A few notes and observations from my day at the Carpenter Complex today. Tyson Gillies was not in the lineup again today and was in the dugout massaging and pointing to an area below the back of his knee that appears to still be troubling him. After a disappointing year last year and his lack of playing time this Spring, Gillies is clearly behind the regulars competing for jobs in Reading and Lehigh Valley. A stint in extended Spring Training may be needed to get himself right before heading North. Continue reading News From Clearwater
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2nd Round of Cuts
Seven more cuts were made by the Phils this morning including pitchers Mike Stutes, Vance Worley, Dan Meyer, Juan Perez, OF Brandon Moss, SS Freddy Galvis and 3B Jeff Larish. Worley’s name is the only name that is really even debatable at this stage as many believed he was in competition with Kyle Kendrick to be the long man in the Phillies bullpen, however, it appears the Phils believe he would benefit from regular starts in Lehigh Valley. Stutes had performed very well and opened many an eye in Spring Training and many expect him to be among the first called up if bullpen help is needed in Philly.
News and Notes
Just some news and notes from the minor league games without even getting into wins and losses. I will be heading down to Clearwater this weekend and hope to post daily updates. If there is anything or anyone specific who you would like to know about, feel free to ask in the comment section and I will see what I can do.
In the AAA game today, Matt Rizzotti went 2-4 with a run scored, Tim Kennelly played LF and went 2-3 with a homer and 2 RBI’s. On the hill, after Roy Halladay got his work in, Eddie Bonine gave up a run on 4 hits in his 3 innings on the hill. He walked one and struck out 3. Andrew Carpenter threw a 10 pitch 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn the save. Continue reading News and Notes
First Day of Minor League Games
For those yearning for some minor league information coming out of Clearwater, it should now be easier to come by with the start of the Minor League portion of the Spring Training schedule. Reporting on the AAA group, they beat the Blue Jays 6-5 at the Carpenter Complex on Monday. 1B Tagg Bozied paced the offense, going 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI, while 2010 Lehigh Valley OF Rich Thompson was 1-3 with 2 RBI and 2 SB.
On the hill, Drew Naylor got the start and gave up 2 runs in his 3 innings of work, yielding 4 hits. He walked 1 and struck out three. The most impressive pitching performance was turned in by Michael Schwimer who pitched the final two innings with a perfect line, adding 4 strikeouts in earning the save. Continue reading First Day of Minor League Games
Full List of Phillies Sent Down
The full list of Phillies who have been re-assigned to Minor League camp has trickled out throughout today and it goes as follows: RHP Brian Bass, RHP Eddie Bonine, RHP ANdrew Carpenter, RHP Michael Schwimer, LHP Ryan Feirabend, C Joel Naughton, INF Tagg Bozied, INF Robb Quinlan, and OF Matt Miller. Quinlan asked for his release after being told he had been re-assigned.
Those Phils that were on the 40 man roster who were optioned today are: RHP Justin DeFratus, RHP Drew Naylor, RHP JC Ramirez, 2B Cesar Hernandez, SS Carlos Rivero, 2B Harold Garcia and 1B Matt Rizzotti. The Phils currently have 45 players remaining in big league camp, meaning 20 must be cut before opening day.
Jake Borup Interview
Jake Borup, the Phils 23rd round pick in the 2010 was kind enough to give us some time as he enters his first Spring Training with the Phillies organization. Borup, 23, had a very good year with Arizona State, going 11-1 with a 4.08 ERA in 15 starts, walking 26 and striking out 63 in his 81 innings of work. After his assignment to Williamsport, Borup was one of the Crosscutters most dependable pitchers going 2-1 in 16 appearances (4 starts), earning 2 saves in his 47 innings of work. Borup walked 13 and struck out 34, with an impressive 1.06 WHIP for Williamsport.
Borup entered Arizona State in 2006, and after taking two years off to complete a Mormon Mission, he came back strong earning Honorable Mention All Pac 10 honors last year as a sophomore. Borup throws his fastball in the high 80’s/low 90’s and has a good slider that he commands well. After participating in the FLorida Instructional League, I would imagine that should things go smoothly in Spring Training, Borup could earn a spot in the Clearwater bullpen. Read below for the Q and A: Continue reading Jake Borup Interview
Carpenter to the ‘pen
In what has been a whirlwind week for Pitcher Drew Carpenter (and with a scarcity of Minor League News), Todd Zolecki is reporting that the Phils have decided to move Carpenter to the bullpen. This time last week, Carpenter had just reported to Spring Training as a member of the 40 man roster and most likely one of the top starters in Lehigh Valley. With the acquisition of Brian Schlitter, who was added to the 40 man roster, Carpenter was first designated for assignment, cleared waivers, and is now back at camp as a reliever. Phils pitching coach Rich Dubee told Zolecki that ” We’ll try to simplify some things…Get him back to a fastball, cutter, split…We think he has enough stuff to get through a lineup one time. Getting deeper was a little too difficult.” Carpenter, 25, was the Phils 2nd round draft choice in 2006 out of Long Beach State.
Phils reacquire Brian Schlitter, DFA Drew Carpenter
The Phils claimed RHP Brian Schlitter, 25, off of waivers today from the Yankees. Schlitter was originally the Phillies 16th round pick in the 2007 draft and was traded away to Chicago in 2008 for Scott Eyre. Schlitter a big righty made his major league debut last year with the Cubs, appearing in 7 games, during which he allowed 11 runs in 8 innings. Appearing for AAA Iowa City last season, Schlitter was 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA in 37 games, saving 13. In 45.2 IP, Schlitter struck out 42 and walked 21. Notably, Schlitter was managed by new Lehigh Valley manager Ryne Sandberg last season in Iowa City. Schlitter was added to the 40 man roster and has two options remaining. Continue reading Phils reacquire Brian Schlitter, DFA Drew Carpenter
Top 10 Pre-Spring Training Questions
As we enter mid February and just days away from Pitchers and Catchers reporting to Clearwater, I wanted to get some discussion going with the Top 10 questions the Phillies face as it relates to the Minor Leagues.
1. Is Domonic Brown ready for a full time job in Philly and if not, should he be playing every day in AAA or part time in Philly? My vote is until Brown shows otherwise, he should be the everyday rightfielder in Philly. Less than 100 major league at bats and a difficult Winter League is not showing otherwise.
2. Who fills the open role(s) in the Phillies bullpen? The Phils have 4 givens in their bullpen (Romero, Contreras, Madson and Lidge). They need a long man, and that race will come down to Kendrick vs. Worley. Kendrick probably has the inside track based on the salary he will be receiving this year, which is in the over two million range. Continue reading Top 10 Pre-Spring Training Questions
Phils Reportedly Sign Jason Grilli
Another reclamation project may be coming into the fold, most likely to Lehigh Valley as unconfirmed reports have the Phils signing veteran RHP Jason Grilli to a Minor League deal. Grilli, 34, missed all of last season after suffering a knee injury in Spring Training, after an invite from the Indians. Grilli’s best year came in 2008, as he went 3-3 with a 3.00 in 60 appearances split between the Tigers and the Rockies.
Grilli was originally the Giants 1st round pick (4th overall) in the 1997 amateur draft and has thrown in 238 MLB games, including 169 between 2007-2009.
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