Time is short today, I’d like to do some more work on site enhancements, so with that I’ll just give you an open avenue for random discussion again. I did make one big change last night. If you look on the left side of the page, I’ve created a new set of categories. The first one is “Player Mentions”, which is essentially any article or tidbit that I or the other authors have written about that prospect. Previously, all of the profiles were linked under the player, and while this might have been somewhat useful, I was never really happy with how it looked. So I’ve separated all of the player profiles into their own separate category, which comes underneath. It might take a bit of getting used to, but I think it looks much better. But anyway, onto today’s action…
All posts by giventofly41
New features
Just a quick note. I changed a few layout type things on the site. I reduced the number of posts you see on the main page, but I added a link on the right side where you can see the last 15 posts on the site. I’ve also started adding RSS stuff on the right side so you can get the latest news, and I also added an RSS feed for this site on the left side, as well as a login type thing for the site contributors. More to come.
Daily Discussion; 8/5
I’m short on time today, so I just have a few real quick thoughts, and then I’ll open the floor for discussion.
* When I look at prospects and try to determine their overall worth as a prospect (I’m sure they are all fine people), I focus on very specific traits. If you don’t find these traits important, you’re likely going to disagree with my rankings/evaluations. I welcome this, I just like when you back up your beliefs with reasoning and evidence. If you do that, we all learn something. This is just a general comment based on feedback I’ve seen in recent days/weeks/months.
* I’m going to be making some big changes here over the next few months. Many of these changes will be individually small, but I hope the cumulative product is an easier to read, more informative website with even more content. I’m ALWAYS looking for suggestions on how to improve things, and if you have them, please e-mail them to me. I read each and every email I get and I try to respond, though sometimes it takes me a few days. If you see something that is wrong, if there is something you want to see here, or anything else, just drop me a line. One thing I do want to address; this site will never contain ads and it will never be sold for a profit. I enjoy going to sites and not being inundated with pop ups and various embedded ads, and I’d never subject you to that treatment here. I’ve had numbers offers made to integrate my site with larger, cookie cutter sites, and I’ve turned down all of them. I’m here for the long haul, and I hope you are too.
So, onto today’s games. Discuss anything you’d like, just keep it prospect related….
Top 30 Prospects Update
As I promised, I figured I’d do a Top 30 update after the trade deadline, even though no prospects were traded (yet) and kind of give a brief thought to how my Top 30 would change. All stats are as of August 2nd I believe, so close enough. Again, this is only my Top 30 as of now, and its mostly just gut instinct. I reserve the right to change my thoughts on guys at any moment, and the next update could reflect that. Update below…
Friday Thoughts
It’s August, the final full month of the minor league season. There are a number of interesting story lines to follow over the final month. What I do NOT want to focus on is the big league club, unless a prospect is traded now in a post waivers deal, or if a player is called up. The last week or so, it seems like the entire discussion has been focused on potential trades, which is only natural because of the time of the year. But now its time to get back on track. With that, a few general thoughts….
The farm appears safe
Gillick/Amaro/Arbuckle contained themselves, no blood was shed for a fungible middle reliever, and my sanity has been restored. So everything is safe. Tomorrow we can focus on the last month of the minor league season and the draft deadline and everything not related to Ron Mahay, Will Ohman, and Roy Halladay. Thanks again everyone for your continued support.
Trade deadline today/Signing deadline in 2 weeks
Today is the non-waiver trade deadline. All players who are not traded by 4PM today are subject to waivers before they are traded. This means that a player must clear waivers between August 1st and August 31th or they cannot be traded. On the prospects side, players on the 40 man roster are not subject to waivers, but players in the minors and on the 40 man roster are. If you feel the need to discuss potential trades here, do it in this post. After today, we resume normal service. Also, the August 15th deadline is rapidly approaching. No news yet on Pettibone, Weber or any of our unsigned guys. Any info will be passed along, obviously.
Kyle Drabek returns
If you missed it, Kyle Drabek has returned to the mound after Tommy John surgery.
3 IP – 1 H – 0 ER – 0 BB – 0 K – 9:0 GB/FB
Welcome back Kyle.
Daily Discussion; 7/30
Trade deadline is tomorrow. I won’t even bother trying to steer the discussion in any direction for the next 2 days. You guys will talk trades anyway, so do it. I’ll just post the schedule for today. Ill do the same tomorrow. If trades are made and our system gets emptied out, I’ll talk about it. Otherwise, just discuss whatever it is you’d like to discuss. Heres the schedule…
Tuesday Tidbits
Some general thoughts this morning…
* One of the more intriguing arms to me on the GCL team is Reginal Simon. Generally speaking, the 19 and 20 year old guys making the jump to the GCL from the Latin American based teams are non-prospects or fringe guys, but the younger guys are more likely to turn into legit prospects. Simon is 18 and put up decent numbers in the Dominican Summer League last year. In his first taste of pro ball, its been a mixed bag, but there have been positive signs. His most promising peripheral is the 24 to 7 strikeout to walk ratio. He has been home run prone, allowing 4 in only 31.2 innings, but I think he does have a promising arm, and will be a guy worth watching. He’s going to probably be a one level at a time guy but I think he’s got a chance to be a useful arm at some point.
Phuture Phillies 