Though it wasn’t his prettiest game of the year the bullpen picked him up and helped get Andrew Carpenter his record tying 15th win of the year. Andrew joins Ezequiel Astacio of the 2003 Clearwater Phillies as the only Clearwater pitcher to have ever earned 15 wins in a season. Andrew currently has a record of 15-6 and is 8-2 since the all-star break with an ERA of 2.22 over that stretch.
Continue reading Andrew Carpenter Picks Up Record Tying 15th Win in Clearwater
I hope Fabio has paid up his insurance premiums, as he’s the next guy to walk through the revolving door in the Phillies bullpen, a door which has ultimately led to the trainer’s room and then the disabled list. Mike Zagurski got the tap when Eaton went on the DL, and was injured almost immediately. Enter Yoel Hernandez, and he gets hurt almost immediately. So, Fabio, best of luck!
Today’s question; do you see Castro as a starter or reliever going forward? If he were to pitch a full season in the big leagues next year, what kind of numbers do you see him putting up?
We sometimes get caught up in ranking guys on prospect lists, wondering what so and so will become, etc etc, and sometimes we forget that not every guy in the minors is a prospect, and not every guy is going to make it to the big leagues. Many of these guys know that, yet they continue to play in hopes of one day getting their shot, much like Chris Coste did last season. For every Chris Coste, there are hundreds of guys who won’t make it, but they keep plugging along in hopes of one day getting their shot. Donald Leypoldt, a freelance writer from the Manchester Silkworms of the NECBL, and he passed along a nice article he wrote on Gary Burnham, so I felt I’d share it here. Your feedback, as always, is appreciated.
Andrew Carpenter kept his solid pitching going for the Threshers on Wednesday night by picking up a complete game win for his 14th victory of the year. The all-time Clearwater record for wins in a season is 15, and with at least three if not four more starts on tap before the season is over Andy has an excellent shot at eclipsing that mark.
Andrew was a member of the Western Division All-Star team, and since the all-star break he owns a record of 7-2 with a 1.95 ERA allowing opponents to hit just .228 against him.
Continue reading Andrew Carpenter Closing in on Clearwater Record
Kevin Goldstein gave props to Jason Donald today in his ranking of shortstop prospects in the minors, ranking Donald 8th. The list
1. Reid Brignac (TBD)
2. Chin-lung Hu (LAD)
3. Carlos Triunfel (SEA)
4. Brent Lillibridge (ATL)
5. Jed Lowrie (BOS)
6. Hector Gomez (COL)
7. Chris Nelson (COL)
8. Jason Donald
A third-round pick last year, Donald never lived up to expectations in college, but he’s been the most pleasant surprise in the Phillies organization this year. Donald is one of those players who is more valuable than the sum of his parts. The are no real weaknesses in his offensive game, as he hits for average with gap power and draws his share of walks. Defensively, it’s much of the same, as he rarely makes the spectacular play, but he’s fundamentally sound and consistently converts every ball he gets to into an out. He’s a solid but unspectacular talent with no real career path within the organization due to the presence of both Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley
9. Elvis Andrus (TEX)
10. Brian Bixler (PIT)
Not really THAT big of a shock really. The Phillies needed to clear a spot on the 40 man roster for Russell Branyan, so someone had to go. Geary was optioned to Ottawa again, another non-shock. Segovia was always kind of a fringe guy, and it was tough to figure out if he could get by with a lack of velocity and true out pitches, and we found out the answer this season. When a player is designated for assignment, a team has 72 hours to trade or release him. Best of luck to him wherever he ends up.
Which players do you think will get the call this September? List your choices and give your reasoning. I’m planning a Q/A with Bryan Smith, a writer from Baseball Prospectus, and should have that in a few days, so check back for that.
Players come, players go, players come, players…well-you get the idea. A player can be gone and back before you know it. A player can get promoted, released, waived, resigned, reassigned quicker than the time it takes me to write this column. Some players skip one or two levels-briefly, and then are sent back to their original designation. Lately I’ve been reluctant to go to the washroom at the ballpark or take the elevator three floors to the concourse for a hot dog fearing that the roster sheet I picked up before the game that night only a couple of hours ago might be only half accurate by the time I return. Triple A players need cell phones in the likely event they are waiting in the airport lounge, (or bus terminal), to get to their next level of baseball only to be told they are going somewhere else, staying, or they’ve been released. The only thing which seems to stay constant is the odd veteran, the manager, the coaching staff and the office staff. I mean, somebody has to stay here and sort this all out. I now know why players names are usually only taped on the top of their locker.
To sign our remaining draft picks from the 2007 draft. Here are the remaining unsigned guys on our draft list
03.13 – Brandon Workman, RHP (Bowie HS)
12.19 – Julian Sampson, RHP (Skyline HS)
18.19 – Mark Adzik, LHP (William Penn Charter School)
19.19 – Cedric Johnson, CF (Thatcher HS)
20.19 – Carlos Moncrief, RHP (Hillcrest Christian HS)
29.19 – Derek Hall, C (El Dorado HS)
31.19 – Jeff Richard, RHP (Central Michigan U)
34.19 – Brett Hambright, C (Temescal Canyon HS)
35.19 – Zach Cleveland, RHP (Golden HS)
36.19 – Kyle Benoit, RHP (Cardinal Leger SS)
37.19 – Kyle Slate, RHP (Christian Brothers Academy)
38.19 – Joe Paylor, CF (Hillcrest HS)
39.19 – Michael Branham, RHP (U Florida)
40.19 – John Hinson, SS (AC Reynolds HS)
41.19 – Tyler Gilder, RHP (Butte HS)
42.19 – James Mahler, RHP (Jordan HS)
43.19 – Cory Vaughn, RF (Jesuit HS)
44.19 – Brandon Bonner, RHP (Lakewood HS)
45.19 – Michael Morrison, 1B (Bishop Luers HS)
46.19 – Damian Seguen, RHP (North Bergen HS)
47.19 – Jeremiah Manning, RF (Bartow HS)
48.19 – Cody Winiarski, RHP (Union Grove HS)
49.19 – Navarro Hall, CF (Kennesaw Mountain HS)
50.19 – Jeremy Penn, RHP (All Saints Cathedral School)
Which guys will get signed? Obviously the guys at the top are the ones we’re worried about, but I’ve heard NOTHING over the last 10 days on Workman, Sampson or Moncrief. The indications a few weeks ago were that the Phillies had confidence in both Workman and Sampson, so we’ll see.
Buckle up, and let’s see what happens. If a Phillies prospect is traded, check back here, I’ll give the rundown.
And that, folks, is as anti-climatic as it gets from the Phillies perspective. No outfielder to replace Victorino, instead, we’re going to experience the joy that is Chris Roberson again. The Phillies did add Julio Mateo, a 29 year old pitcher from Seattle (shock that Gillick would deal with Seattle), but it’s unsure whether or not he’s going to be added to the major league roster right away or not. Merchan had no real future with the Phillies, so it’s not a bad deal.
