All of a sudden, lots of talent behind the plate with many difficult decisions on “who goes where” come next season.

Lehigh Valley

Erik Kratz, 35, Signed as a free agent in 2015; .312/.433/.558 in 77AB with Lehigh Valley; 3HR 15RBI; 19%BB/19%K; 11 games caught with 1 error (.988); 1 passed ball; 1/6 CS (17%); Also played one game at 1B. Kratz was picked up late in the season as the Phils wanted a catcher to add to the September roster in Philly.  Kratz did his typical very competent job with Lehigh Valley.  Grade: B+; 2016: Either retired or with another organization

Gabrial Lino, 22, Acquired from Baltimore in 2012; .234/.277/.329 in 304 AB between Reading and Lehigh Valley; 3HR 30RBI; 6%BB/25%K rates; .215/.244/.272 for Lehigh Valley; Hit just .188 over last month of year; 83 games caught with 4 errors (.993); 8 passed balls; 31/76 CS (41%).  Although significant difficulties with the bat during the last two months of the season, Lino’s 2015 has to be considered a success as he established himself defensively behind the plate and showed the capability to hit a bit.  Grade: C+  2016: If the Phils have to make a choice between Lino and Moore, Lino has the advantage of being three years younger.  I see him back in Lehigh Valley.

Logan Moore, 25, Phils 9th round pick in 2011;.253/.312/.349 in 229AB between Reading and Lehigh Valley; 3HR 25RBI; 8%BB/19%K; For Lehigh Valley: .276/.338/.351 in 134AB; 62 games caught with 5 errors (.988); 5 passed balls; 29/55 CS (53%).  Moore had another excellent year with the glove and throwing runners out and was much improved with the bat.  I would have liked to have seen him play a bit more in Lehigh Valley as he is Rule 5 eligible and could easily take a spot on a major league roster as a backup catcher.  Grade: B+ Continue reading Post Season Report Card–Catcher →

Next, we are taking a look at SS throughout the organization.  Two legitimate major league prospects in Crawford and Canelo.

Lehigh Valley

Chase D’Arnaud, 28, Signed as a free agent in 2015; .268/.317/.354 in 497AB; 5HR 35RBI; 28SB; 5%BB/12%K; .258 vs LHP; .272 vs RHP; .228 last month; 87 games at SS with 22 errors (.945); 34 games at 3B with 2 errors (.972); 3 games in the OF.  Once D’Arnaud started playing every day, he played well and was among league leaders in SB and runs.  Grade: B; 2016: With Crawford knocking on the door, I don’t see D’Arnaud back.

Edgar Duran, 24, Signed as a free agent in 2007; .163/.242/.207 in 135AB; 0HR 9RBI; 8%BB/16%K; .163 vs LHP; .163 vs RHP; 44 games at SS with 8 errors (.960); 4.36 R/F; 2 games at 2B without an error; Duran missed considerable time injured this season, including the last six weeks of the season; Slick fielding, he is pretty much awful with the bat.  Grade: D; 2016: He could stick around in Lehigh Valley as a back up middle infielder

Reading

JP Crawford, 20, Phils 1st round pick in 2013; .288/.380/.414 in 430AB between Clearwater and Reading; 6HR 42RBI; 12SB; 13%BB/11%K; For Reading: .265/.354/.407 in 351AB; 5HR 34RBI; 7SB; 12%BB/11%K rate; .227 vs LHP; .282 vs RHP; .300 last 30 days; 106 games at SS with 27 errors (.953); 5.12 R/F.  After missing the first month or so injured Crawford had a very good, borderline excellent year.  He slumped a bit in late July, early August but came back strong in the seasons final weeks.  Exceptional batting eye, makes very regular contact.  In a “perfect” world, his average would be about 10-15 points higher and a few fewer errors.  That said, he is right where he needs t be to debut late in 2016.  Grade: B+; 2016: Lehigh Valley Continue reading Post Season Report Card–Shortstop →

Lehigh Valley

Cord Phelps, 28, Signed as a free agent in 2015; .229/.319/.290 in 397AB; 3HR 34RBI; 5SB; 12%BB/18%K; .292 vs LHP; .202 vs RHP; .143 last 30 days; 55 games at 2B with 4 errors (.984); 4.53 R/F; 55 games at 3B with 6 errors (.950); 2.07 R/F; Phelps had by far the worst year of his minor league career with the bat, struggling almost all season but particularly at the end.  Grade: D; 2016: Another organization

Tyler Pasternicky, 25, Acquired from Texas in 2015; .286/.358/.367 in 98AB with Lehigh Valley; 1HR 4RBI; 1SB; 9%BB 9%K rate; 20 games at 2B with 3 errors (.972); 4 games at 3B with 1 error. Acquired around the time of the Chase Utley deal, Pastornicky was needed as an upper level insurance policy.  He played well in his role and profiles as your stereotypical AAAA middle infielder.  Grade: B-; 2016: Could stick around as a back up in Lehigh Valley

Reading

Brodie Greene, 28, Signed as a free agent in 2015; .251/.338/.299 in 338AB between Clearwater and Reading; 0HR 24RBI; 4SB; 11%BB12%K; .177 last 30 days; .241 for Reading; 88 games at 2B with 7 errors (.982); 4.25 R/F; Also played 4 games in the OF and 1 game at SS. Greene was signed after Carlos Alonso was lost for the season injured and did a competent job filling in.  Grade: C; 2016: Another organization

Angelo Mora, 22, Signed as a free agent in 2010; .312/.356/.447 in 340AB between Clearwater and Reading; 3HR 39RBI; 4/11SB; 7%BB/15%K; For Reading: .327/.411/.531 in 113AB; 3HR 18RBI; 12%BB/21%K; .348 last 30 days; 50 games at 2B with 7 errors (.969); 4.42R/F; 37 games at SS with 9 errors (.934); After hitting .214 for Lakewood in 2013 and .227 for CLearwater last year, Mora put together an outstanding season first at CLearwater, then at Reading.  He hit consistently all year and added even a bit of punch when called up to the Fightins.  Grade: A; 2016: Reading Continue reading Post Season Report Card–Second Base →

The Phillies announced their decision to not extend the contract of GM Ruben Amaro.  assistant GM Scott Proefrock was named interim GM effective immediately.

I know most of the reader here couldn’t wait for this to happen.  I am rpoviding this thread so that the anti-Amaro discussion can be posted here.  Keep them out of the minor league threads.  I don’t want to have to delete a lot of misplaced comments, as I have already been forced to do.

The Phillies press release is provided for those who haven’t seen it.

We will be looking at every player in the organization, broken down by position in a review of their 2015 performance along with a projection of where they will be in 2016.  It is important to note that when graded, I am considering my expectation of what the player would do against themselves not against others.

Lehigh Valley

Russ Canzler, 29, Signed as a free agent in 2015,.274/.333/.416 in 394AB; 10HR 47RBI; 8%BB/18%K; .295 vs LHP; .264 vs RHP; .266 last 30 days;  40 games at 1B with 3 errors (.991); 24 games at 3B with 3 errors (.936); 13 games in the OF with 1 error (.955); Grade: B-.   Canzler had a good year, albeit a year in which he missed a chunk of time with an oblique injury.  After a slow start, Canzler gave the Phils the offensive output expected from him.  Next year: I don’t expect Canzler to be back based on roster movement below.

Tommy Joseph, 24, Acquired from San Francisco in 2013, .193/.220/.301 in 166AB for Lehigh Valley; 3HR 18RBI; 2%BB/20%K; .200 vs LHP; .189 vs RHP; .247 last 30 days; 30 games at 1B with 3 errors (.989); 8.80 R/F; 19 games caught with 1 error (.992); 7/15 CS.  Grade:D.  Another lost season for Joseph who missed the large majority of the season after suffering another concussion which necessitated his transition to first base.  Still far to early to judge his future at first, but I think he will have difficulty hitting enough for long term success.  2016: Lehigh Valley. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him removed from the 40 man roster.

Reading

Brock Stassi 26, Phils 33rd round pick of 2011, .300/.394/.470 in 466AB; 15HR 90RBI; 14%BB/12%K rate; .255 vs LHP; .317 vs RHP; .250 last 30 days; 112 games at 1B with 5 errors (.995); 8.69 R/F. Grade: A.  Simply couldn’t have done more than what he did this year, albeit as an older AA player.  More athletic that those we fell in love with that came before him (Rizzotti, Ruf), STassi knows how to hit, led the league in RBI’s and plays a good 1B.  That said, I am still unconvinced he is a major leaguer.  Stassi is just one season removed from hitting .232 as a 25 year old in Reading.  2016:  Lehigh Valley.  Note that he is Rule 5 eligible. Continue reading Post Season Report Card–First Base →

A look around the system at the production of third baseman.  The Phils will most certainly need to pick up a minor league free agent or two capable of playing the hot corner to fill in the gaps in the short term.

Lehigh Valley

No player played a majority of their games at 3B

Reading

Harold Martinez, 25, Phils 2nd round pick in 2011 draft; .292/.335/.400 in 260AB for Reading; 4HR 33RBI; 1SB; 6%BB/17%K rates; .333 vs LHP; .270 vs RHP; .274 last 30 days; .289 with RISP; 68 games at 3B with 8 errors (.955); 2.47 R/F; 9 games at 1B without an error.  I admittedly wrote Martinez off early in the year, however he came back to play fairly well at 3B and didn’t hurt the team offensively.  Grade: B-; 2016: Martinez has probably bought himself one final season with the organization because of the lack of upper level third base depth and a season that wasn’t awful.

Clearwater

Mitch Walding, 23, Phils 5th round pick in 2011 draft; .233/.318/.315 in 403AB; 4HR 31RBI; 5/9SB; 11%BB/26%K; .272 vs LHP; .213 vs RHP; .333 last 30 days; .209 with RISP; 120 games at 3B with 19 errors(.944); 2.68 R/F. Another disappointing year for Walding who is a career .232 hitter after 1400 plus minor league at bats in the lower levels.  No real power to speak of, was poor with RISP and struck out a lot.  Grade: C-; 2016: The only thing that may save him is the lack of depth at 3B in the minor league system. Continue reading Post Season Report Card–3B →

A look at Starting pitching in the upper portion of the organization. A reminder that grades are based on expectations against that particular player pre-season, as opposed to each other.  Next up: Third Baseman

Clearwater

David Whitehead, 23, Phils 34th round pick in 2013; 25 starts, 9-11 with a 4.44ERA; 135.2IP 152H 51BB 94K; 10HR allowed; .291 opp avg; 1.50 WHIP; 1.50 GO/AO; 3.4BB/6.2K per 9; .292 vs LHH, .290 vs RHH, .316 last 30 days; Double bumped after a successful 2014 in Williamsport, Whitehead was simply “ok” this season.  He showed he can pitch a full season which is a plus after injury issues years ago, but he was pretty consistently hit.  Grade: C;  2016: Whitehead may get caught in the numbers game.  I see him being kept in the Extended Spring awaiting roster shake ups in the Spring.

Victor Arano, 20, Acquired from Dodgers in 2014; 24 games 22 starts; 4-12 with a 4.72ERA; 124IP 131H 26BB 69K; 7HR allowed; .276 opp avg; 1.27 WHIP; 0.75 GO/AO; 1.8BB/5.2K per 9; .350 vs LHH, .239 vs RHH, .298 last 30 days; At times excellent and more often brutal, Arano was up and down, getting absolutely crushed by left handed hitters and running out of gas at years end.  Only 20, there is still time.  Grade: C; 2016: Back to Clearwater

Brandon Leibrandt, 22, Phils 6th round pick in 2014; 17 games; 7-3 with a 3.11ERA; 101.1IP 83H 21BB 67K; .227 opp avg; 1.03 WHIP; 0.84 GO/AO; 1.9BB/6.0K per 9; .213 vs LHH, .232 vs RHH, When healthy, Leibrandt was outstanding.  That said, he missed three plus weeks in June and the last month of the season with arm issues.  He generally has excellent command, which is his bread and butter.  When off, even a little he will be hit hard.  Grade: B; 2016: Reading Continue reading Post Season Report Card–Starting Pitching, High A, AA, AAA →

A look at starting pitching in the lower part of the organization.  A note that player grades are based on what was expected of that players performance against himself, not against others.  Up next will be a look at Starting pitching at the higher levels on Wednesday.

GCL

Felix Paulino, 20, Signed as a free agent in 2013; 11 games (10 starts); 5-4 with a 2.34ERA; 50IP 41H 5BB 46K; .223 opp avg; 0.92 WHIP; 1.06 GO/AO; 0.9BB/8.3K per 9; .176 vs LHH; .244 vs RHH; .224 last 30 days.  Paulino had an outstanding season with his walk/strikeout ratio in an area that screams long term success.  Grade: A; 2016: Lakewood with a potential drop back to Williamsport

Adonis Medina, 18, Signed as a free agent in 2013; 10 games (8 starts); 3-2 with a 2.98ERA; 45.1IP 42H 12BB 35K; 1HR allowed; .253 opp avg; 1.19 WHIP; 1.76 GO/AO; 2.4BB/6.9K per 9; .222 vs LHH, .272 vs RHH, .284 last 30 days. A good season for Medina in his first action stateside.  Good command.  Grade: B+; 2016: Williamsport

Sam McWilliams, 19, Phils 8th round pick in 2014; 7 starts, 0-2 with a 3.27ERA; 33IP 29H 5BB 21K; 1.4BB/5.7K per 9; .232 opp avg; 1.03 WHIP; 1.92 GO/AO; .245 vs LHH, .222 vs RHH. McWilliams was pitching well but missed his last 4 or 5 starts at the end of the season, costing him what may have been a trip to Lakewood to start 2016.  With 25IP in 2014 for GCL and 33IP this year, he will need some time in WIlliamsport.  Grade: B- Continue reading Post Season Report Card–Starting Pitching, GCL, WP, and Lakewood →

Over the past weekend, Mike Drago of the Reading Eagle published his yearly prospect survey.  Mike requests input from about two dozen industry people who watch or cover a fair amount of games and players among the Phillies’ affiliates.  He received 16 responses and used a weighted scoring system to determine a player’s perceived value (first-place votes earning 20 points, second place 19 points, etc.).   I was one of the 16 respondents.

J.P Crawford received 15 of 16 first place votes.  Jake Thompson received the other first place vote.  Nick Williams received 11 second place votes.  Thirty-four players received votes.  The results of the poll were as follows.

1. J.P. Crawford                     SS     Reading                    317 points
2. Jake Thompson                 P     Reading                    287
3. Nick Williams                    OF    Reading                    278
4. Cornelius Randolph      OF   Gulf Coast                253
5. Jorge Alfaro                          C     Reading                    236
6. Roman Quinn                    OF     Reading                    225
7. Franklyn Kilome                 P      Williamsport         215
8. Zach Eflin                                P      Reading                   197
9. Ricardo Pinto                       P       Clearwater             154
10. Carlos Tocci                          OF     Clearwater             145
11. Aaron Altherr                       OF    Philadelphia         144
12. Andrew Knapp                     C      Reading                   138
13. Jarad Eickoff                         P      Philadelphia        113
14. Scott Kingery                      2B      Lakewood             104
15. Nick Pivetta                           P      Reading                      93
16. Ben Lively                                P      Reading                      63
17. Darnell Sweeney              OF     Philadelphia            59
18. Rhys Hoskins                      1B     Clearwater                36
19. Alberto Tirado                      P      Clearwater                34
20. Malquin Canelo                 SS    Lakewood                  29

The next ten were – Matt Imhof, Alec Asher, Brandon Leibrandt, Dylan Cozens, Jimmy Cordero, Kelly Dugan, Jose Pujols, Deivi Grullon, Willians Astudillo, Jesse Biddle.

Four others received votes – Felix Paulino, Jonathan Arauz, Aaron Brown, Lucas Williams. (All four were on my ballot.)

I returned my ballot with the following disclaimer.  “Really tough this season. I haven’t seen enough of half of the guys in the MLB top 20. I relied on what I’ve read and even box scores (shudder) to some extent. My bias toward players I have seen probably works for and against them, but my bias against relievers is probably permanent, for now. Anyway, here goes.”

1. J.P. Crawford
2. Cornelius “C” Randolph
3. Jake Thompson
4. Jorge Alfaro
5. Ricardo Pinto
6. Andrew Knapp
7. Franklyn Kilome
8. Roman Quinn
9. Jerad Eickhoff
10. Nick Williams
11. Zach Eflin
12. Scott Kingery
13. Felix Paulino
14. Darnell Sweeney
15. Nick Pivetta
16. Jonathan Arauz
17. Aaron Brown
18. Dylan Cozens
19. Rhys Hoskins
20. Lucas Williams

I ended with the following – “PS – I really, really, really like Randolph.  And Alfaro makes me go, “Wow!”.  I had him lower until I saw him in a sim inning, hitting off Stephen Inch (in his third sim outing).  He’s big and packs a wallop.  And Williams’ approach at the plate is similar to Randolph’s.  If Kingery is as good as they think/hope, this looks to have been a really good draft. Did I mention I like Randolph?”

I approached my poll by listing the top 20 prospects that I have actually seen this season.  Then decided where to slot the players I hadn’t seen, or hadn’t seen enough.  It came down to the pain I would experience if a player left the organization.  The more the pain, the higher the ranking.

I know I have some glaring omissions.  I don’t apologize for those.  For example, Carlos Tocci.  I have watched him for half a season.  I enjoy watching him play center field.  He plays a nice center field.  But, he doesn’t hit well enough.  Opposing outfields are playing him shallower than they did his first time through the league.  If he doesn’t put on some weight and muscle, I don’t see how he’ll ever hit enough to play in the majors. Sorry.

It appears that I penalize pitchers I’ve seen like Imhof and Leibrandt, but reward players like Arauz, Brown, and Lucas Williams.   Maybe I’m “too close to the trees to see the forest”. But the players I’ve seen the most leave an impression one way or the other.

I’ll post the Mike Drago’s Reading Eagle Top 20 Survey on the Rankings Page tonight or tomorrow.

Lehigh Valley split their doubleheader last night in Scranton and have won five of their last seven games.  Sitting at 60-73 and in 4th place of the Northern Division of the International League, the ‘Pigs are 14 games back of divison leading Scranton and have been eliminated from playoff contention.  After a final game in Scranton tonight, the ‘Pigs travel to Syracuse for three games and Pawtucket for three before a final four game home stand over Labor Day weekend to end the season. This will be the last “in season” Lehigh Valley weekly report.  Look for a report reviewing the season between September 8th and 10th.

News and Notes: INF Chase D’Arnaud has hit safely in his last 9 games (.368) and is batting .306 over his last 46 games.  He has been an offensive catalyst for Lehigh Valley in the second half of the season and leads the team with 38 multi hit games.

–Over the last 22 games, OF Brian Bogusevic is hitting .368 with 6HR and 18RBI to go along with 5SB.  Absent one down period, Bogusevic has been consistently outstanding this season.

–1B Tommy Joseph has a modest 4 game hitting streak after early struggles coming off the DL.

–Over his last 3 starts, Severino Gonzalez has a 2.81ERA. Continue reading Lehigh Valley Weekly Report →