Box Score Recap – 7/18/2013

Box Score Recap

If not for Jesse Biddle’s really nice outing, the entire write-up for today may have been “If Wilmer Oberto isn’t the player of the week, we all know the fix is in” or “O My Berto” or “Wilmer is Spanish for Grand and Oberto is Spanish for Slam”. Or something. But alas, quite the performance from Mr. Biddle. Too good to not mention.

He picked up his first win since the beginning of May or something, (though he did have that career altering Futures Game W), while going 7 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned), on 3H 2BB with 7K. Threw 66% strikes. Very nice.

And while I’ve spoiled my week-long Wilmer Oberto love fest with other results, I may as well mention a decent game for Ethan Martin, (though he still didn’t throw enough strikes to work at the big league level), 3-5 from Maikel Franco, (though he did have an error in the field), and 2 HR for Sebastian Valle, (though he remains Sebastian Valle). Every GCL Phillie reached base, and only debuting Venn Biter did not have a hit (in 2 PAs). And do not stare directly at Mitch Gueller’s line. I REPEAT – DO NOT LOOK AT MITCH GUELLER’S LINE WITHOUT PROPER EYE PROTECTION. Not even one out. Let’s hope Mitch himself doesn’t look at that one too much. Better forgotten.

Here’s the affiliate Scoreboard from MiLB.

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?sid=milb&org=143&ymd=20130718

7-18-13 boxscores

109 thoughts on “Box Score Recap – 7/18/2013”

  1. We might have seen the official start of a huge close by Biddle.

    Close the deal, young man!

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      1. Biddle began the post ASB stretch with a very good start. That kind of momentum is a good thing.

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        1. Yeah , I hope back of the rotation starter means number 3 behind Hamels and Lee , although that makes me think , if Morgan can find himself after the injury , the Phillies will have 4 lefty starters and that is probably not a good thing .

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          1. Why is 4 lefties a bad thing? The only situation it would possibly come up is in the playoffs. Lee has reverse platoon splits (not big but he has been better against RH hitters), Hamels is almost exactly as effective against both handed batters, and Morgan and Biddle both have usable changeups.

            Starting rotation is much different than having lineup balance against relievers

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          3. The “back of the rotation” thing was just one scout’s opinion. Sure, it’s a possible outcome, but at this point I think there are plenty of guys who see him becoming more than that. He does have to work on his command though; we all see that.

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  2. Nice to see that on a day when Lakewood was 2-hit, one of those hits belonged to Mr. Tocci.

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  3. Ethan Martin with a nice game even though he lost the game. The Iron Pigs could not do much with the Columbus starter who is the Cleveland Indians top pitching prospect at the moment.

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    1. I’m not sure if Zach McAllister is a prospect. He’s been an International League pitcher for several years now. It’s true, he’s pitching well and was officially on MLB rehab, but he’s a AAAA guy in my book.

      Anyway, not to diminish Martin. He pitched well and his walks seemed to be of the “full count missed close” variety rather than the “four straight balls not even close” variety that has plagued him at times this season. He was using some kind of cutter or two-seam I think, 89-91 which was getting a ton of swing and miss early, then batters were laying off and it was going over as well. His FB 93-94. The curve maybe still a work in progress, but he was able to close the door with it a couple times last night. Probably still throws too many pitches, but I like him a lot.

      I’m not a fan of Cesar in CF. In fact, I’d end it right now. He might eventually get it, but by that time there will be a trade and Revere’s foot will be healed. He didn’t break quickly on the ball, and then when he didn’t catch it he couldn’t seem to pick it up quickly, either. Should have been two errors but Gillies bailed him out with a strike to 2B. There was a chance to throw to the plate, and he didn’t even try. If your AAA team wants to get his bat in the lineup or if you’re down a couple OFs in the minors, sure. But they’ll eat him alive in Philadelphia. I’d take Junior or MiniMart over him, and it’s not close. Perhaps Galvis too. Dom played some decent CF here in Allentown a few years ago as well.

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      1. I think they are looking more long term with the CF tryout, they gave it a shot to see if he could be ready now, but I think it is a long term move to give him flexibility and a role on the major league club going forward

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        1. Yeah. Correct me if I’m wrong, but, didn’t they start occasionally trying Cesar in CF before Revere even got hurt?

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          2. They did. IMO it’s an indication that (a) rightly or wrongly, the organization does not see Hernandez as a major league regular, and (b) they either think that they can re-sign Utley, or they have Galvis penciled in there.

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        2. Matt, the Phillies have been having Hernandez work in CF before games for awhile according to Joe Jordan like the Orioles did with Manny Machado.

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      2. Sorry I thought Salazar was pitching for Columbus not McCallister but either way the Iron Pigs did not him well.

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    2. Ethan Martin had good results but still struggled to throw strikes 57 strikes out of 103 pitches isn’t too good

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      1. I hope the Phillies bring Ethan Martin up, and put him into the bullpen, before they waste assets trading for relievers at the deadline. Relievers are too overvalued at the trade deadline.

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        1. Yeah Martin as a reliever would be interesting. It just might still be too early to stick him in the bullpen.

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          1. Ethan Martin is 24, has been in the minors for 6 seasons, and is on the 40 man roster. All of the scouts say he is a late inning reliever. It’s time to get something out of him.
            It is no crime, to have to accept that a pitcher can’t start. Mariano Rivera, Brad Lidge and almost every other great reliever in baseball, had to accept that at some point.

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            1. I get you. Anyway I would like to see him start the transition to reliever in the minors first because being a reliever is a different kind of arm schedule and he has to get used to that. I think he could be a real good bullpen piece for the Phillies if/when they make him one.

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            2. The problem right now (and the Phillies have said it) is that if anyone on the major league roster is injured your starting options are Cloyd, Martin, and Valdez. So until Doc or Morgan is up and healthy Martin is needed in the rotation as the next guy up if they need a starter

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            7. Even with Zambrano injured, I still don’t see holding Martin as an emergency starter, in case of injury, when you can use him now, as a solution to a current and future bullpen problem.
              If they have an injury before Hallady returns, then Cloyd starts 1 or 2 games until you get Martin Stretched out.
              Chances are, Ethan Martin wouldn’t be that much better than Cloyd as a starter anyway, because he has no ML experience.

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            8. Generally speaking, pitchers make mince meat out of major league hitters their first time through the league. Especially pitchers with good stuff, which Martin has. It’s not until they have a book on the pitcher that the hitters make adjustments, so no ML experience is a blessing for Martin and having ML experience is a curse for Cloyd.

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            9. The caveat is you have to have enough control otherwise the hitters are always ahead and you’re always in danger

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  5. Chace Numata down to .218 on the season and .097 in the last 10 games. Logan Moore hitting .177 on the season and .125 in the last 10 games. Wasted roster space IMO.

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    1. Stats on minor leaguers are pointless without scouting reports. Can you please provide scouting reports on the players to give context? Thanks.

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      1. ‘Stats on minor leaguers are pointless without scouting reports’….from a metric guy no less!

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      1. Chad Carman did just get back from injury. The timing is some amazing coincidence, I’m sure.

        Look, I like Carman – he seems like a nice guy, friendly on Twitter, etc., but as people say below, the team has plenty of talent evaluators, and playing one catcher above another is their decision based on prospect status and the pitching staff involved. Moore and Numata were high school picks and young enough to make a push to be more than just organizational guys. If Carman was to be more than an org guy, likely someone would have taken him a lot higher in the draft than the Phils did. If his play in limited time starts to blow people away, I bet he’ll get more playing time. Until then, complaining about Numata and Moore over and over is just tired. Or, as Alec says, “lol here we go again”.

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        1. Has nothing to do with Carman. Yes, I watched him in spring training and I think he’s better than what he’s given credit for, but he’s missed most of the year and he can’t get it back. But, I see what Knapp and Lino are both doing in Williamsport and their numbers are way better than Moore or Numata’s numbers when they were in Williamsport, and far better than their numbers now. There are several guys that I think are way better than Moore or Numata. As they move up in class, their numbers get worse. It speaks for itself.

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          1. Gentlemen……..I would appreciate it if everyone would just leave my son out of their conversations. Chad is just glad to be playing and he’s doing his best to move up in the organization. He’s been hurt, and now he’s back to playing and happy to be doing so. Thanks.

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    3. Even if they get rid of Chace Numata and Logan Moore, your guy, Chad Carman, may still not get playing time next year. Andrew Knapp and Gabriel Lino will probably push right into those spots next year.

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      1. Hasn’t Carman been injured most of the year?

        John’s comments are not only obnoxious and unbecoming, but the fact of the matter is that, injury aside, if the Phillies perceive Carman as being a real prospect, he’ll get playing time. It’s not the presence of Numata or Moore (or even Knapp and Lino) that ultimately is preventing Carman from getting playing time.

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          1. They are obnoxious in that if you ask anyone a lot of catchers in the minors aren’t prospects. And that’s fine. But, what they are is great tools for the pitcher. Maybe they catch a great game? Or call a great game? Or are good at talking to the pitcher when he gets flustered? There’s a thousand things a minor league catcher does that has nothing to do with being a prospect. There is a reason the Phillies are starting these guys.

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          2. rocom,

            He’s been on that kick for months (well, he was then he stopped for a while, presumably because Carman was injured and, for a while Numata was hitting), and he’s knocking those guys because he perceives that they are blocking the way for his guy Carman. That’s obnoxious. Even if he has some kind of relationship with Carman, family or friend, which appears to be the case.

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  6. Anybody see the Philly.com article on Top 25 prospects that wasnt too high on one Jesse Biddle… I think it was something like “looks like a back end of the rotation starter”.
    Franco still cant hit…
    I understand JP Crawford isnt hitting for power but the results are very impressive so far.
    22 hits in 15 games for a guy that was in high school a month ago??

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    1. I made a pretty positive comment about him a couple of days ago, so I don’t want to sound like I’m disagreeing entirely with you, I’m not. But I don’t think we want to put all that much weight on the fact that he’s hit 19 singles in 55 AB.

      For me, the steadily decreasing K rate (and the decent BB rate) is what is driving my appreciation of his start. 4 Ks in the past 8 games. Still a very small sample size in rookie ball, but I’ll take it. Of course there is also the glowing scouting report of this defense.

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      1. BB rate at just about 10% for the season, K-rate around 18%. Those ratios become 11% and 16% if we remove his first two pro games when he K’d twice without a BB in 6 PAs. I’ll take 16%, but for a high schooler without a power profile I’m enjoying the 11% BB rate most.

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    2. JP is still playing (mostly) with guys of similar age. As Larry says, I’m more impressed with the K/BB rates and reports of advanced defense than I am with a bunch of singles

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  7. Since Gueller’s official line reads 0.0 IP, can we just pretend yesterday never happened?

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  10. If Franco is still hovering around 4 and the possibility Ashe gets moved up, do yo think Franco goes to AAA

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    1. No, and I write that with the warmest regards. Henson will get the call. Some AAAA guy could get signed or even H. Martinez moved up (semi-kidding) would go there before Franco. Franco needs to get comfortable in reading. He has 6 E’s since he moved to Reading. He’s hearing he has a long swing and horrible pitch recognition and he’s slow as a turtle in a pool of molasses. Let him get comfortable and work a few things in AA. He’ll get to AAA soon enough (not this year).

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  11. Crawford with his fifth error! That’s more errors than [another useless counting stat]! Move him to CF!

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    1. I get your point from a developmental perspective, but I wouldn’t call errors a useless stat.

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      1. I did not consider the error a useless stat until i heard earlier in the year Howard had a 73(ish?) game errorless streak which i think was, when he made that error, the longest current active streak in the mlb or something of that nature. I just remember the announcers commenting on how great a streak he was on and it blew my mind how they talked about Howards defense.

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  12. Pujols 0-1 today with two BBs. Even though BBs are pretty much useless, he also somehow managed to score two runs. On a serious note, that’s four BBs in the past two games for Pujols putting him at around 11.5% for the season. Silver linings folks

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    1. BBs are a non-productive item. Just goes to show, the Phillies through the years, rarely sign high-bonus impact Latin free-agent players, but when they do, they get the ones who draw walks!

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  14. The reason for a cap until a draft is in place. How high has the inter bonus’ increased…. signing bonuses have increased dramatically. A little over a decade ago the Boston Red Sox signed Hanley Ramirez, a three-time All-Star, for $22,000.
    In 2010, 30 players, only one of whom was older than 18, got bonuses of at least $475,000.

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  15. BillyVig (Chicago): Can Maikel Franco be a big league all star?
    BA’s Ben Badler: He has that upside, sure. The swing is unusual, and that’s always going to be the knock on him, but I haven’t seen it give him any major issues yet with plate coverage even against good pitching, which alleviates concerns I would normally have over a guy with a pronounced arm-bar swing. And the power. There’s plenty of power.

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  17. Garza to possible “NL mystery team”. Mystery team is Phils, discussions ongoing and centering around Cesar Hernandez and an unknown pitcher “in the lower minors”. Belief is Garza very open to signing long term extension with Phils before free agency, and would make Phils more likely to buy than sell at deadline, but move seen as way to add big arm to rotation for many years after 2013 independent of what happens this year. Obviously though, Phils feel like top of rotation of Lee, Garza, and Hamels, plus a possible return of Halladay could position them well for second half run.

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    1. Source?

      Just analyzing this for a second anyway. Only pitcher it could be that would make it close to the deal Texas is offering is Shane Watson. No clue why Cubs would want Hernandez as he isn’t an upgrade on Barney and they have Alcantara

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    2. Your proposed package is a joke, right? I mean why would the Cubs turn down what the Rangers have reportedly offer for Cesar Hernandez and a “low minors” pitcher.

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      1. I cant believe that the phillies are in on garza. anonymous you got to be kidding.But to answer you question chris. the package that is reportedly offer by texas is not that much better. ott isnt the top prospect he was, and the other two names arent a top prospects. i think right now Hernandez is a better prospect than ott.

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        1. I disagree Hernandez as a utility guy as the centerpiece is pretty much a joke of a package even for a rental. Also anonymous’ source is no one who has said anything publicly. Yes there is a mystery team in on Garza but it is unspecified. Also Jim Bowden says the Rangers will get the deal done after the mystery team was mentioned. All found on MLBTR

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          1. Centering around “Hernandez and an unknown pitcher in the lower minors” could mean “Hernandez and Watson” plus 1-2 other prospects.

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          2. Oh look at that, maybe go back to MLBTR and see the update – the Rangers deal has hit a snag and negotiations are ongoing with the Phils.

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            1. It could very well be happening but we have no reason to trust you. I don’t find Phillies interest in Garza farfetched but you’re spouting details without sources and what credibility am I supposed to believe you have? You’re an anonymous poster on a fan site. If your info is correct I wouldn’t object. Hernandez + Watson + even lesser prospects than those 2 isn’t a bad deal for the Phillies. I don’t see Hernandez as much more than a utility guy and maybe a 2nd division regular. Watson’s got a lot of potential but he’s still pretty far away.

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      2. “Centering around”, there are 1-2 others potentially involved, but not Biddle – Franco – Tocci types. One of the points being discussed is ability to sign him long term now (before trade) or take the chance. Phils obviously willing to offer more if can sign now.

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        1. And what is your source? I don’t think anyone can take this speculation until it’s made public or it actually happens. Even so other more public sources are saying the Rangers are pretty much guaranteed to get this thing done.

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          1. First off- I’m not the anonymous who posted this rumor, but I completely buy the Cubs’ interest in this package and the Phils interest in Garza, if he can be signed long-term.

            The Rangers package is underwhelming and frankly, insulting for a pitcher of Garza’s caliber. Martin Perez and Luke Jackson are off the table, so Neil Ramirez is the centerpiece of the offer. A separate offer involved Olt, but its not Olt+Ramirez, which frankly isn’t much either. Neil Ramirez is putting up decent numbers as a 23 year old in double A, but he’s probably not in the Rangers top 10. Olt has had a lost season and hasn’t hit at all in AAA despite being 24. Olt and Ramirez are older prospects who haven’t proven themselves at AAA let alone the bigs, and would have to be protected on the 40 man soon.

            Hernandez is playing great at triple A and held his own at the bigs at age 23. He has positional flexibility, playing solid d at several positions. Watson is unproven but he’s basically a high draft pick. Its not inconceivable that the Cubs would prefer that offer.

            Cesar Hernandez is a great fit for the Cubs, offering a long-term solution and perhaps an immediate upgrade over Barney at 2B or Valbuena at 3B, both of whom are struggling and don’t necessarily fit into their long-term plans. Alcantara has finally put it together somewhat in AA, but still struggles defensively at SS and is years away from starting for the Cubs at 3B or 2B. Cesar Hernandez could team with Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez in the Cubs infield for the next 8-10 years.

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            2. I like Hernandez but I don’t see “solid defense at several positions.” He’s a good second baseman but has been atrocious in CF (he’s still learning and may get better but not guaranteed) and I don’t know if he has ever even played 3B.

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            3. Maybe this is nitpicking, but if you have to qualify your post with “I’m not the anonymous who …” in order to differentiate yourself from the collective, troll-laden anonymii, then PICK A HANDLE! You don’t want people to know who you are? Fine. Choose Bob. Or Joe. Or Tom. It doesn’t have to be clever. Just pick one.

              If it’s not obvious, I’m getting tired of all the anonymous posters on here of late. If you want to involve yourself in a serious discussion, pick a handle so everybody else knows who they’re talking to.

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    3. My guess is that this is false info released to get Texas, who badly need Garza, to up their offer.

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  18. The Phillies pitching prospects are pathetic.

    note: Lets get something straight about “bottom of the rotation” starters- they’re not so bad. Guys like John Lannan, JA Happ, Vince Worley, Kyle Kendrick, Joe Blanton and Jonathan Pettibone are solid, valuable players who pitch for a decade and make a lot of money. There’s also significant variance in the constitution of “bottom of rotation starter”: the 5th starter on a last place team could be below replacement, while the 4th on a contender around 2.5 WAR. In his best years, that 4th starting pitcher on a contending club could break 3 WAR and make an All-Star team or two. Which leads to the inspiration for this…

    Jesse Biddle enjoys the good will of hometown fans, but that scout is just being honest about his upside. Being a big lefty adds a lot to his value, but without improving his command or stuff, he’s a quality 4th starter on a good team. Biddle is a legit pitching prospect, but he’s literally the only major league starter in this system.

    Severino Gonzalez reminds me too much of Juan Rodriguez. That could be unfair, but we seem to have a guy like him every year.

    Watson has a major league arm but hasn’t shown anything. He seems to have woken up since reuniting with JC- lets see how long that lasts.

    Ethan Martin isn’t even close- he should be moved to the bullpen immediately. I’m not even sure his control is good enough for the bullpen, unless his stuff ticks up significantly. Its not like he’s unhittable when he throws strikes; minor leaguers hit him hard. I had a lot of hope for him after his strong finish, because he really seemed like a classic “change of scenery” guy. Martin’s stuff still teases, but if stuff was all that mattered, Aumont would be a Cy Young candidate. The success of some hard throwing relievers with shaky control vs the struggles of Aumont make me wonder about Martin’s mental makeup, because the right attitude can take a reliever a long way.

    Morgan’s injury downgrades his stock into Rosin/Milner/Wright territory, until he distinguishes himself in his return. One of Rosin/Milner/Wright could turn into a useful middle reliever or spot starter, but its difficult to envision any of them becoming respectable, long-term back of the rotation starters.

    Gueller, Garner, Colvin – big money, big arms, all on the scrap heap. Add them to the Mussers and the Walters.

    Mecias won’t be the Tocci of pitchers after sitting out 18 months. TMJ tends to boost velocity in teenage pitchers, which causes many to resort to surgery too quickly. Hopefully there wasn’t any team pressure on young Yoel to get the procedure.

    When did the Phillies get so bad at developing young pitching? Ruben comfortably traded Cosart, Happ, Drabek, Worley and May(not to mention Bonilla, Knapp and Carrasco) under an assumption of organizational depth. Those guys haven’t all blossomed like we once hoped they would,(I’m still bullish on Cosart) but they’ve come a lot further than the guys drafted to replace them. Is this a developmental or scouting issue? Or both? Just a couple years ago, we thought we had the best starting pitching in the big leagues, signed long-term, a whole rotation of “baby aces” behind them and enough “future closers” to fill a pen. Now we have Biddle and virtually nothing else. The majority of those affected by trades and FA signings would have been MLB ready by now, so that doesn’t explain their awful pitching in the lower minors, especially since pitching was their focus in the 2010 and 2012 drafts.

    tirade of the day over

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    1. You already have Gueller in the dumpster? That’s rediculous. And Watson has pitched several very good games and offers terrific upside. He hasn’t even been allowed to throw his best pitch to force him to develop his other pitches. And Morgan is definitely still a major league caliber arm. Biddle needs more control but so do most minor league pitchers with great arms. Once they master their control, they go to the majors. I agree with your comments on Martin, Rosin, Milner and Wright. As for Sev, JRod never threw 94 so we’ll have to see if that’s for real.

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      1. There were rumors of JRod “touching 94” on a “fast gun” just like we hear with Severino.

        Gueller isn’t quite in the dumpster yet, but I’d give him a bat at this point.

        Morgan could very well be a major league arm, but until he recovers he’s lumped in with those with modest upsides. I always downgrade the future prospects of injured pitchers.

        I didn’t diss Watson – he’s talented but unproven. You can’t exactly pencil him into a future big league starting rotation, even 4-5 years from now.

        Biddle doesn’t have a “great arm”. He’s tall and athletic, with a filled out frame, who throws in the low 90s. The development of his curve, along with better stamina and fewer walks account for his jump this year. If he learns to command & locate his pitches better, scouts will upgrade his projected ceiling. Biddle’s body never allowed for much projection, but his relative lack of experience offers some. When scouts say he’s ” a back of the rotation starter unless he improves his control or stuff “, they’re not being optimistic, they’re reporting on what they see in front of them.

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        1. Nobody said anything about Severino’s 94 being on a “fast gun”. But even if it was, we have some other reports that he’s throwing in the low 90s, which is better than J-Rod. Yes, J-Rod did show some flashes of being able to throw harder, but he never maintained it. We don’t know if Severino will or not, but it wouldn’t exactly be unusual if he does.

          Remember that these guys are prospects for a reason- the same goes for Biddle- they all have shortcomings. The object isn’t to look at what they are right now and say if they would succeed or fail in the majors. If a scout says he sees Biddle as a back-end starter because of his spotty control, it means he doesn’t think he’ll be able to improve it (there was no “unless he improves his control or stuff” in the Inquirer’s quote). At least, that’s the way I read it.

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    2. haha Vance…damn autocorrect.

      “which team do you scout for?”
      I’m just a free-lance crosschecker, formerly of the Mutuals, Athletic B.B.C., The Paterson Silkweavers, The Larks, Primrose, Orange Blossoms and The Skeeters.

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    3. Utter nonsense, Biddle’s upside is MUCH better than a 4th starter. That’s simply, grossly incorrect.

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      1. A couple of points: 1. I totally agree; Biddle’s upside is much higher than that of a 4th starter, but a realistic projection is that of a 4th starter. To what extent Biddle improves on command remains to be seen. 2. I think the original poster had some fair points; despite garnering tons of press, the recent draft picks haven’t met expectations, although I’ll grant you that it’s still early. But the lack of progress Watson, Gueller, Musser, Walter, etc. have made has been tremendously disappointing.

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    4. ‘Mecias won’t be the Tocci of pitchers after sitting out 18 months. TMJ tends to boost velocity in teenage pitchers, which causes many to resort to surgery too quickly. Hopefully there wasn’t any team pressure on young Yoel to get the procedure’….just a temp increase in velo….more then likely from the combination of the long layoff and the rehab ‘Throwers10’ program as promoted by Dr James Andrews.

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  19. So Prosinski started for Lakewood tonight. Is this just to fill a spot or does the organization really like his stuff so far. What does he throw?

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  21. Would you trade Cesar Hernandez and Shane Watson for Matt Garza?

    The point of the deal would be extending Garza and plugging a hole in the rotation without sacrificing draft picks. We’re giving up young talent in lieu of those picks, but its a deep draft and acquiring Garza could indicate a preference to re-sign Utley.(who would otherwise net us picks)

    OR

    Maybe we’d be swapping Hernandez and Watson for half a season of Garza AND the compensation picks he provides in a deep draft. Thats an angle I wasn’t considering. I’m unsure on the new rules regarding compensatory picks, but maybe this would be a way to resign Utley and still recoup picks similar to those we’d get for him. Or perhaps they’re looking to stockpile high draft picks, after seeing how that paid off for the Red Sox & other clubs in their “retooling” efforts.

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    1. I would do the deal for either reason. I don’t believe the deal is on the table or that the Cubs would accept it though until shown otherwise

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      1. Yea, a player now has to be on a teams roster at a certain point pre season. I believe it is in February but i could be wrong on exact date. There are no more comp picks for rentals thus the lower expectations we should have in the Phils unloading the guys in the last year of their contracts.

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  22. Cozens with a nice little 3 for 4 – OPS up to .773. To me he’s the position player in our system that can make the biggest leap forward.

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    1. I think Cozens 2014 is going to destroy LGJ’s 2013. They’re a draft apart so the level for age is the same. Cozens seems like a guy who will work hard in the off-season and I think he’ll do some damage at Lakewood next year.

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  23. I really am down on the phillies lack of relief prospects, De Fraus who i really liked, Has been terrible. And going back a couple of drafts, we went for some college kids, Stutes, de Fratus, Swimmwer, and others, and so far none of them have helped. and dont see much at double a or triple a, hate to have to trade for them. why cant we develop them. Madson was one, and even though i dont like him bastardo, but where are the rest, diekman is too wild, aumont is a mess.

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    2. Stutes was pretty damn good in 2011. You can’t account for the arm problems he’s had the last two years.

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  24. “though he remains Sebastian Valle”. That comment made me think, hey, I always liked Valle, maybe he’s not having as bad a season as I thought. So I looked him up. His ISO is at its career norm. He has improved both his BB and K rates a little, so his BB/K rate particularly has improved. I wrote this off-season that I expect his BB rate to climb back to about 5% by the time it stabilizes when he turns 25 so I still think it is on its way there. His problem has his been his BABIP which is about 60 points lower than his career norm. As a 22 year old catcher in AA he is still young for his league. I continue to read that his defense is good. So I am back on his bandwagon. I think he will have a good final month.

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    1. I’m pulling for Valle but this is something of a make or break year for him, at least in the Phillies organization. No less than two catchers ranked ahead of him right now and another 2-3 destined to pass him in the very near future. I’m not confident in a 2nd half correction due to BABIP normalization either as his low LD% (14%) is more of a contributor to his low BABIP than luck (Valle’s LD% was around 21% last season). Perhaps he’s moved ahead of the deadline

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