I hear Cincinnati is nice this time of year. No wait, that statement is never true. Any time of year. TAKE THAT CINCINNATI!
So let’s talk about baseball.
p.s. I have only been to Cincinnati once, and I had no problems with it.
Category Archives: Other Stuff
Austin Wright to the DL
Media folks on Twitter are reporting that a Reading press release states Austin Wright is heading to the DL with elbow tendinitis. No impending doctor visits were announced in the release, so we’ll have to just wait and see on that front. Wright has given up 1 hit, 11 walks, 6 earned runs and struck out 5 in six innings this year. He was ranked as the Phillies #18 prospect this off-season by Baseball America after a fairly strong 2012 where he gave up 147 hits, 60 walks and 57 earned runs while striking out 133 in 147 and 2/3 innings.
Tom Cochran will replace Wright at Reading. Cochran was 9-5 with a 3.96 ERA at Lehigh Valley in 2012.
Hot or Not, Week One
First edition of hot or not this season as we take a look at the period of 4/4 through 4/10. Hitters must have a minimum of 12 AB’s to be considered.
Cesar Hernandez impressed at the plate and in the field this week while the Phils athletic outfielders struggled to start the season (Collier, Gillies, Mitchell, Hudson). Exciting starts for Percy Garner and SHane Watson, while the much talked about Lehigh Valley rotation makes up most of the “not hot” starters list.
Hot Hitters:Tyler Henson (.526, HR, 5RBI); Cesar Hernandez (.480, 5R); James Murphy, (.379, HR, 6RBI), Leandro Castro (.348, 4R, 2SB); Anthony Hewitt (.348, 4RBI, 2SB), Roman Quinn (.333, HR, 4RBI, 3SB), Mitch Walding (.333, 6RBI); Aaron Altherr (.333, 4r, 3sb) Honorable Mention: Rupp, Numata, Ruf Continue reading Hot or Not, Week One
Lehigh Valley Weekly Report
A new manager, a new starting rotation and a new urinal game are the 2013 features in Allentown as the IronPigs opened the 2013 season, with a fairly miserable week during which they went 2-4 and played very sloppy baseball. Lehigh Valley stands at 2-4 after Week One, three games behind division leading Pawtucket. They conclude their first home stand of the season tonight against Pawtucket and then hit the road for 8 games against Syracuse and Pawtucket.
‘Pigs Leaders-Hitting–Cesar Hernandez is 5th in AB’s (25),7th in OBP (.500); 4th in avg (.462); leads the league in hits (12) , is tied for 4th in doubles (3) Darin Ruf is 6th in AB’s (25), is tied for 4th in doubles (4); Cody Asche 7th in strikeouts (7); Leandro Castro is tied for 4th in SB’s (2). Continue reading Lehigh Valley Weekly Report
Overviewing Reading’s Roster – Catchers
It’s great to be here writing for Phuture Phillies! I’m joecull, and as could be assumed, I’ll be writing for Phuture Phillies. My work will mainly pertain to the Reading Fightin’ Phils (And no, I’m not a fan of the name). Without further ado, lets analyze Reading’s catching situation.
Sebastian Valle- By now, we all know about Valle’s plate discipline, or lack thereof. Last year, he hit .253/.271/.428 with 17 homers and 58 RBI in 388 at-bats between Reading and Lehigh Valley. If he was in Lehigh Valley last year, why is he back in Reading? The answers are quite simple. He was simply dominated in AAA last year, in no small part thanks to his lack of plate discipline. Valle walked 2 times in 80 plate appearances and struck out 31 times. That’s a 15.5 K/BB ratio, which is pretty ugly. It’s safe to say that he wasn’t ready for AAA. Also, Tommy Joseph’s emergence plays a role in Valle’s return to Reading. Acquired in last year’s Hunter Pence trade, Joseph is a better hitter than Valle with more plate discipline. Continue reading Overviewing Reading’s Roster – Catchers
General Discussion – Week of April 8, 2013
Here’s a fresh general discussion for you all – just a reminder that this is the best place for general big-club stuff, not in the daily boxscore recap. I know sometimes it’s a fine line and I’m usually not one to quibble, so just do your best, k?
Adam Morgan’s AAA Debut
Adam Morgan made his AAA debut this evening at Coca Cola Park in Allentown and I came away again impressed. After seeing Morgan twice last season in Reading, I was looking forward to see how he put it together against a Chiefs lineup that had put up 22 runs in their first 2 games against Lehigh Valley this series.
Morgan was the Phillies 3rd round draft pick out of the University of Alabama in 2011 and quickly rose through the organization after throwing almost 160 innings between Clearwater and Reading last season, consistently looking very good.
Morgan went 6 innings, and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits. He walked one and struck out five. He threw 85 pitches, 60 for strikes showing very good command. His lone mistake was on a 2-2 fastball to Jeff Kubernius who put it into the left field bullpen. Morgan consistently was pitching ahead of hitters throwing his fastball generally between 89-93, but hitting 96 and 97 on one occasion each. I was impressed with Morgan’s confidence in his off speed pitches, consistently using them behind in the count effectively. Morgan also showed athleticism, making two nice plays coming off the mound. Morgan’s poise was also notable, as he appeared unphased by the gopher ball by Kubernius and pitched well with runners on base.
Depth Chart Brainstorm
For the record, Depth Chart Brainstorm is a fine name for an Emo or Math Rock band. Anyway, I’m thinking about throwing a couple of these out there during the course of the year, just to give us all a chance to discuss contingency plans for the big club. Some no brainers, and a couple that will likely be fluid as the year and certain prospects progress. But for now, if someone went down with an injury tomorrow, who’d be the man getting the call? Continue reading Depth Chart Brainstorm
2013 Minor League Predictions
I was going to avoid writing a prediction piece on the minor league season but the major league season has gotten off to a depressing enough start that I started writing some predictions for the minor league season. I will limit these to positive predictions as it is the time of year for optimism.
1. As the big league club struggles and prospects get more attention, Reading, Lehigh Valley, and Lakewood all continue to see attendance boosts and coverage by mainstream media as casual fans learn more about the farm system.
2. Shane Watson dominates Lo-A hitters with his curveball but the Phillies leave him in Lakewood all year to work on fastball command and building arm strength. Continue reading 2013 Minor League Predictions
Prospect Profile: Reading and Lehigh Valley
So in honor of the first minor league game of the year (even if it was an exhibition) all of the AA and AAA prospects are in the spotlight.
How we got here:
You will have to read Brad’s game recap to find out.
What happened:
All velocities quoted are off of TV which is off of the LHV gun, which according to Eric Logenhagen of Crashburn Alley was slow compared to the gun Jesse Biddle had for the guys tracking pitches.
Brody Colvin: Looked good, snapped off some good looking curveballs. The fastest fastball I saw was 92 but he was throwing harder as the innings progressed. He had a good changeup that was kind of straight but looked good out of the hand. More importantly he looked in shape and the delivery looked good. Continue reading Prospect Profile: Reading and Lehigh Valley
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