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.
It continues in Philly, with Vance Worley, 22, getting called up to the big club one day after Jamie Moyer went down with an elbow strain and Andrew Carpenter lasted one outing (3IP, 3ER) in his latest attempt with the Phils. Carpenter was optioned back to AAA Lehigh Valley. One other notable transaction today, from a Phillies perspective had Nelson Figueroa getting picked up on waivers by the Houston Astros. Worley the Phils 3rd round pick in the ’08 draft has been very strong as of late going 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA in his 3 July starts for AA Reading. On the year he is 9-4 with a 3.20 ERA. He has thrown 112.2 IP, allowed 114 hits, walked 36 and struck out 83. Opponents are hitting .264 on him for the year with a WHIP of 1.33.
An interesting move to say the least when the presumption was that JA Happ was pulled from yesterdays start for Lehigh Valley after 3 innings in preparation for a possible weekend start for the big club. That could still happen, but this is interesting nonetheless. And let the talk continue….
Another look at how relievers are performing at the top half of the Phils minor league system as the trade deadline approaches. Look for reliever updates for Lakewood, Williamsport and GCL this weekend or next week.
Lehigh Valley
Antonio Bastardo, 24, 7 games with Lehigh Valley and has not allowed an earned run while striking out 10 in 5.2 innings. Bastardo has bounced around so much the last two years, that the fact that he is still just 24 is easily forgotten. He continues to have good stuff. Staying off the DL and command issues are the key.
Alex Concepcion, 25, 22 games, 2-2 with a 5.10 ERA; 30 IP 23H 16BB 18K, 5 hr allowed, 1.30 WHIP; 0.92 GO/AO; .205 opp. avg., .280 with RISP; .260 vs. LH, .161 vs. RH. Concepcion has been hurt badly by the home run ball. He throws strikes and has a very good change up but needs more consistency. Continue reading Around the System–Relievers, Top Half
The Phillies optioned starter Kyle Kendrick to AAA Lehigh Valley after a very rough outing for him against the Cardinals last night that featured multiple mound visits by Rich Dubee. Called up to fill in Kendrick’s roster spot is right hander Drew Carpenter. It is unclear righ now if Carpenter will take Kendrick’s turn in the rotation. Kendrick, who the 3rd best ERA in the Phils starting rotation, joins Lehigh Valley having gone 5-4 with a 4.82 ERA in 18 starts for the Phils. Carpenter has been consistent for Lehigh Valley, going 7-6 with a 3.41 ERA in his 18 starts. Certainly an interesting move in light of the fact that JA Happ sits in Lehigh Valley as well. Happ has not yet put together a solid start for Lehigh Valley struggling at least mildly in each outing.
The most common question I get when people e-mail me is “What do you think of pitcher X” or “what is pitcher X’s upside”. I figured that this would be a good spot for me to talk a bit about how I look at pitchers, what I focus on, and why, and then to also talk a little about my theory on starting pitching designations in the majors. Hopefully this will answer some questions that people have, or just serve as a good discussion on player evaluation. So check below and we’ll get started.
Continue reading On rotation spot designations, upside, and velocity
Happy Friday. Last night’s box scores
GCL Phillies lost 6-5.
Williamsport lost 2-1.
Lakewood won 6-5.
Clearwater lost 8-7.
Reading lost 3-2.
Lehigh Valley lost 8-7.
* Jiwan James extends his hitting streak
* JC Ramirez with a CG in the loss, 9 K and 0 BB. That makes 3 straight solid starts for him at AA
* Brody Colvin gives up 3 unearned runs, 0 earned, which makes 5 unearned runs in his last 2 starts. One wonders what his hit totals would look like if his defense behind him was a bit better. Still, his last 10 starts; 62 IP – 1.60 ERA – 37 H – 15 BB – 55 K – 1.25 GB/FB. Absurd. With the scouting reports indicating he’s been 93-95 this year and has hit 97 at times, I’d argue that he’s actually our best pitching prospect, just ahead of Cosart. If Cosart was 100% healthy, I might go the other way, but Colvin appears to be more refined with better secondary offerings, even if his fastball is a tick less than Cosart’s.
Let’s look at last night’s results
GCL Phillies lost 7-2.
Williamsport won 2-0.
Lakewood won 6-2.
Clearwater lost 1-0.
A bunch of Phillies prospects were in the AA and AAA All Star Games. Drew Naylor had a night to forget.
* Jiwan James extended his hitting streak
* Biddle gave up 7 runs, but only 1 was earned!
I give the scores, you rant and rave.
GCL Phillies lost 2-0 and lost 2-1.
Williamsport won 3-2.
Lakewood lost 3-2.
Clearwater won 5-1.
Reading lost 5-3.
* Jiwan James now has a 20 game hitting streak
* Jim Salisbury reports that Jarred Cosart saw Dr Andrews and was given a clean bill of health. Which is good, obviously.
Phuture Phillies 