Category Archives: 01. Site Features

2012 Reader Top 30, #4

2012 Reader Top 30

Sebastian Valle takes the #3 slot in runaway fashion, with a tightly grouped pack of four prospects following behind, which should make for interesting voting and discussion in this round. I will add Julio Rodriguez, based on popular demand, to take the spot of the chosen Valle. The voting for #4 will run through the weekend, and we’ll be back with #5 on Monday. As a reminder on eligibility for the list, to be eligible the player must have fewer than 130 AB or 50 innings pitched. The list so far

01. Trevor May, RHP
02. Jesse Biddle, LHP
03. Sebastian Valle, C

Check below for the next poll.

Continue reading 2012 Reader Top 30, #4 →

2012 Reader Top 30, #3

2012 Reader Top 30

Well, not much of a surprise at #2 with Jesse Biddle winning in a landslide, but the real fun should start now, as things will get a bit trickier. I will add Maikel Franco to the poll now. Again, if you want to write in a candidate, go for it, and as we knock off the guys on the list, I’ll be adding one new prospect each day. If there is someone that you absolutely believe should be listed, even if you don’t plan on voting for them in the current round, you should make note of it in the comments. Otherwise, the player with the most write-in votes will be automatically added. As a reminder on eligibility for the list, to be eligible the player must have fewer than 130 AB or 50 innings pitched.

The list so far

01. Trevor May, RHP
02. Jesse Biddle, LHP

Check below the fold for the newest poll

Continue reading 2012 Reader Top 30, #3 →

2012 Reader Top 30, #2

2012 Reader Top 30

Trevor May was the runaway winner for the top spot which should come as no big surprise. Things will get more interesting as we move on to #2 and then on down the line. As a reminder on eligibility for the list, to be eligible the player must have fewer than 130 AB or 50 innings pitched. Mitchell Walding received the most write-in support (4 votes), so he will be added to the poll for #2 in place of Trevor May.

The list so far

01. Trevor May, RHP
02.

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Continue reading 2012 Reader Top 30, #2 →

2012 Reader Top 30, #1

2012 Reader Top 30

Hello everyone. First off, happy new year to you. We’re going to start the Reader Top 30 today, and for those of you who are new to the site, take a look at last year’s voting to see how everything works. To quickly summarize, we will start at #1 and select the best prospect in the system, based on total number of votes received. Once a player has been voted in to a spot he can’t be voted for again. We’ll go down the line until we get to #30. Because we’re at the tail end of the New Years holiday, I will leave voting for #1 open both today and tomorrow, and the voting for #2 will begin on Wednesday, with a new poll every weekday. There has been a bit of confusion in terms of who is eligible, so this year we’ll make things really simple. To be eligible, the player must have fewer than 130 AB or 50 innings pitched. Just another reminder, you can only vote once, and if you want to vote for someone not listed in the choices, vote “Other” and type in your answer. The poll for #1 is below, enjoy.

Check below the jump for the poll

Continue reading 2012 Reader Top 30, #1 →

Carlos Rivero claimed on waivers by the Nats

Other Stuff

Just as I say I might not have anything to post about again for a while, the Nats have claimed Carlos Rivero off waivers. I wrote extensively about Rivero back in May, and while I’m sad to see him go, I don’t think this is anything to get too worked up over. He showed good tools in 2011 in a rebound season, but he is still largely a flawed prospect. He is very rough defensively at 3B, and if he can’t stick there, the only other logical spot for him is an outfield corner, where his bat may not play quite as well. He’d have been a nice guy to take a look at for one more season, but he isn’t a big loss. That said, its odd that John Bowker wasn’t DFA’ed if they were looking to clear a 40 man roster spot….

General Discussion: The end of 2011

Phillies Chatter

I wanted to quickly thank everyone for their continued support this year, including everyone who has helped provide original content here and those of you who read the site regularly and especially those of you who provide comments and feedback on a regular basis. I am planning a major post next week at some point, but I don’t want to promise it in case something else comes up and delays my timeline for releasing it here. This is something I have spent a considerable amount of time on, and I hope it is something that is well received. I will be off the grid quite a bit over the next 2 weeks, so I’ll create this discussion thread now, and it may be the last post for a little while. Of course if something major happens, like a trade, I will do my best to put something together.

So, discuss whatever it is you’d like here, trying to keep it related to the minor league system, and enjoy your holidays. I expect to have my major feature posted next week, so look for that. Thank you again for your continued support, and I am really looking forward to 2012, as I have a number of ideas and things I’d like to introduce here.

What to expect in 2012: Julio Rodriguez

2012 Expectations

Welcome to the 4th installment of the “What to expect in 2012” series. We’ve previously covered Trevor May, Jon Pettibone and Sebastian Valle. Today we’ll cover one of the more controversial prospects in the system, RHP Julio Rodriguez. J-Rod was an under the radar 8th round selection in 2008 out of Puerto Rico and since signing, he’s posted big strikeout numbers, low ERAs, and very divergent scouting reports. Some reports had his velocity in the 90-93 range, average for a RHP. Other reports had him at 86-89, far below average for a RHP. I wrote this about J-Rod way back in 2008 after he was drafted:

He’s got a great pitcher’s frame, and his motion has lots of arms and knees, which could probably create some deception. His fastball has decent life, and the Phillies are probably banking on him adding velo as he fills out his frame. The only thing I really noticed, from the side, is that it seems that he hangs over the rubber for a split second, which might be holding back some of his velocity.

he’s obviously a project, I’d bet he repeats the GCL next year unless he just lights up the world in Instructs and looks awesome in the spring. If he fills out his frame and adds 2-3 mph on his fastball and can tighten his curveball, we might have something. The Phillies seem to do a decent job with projectable RHP (Myers and Madson come to mind), so we’ll see what happens here. Its going to be a slow road for Rodriguez, but assuming he’s healthy next year, he should be a fun one to monitor over the summer.

He did repeat the GCL in 2009 and performed well, and he’s moved somewhat slowly, reaching A+ in his 4th pro season (3rd full season) He hasn’t added a ton of velocity, but again, that depends on the report you read. But the results speak for themselves…take a look:

(click to enlarge)

As I’ve said in every top 30 write-up since he was drafted, he’s going to have to prove himself at every level. The jump from A+ to AA is massive, especially in the Phillies system for pitchers, as they go from a pitcher friendly league to a hitter friendly league and a very hitter friendly home park. His GB% plummeted to just 30% in 2011, and that will cause problems next year if it persists. The most impressive stat for Rodriguez has been his opponent’s BA. In 2011 it was .184, and that follows sub .200 numbers in both 2010 and 2009. Hitters are definitely not seeing the ball out of his hand, and it leads to a lot of weak contact. What is the secret? Is it the long arms and legs? Can he continue to repeat it? 2012 is going to be a huge year for J-Rod, in whatever role the Phillies use him. What are your expectations?

General Discussion, week of 5 December 2011

Phillies Chatter

I know how tough it is to try contain your excitement over every bogus trade rumor/free agency signing, so try and keep it all in this post and out of the other specific topic posts. Thanks.

Phils sign Brian Sanches, Scott Elarton

Other Stuff

The Phillies announced yesterday that they signed RP Brian Sanches, along with SP Scott Elarton.  Sanches, 33, was part of the Phillies organization from 2004-2007, progressing from AA to the majors, seeing some time for the Phils.  Originally a 2nd round draft choice by the Royals in the 1999 draft, Sanches went on to throw for the Nationals and Marlins having a good modicum of major league success in FLorida over the passed three years. In 2011, Sanches was 4-1 with a 3.94 ERA in 39 games, throwing 61.2 innings for the Marlins.

The reclamation project of the 2012 Spring Training will be Scott Elarton, 35, who last pitched in the White Sox organization in 2010.  Elarton, a 1st round pick by the Astros in the 1995 draft was both highly touted and successful in his early career winning 17 games for the Astros in 2007, Elarton, a 6’7 RHP, last threw in the majors for the Indians in 2008.

The Phils also announced that they have invited 8 players on minor league deals to Major League Spring Training. Thse names include Kevin Frandsen, Pete Orr, Tuffy Gosewisch, Raul Valdes, Brian Sanches, Scott Elarton, Scott Podsenik and Pat Misch.

Mathieson Out, Misch In

Other Stuff

The Lehigh Valley roster has begun the process of taking shape with two transactions of consequence today.  First, the Phillies have released Pitcher Scott Mathieson and it is expected that Mathieson will be playing in Asia next year, earning in the neighborhood of $2 million. Mathieson, the Phils 17th round pick in the 2002 draft was out of options after bouncing back and forth between the Phils and Lehigh Valley last year, struggling in his time with the big club. For Lehigh Valley, Mathieson, still just 27, went 2-2 with a 3.28 ERA in 30 games, including 12 starts. Mathieson, as he has in the past struck out many batters but ran deep counts and walked hitters at a very high rate resulting in a 1.47 WHIP.

The Phils have signed 30 year old LHP Pat Misch, who played in the Mets organization last season, going 8-9 with a 4.00 ERA in 22 starts for AAA Buffalo. Misch pitches to contact striking out less than 100 in over 140 innings, having has good control with a WHIP that stood under 1.30. Misch also pitched in 10 games for the Mets and was hit very hard at the major league level. Misch was originally a 7th round selection of San Francisco in the 2003 major league draft out of Western Michigan University. In 2010, Misch was an IL All Star and won the Most Valuable Pitcher Award for Buffalo.

Late Note: The Phils have re-signed OF Scott Podsednik, who missed most of last season with a variety of foot injuries and have invited him to Spring Training.