Box Score Recap – 8/19/2013

Box Score Recap

Great, now we have to find a 2014 40-man spot for Perci Garner? THANKS A TON, PERCI. Ok, probably not yet, though, that was a pretty good start – 64% strikes, 6 hits, 2 BB and 7K in 5.2 IP. Not great, but pretty good. JP Crawford with his first 2 hits at Lakewood, helping a good start from Mark Leiter Jr. You have to wonder what they do with Leiter next year, and if there’s any upside there. He’s got the pedigree, obviously, but that only takes a player so far without results. Also impressive for Lakewood was Miguel Nunez – his K Rate is not great overall, but he’s got 7 Ks in 5IP each of his last two starts, and has walked only 2 over the same span. Maybe there’s something more coming from the 20-year-old righty.

Also of note – here’s a feature from MiLB.com on Williamsport’s Sam Hiciano’s big night on Saturday.

Here’s the affiliate Scoreboard from MiLB.

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.jsp?sid=milb&org=143&ymd=20130819

8-19-13 boxscores

99 thoughts on “Box Score Recap – 8/19/2013”

      1. I’ll second this. I’m a guy who always has trouble slotting the new guys high. I usually don’t have enough info to make an informed decision. I don’t think I’ve ever slotted a guy that was just drafted anywhere near my top 10. Crawford is definitely the exception. I’m pleasantly surprised. I know we haven’t had a guy picked at or above the #16 slot in a long time but damn, there are probably a bunch of teams that wish they hadn’t passed him over. Enough irrational exuberance.. but damn…

        Like

    1. You have to have Morgan and/or Martin in top 5. Both Quinn and Green are in the backend of the Top 10. Additionally there’s Hernandez to think on as he’s had quite the year and looks ready to contribute at the MLB level in multiple capacities as a super utility guy (and slayer of Mini Mart).

      Like

      1. Morgen and Martin are looking like they will be Avg Big Leaguers(Not a knock on them) but ABS,JP,Biddle,Quinn and ZG have a chance to be allstars. Not to say they will reach their Ceilings but there is a Chance.

        Like

        1. Average Big Leaguers with very close proximity should rank higher than talent 2+ years down the pipeline, especially in the case of Green who may be blocked at 3B. However, I am curious what you see as “Average” for pitchers since Martin can be flat out dominating and Morgan profiles as a solid #3 type which should be at the top of any listing if not in the conversation.

          Like

        2. If Martin stays up, he’s going to loss rookie eligibility (50ips or 45 days of service time, I think he’ll at least hit the service time), so he won’t be on the list.

          Like

          1. I suspect that Martin will be more than happy to give up his rookie status. This is from the internet (so it must be true), but is 2 years old. Not sure about where you work, but my employer is not quite as generous. Remind me – how do I get one of these MLB playing jobs?

            ——————————————-
            A big league player needs just 43 days of service to qualify for a pension benefit. After 43 days, players qualify for the minimum benefit of $34,000 per year and those with 10 years of service receive a pension of approximately $100,000 annually (once you reach 62). One day on an active roster qualifies a player for full comprehensive medical benefits.

            Like

        3. Depends how much weight you give to proximity. I think there needs to be SOME accounting for Martin being pretty much ML ready and Zach Green being very far away and having a very low floor. And I think Martin’s ceiling is still an above average SP.

          Like

    2. That’s really aggressive for Zach Green, who’s striking out at a very high rate right now. I know he’s mashing, and that helps his case, but to have him ahead of Morgan and Tocci seems premature, without even considering the other top-ten range guys. Green’s power tool is real, and it seems that he can stick at third – can’t recall any scouting that suggested it’s not possible, anyway. I imagine he’ll fall somewhere in the 8-12 range for me, easily behind your first four, my next two and Ethan Martin, if he’s not graduated, plus possibly Severino Gonzalez, if after instructs it looks like he’s on his way to AA next spring. From there, I think it’s a lot of interesting arguments about what I consider the next crop of guys: Dugan, Knapp, Sandberg, Cesar, Green, Cozens, Grullon, Pujols and Watson, among maybe a couple others.

      Like

      1. I thought Green was considered a plus defender at third?

        Definitely an intriguing prospect. I’m looking forward to Matt’s piece on him.

        Like

        1. I don’t know about plus, but I don’t think average is unfair or at all bad. Like I said, nothing I have seen indicates trouble there at this point, which is good.

          Like

        2. I have heard anywhere from plus defender to solid defender with plus arm. Definitely can stick at 3B from what I’ve read. Matt just covered his glove and arm on his prospect profile.

          Like

      2. I see Knapp getting moved to another position. Three errors with 4 PB in 80 chances with only 20% thrown out on steal attempts isn’t that strong.

        Like

        1. Knapp has had an injury that limited his ability to catch. In fact he wasn’t allowed to catch at all for a while after he signed because of the injury. Every scouting report before the draft suggested that he should stick behind the dish and frankly i trust that a hell of a lot more than i do the small sample size of passed balls especially when there may still be a lingering injury

          Like

    3. Why is Quinn in the top 5? He is a Bad Short Stop that can run fast.He didn’t hit the ball well at all before his injury.Maybe at Center Field I would agree but at the moment not even close. All the hype on Quinn is a joke.I guess we need to start drafting track stars, put them in positions they are bad at & have everybody go bananas over them.

      Like

    3. Not sure of anyone else caught Ben Looper in the booth last night. Paraphrasing here but he said JP’s maturity and composure on the field were the most noticeable things about him. Said the glove is ready for LWD and they were impresed enough with his bat that they wanted to get him a few ABs there. Called his speed “average”.

      Agreed with Wheels that Martin would make a good reliever and could help the club “next year and in the future” in that roll but that they still hope he can stick as a starter. After the obligatory mentions of Biddle, Franco, etc., specifically mentioned Grullon and Green as guys they are happy with, mentioned C and 3B as postions that they have improved the most on in the system.

      Nothing earth shattering….

      Like

      1. I can agree with most of that, but am astounded that he would list catcher as a position where we have improved the most in the system. Both Joseph and Valle have imploded. They were the guys on the near horizon. Yes we’ve got some guys deep down in the low minors who are doing well, but we had expected Joseph to be starting in Philly next season.

        Like

        1. I’m shocked to say this, and really the chances of him being more than a bench guy are tiny, but Valle has a pulse (though barely). A very low BABIP masks the fact that he is having a significantly better season than he did last year. The BB/K ratio is still bad, but now in the range of “bad but barely acceptable,” as opposed to “haha, no.” The ISO is still decent. He just turned 23. Not much hope, but some.

          Like

          1. And Valle was really the only catching “prospect” even remotely on the radar 2 years ago. Now you have Rupp, Joseph, Knapp, and Grullon so I don’t think Loper’s comment was far off at all.

            Like

            1. Having a HS kid put in time in SAL league in the year he signs really is a tremendously big deal for any team.

              Like

            3. But he was talking about changes this year, not compared to two years ago and some were ranking Joseph as high as our #2 prospect going into ST. Rupp was there going into the season, also. He’s a year closer in proximity, but other than that I think his stock is basically unchanged. That leaves Knapp, who has barely caught, and Grullon, who has been impressive and has stepped up as a prospect, from your list. So, the emergence of Grullon and adding Knapp and Sweeney, neither of whom has done much to date, is the difference from last year, apart from the implosion of Joseph, which really is a big, big deal that swamps the rest.

              Like

        2. To be fair he might have mentioned something about “in the lower mintors” in regards to catching. But he either specficially mentioned Joeseph or wheeler mentioned him and Looper agreed.

          Like

          1. Looper actually didn’t mention 3B, he mentioned catcher and SS as positions that they have talent at mentioning of course Crawford but also mentioning Quinn. McCarthy is the one who mentioned 3B and then BL agreed. Just saying.

            Like

            2. I didn’t mean for it to sound rude, I was saying it bc I was surprised that he DIDN’T mention 3B on his own in steadying siting C and SS a positions with talent and depth. I actually think OF has more depth then both (prob bc the sheer numbers but still)

              Like

  7. It’s funny, you pretty much have to go back to July 3 to find a Garner start that was as good as the one last night and of course that’s all been in A-ball. He’d been scuffling pretty bad.

    Like

    1. I wonder if he really got hit by guys who have seen him half a dozen times now – other league repeaters and the like, and Monday was just his stuff playing up against guys who in all likelihood, haven’t seen him at all, or at least anytime lately.

      Like

    2. Performance after promotions is a strange thing. Ruf and Pettibone have looked better in the bigs than in the minors. Cloyd sort of has also.

      Like

  8. Does Rupp get a september call up? I say yes! I originally wanted phils to sign Navarro or soto for 2-3 and hope knapp takes over after. But how bout a rupp/kratz platoon?

    Like

      1. Galvis is a guy I’ve gone back and forth about. I’m kind of down on him now – really just don’t see him hitting enough to be a regular, even with plus defense.

        But I would like to see him called up in September, and get some playing time as well. I’d love to see him prove me wrong about the hitting. (It could have the added bonus of reducing the chance that Galvis option vests, since the now most relevant vesting possibility is 1100 PA over 2013-2014.

        Like

        2. Think Galvis needs to junk the switch-hitting now and go with his natural side, whatever side that was, and practice more on that.

          Like

        3. The guy whose bat is melting before our very eyes has been Rollins. He’s got a .639 OPS on the year and a lot worse than that since 1 July. So… if Galvis is better defensively than Rollins at this point in time, he might actually be the better overall SS today. Rollins 2014 could be a real disaster. It’s been a sawtooth decline from his 2007 OPS of .875 (and averaging well over .800 for 2004-2007) to now, but this is by far his worst season with the bat and it just keeps getting worse as the year progresses. So, if we can afford to play Rollins, we can afford to play Galvis.

          Like

          1. Scarily, amaro was on WIP the day of Charlie’s firing and said he thought Rollins was having “an off year” and they expect him to bounce back next year.

            Like

            1. Probably just some early work selling season tickets, but the Phillies do have an obsession with the career avg. numbers on the backs of baseball cards. They wait until the priest pronounces last rites, before finally deciding that their retirees aren’t good for one last season at their career avgs.

              Like

          2. As your own comment demonstrates, players don’t always follow a smooth downward path – the chance of SOME bounce back is IMO high.

            I get your point about Galvis. I suppose for me the bottom line is that, unless I see something to make me think that Galvis can eventually be a solid regular, I’d rather take my chances on a Rollins bounce back. But as I said elsewhere, I certainly would not be opposed to giving Galvis some of Rollin’s playing time – maybe he will surprise us, and maybe we can avoid Rollins’ vesting fourth year.

            Like

    4. Given the lack of depth catchers in the org it is likely that Rupp gets the call to be the 3rd catcher after the LHV season is over. He needs a 40 man spot anyway so this just gives them some insurance while getting him some limit big league experience

      Like

  9. “Crawford set a pair of new firsts in BlueClaws history:

    He is the first high school draftee to join the BlueClaws in his draft year.
    He is the first Phillies first-round pick to join the BlueClaws in his draft year.”

    THE first. Rollins spent his entire first year in the GCL (although at age 17). Cole started at Lakewood when he was 19 years old. Utley was drafted out of UCLA, Rolen didn’t make his way to the SALLY until age 19, after spending the first year in the GCL. Dom’s development was all sorts of screwy, so he actually played 3 games at Clearwater when he was 19 (prior to the SALLY), but not in Lakewood until age 20. It’s really impressive what JP Crawford has been able to do, even in a SSS. He’s impressed scouts thoroughly with his defense (I’ve been hearing he’s already grading out as a plus arm with plus range, with room for improvement), and he has gotten on base at an alarming rate. Good to see him pick back up where he left off in the GCL, getting on base three times in the doubleheader, scoring two runs, knocking in another, and getting another SB. I hate to get too high on prospects anymore, but the early signs are all very positive.

    Like

    1. Not to downgrade a really good accomplishment, and he has truly exceed expectations so far, but the Phillies as an organization have notoriously been slow with promoting prospects. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had an explicit policy against sending first year players to LWD. Fortunately, they have been far more aggressive with promoting prospects over the past 2 years or so…

      Like

      1. Also the player signing deadline is a big deal in players even getting a chance to play (coupled with things like Quinn’s injury and lack of a low-A ready SS in Williamsport)

        Like

          1. While video would be great I would advise against spending too much of your time focusing on that and just take in the game. I have found you see much more if you are relaxed and not hyper focused. Along those lines watch the other team just as much, it will get you a broader understanding of the context and level of play.

            Plus if the GF got you tickets you should enjoy the game as a whole and just take it in.

            Enjoy

            Like

  11. It is interesting to compare Henry Owens, a 6’6″ left-handed starting pitcher, who is reported to be the 4th best prospect in the Red Sox organization to Jesse Biddle, one of the Phillies top prospects. Owens recently turned 21, just got to AA and now pitches in the Eastern League, as does Biddle. He appears to have a nice, easy delivery and is said to have a great curveball. In three starts, Owens has pitched 15 innings, allowing 8 hits and 2 earned runs, while walking 6 and striking out 29. Biddle is also 21, has pitched 129.1 innings in 25 starts, allowing 100 hits and 54 earned runs, while walking 72 and striking out 144. Biddle has pitched very well, overall, although his control seems to evaporate at times, but Owens has been amazing in a very small sample size since joining Portland.

    Like

  12. I see nothing that suggests that Zach Green is a starting 3B. Not with a .333 OBP and a .250 avg and striking out that much in Class A SS. Id be happy for someone to prove me wrong though. Pedro Alvarez was hitting .280 in the minors

    Like

    2. Pedro Alvarez’s minor league BA has no bearing on whether or not Zach Green can make it as a starting 3B. None.

      Like

        1. It’s easy to play this game. Cody Asche hit .192 as a 21-year old in Williamsport and struck out about 25% of the time. He’s starting at 3B in Philly at the moment. I guess that means Zach Green is a shoo-in for the HOF. Every player’s career arc is unique. Pulling a lame comp out of your rear-end just isn’t convincing.

          Like

    3. His K rate, BB rate and other numbers are better than Will Middlebrooks at the same age/level.

      Like

            1. Alvarez was drafted out of college and was 22 — three years older than Green — when he started his minor league career. Alvarez started at High A, while Green has not yet advanced beyond short season. The Middlebrooks comp works because they were the same age, at the same level, in the same league, which allows for a fair comparison.

              Like

            2. Agree…Middlebrooks comp is more valid. And he seems to be holding his own so far with the Sox after the recent promotion back to the majors.

              Like

            3. Neither comp is particularly good, though part of that is just the nature of comps.

              The big issue is our old friend sample size. I’ve been giving Steven some grief for his Franco comps, but at least give him credit for attempting a fairly large number of comps. My criticisms of that project remain, but at least that’s a starting point for such a project. But it’s hard to do, mainly because the best prospects tend to be unique. You’re just not going to find many players who are good comps for Green.

              If you could, I expect that they would show you the same thing that less quantitative analysis would show. If he can overcome the various issues with his hit tool, he can become a solid major league regular or even better. If not, not. Some players do, some players don’t.

              The Alvarez comp is interesting, though. I THINK it was presented as a reason not to get excited about Green. Am I reading that right? But Alvarez has developed into a pretty good player. Add plus defense to that package and you’re looking at a borderline star, even with the unsightly K% and BA. And I would think that Green COULD end up with a better K rate and BA.

              Like

            4. I’m not a big fan of comps in general. And, nobody said Middlebrooks was a good comp. Part of the problem with your comment was comparing a college guy to a HS guy not yet in first full season league. Another was comparing a one year stat to a career minor league stat. Another was judging Alvarez on BA alone. We know that BA is one of the worst single stats you can trot out to describe a guy. If you want a single stat, use something like OPS, WAR, OPS+, etc. They at least convey a fuller picture. I am always distrustful of someone’s argument when they want to wrap it around a single poor stat like BA, or K rate, and do an apples to oranges comparison like a current year number to another guy’s career stats. I also don’t have a hugely elevated expectation for Green. If he turned into an Alvarez clone in the bigs, I’d be perfectly happy, yet you wrote about Alvarez as if he were trash in the bigs.

              Like

    4. Ahoy with that comp I see nothing that suggests that you know what you are talking about. Go troll somewhere else.

      Like

        1. I don’t think most people on this site are giving Zach Green undue hype. He’s hitting for ton of power in short season, but most recognize the high flame-out likelihood the high K rate suggests.

          Like

  13. Interesting little tidbit about JP Crawford in ask BA. He was rated at a top 5 high school player going into the year, i.e before the 2013 season. I think that his performance has definitely backed that up and maybe even mean we got a bit of a steal. Here is the whole article. It is of even more interest because they talk about the top 10 prospect for 2014 draft of which the phils will likely have.

    http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/ask-ba-2014-draft-top-prospects/

    Like

    1. Callis links to the first Ask BA and this quote is a gem:

      “Tell you what, Larry. We’ll give you Overbay and you give us Josh Hamilton. Let’s get together in five years and see who works out better.”

      Yikes.

      Like

      1. There’s some brutal stuff on there, on both ends. Funny to see Sean Burroughs–Sean Burroughs!–regarded as a Top Prospect (with Callis referring to him as the “best hitting player in the minors). Hopefully Rob Dunshie, who correctly identified the player as a bad-bodied, singles-hitting “third basemen,” is now scouting somewhere.

        Folks on minor league sites like ours should be strapped to a chair and forced to read those things, honestly. “Most prospects fail! Most prospects fail!”

        Like

  14. Poor Michael Young…cannot catch a break:
    Anybody, does LarryM moonlight for the Sporting News?

    ‘Sporting News ranked the worst everyday players in Major League Baseball by position and coming in at third base is Phillies infielder Michael Young. Young, who makes $16 million this year, is hitting .271 on the season with a .334 on-base percentage and a .393 slugging percentage.
    From Sporting News:
    The question of why the Phillies didn’t trade this free agent-to-be at the non-waiver deadline has to flummox Philadelphia baseball fans, but that’s neither here nor there.
    Technically, Young and Matt Dominiguez are tied with a 0.1 Fangraphs WAR, but using Baseball-Reference as a tie-breaker, Young gets the nod.
    Also on the list are former Phillies outfielder Raul Ibanez, now with the Mariners, and former starting pitcher Joe Blanton, now with the Angels.

    Like

Comments are closed.