The Phillies have sent Tommy Joseph home due to lingering concussion symptoms. Joe Jordan has said that they may move him to another position in spring training. First base seems to be the only option and Joseph’s bat is not special at first and makes him a borderline non-prospect. There will likely be more coming out on this over the next few days.
The important thing here is Joseph’s health. Concussions are very serious and it is Joseph’s best long term interest to not be put in a situation that good cause another one, the long term risks are too great.
Phuture Phillies 
Hope he recovers fully and is able to catch again in the future. Like you said, most important thing is he is healthy.
Nothing against ToJo, but that Pence trade is looking worse by the day…
LikeLike
Kind of hard to blame Amaro for that one. Prospects get hurt, just like star players. That’s why trades are always risky, especially trades for prospects.
LikeLike
I think he’s referring to the first awful Pence trade. The Tommy Joseph return was an appropriate measure of Pence’s value at the time, which is unfortunate, as Amaro completely missed on measuring his value just a year earlier.
LikeLike
Wow, taking him off catcher forever would cause me to throw him into the mid teens on our prospect list.
LikeLike
Good luck to Tommy … here’s hoping he recovers and can get behind the plate again, or has success with a switch to first in the future. He seems like a class player and I was looking forward to seeing him in red pinstripes.
For the big club, this only makes what should be their No. 1 offseason priority even more pressing. Sign Brian McCann.
LikeLike
Didn’t realize this was his third concussion. That fact alone makes me a lot more worried.
LikeLike
Him playing 1B makes him almost a non-prospect. This is horrible news. I hope he gets better, even if his baseball career could be over.
LikeLike
This is a real shame, at 1B he’s basically a non-prospect, he had a bright future coming into this year
LikeLike
Hope the best for Tom Joseph.
Wonder if Ruben and the scouts knew he had two prior concussions before he turned 21.
LikeLike
I grew weary of explanations like “he has a shin contusion” to hide what was really going on. I’m not sure why the front office is so incredibly secretive and dishonest about injuries. It’s disconcerting.
LikeLike
Catch, you are a lawyer right? Do you tell your opponent what your case is ahead of time or not? I seriously doubt that and all teams lie about injuries and they probably lied to get more value for Ruiz which did not happen anyway.
LikeLike
Another mis-evaluation by our FO. Seems they haven’t gotten much value from their trades.
Joseph ends by being a non-prospect if he can no longer catch.
Whoever has been evaluating other teams’ minor lg prospects should be fired.
Makes us wary that they’ll blow any trade possibilities over this off-season.
Screwing up the franchise’s immediate future.
LikeLike
Ethan Martin is in the majors. Lino is a legitimate spec.What are you talking about?
LikeLike
Art’s baseline assumption was that our over 30 veterans could, collectively, get us 5 or 6 major league ready prospects. I say that not to knock him, only to indicate just how much he thinks veteran players (rentals or controlled for only a short period at essentially market rates) should get in return. If you think that our veterans have that much trade value, then of course you’re going to be disappointed with last year’s trades.
If one is a bit more … I won;t use a loaded term, let’s just say conservative … about the trade value of veteran players, then, like you and I, one would tend to conclude that Amaro did okay with last year’s deals.
LikeLike
The irony there being that the prospects mentioned as bright spots that the Phillies acquired in trades *WERE* from over 30s (Thome & Victorino) while Tommy Joseph was part of a package for a 29 year old Hunter Pence. Which in theory should have been the player the Phillies traded that brought back the best package.
LikeLike
Why don’t you knock it off,Larry M.
Am I supposed to respect all that you post?…including every opportunity to strafe anything I have to post.
I get it. You think I am incompetent,foolish, or out to lunch when I mention trade evaluations. If you don’t agree, that’s fine. But harping on it is childish.
Am I and others supposed to be intimidated by you and your lawyerly screeds?
For a guy that has graduated from an ivy-league law school ( U of Pa) in 1958 and have practiced law since then, i resent your churlish behavior, and you will not cause me to change my opinions.
I have been watching Phillies baseball since 1947. Shibe Park was the first location I saw them in addition to watching the Philadelphia Stars of the old Negro Leagues.
I’ve had enough of your smarmy commentary about me. Grow up!
LikeLike
Art, firstly, these days (and really for the past year) I mostly ignore you – far from “strafing anything you post.” Secondly, on the rare occasions I don’t ignore you, I post respectfully, The above was a respectful post. You DO have a very high opinion of what veteran players bring. You DID say that you expected that our veterans, if traded, should get us back 5-6 major league ready prospects. Given that, it;s logical, and rational, that you believe that last year’s deals were poor ones. Joe was baffled by your comment. I was, in a very real sense, defending you, making sense of your statement. Otherwise that level of criticism about last year’s deals wouldn’t make much sense.
I don’t think your stupid, never said as much. I don’t, honestly, respect your opinions about baseball much at all, and you’re even more thin skinned than I am, which is quite a feat. But hey it’s a free country, and that’s just my opinion. Which I’m entitled to, as you are your opinions. Being an Ivy league lawyer doesn’t make you a baseball expert I wouldn’t bring those opinions up though, except in response to your comments.
LikeLike
Art, why don’t you let Tommy Joseph try 1B or the outfield(LF or RF) before you make your judgement on his abilities. I am sure he is not too happy about this either but as many people have already said Tommy Joseph’s health is the main concern now. Get well for next season.
LikeLike
He has a strong enough arm for catcher and 1st base is the only option? That seems odd to me…
LikeLike
I think they’re putting him at 1st to avoid contact. An collision in the outfield could be as bad as one at the plate. 1st base is about as safe as it gets. Give him a concussion free year next year at 1st and let him develop as a hitter. Give his head a full year to heal and then move him back to catcher the following year. He’s just a kid and he still has time, but he can’t lose another year of development as a hitter. It will suck to lose a year of development behind the dish, but we’ll probably sign Chooch to a two year deal away. The second year of that deal (2015) Joseph will be catching again and ready for the full time gig in 2016. To send him back out next year and expect him to catch would be criminal.
LikeLike
Could he play in the OF either LF or RF? He sure would have the arm to prevent runners advancing like Pat Burrell did.
LikeLike
Remember how, when Eric Lindros spent all that time off the ice because he’d had, like 44 concussions (I exaggerate, but still…) the city of Philadelphia collectively hounded him as a wimp? It’s pretty remarkable how public opinion has shifted on the matter–for the better, of course.
LikeLike
I think the perception towards Lindros if those events transpired today would be quite different with what we know about concussions… Although ultimately he still would have gotten ripped for his parents always popping up in the media about him.
I’d imagine if Eric Lindros had began his career about 10 years later his parents would constantly be tweeting about things that annoyed them.
LikeLike
Actually, I suspect that there’s still a segment of the fan base that would rip Joseph if they knew who he was, but they’re too busy hatching Cody Asche-and-Cesar Hernandez-for-Giancarlo Stanton trade scenarios to notice what’s happened to their to catching prospect’s noggin.
LikeLike
Are you kidding? How could they trade Asche for Stanton? Asche is at least worth Stanton and Fernandez
LikeLike
Get well Tommy. The makeup will triumph in the end. Kid is only 21. Let’s remember that.
LikeLike
So do Phillies sign Encarnacion tomorrow first day he is eligible to sign or will this take time? Ben Badler said a couple days ago he’d be shocked if the Phillies don’t sign him (nothing really new but it doesn’t sound like anything has changed his mind).
LikeLike
Is it possible that without the extra physical demands of playing C that Josephs could see a significant upgrade in batting stats making him a viable 1B or am i an idiot?
LikeLike
It is possible just not that likely
LikeLike
What’s possible but not likely? Mouse is an idiot or that Joseph’s stats may improve if he moves from C? Sorry Mouse, I couldn’t let that go.
LikeLike