This post can serve as a discussion area for Phillies minor leaguers who are playing in various Winter Leagues. All of the major winter leagues outside of Arizona are in mid-season, though many of the U.S. players might be finishing up their stay there. Most winter leagues have several tiers of playoffs that tend to be dominated by native players as the playoffs get closer to the Caribbean World Series (held in Venezuela this year in early February). The Phillies have prospects in each of the top leagues, so this will serve as a quick update on the top prospects. Continue reading Winter Leagues – December Update
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2009 DSL Recap – Top Prospect List
This post will recap the 2009 Phillies DSL season and provide an initial top prospect list. The same caveats apply as with the VSL list. This report is based on statistics and not on scouting reports primarily. In addition we can infer some things from a player’s age and whether or not they get playing time. But it is not the same thing as seeing them play and the competition they play against may not be consistently good.
The Phillies are part of a 4-team Santo Domingo North division. In 2009 they finished 3rd, 14.5 games behind the division-leading Mariners. They did not play any games outside of the division, so their record may not fully reflect how good the team is. It is also worth noting that the two teams finishing ahead of them (the Mariners and the Cardinals) were both among the older teams in the league. The Phillies were slightly younger than the average team in the league on the other hand. This means that their disappointing record is not necessarily a bad thing, as older teams in the lower minors generally win more.
2009 Instructional League Roster and Schedule
Instructional league starts today (9/21). Preliminary roster and schedule after the jump. New names from the Latin American leagues include Lino Martinez and Lisalberto Bonilla as well as the first extended look at recent signees such as Brody Colvin and Colin Kleven. Continue reading 2009 Instructional League Roster and Schedule
2009 VSL Season Recap – Top Prospects
The VSL season ended a couple of weeks ago. This post will serve as a quick summary of the season and a top 10 prospect lists for players on the team this year. As always, we want to reiterate that this prospect list is not based on scouting reports. It is mainly based on statistics from this past season, statements seen in the press, and playing patterns from the Phillies. Rule number one in the minor leagues is to develop prospects. The goal is usually not to win games, though winning is not necessarily a bad thing. The top prospects must play, however. If the Phillies still win while playing their better, younger prospects – then that is a good thing.
DSL Update – July
The big news out of the DSL team this month came yesterday when 18-year-old starter Felix Cespedes pitched a perfect game, sort of. Cespedes pitched 9 innings and got 27 consecutive outs, striking out 14. Unfortunately his team failed to score any runs. The game ended as a 12-inning 1-0 loss with the Phils outhitting their opponents 10-2. The good news is that the opponents were the first place Mariners, so Cespedes dominated a decent team. Cespedes is the youngest pitcher on the squad having just turned 18 at the end of April. He is one of several pitchers that should be considered prospects, though the perfect game has followed some uneven performances. For the year he is 0-4 with a 3.38 ERA. His peripherals, especially after the perfect game are strong: 58.2 IP, 48 H, 14 BB, 73 K. Continue reading DSL Update – July
VSL Update – July
This post will serve as a quick mid-season update for the VSL team. We will follow up at the end of the season with a more complete prospect list and review.
The VSL Phillies are currently in 6th place out of 7 teams in the VSL with a 21-33 record. The team is a relatively young team offensively, and has consequently had some trouble scoring runs. The offense was helped immensely by the mid-season addition of 2 more experienced players (Luis Martinez – sent down from GCL, and Rudney Balentien – previously in the DSL). The pitching staff, on the other hand, was a little older and contains fewer prospects. Its best pitcher (Ely Izturriaga) was also promoted to GCL. Continue reading VSL Update – July
June DSL Update – Who To Watch
The Phillies DSL affiliate is off to a relatively slow start at 6-10, 6 games behind the division-leading Mariners. As with the VSL club, we will use this post to highlight some of the players worth watching closely this season. The DSL team looks to have a few more prospects than the VSL squad, especially on the pitching staff.
VSL June Update – Who To Watch
Several readers had commented that it would be a useful exercise to highlight who to watch in the complex leagues this season. The VSL started a few weeks ago, so now we have some idea of who is playing well and, frankly, who is playing. These leagues are developmental leagues, so the better prospects generally play the most, and play at the most demanding defensive positions (SS/CF/C). Without detailed scouting reports and eyewitness accounts of these players, we are really relying on their statistics and the Phillies judgement over who to play to form opionions on the players.
This article will deal with the VSL with a follow-up on the DSL next week. One note on the DSL – A number of people have noticed the production of new 18-year-old signee Nevri Jimenez who started the year 17-30 with power (7 extra base hits) and speed (4 SB). The only thing he has not done is draw walks, though it is hard to complain about that when you are 17-30. While he is a little old to be considered a top prospect, the fact that he is a new signee batting in a prominent lineup position (leadoff) and playing prominent defensive positions (SS/CF) is a good sign. He is clearly one to watch this season at DSL.
2009 DSL Season Starts Today – Early Roster Posted
Today is the first day of the 2009 DSL season. The Phillies play in the Santo Domingo North division. Last year they finished 6.5 games behind the Mariners in second place with a 35-30 record. It is a strange 5-team division with 2 affiliates from the A’s. This leads to lots of off days and also uncertain competition. The second A’s team is usually mediocre, so the quality of competition varies considerably and can be hard to judge.
Continue reading 2009 DSL Season Starts Today – Early Roster Posted
VSL Season Starts Monday – Initial Roster Posted
The Venezuelan Summer League starts Monday for the Phillies with an 11:30 AM game against the VSL Cardinals. The Phillies play a 70-game schedule running through early August, playing 5-6 games a week. The Phillies are one of 8 teams in the VSL (unlike the Dominican league where almost all major league organizations are represented.
The big news for the Phillies is that both of their high profile signings from last winter are on the VSL roster. Since GCL season does not stat for another month or so, there is still a chance that a couple of these players will end up in Florida. SS Nerio Rios is 17 years old and reported to be a plus defensive player with more offensive potential than Freddy Galvis. Bernardo Solarte is also 17 years old and is an OF, most likely the starting CF on the VSL squad. Solarte is a player in the mold of Leandro Castro with good speed along with power potential.
The one disappointing note is that there are no new pitchers listed under the age of 19. These early rosters are sometimes a work in progress, so other younger signees may show up later. Last year’s VSL staff was somewhat disappointing, so an influx of younger, projectible arms is needed. The youngest pitcher on the roster is 17-year-old Jorge Guzman who only pitched limited innings last summer as a 16-year-old. 4 of the 5 catchers on the roster are new signees with Hector Barrios being another signee from Panama. One interesting note is that OF Rudney Balentien (from Curacao) has been transferred to the VSL after 2 seasons in the DSL. We will follow up this initial post with periodic updates once play has started.
Continue reading VSL Season Starts Monday – Initial Roster Posted
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