102 thoughts on “Box Score Recap – 8/10/2016”

1. I think it was yesterday, someone on this site said Pujols has had the same batting average for quite some time. I beg to differ. In August, he’s hitting .333/.381/.590. In July, he hit .191/.271/.394. His K rate for the full year is 34%. in August it was closer to 14%. It’s 10 games, I get that but over those 10 games he’s increased his BA from .223 to .236. His prolific power makes him intriguing and his August stats provide hope. He’ll be one of the toughest guys to slot into our top 30. A lot of people will say his low BA and high K rate don’t warrant a top 30 slot at all. Some will say, Holy cow Batman, he has 21 HRs in a power sapping ballpark and league as a 20 y/o. Let’s make him top 10 or top 15. For me, he might squeak into the top 30 or he might not. How’s that for picking a side?

   Jhailyn Ortiz’s splits are not very good. His against lefties triple slash is .400/.483/.960 with a 1.443 Ops. That’s fantastic but it’s in 25 ABs. His against righty splits are .217/.339/.359 with a sub-.700 OPS. That’s in 92 ABs. He has 2 doubles and 4 HRs against lefties and 5 doubles, 1 triple and 2 HRs against righties. His June BA was .294. In July it was .269 and in August .182. That’s also an alarming trend. Pitchers have made adjustments and he needs to make adjustments of his own. He’s 17 and still learning on the job.

   1. a little early to be alarmed by a 17 year olds first 25 career ab’s against righties and average 10 days into a month, it would seem.

      1. Raf I think your right. I Was amaze at how many older kids are in gcl. Toronto is loaded with 21 and 22 yr old guys. This kid is 17 facing older players who have been in good college programs. I would not look at his numbers too much this year,

         1. rocco….many posters seem to forget the age difference and what a big factor it is when discussing teenagers. The 18-year old senior in HS trumps the 16-year old sophomore in basic skill competition, unless the sophomore is the exception like a Mike Trout. Same with the low A/rookie levels. That gap can be large.

      2. There was no concern mentioned for the 25 ABs, those were great vs lefties. Hee only pointed out the splits. He mentioned he’s only 17. Don’t believe he is saying to be concerned, just that we should watch how, or if, he adjusts. It was a good post.

         1. tom I don’t think we said it was a bad post. I Think your reading into it much. Only pointed out something I noticed about older guys in gcl.

            1. I wasn’t responding to you roccom … was responding to “a little early to be alarmed by a 17 year olds first 25 career ab’s against righties and average 10 days into a month, it would seem.”

               Was just saying he had it backwards and made a good point. he never mentioned he was alarmed or concerned, just pointed out something to watch.

   2. Yes I mentioned that Pujols seem to be seated at BA .231 for months.
      Glad he is rising now.
      One more HR and he ties the season Lakewood record…two and he breaks it.

      1. No Ks again last night for Pujols.

2. Lakewood waking up

   1. ‘C’ might be the reason. Laird coming in to replace Coppola has also been fine. Pitching is much better too. I thought, at the beginning of the year, LKW would be the least successful level for the Phils but I didn’t foresee how bad the start would be and then ‘C’ and Coppola getting hurt. The LKW team’s ERA is a full run a game better than what it was at 20 games into the season. LKW finishing at or above .500 would be nice.

      1. So Lakewood’s rise could be attributed in good measure to ‘Corn on the Copp’.

         1. nice one!

      2. C is openly talking about the team’s push for a playoff spot. To achieve it, they have to finish 1st in the 2nd half of which they’re right there now. I think every team we have is in a playoff fight. We want our minor leaguers getting that experience although it would sure be nice if we win one (or two).

         1. There position kind of snuck up on me until you mentioned it. They are 1.5 games up, playing .578 ball. There are SIX teams within 2.5 games of first place. Should be fun to watch.

3. UH-OH ! Alarming news for my friend, Tim …. Jim Salisbury believes Matt Klentak will look to see what he can get for Odubel Herrera this winter. This makes a lot of sense to me. This franchise is deep with CF’ers. As always … best to sell high.

   http://www.csnphilly.com/video/will-phillies-be-shopping-odubel-herrera-offseason

   1. Hinkie…….they will need to find a buyer for OH. Maybe the Rangers would take him back. But a lot of teams have very good CFers and not sure he projects well in the corners. There may be only a handful of teams looking for a CFer and what would the price be for him?
      To be honest with you…I am not impressed with MK so far.

      1. As far as Matt Klentak goes … I loved the Ken Giles trade. I am also a fan of him sticking to his asking price on Jeremy Helickson. As I’ve mentioned about a dozen times, I’m very confident Hellboy and Boras turn down the QO. That extra 1st round pick and the 2+million slot dollars it comes with will be big next June. I give him credit for flipping Sam McWilliams for a years worth of Hellickson and a first round draft pick. On the other hand, I would have liked to have seen him take on a bad contract or two for a prospect(s). The Braves have been the masters of this strategy. I’m jealous. All in all, he hasn’t had to make many big splash deals. Most of the pieces were already in place before he got here. IMO, his patience is underrated. Some guys might have felt like they had to do “something” to put their stamp on the franchise.

         1. I am not jumping on the wagon yet on the Giles trade.
            From what I see it is Giles for Velasquez and Eshelman.
            Oberholtzer is gone, Appel looks like a very long shot now with the injury and past inconsistencies.
            Arauz for Arauz…..Luhnow may be a genius in 2/3 years with that exchange.
            And if Velasquez has any more arm issues….then there you have it.
            Giles on the other hand, has emerged with them and may be a factor come playoff time.
            His Rule 5 picks have not impressed…..but they are Rule 5 so should not expect much.
            Keeping Hellickson…will see…if he stays healthy and refuses the QO…then it could be productive. If the back is more than tightness, and he refuses the QO, then do not see any appreciable gain .
            The International signings….. good.(Morales and Gonzalez front runners)…but I thought there was one left on the table that they have not signed.
            And why not take a chance on one top young Cuban.
            And I see Atlanta, San Diego, Brewers and Reds making strides and going further than the normal to strengthen their systems and futures.
            Have not seen that yet from Matt Klentak.

            1. I don’t think Matt Klentak had anything to do with their international signings. Those guys are have agreements in place a year before they are actually signed. Klentak will have his fingerprints more on the 2017 J2 class. Could he have signed a guy like Lazaro Armentaros and gone over their budget? If they were going to bust their budget, they would have to plan that out many months in advance to make it worth their while.

               1. I was looking more at LHP Cuban Morejon (Padres) than Armenteros.
                  And with the new CBA coming in December…not sure where the international doings will be headed.
                  If they busted it…..IMO, it would not be so detrimental. Almost a dozen teams have done it since 2013 and other then the Red Sox in their dealings…all have seem to be not any worse for the wear.
                  Signing players for $300K is still going to get you decent prospects.

               2. Hinkie, I agree with you here. There’s no reason to exceed the pool if you’ve got guys on your radar for 2017 to sign as well unless its a sure fire star.

               3. “Those guys are have agreements in place a year before they are actually signed. ”

                  Not the case with Cuban RHP Vladimir Gutierrez who is still unsigned.

            2. Also, I haven’t dismissed Mark Appel just yet. He threw well early on. There’s still a chance he amounts to a late inning reliever at the very least.

               1. Well a elbow bone spur is not TJ…..but it was the shoulder strain before that…I just see he is reaching his limit as things wear down on him….and he turns 26 next season.
                  Maybe reliever is what awaits.

            3. What if the original deal for Giles was accepted? Insert Derek Fisher and keep Jon Arauz but drop Appel and Harold Aruaz? Fisher is now in AAA. He had 16 HRs at AA before his call up. Imagine another 15 to 20 HRs in Reading.

               1. @bellman – agree, I actually liked the original trade with Fisher and keep Jon Arauz. I still think that the Giles (which is same as Hamels deal) is a win win for both. Phils farms has tremendous depth in RP in the farm (lot of SP projects to have a floor of a high leverage RP) – they can produce another Giles and/or flip some of them for prospects.

         2. What if Hellickson’s injury (back/side/oblique) puts him out for 6 weeks? Do you still shoot him a QO or do you take nothing for him?

            1. The nothing part sounds right . That’s the chance they took high risk move, the mri should be done soon .

      2. Romus is right, you’re going to have to find a buyer who’s willing to meet the price. And make no mistake, the price is going to be very high, like a #2 starter high. The Phillies are not going to give away Herrera.

         1. Houston could make sense. They still have prospects galore down there and some pretty good ones that won’t need to be on the 40 soon like Tucker.

   2. 1 JIM Salisbury is not the GM of the Phillies . He Didn’t even do the interview Matt Gelb did . Mack ” Altherr might start playing some CF in the furture”. Mack ” you know Altherr still has to prove himself offensively . I like what I see and I think he’s going to .But he’s a good CF he plays anywhere he glides the ball. It’s fun at watching him play . There’s a good chance he’ll be the CF , and we’ll move Herrera. But we’re not doing anything right away”. It says nothing about trading Herrera in fact MK has common sense if he’s even thinking about trading Herrera. He wouldn’t tell Mack ” listen bench Herrera tell the papers why”. He would have said keep Herrera in CF no matter what so the scouts could see him. you taint your product then then trade him. 2 nd pt Altherr is in no way a finished product he’s batting .241 and hasn’t been in the league long enough . It’s sport writer banter between Salisbury and Matt Gelb . Matt Gelb wrote the article 36 hrs ago funny wrote his 24 hrs ago. I think there to get some things started. Matt Gelb wrote a piece the Phillies should trade Neris and Ramos . Plus there’s no GM that’s going to give you a Ace for Herrera .I mean Jim’s state’s ” there’s only 10 or 12 true Aces in baseball. I mean Herrera not going to fetch you Kreshaw, Sale, Bumgarner, remember an Ace has excellent health history.

      1. Tim…..you make some good points.
         Altherr still has to prove himself offensively.
         And, with Herrera, you do want to enhance the value of your player if you want to trade them at some point. Though he has proven to many over these last two years that he is an offensive force..

         1. Samuel just in the paper and said ” when we look for Herrera and he’s on his cell phone at practice he needs to come practice without it. 2 Mk knows nothing about this he’s not about Herrera right now he’d pass though waivers . If he did trade him it would trading deadline next yr . Why he’d have a better idea what he has in Williams , Altherr , Goeddel etc .

   3. Why doesn’t anyone talk about OH moving back to 2B? I know he played there before. Does anyone know if he’s any good defensively? Can’t be worse than Cesar, can he? Plus, his bat would play well there.

      1. He is a bad defender there. If the Phillies thought he could handle the position and not be a minus defensive player there he’d probably be playing there now.

   4. I’m OK with MK for now, although I think there’s missed opportunities that MK could have explored. with a solid farm system and prospects close to the majors, MK can afford to play safe and that’s exactly what he did.

      MK could have been more “creative” (i.e. package players with prospects, absorb bad contracts, LA FA signings, etc) to move around some of the players (not part of the future) and MK decided to take less risks and just continue to slow build up.

4. This is why I love Roman Quinn. Even if (when) he gets hurt for a month or two, he always comes back exactly where he left off, as if he didn’t lose a second of development time.

   Imagine what he could do if healthy, but even if we only get 4 months of him a year, he’ll still be an extremely valuable defensive CF and pinch hitter/runner.

   1. Altherr is a capable CFer also…..and it is puzzling why Quinn has so many medical issues….remember Kelly Dugan?…that black cloud just seems to follow certain players.

      1. It’s not puzzling at all, everybody is different. Sometimes, the body just can’t handle the rigors of playing baseball, basketball, football, etc. They are just injury prone.

5. I was going back and forth w Corey Siedman about a Herrera trade. What do you guys think of Archer for Herrera/Knapp? Siedman thinks it would prob take another P as well (he mentioned Pivetta/Eflin/Thompson). I’d prob do Herrera/Thompson/Knapp for Archer/Honeywell or Jake Faria (personally I like Eflin and Pivetta over Thompon). Their OFers are HORRID.

   1. Would the Rays want Hererra when they have one of the best defensive CFers in 27-year old Kevin Kiermaeir patrolling out there?

      1. Herrera could always play LF (and I gotta admit I wasn’t even familiar w Kirrmaier before my post). Also yes Archer has a team friendly contract but you’ll get 3 players who would make a total of about 1.5m so the Rays (who aren’t exactly known to throw money around) would save money as well. They are also getting a MLB All Star and 2 other ML ready players in Knapp and Thompson. I’m not saying the Rays would do the trade, I’m just trying to figure out what we might be able to get in return for him.

   2. Where can I sign up for that ? I love Chris Archer !!! However, I’m pretty sure the Rays would want more than Odubel, Knapp, and one of the pitchers you mentioned. Archer comes with an extremely team friendly (5 more years 39-million dollars) contract.

   3. “What do you guys think of Archer for Herrera/Knapp?”

      I think the Rays hang the phone up immediately.

      1. If they don’t drop the receiver first from laughing so hard.

         1. So a 24 year old All Star CF who is under team control until 2021 (Not even are eligible until 2018), a 22 year old pitcher who is MLB ready (former top 50 prospect) and a catching prospect who is a top 10 prospect in all of baseball (among Catchers) is a package to laugh at? Seriously? Let me down play Archer for a min (even tho I’d love to have him) 2 outta his 5 years he’s been below league average and the 3 years he was above league average it wasn’t by much. He isn’t an ace but could be a really good number 2. His career ERA is in the mid 3’s

            Exactly what do you think it would take to get him?

            1. Eric … The Phillies would have to offer more than teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, etc would offer. I’d bet Boston would include Moncada or Benintendi. The Yankees would probably offer a package headlined by Clint Frazier or Gleyber Torres. Archer is not just a stud pitcher, he comes with a great contract.

            2. from MLB trade rumors, tampa had apparently asked for this from Texas just for Matt Moore:
               Speaking of Moore, the Rangers turned their attention elsewhere given the Rays’ asking price on the lefty, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Texas would have needed to send not only Lewis Brinson and Luis Ortiz — each of whom were packaged to acquire Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress — but also Jurickson Profar, per the report.

            3. It’s a ridiculous offer for Archer. Just stop

               1. You are right an All Star, a former top 50 (and not talking about years ago, talking about mid season) and the 8th best catching prospect in the minors . . . such a horrible offer. HaHa.

6. Former Phil J.A. Happ wins his 16th. Who saw that one coming.

   1. Happ and Hamels battling it out for AL Cy Young?

7. To Hinkie and others on MK – he did pluck Otero as a reliever, then had to give him up with roster maneuverings – meanwhile Otero has been lights out for Indians. All together, I think his acquisition of Hernandez and some of the other seasoned relievers would get a “B” rating overall. It was about finding fillers. He did that successfully.

   OTOH – I too am watching the other teams trade cash and broken bats etc. for potentially useful parts. In the end, he will be tested when he has to trade some of the accumulated players for higher quality players or lose too much in the Rule 5 draft.

8. As far as a market for Odubel Herrera … I think it may be a bit more robust than some are predicting. The Tigers, White Sox, Astros, Rangers, A’s, Mariners, Mets, Brewers, and Cardinals could either use a new CF or an upgrade at that position. Also, other teams like the Blue Jays or maybe the Dodgers could consider Odubel for a corner OF spot. Not saying Klentak will trade him. I am saying it’s worth taking offers. He is still under team control for four more seasons so he could be a fit for either a team looking to win now or a team building for the future.

   1. Hinkie….for sure the Rangers know him well, and Jon Daniels has said he liked to get him back. What they would offer is the question.
      However, if it started with LHP Mendez I would listen.

      1. I say Texas makes the PERFECT marriage for an Odubel trade.
         1 Daniels already wants him back
         2 He’s controllable
         3 He’s suited for an AL team as possibly a DH
         4 Texas has an excellent stock of major and minor league players from which to pick from.

      2. Idk after trading both Brinson and Ortiz the top of that system isn’t as nice as it has been. I’m not a big Gallo fan and don’t love Profar, but I guess he’s the headliner. The have some nice B level prospects and any deal has to include Taveras. I think Houston makes a lot of sense. They are disappointed with underperforming Gomez and have the prospects. Tucker, some of their high level pitchers, Daz, Bregman (though doubtful but I’d even add more from the Phillies end to pull that off), and some others.

   2. Maybe the Mets will give us RogercDowe

      1. Oops – For Herrera, Maybe we can get Roger McDowell and Lenny Dykstra (who by the way was signing autographs at Scranton tonight)…

9. Oh god here we go I’ll give Mk a call let him know you guys what to trade Herrera and what for. Then all we need is another CF who bats leadoff walks 60 times a yr hits 300 and with 15 Hr’s 20 steals doesn’t go on the I R. Plus he’d have go though the waiver wire . Wait no I’m sorry we now a left fielder that was benched call out in the paper. Ahhhh I think is way up by November we could trade for Puig.

   1. Could not DISAGREE with you more, Tim.

      1. Yes tell me Mk knows about and he’s the willing to trade Herrera . Not a paper report plus anyone trade right has to go though waivers .

         1. Ok that was supposed to say a sport writer for a paper. Mk knows about the trade.

      2. Can’t tell if I could agree or disagree more. Tim is hard to follow.

         1. Flea…I use my GPS to follow Tim. It works!

            1. I also use google translate. tried to see if I can understand Tim better in a different language…peace!!

         2. I was saying the sport writer was behind the Herrera trade rumor not the Phillies. It’s ok anyway they ‘ed have to wait until the World Series anyway. Herrera not going anywhere .

   2. Tim … Nobody is wanting to push OH out the door for a couple of warm bodies. The point is … if you can take from an area of strength to add to an area that could use beefing up … why not do it ? Odubel is not hitting .300. His OBP has come back down to Earth. According to Corey Seidman, Herrera walked in 16.3 percent of his plate appearances over his first 54 games but that rate is all the way down to 5.3 percent over his last 60. Aaron Altherr is a better defensive CF. If they can get a good, young pitcher or two, I’d trade him.

      Romus … The Rangers have a stable of young, power arms. I’d want maybe a couple of guys like Alex Speas, Connor Sadzeck, and Mike Matuella (even with his injury history) included. As I mentioned earlier, I think there would be enough teams with an interest that Klentak could ask for the moon. If he doesn’t get something close to it, they can just keep Odubel.

      1. Again someone tell Mk to trade Herrera Jim Salisbury is a writer on a GM . This is his idea not Mk plus again the waiver wire thing . The trade itself can’t be made until after the WC.

         1. @tim – we are not media people here nor a MLB GM. so whether there’s truth to what whatever Salisbury is saying or not, a hypothetical trade is at times a good discussion amongst us.

            1. Why ok then why Herrera why not Jp or VV , Kilome .you guys really to into fantasy league or a Dynasty league . I think it mite help waiting for prospects to develop really a pain. Once you get a young mlb regular goods teams don’t trade them . Does Boston Trade Betts does The Rockies trade Story no of course not. Not that believe Phillies are trading Herrera but it’s time to for some mlb players.

               1. @tim – there was a discussion about VV when the rumor with TEX came out. JPC, Kilome and other prospects were discussed in a discussion about LAA potentially rebuilding and consider a trade for Trout to restock their farm.

                  we’ve discussed some hypothetical trade scenarios here and not specifically picking on Herrera or anybody.

      2. Phillies need power arms. So unless those guys are #2 pitchers, then what’s the point of dealing Herrera. Phillies have prospects at pretty much every position. We’re not going to trade for relievers, so that leaves starting pitching. I think you’re going to find it difficult to move Herrrea for what he’s worth.

10. BTW …Jhailyn Ortiz blasts another HR today. That’s 7 in his first 121 pro AB’s for the 17 YO. He’s slugging near .500.

    1. Can you imagine what Ortiz will do at FirstEnergy in Reading in 3/4 years!
       He may set the new record….since Hoskins set it in 2016!

    2. I THINK it was off college kid too. Which is good

11. Plus what makes our teams prospect’s better then Herrera , Herrera in the major leagues excelling unless you trade him for another Mlb player. Now that I’d be happy with maybe Todd Frazier of the White Sox.

    1. Tim….and where does Franco go? First base?…and where does ToJo go?….LF?….and where does Cody go? Okay…don’t answer that one.

       1. No where Put Frazier in RF he has the arm can you SEE Franco, Frazier , TJ , RUPP THAT SOME POWER.

       2. Romus franco goes to Genos. To Jo goes to Delhi Den,

          1. rocco….and lets not forget Pats and Tony Lukes.

    2. @tim – that is a bad trade. Phils is a team on a rise. either get players that will be building blocks or players that can plug (a) significant hole(s). Todd Frazier is neither one of them.

       1. He hits 30 plus hr’s a yr he only 30 great vet leader ship.a local guy he’s a free agent end of the yr think Thome. Plus get Aj Happ sign for 4 yrs option for 3. There goes your vet and Lhp .

          1. I thought you want to trade Doobie for Frazier that’s why I said it’s a bad trade. if only FA, maybe, although again Frazier doesn’t profile as a player that the Phils need. If it is for a bargain price and short term, then why not.

             AJ Happ is pitching well this year, but it’s not every year that he’s pitching like that so there’s still a risk. TOR paid good amount of money for him, so I’m glad it worked out. But AJ is another #/3/#4/#5 type of pitcher that the Phils has depth in their farm.

             1. He would have been a vet lhp .

          2. Tim…JA Happ will be 34 in two months and signed thru 2018. it will have to be a trade to get him before 2019..

             1. Crap o well that would have been nice.

12. MK mentioned being “opportunistic” (and I want MK to be “creative” ala Sam Hinkie as well) – and that what he needs to do in regardless of the player involved. As example, if a package of JPC + VV + Alfaro + Franco can make the Angels listen and consider trading Trout, then MK should explore that possibility.

    I agree with Hinkie that nobody is pushing Doobie out of the Phils and working from a position of strength is a good strategy. IMO, MickeyMo is the future of CF (ready by 2020) so any CF (except the likes of Trout ofcourse) in 2017 until MickeyMo time might be a “placeholder”. So if the Phils has an opportunity to get a “trade proposal of value” (i.e. power arms that has #1/#2/#3 potential, legit power bat, MLB ready player, etc) for the price of Doobie – it’s not a bad decision the team has good replacement options (i.e. Quinn, Nick, Altherr) at CF.

    1. I would sell Hinkie and Romus kidneys , VV, Jp , Williams, Herrera , Sixto , Ortiz for Trout.

13. It’s unproven strength Altherr no sure , Quinn let me know when he has 450 at bats In a yr. If we trade Herrera Altherr and Quinn don’t work out . Goeddel will be the starting CF next yr. Better to trade HERRERA NEXT trade deadline. This way we now know the situation better.

    1. Tim….IMO, I think the Phillies and MK are counting on Goeddel being the starting CFer next year…at LHV. He needs more ABs at the AAA level.
       But to your point……Altherr would be the first guy up if OH is moved in the off-season. And he will be given at least the first 6-weeks or two months next season to see if he can hit at the MNLB level. If not, then Roman if healthy. If not……MK really likes Peter Bourjos….he could resign him this off-season, especially if he does move OH.

       1. Let’s say the league finds Altherr weakness this yr. Quinn some how gets hurt , Bourjos is Trade wire guy. That leaves Tyler , Asche just saying.

       2. Also Nick Williams is quite capable of playing center with his arm and athleticism. He hasn’t been played it enough to get all the nuances of the position and still doesn’t get the best reads, but his speed allows him him to get to pretty much anything.

14. Watch number 35.
    http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?sid=t522&content_id=1031667583

15. Ok here goes the list I owe The Odd couple I mean Roccom and Romus pretty sure Roccom Is Felix. A LIST of low Veto pitchers that won World Series . Me and my friend a really putting together. OK Kenny Rogers (not the singer), Ramon Ortiz SF , Mike Mussina 35 yrs old, Coby Lewis, John Franco, Joe Blanton , Jeremy Guthie, Derek Lowe, Braden Looper , Ryan Vogelsons at 35,Freddy Garcia, Daisuke Matsuaka, and Andy Pettitte at 37. There was some Lhp but at older aging. Funny Verlander never won a world Series game. They really isn’t many power arms mostly Schilling, Clemens , the Unit.

    1. Bumgarner, Cueto, Lincecum, Beckett, Sabathia, Hamels (maybe at 93velo), Wainwright, Cone, Bob Gibson…like that one…Sandy Koufax another from the annals of history..Bob Feller…again another…I am on a roll.
       Tim….I think rocco may have meant WS MVP pitchers.

       1. No left handers CC never won Phillies crushed him. It was win a WC game I never went back to Maddox days my list would be a lot longer. I forgot Chris Carpenter 4 0 . Bumgarner veto is around 90 now so is Wainwright. The Twins new 1st baseman is 6 ” 5 280 pds.

          1. Sabathia gave up 5 runs in 13 innings. Utley crushed him, the Phils, not so much. He left Game 4 with a lead until Feliz hit the homer off of Chamberlain.

    2. Tim, I thought of you when the subject turned to Kyle Hendricks during Keith Law’s chat today …

       Q: Is Hendricks really a #1? What did you miss on him? He’s the only Cubs prospect you said wouldn’t be great who has been awesome. 19/20 ain’t bad.

       A: Hendricks isn’t close to a 1 – he’s been extraordinarily lucky/helped by his defense this year. But he also became a much better groundball guy with the Cubs too, which is where I was too light on him.

       1. It’s funny Rick Sutcliffe works for Espn as an pitching Instructor at there camp.he worked with Kendricks he said this ( he reminds me of a young Mike Mussina , the sky the limit for him). Thoe Epstein said his our scouts raved about the guy they said he disrupts the hitters timing nobody making good contact. He was in the Dempster trade with Texas. Theo even said the scouting industry is getting lazy too many are scouting by the gun . K law is a toolsy guy he’s ok with the draft. I watched enough game on Hendricks 2 from last yr 3 from this yr . This control command is 70 that’s a BA score . his C U is a out pitch is thst good the sinker really improved . I was interested because of my Dynasty team and was blow away . Luck happen sometimes Hendricks given up 2 runs in his last 7 starts. He 10 in hits per 9 and walks 2 per 9 that’s skill. Alvarez said pitchers are born with the ability to put the ball where you want its a gift. Hendricks has that gift I really hope he wins the Era crown.

          1. That’s 10th in the league .

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