with us for 1.3. I have to believe that is accurate.

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    1. Yeah, but his ERA is almost 4 and his BA against was actually better last year. May has some projection, but, as it turns out, the Revere trade looks like a very good one for the Phillies.

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      1. Interesting to note that May has only 9 walks in his last 37 innings. Either he’s figuring something out or he’s just teasing again.

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      2. You want May to succeed with the Twins. Fleecing is very ‘unkarma’ and comes back around at some point.

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  14. From the BA prospect notebook

    The Minor League Player of the Year race is going to be interesting, with Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Maikel Franco, Taijuan Walker and Archie Bradley among a group of solid contenders for the award.

    Just nice to see a non-top 50 prospect mentioned with premium prospects! (#sarcasm)

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  15. “What have you done for me lately?”/upside weighted current top “20” Phillies prospect “list”:
    (players on DL ineligible)
    1) Franco – Hottest bat in the minors(?) as an underaged middle of the order bat who doesn’t hurt you at 3rd has to be #1. Arm bar in your face Keith Law!
    2) Crawford – How’s Quinn’s arm in CF?
    3) Biddle – Potential All-Star SS > Solid 3rd Starter, Consistency might be the key to him becoming more than that. If he continues to limit his walks, improve command of all his pitches and keep his FB velocity up deep into games, maybe he can become a respectable 2nd starter. He doesn’t have the elite stuff to profile as a staff ace, but could become a valuable lefty workhorse. He lacks that 4th pitch, (usually cutter) that Pettite, Lee and other dominant lefties with otherwise unexceptional stuff use to keep righties off balance. Madison Bumgarner might be the best comp, with similar bodies and stuff, and he’s become a very good #2 without that 4th pitch.
    4) Cozens – Power ratio continues to impress, with more walks, less Ks. Domingo who? Currently a little underappreciated due to SSS, but his production hasn’t gone unnoticed in the saber community. Size+athleticism+patience+contact+power could make him a sleeper pick to appear on top 100 prospect lists this winter. Tough call putting Cozens in front of Sandberg, who I previously had here, but huge power is so hard to find these days, especially in a player who plays solid D, gives you some walks and doesn’t strike out a ton. I can’t really argue with anyone putting Sandberg or Tocci here.
    5) Sandberg – He can hit, but what about his other tools? Are they average, above-average or better? Jiwan James needs to move up so we can see how Sandberg looks in CF. He’s batted 1st and 4th – is he a middle of the order slugger or table-setter with pop? The Josh Hamilton comparisons are just lazy, despite their similar body type. Can he be a Jacoby Ellsbury? A CarGo? A Josh Reddick? I read predraft comparisons to Hunter Pence, but he’s shorter, stronger and hits from the left side. Definitely an exciting player we’ll be watching closely.
    6) Tocci – Nothing left to say here. Holding his own in full-season pro-ball while others his age are hanging out in parking lots. Lack of projectable power lowers his ceiling. The potentially very solid outfield of Sandberg-Tocci-Cozens could hit the show around 2017.
    7A) Cesar Hernandez – Again, lack of pop lowers his ceiling, but his recent tear in LV solidifies his floor as an average 2B. I’m tempted to list the LV infield of Asche-Galvis-Hernandez-Ruf as 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D but that would be boring, lazy and unfair to the players…still, since they’re each equally ready and profile similarly for their positions, I’ll do so to free spots for younger prospects. Hernandez’s combination of contact, fielding and speed probably means he’ll have the longest career of his fellow ‘Pigs.
    7B) Asche’s offense would look great at 2B; too bad his glove doesn’t work there. Just a few years ago his bat might’ve ticked above-average at 3rd, but the emergence of a new crop of offensive third basemen, soon to be joined by several other power hitting prospects, hurts his relative value.
    8) Zach Green/Andrew Pullin – Two more guys lumped together out of convenience, laziness and ignorance. ,Green has much more power but Pullin’s bat might profile better relative to his position. In a couple months, Pullin becomes our only real 2B prospect.
    9) Kelly Dugan – I’m higher on him than most. He’d be rated much higher if not for the younger outfielders above him. Has raked on every level despite the injuries eating into his development. I buy into his bat so much, I give him a high floor, as an average major league corner outfielder, yet the lack of other tools make his ceiling not much higher.
    10) Knapp – Closest thing to a starting catcher in this system. Sweaney seems good enough but is several years behind him. Rupp’s showed enough pop, plate discipline and D to stick in the majors as a solid backup.
    11) Jan Hernandez – Hasn’t shown much aside from a little patience and power. Rated this high because I absolutely loved him as a draft prospect. Looks so natural in the field and at the plate, like many other graduates of Latin baseball academies.
    12) Gueller/Martin – Present stuff already good enough, present command/control light years away. Depressing situation for an org so heavily invested in pitching.
    13) Gillies – Lets see how this revamped swing revival plays out
    14) Altherr – A slow bloomer I believe in. Hitting finally caught up with his other tools – could become an average CF/4th OF if he continues to mature.
    15) Tommy Joseph – Sorry, I just never bought into him and multiple concussions are a bad sign for a young backstop. Hoping for a strong 2nd half. Now the list drops into oblivion….
    16) Cam Perkins – Listed until the hitting stops
    17) Pujols – Bat speed, youth…
    17) Larry Greene – Wouldn’t be listed if not for recent signs of life.
    18) Trey Williams?
    19 Percy Garner?
    20) Collier/Hewitt/Castro – 4th outfielders?

    Despite lumping so many players together, listing zero injured players and devoted only three spots to pitching, I came up with plenty exciting names to watch in the 2nd half. I also didn’t list any pitchers with low upsides or arms we just drafted, but surely some of them deserve to be there. Its encouraging to see so much major league potential, even if most of its 5 years away. Like the rest of you I’m sure, I’m a Phillies fan for life, who’s in no rush to see immediate results.

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    2. Nice and thoughoutful write-up, but way too younger prospect heavy for me (even though I think many of these guys are really good) and, oh yeah, I wouldn’t let Adam Morgan, Ethan Martin or Tommy Joseph know where you live.

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    3. Don’t see how you can have Cozens that high. His small sample size is not great, .227/.318/.427. I know he has tools, but I wouldn’t put him that high

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      1. I’m high on Cozens myself. He is supposedly very raw and still showing some awesome peripherals. He totally strikes me as a “light goes off” type.

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          1. Why? He has been in the system for less than a year. JUST TURNED 19 and is in Williamsport. And, once again, putting up good peripherals other than BA. Where’s the impatience coming from?

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        2. High on Cozens, eh? I have been a little bit high on him also – it’s an aggressive, scream-at-your-elders, kind of a high. Like PCP or something.

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        1. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/daily-notes-scout-leaderboards-for-low-a/

          Cozens makes the SCOUT Low A leaderboard. Youngest on the list and he’s actually hit better since. His performance in these types of quantitative analyses bumped him up a few spots on my subjective list. Sandberg was higher until I saw he went hitless and Cozens hit a home run in the previous day’s box score, .

          btw I am “everybodyhits” aka “baxter”.from years ago. i’ve been one of the anonymouses since my computer forgot my login.info.

          Again, everyone injured is ineligible, so Quinn, Morgan, Watson etc can’t appear until they step back on the field.
          re Quinn: the most intriguing thing about Quinn’s 2013 season was his power. Quinn could have more than a little J-Roll in him, being a 5’8″ switch-hitting SS with just enough pop to get too impatient for a leadoff hitter…both were 2nd round picks. both have big, easy smiles. Jimmy made a lot of errors in his first years as a pro, not as many as Quinn, but Quinn’s early offensive numbers are better. I’d love for Quinn to stick at SS or even better, switch to 2B, but his speed could cover a lot of ground in center. Then again, I prefer taller outfielders for their reach and shorter infielders for their quickness/acceleration/agility. Quinn also strikes me as the kind of guy who could really take off offensively if relieved of his defensive responsibilities. He was considered a good defensive outfielder in high school.

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    4. You’re really doom and gloom on Watson’s shoulder, then? Not even listed…thanks for you thoughts, though.

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    5. Biddle is knocking on the door of the big leagues, while J.P. Crawford is in rookie ball … no way Crawford is ranked higher.

      Gueller is a young pitcher with a lot of development ahead of him, but I wouldn’t say his command/control is light years away.

      I’m going to assume you forgot about Morgan and do not have Anthony Hewitt and Leandro Castro listed above him. 🙂

      Definitely appreciate the effort put into this. I agree with JoeDE … get a handle so you’re not lumped in with the dozens of other anonymous posters on here.

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      1. For Mike and Bradindc — he said he was excluding players on the DL. A not unreasonable approach. Shoulder injuries, even those initially reported as inflammation or soreness, can become anything from a minor bump in the road to basically eliminating your chance of being a significant major leaguer. Reasonable to not consider them until you see what they look like when they resume pitching. Savery’s shoulder problems were described as fairly minor, even after surgery, but he has never been the same again, years after the surgery, and now is trying to become just a random middle reliever in MLB, after profiling as a #2/3 starter prior to injury.

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    6. Great post and love the commentary. Few names not on your list that I would certainly put ahead of Collier/Hewitt/Castro are: Hoby Milner, Kenneth Giles & Roman Quinn

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      1. I think the point of his list is “What have you done for me lately”. I really think he’s just ranking them based on what they have done recently.

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    7. “8) Zach Green/Andrew Pullin – Two more guys lumped together out of convenience, laziness and ignorance.”

      Classic line. That was funny.

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  16. In Klaw’s chat today he is much more positive about Franco the baseball player (as opposed to athlete). This is his second comment:

    Danny (Philly)
    Back to Franco. Obviously if he can’t stick at third it hurts his prospect status. But if the bat and power are for real doesn’t it still make him a very enticing prospect and future big leaguer?

    Klaw (1:24 PM)
    Yes, and yes. Somehow my report was misinterpreted as me saying he wasn’t a prospect – I never said that at all.

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    1. also i noticed that no one has commented on his thoughts on Dugan which were pretty positive, mainly saying he thought Dugan could be a big league regular which frankly i don’t think i had ever heard a national guy say before.

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    2. Ruben and the Phillies must have called BA and kindly complained about klaw’s evaluation of Franco from the weekend.

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