Daily Archives: July 17, 2014

Draft Signing Day/Draft Critique/Open Thread

2014 Draft

Wanted to open up a thread to talk about the draft, as the signing deadline is just about 24 hours away – 5pm EST on Friday. My impression is that the Phils had a decent draft, with their top four picks being pretty intriguing, but lacking the upside that gets one excited about a draft. If three of the four turn into serviceable big league regulars, the draft will be a success, so it’s very hard to judge at this point. Here’s the draft tracker:

Draft Tracker 2014

Aaron Nola may see Reading yet this year, and may see Philly next summer. He seems like he’ll be a solid player, and one who could be hitting his stride in the big leagues the next time this club has any semblance of a chance to contend. Matt Imhof just got bumped up to Lakewood, and should start 2015 at Clearwater. His profile is a fast riser who might take the Adam Morgan career path if he has success, (hopefully without the injuries, of course). I’d peg his big league ETA as between mid-2016 and early 2017, but if he’s good next year, he might just contend for a rotation spot in spring training, 2016.

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Reading Report: At the Break

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Going into the 2014 season, there was hope, promise, and some sort of optimism that we could see some great performances and talented players in Reading.

Though the All-Star Game is far past the midway point of the Eastern League season, I figured it was as good a time as any to recap the first “half” of the season (if we can really call it that), and take a look back while looking ahead to the team’s final 49 games.

While the outstanding performances have been few and far between, some great things did happen this year. But, for the most part, the story of the 2014 Reading club has been written over the past month: it’s a flawed team that doesn’t have a ton of talent, and they have scuffled to a 38-55 record. Continue reading Reading Report: At the Break →

Box Score Recap – 7/16/2014

Box Score Recap

Add the name Angelo Leclerc to the list of ancillary characters in the history of the Phillies. He gave up what’s sure to be one of several, maybe even one of dozens of, Carlos Tocci professional home runs. Yes, it cleared the fence. By how much, I don’t know. In the DSL, Julsan Kamara was 2-3 to pull his average above the Mendoza line. Good to see.

For WIL, Jan Hernandez was 0-4 with 3Ks. He’s really struggling, with just four hits in his last ten games. He’s struck out 13 times in that span. Mitch Gueller did not have his best stuff, the way it sounds:

He wound up allowing 4R, 7H, 3BB and 4K in 4IP. Another report from Brett Hershey, this one on Manny (nee Manaure) Martinez:

 

Also, my latest Crashburn Alley piece just went up. It’s on the scorching hot Brian Pointer.   Give it a whirl, if you like.

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The Curious Case of Jiandido Tromp

Other Stuff

A huge thank you to Mitch Rupert, who authored the piece.  For those of you who do not know Mitch, he is the WIlliamsport beat writer for the Sun Gazette and simply does an outstanding job of research, analysis, and writing.  Its very clear through his authorship and analysis, this is a guy thats works very hard at his craft.  I encourage all of you to follow Mitch on Twitter (@Mitch_Rupert)and read his work online, and hopefully Mitch will be willing to write an occasional piece or do an occasional Q and A for us.

Maybe no player in the Phillies’ system has started a back and forth banter like Williamsport Crosscutters outfielder Jiandido Tromp has this year. One thing everybody on either side of the discussion can agree on is he doesn’t belong at Williamsport. He came into this week’s road trip to New York OPSing just under .900.

But what has become the usual disagreement about Tromp is where he ranks in the Phillies’ system, and how much of a legitimate prospect he really is. One thing you can’t argue about with the 20-year old Aruban is that all of his individual tools are exciting.

– At just 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, he still packs some of the best power on a Crosscutters team loaded with offensive talent two and three years his senior. The kid is a 5-foot-11 ball of muscle who generate power with quick hands and strong forearms.

– At best the hit tool is average at this point. When he gets going good, as he did to start the Williamsport season, he can tend to get pull happy and start pulling off outside pitches and put himself into funks.

Continue reading The Curious Case of Jiandido Tromp →