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.

I had the opportunity to attend tonights ‘Pigs game and watch Carlos Carrasco in person.  He had an impressive night.  He went 6.2 innings and gave up 2 runs (none earned) on 6 hits.  He didnt factir in the decision, in a game Lehigh Valley won 5-3. Carrasco walked 2 and struck out 4.  He threw 102 pitches, 67 for strikes and certainly looked like he belonged and then some.  His fastball was between 91–93 for most of the night, and he hit 94-95 with half a dozen pitches.  His change was very impressive, causing numerous groundouts on a very busy night for 3B Joey Hammond. There were a few balls hit hard, but Carrasco kept his composure for the most part and worked out of trouble on a couple of occasions.  This was only his first start and some growing pains are expected but from this initial report, he has the stuff to be very successful.  As I literally almost ran into both Ruben Amaro, Jr. and Dave Montgomery, at the game, it seems as if Carrasco’s  first start had everyone interested.

After Les Walrond was called up to take the place of Rudy Seanez (DL) on the major league roster, coveted prospect Carlos Carrasco was called up to AAA–Lehigh Valley and is expected to start Sunday.  Looking first at Carrasco, the 21 year old is 7-7 with a 4.32 ERA in Reading this year.  He has pitched 114.2 innings, given up 109 hits, walked 45 and struck out 109.  Opponents are hitting .254 against him and his WHIP is 1.34.  He also has given up 13 gopher balls this year in his 19 starts. Carrasco has a fastball that usually hovers between 89–93 , and has a good late kick to it. Carrasco’s “out” pitch is considered to be his change which is extremely effective. His curveball has shown improvement over the last couple of years as well. 

Walrond, 31, has been absolutely phenominal as of late with a 29 inning scoreless streak without yielding an earned run for the ‘Pigs.  Never really on the major league radar screen prior to now, Walrond who was acquired from the Cubs earlier this year has been quite a surprise for Lehigh Valley.  On the year he is 5-7 for Lehigh Valley with a 2.63 ERA in his 17 starts.  He has pitched 103.1 innings, given up 88 hits, walked 36, struck out 95 and opponents are hitting only .235 against him.  His WHIP is 1.20 and he has given up only 3 homerun balls. This is Walrond’s third stint in the majors (Cubs’06 and Royals ’03).

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….

Continue reading Friday Thoughts →

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.

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.

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.

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.

Continue reading Tuesday Tidbits →

Rumors swirling. Happ was removed in the 3rd inning, and according to 1 report, was being congratulated in the dugout, or at least it didn’t appear he was injured. If he was being recalled by the big league team, it seems odd to remove him mid inning. The more likely scenario is a trade in the works. Stay tuned.

So, time for me to stop slacking and get in gear. I have some general thoughts. Before I get to that, if you want to make a redundant comment about the Joe Blanton trade, or even a fresh comment with fresh ideas, go to the Joe Blanton post, make it there, and do it before the end of the day, because I’m going to lock the comments on the post and freeze it in the time capsule for all of us to look at later. But I want to move on, and I feel like Blanton-Mania has cast a general malaise over the rest of the site. With that said, lets get to the tidbits.

Continue reading Tuesday tidbits →