Hey, new feature. Instead of doing random mailbag posts, I created a new page at the top of the site called “Q/A”….post your prospect related questions, and when I have some time, I will do my best to answer them. It will be like a running question/answer log. Let’s try it.

And just because I know someone will post a question in this thread, I’m going to turn off the comments.

Thanks to everyone for submitting questions. Some of you submitted like 10 questions each. I’m gonna have to pick and choose. First question

Dan asks

Thank you for taking my question. I am wonder what the prospects are for Jeremy Barnes, both next year and beyond? He seems to be a forgotten man among fans on your website. When healthy last year he hit extremely well and played all over the infield.

At 23, turning 24 in April, Barnes needs to move real fast, and has to really hit if hes going to make the majors. His .292/.383/.441 line at Lakewood is decent, but not for a 23 year old. He split time between 2B and 3B, and his future lies as a utility infielder if he can hit enough to get there. He didn’t show much home run power, but did end up with 38 doubles in 461 PA. He needs to finish at Reading this year and prove he can hit quality pitching if he’s going to end up making it to the bigs.

Check below for the rest.

Continue reading Mailbag Responses →

Hey everyone. I’ve been meaning to write some stuff for the site recently, but every time I sit down and make time to do it, I forget what I wanted to write about. So I think this would be a good spot for a mailbag, maybe some of your questions would spur me on and give me ideas for longer posts. One thing I am going to do this winter, with my top 30 prospects, is release a Top 30 that also includes every prospect traded in the last few years who is still prospect eligible, ie, Drabek, Taylor, Cardenas, etc etc, which I think should be interesting. But anyway, if you have a question you want me to answer, follow these simple steps. Send an email to phuturephillies at gmail dot com. In the title, put “mailbag”. DO NOT POST YOUR QUESTION HERE, I WONT ANSWER IT!

Simple enough. I’ll try and post my answers either Friday or Saturday, depending on the response!

Thank you for all of the emails. I received a few emails with very similar questions, so I just picked one and went with it. If I didn’t get to your email this time, I’ll try and do better next time. I’m currently working on a big draft related piece that covers lots of philosophical/economical topics, but I’m going to wait until I have all of the data to analyze. I’ve got a few more things cooking, so stay tuned. Check below the fold for my answers to your questions.

Continue reading Sunday Mailbag →

Got a question for me about the draft or my writeup? Have questions about specific prospects? Let’s do a mailbag. Any topic is on the table, just try and ask me specific questions, not just “which players do you like” type queries. Only 2 rules. Don’t post your question here, email it to me at phuturephillies at gmail dot com. Second rule, put “mailbag” in the title of the email. If you can do that, and your question is specific and not ridiculous, I’ll answer it. Go!

I was hoping to write a longer post today, but due to some extenuating circumstances I haven’t had the time to do the research needed. That said, I did receive a few emails, so I’ll answer those below the fold. Thanks to those of you who submitted questions.

Continue reading Sunday mailbag →

Im going to write a column this weekend, and since I havent done it in a while I figured Id answer some questions. So if you have a question, send it to phuturephillies at gmail dot com and put “mailbag” in the subject. Do not post your questions here, Ill ignore them.

Thanks.

Here’s something new. When I write my weekly notes column on Sunday, I figured that I’d solicit some reader emails/questions and add a mailbag on to the end, and do it on a weekly basis. I’ll probably only be able to answer a few questions, but I thought it would be something interesting to try. So, if you have a question about something prospect related, or want to hear my opinion on something, send an email to phuturephillies at gmail dot com and put MAILBAG in the title. If you don’t put mailbag in the title, I probably won’t read it. Try and make the questions specific, not just things like “do you think Domonic Brown is a good prospect”, because I’m going to spend most of my notes columns making comments about players in general. So give that a shot and we’ll see how it goes.

You sent in some questions, I’ll answer a few of them today, and maybe a few more tomorrow. If I didn’t get t yours, I might use at some point in the near future.

From Chapel Hillian: does anyone else buy the Phillies’ argument about their first Rule 5 pick (Blackley, I believe)?  That he is still on the upswing from his shoulder surgery and thus could be a legitimate big-league pitcher? Also, how long do you think the Phillies should give Jiwan James to show he can pitch before they switch him to the outfield?

Well, I don’t buy it. His numbers were pretty poor last season, though he had very good control before the labrum surgery, so I guess maybe the Phillies just took a flier, thinking maybe his control will return in spring training. I don’t believe the talk of him challenging for the #5 spot, considering we have Hamels, Myers, Moyer, Kendrick and Eaton under contract. If Eaton’s shoulder is really messed up, then I suppose he could compete for that final spot, but the Phillies keep talking about upgrading the pitching and looking for at least one starter, so I’m not sure he fits there. He doesn’t have the profile of a LOOGY, as he doesn’t have strong platoon splits. To me, he’s a mop up reliever candidate, but I don’t think he’s ultimately going to stick.

As for the 2nd part of your question. James was a highly regarded two way player, and is a very gifted athlete. The more I think about this actual question, the more I think it makes sense to start a guy as a batter, and if he can’t hit, move him back to the mound. I think it’s tougher to stop hitting on a regular basis and then just pick it up again against professional pitching. If the Phillies are going to give him a shot at the outfield, they should probably do it in 2008, and give him 2 seasons in the field to see where his bat is, and how he’s going to project out. If he struggles with a bat, you can always move him back to the mound, as arm strength really doesn’t diminish, as long as you’re working hard and getting your reps in.

From Section 113: My other question is if you had to rank the pitching prospects you would would like to hold on to who would they be? In other words, if their were several trades out their and you could protect 1 or 2 pitchers out of let’s say all those pitchers on your top 30, who would they be?

Interesting question. The two pitchers in our system I am most excited about, right now, are Carlos Carrasco and Julian Sampson. Carrasco has some control issues he needs to sort out, but he’s only 20 years old and has already made it to 2A. Sampson already sits in the 89-92 range, and most scouts think he’s going to add more velo as he fills out, meaning he could end up sitting in the 92-94 range. He has the perfect pitcher’s body, he already has some understanding of a changeup, and has decent secondary offerings as a whole. Since he can’t be traded until July, that’s an easy pick for me to hold onto. I think in the right deal, I’d trade Carrasco, but I wouldn’t give him away for less than full value. I don’t think a realistic trade is out there right now that makes sense for the Phillies. For Bedard or Haren, sure I’d trade Carrasco, but for a third tier starter, no thanks.

——–

Feel free to debate these issues below.