Category Archives: 9. Winter Leagues

Winter Ball Round Up; Feb. 2 – Fini

9. Winter Leagues,

Australian Baseball League – A couple of quick observations.  First, the announcers remarked that the Perth  Heat roster contains 4 members (3 active for the playoffs) of the the first family of baseball in Western Australia, the Kennelly family.  You may remember that Tim Kennelly was in the Phillies system for 8 years (2005-12).  The Phillies tried him at every position but shortstop.  He’s currently playing right field and DH for the Heat.

And second, the venue for the championship series is Adelaide’s Norwood Oval.  It has dirt cutouts like any artificial surface for the mound, catcher’s/batter’s boxes, and the bases.  One of the announcers remarked about the condition of the “grass”.  This piqued my interest and I had to google the Oval.  It is also known as Coopers Stadium (Coopers Brewery sponsership) and is rented to the Norwood Football Club.  It’s primary use is for Australian rules football, but is also use for a variety of other sporting events including soccer, rugby, American football, and baseball.  it has a grass surface.  An interesting twist for infielders – less certain bounces off grass but maybe a little less velocity on some ground balls. Continue reading Winter Ball Round Up; Feb. 2 – Fini →

Winter Ball Round Up; Jan. 26 – Feb.1

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Australian Baseball League – The Perth Heat swept the Sydney Blue Sox in two games to advance to the best-of-three series against the regular season champion Adelaide Bite.  Brian Pointer started in left field both games and went a combined 3 for 7 while getting hits in both games.  He scored a run and drove in one, too.  He walked once and struck out only once.  Brian also recorded an outfield assist when he cut down a runner at second base.

MLB is broadcasting Friday’s game one live at 3:30AM.  So, if your up late Thursday or up early Friday …

Continue reading Winter Ball Round Up; Jan. 26 – Feb.1 →

Winter Ball Round Up; Jan. 18 – Jan. 25

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The winter leagues are winding down.  Fewer players are playing as teams are being eliminated.  All players should be home or headed home with the conclusion of the ABL in 2 weeks.

Australian Baseball League – The ABL completed their regular season today. Brian Pointer’s Perth Heat have advanced to the first playoff round.  Two wins in next weekend’s 3-game series will send them into the final round.

Brian Pointer went 2 for 14 in 4 games with 2 BB, 4 K, and 1 SB.  His Perth Heat finished in second place with a 28-20 record. His final slash through 43 games and 153 AB is .222/.326/.386/.711 with 7 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, and 14 RBI. His K rate is 34.6% and his BB rate is 12.6%. Continue reading Winter Ball Round Up; Jan. 18 – Jan. 25 →

Winter Ball Round Up; Jan. 11 – Jan. 17

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Australian Baseball League.

Mitch Walding went 4 for 9 in 3 games with a double, 2 BB, 0 K, and 3 R. He committed 1 error on a catch at third. His Canberra Calvary are 20-21 and tied for 4th. His slash through 37 games and 135 AB is .230/318/.341/.659 with 7 2B, 2 HR, and 21 RBI. His K rate is 25.2% and his BB rate is 10%. Continue reading Winter Ball Round Up; Jan. 11 – Jan. 17 →

Winter Ball Round Up: Dec. 28 – Jan. 10

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Since the last winter ball post, the Caribbean Leagues have entered post season play. The Mexican League begins their semifinals today. The other leagues are in the middle of their round robin segments. The Australian League is still playing regular season games. Over the past 2 weeks, Phillies’ players have put up the following lines. Continue reading Winter Ball Round Up: Dec. 28 – Jan. 10 →

Winter Ball Round Up: Dec. 21 – Dec. 27

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The Winter League regular seasons are winding down.

  • DWL – ended on 12/21/2014.
  • Mexican League – ends on 12/29/2014.
  • VWL and Puerto Rican leagues – end on 12/30/2014.
  • The Australian League – ends on 1/25/2015.

And then their respective post seasons will start. Continue reading Winter Ball Round Up: Dec. 21 – Dec. 27 →

Winter Ball Round Up: Dec. 7 – Dec. 20.

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I was on the road last weekend and couldn’t provide an update. So, here’s a two-week update today.

Position Players

  • In the VWL
  • Willians Astudillo played in 8 games and went 10 for 31, no XBH, 1 RBI, and his first 2 VWL Ks. His overall slash is .314/.351/.400/.751. He has been splitting time in Left and center fields, has one outfield assist from LF, and has committed no errors.
  • Andres Blanco played in 12 games and went 13 for 41, 5 XBH, 6 RBI, 6 BB, 5 K. His overall slash is .306/.444/.472/.917. His BB rate is 11.4% and his K rate is 18.3%.
  • Freddy Galvis played in 13 games and went 16 for 53, 5 XBH, 8 BB, 7 K. Overall, he is .259/.326/.345/.671 with 12 doubles. His BB rate is 8.4% and his K rate is 21.9%. Surprisingly, he has been caught stealing in 4 of 5 attempts.
  • Cesar Hernandez played in 11 games and went 9 for 38, 3 XBH, 9 BB, 7 K, 3 SB. Overall he is .315/.393/.371/.764 with 7 doubles. His BB rate is 11.4% and his K rate is 17.7%.
  • Obudel Herrera played in 12 games and went 18 for 47, 2 HR, 6 BB, 6 K, 3 SB. Overall he’s .378/.434/.567/.1.001 with 5 HR, 13 doubles, 3 triples, 7 SB in 7 attempts. His BB rate is 8.6% and his K rate is 14.2%.
  • Gabriel Lino played in 9 games and went 6 for 24, 8 K. Overall he’s  .247/.345/.329/.674 with 6 doubles. His BB rate is 13.1% and his K rate is 31.5%.
  • Wilmer Oberto saw time in 4 games and went 0 for 5. Overall he has 39 at bats in 19 games. His slash is .179/.273/.179/.452. He has 15 Ks in those 39 ABs.

Continue reading Winter Ball Round Up: Dec. 7 – Dec. 20. →

Winter Ball Round Up: Nov. 30 – Dec. 6

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Updates on Phillies’ minor league players from around winter ball  during the last week –

  • Aaron Altherr hasn’t played since November 18th.
  • Willians Astudillo hasn’t played since November 23rd, his only appearance where he hit a 3-run HR in a 1-4 outing.
  • Emmanuel Marrero hasn’t played since November 26th.
  • Cameron Perkins hasn’t played since October 29th.
  • Darin Ruf hasn’t played since October 31st.  I read that he suffered a muscle strain, returned to the US for a second opinion, and was sent home for the winter.
  • Wilber Oberto hasn’t played since November 4th.
  • Jesse Biddle hasn’t pitched since November 8th when he was shut down for the winter after an injury.
  • Ethan Martin hasn’t pitched since November 29th.
  • Lino Martinez hasn’t pitched since November 6th.
  • Yacksel Rios hasn’t pitched since November 18th.
  • Alexis Rivero hasn’t pitched since October 20th.

Position players – Continue reading Winter Ball Round Up: Nov. 30 – Dec. 6 →

Prospects’ Fall and Winter Stats

8. Arizona Fall League, 9. Winter Leagues

The Arizona Fall, Venezuelan Winter, and Mexican Pacific leagues have all begun.

The Dominican Winter League starts on October 17th.

The Puerto Rican League starts on October 30th, as does the Australian Baseball League.  Williamsport pitcher, Josh Warner is on the reserve list for the Brisbane Bandits.  Tim Kennelly is on the Pert Heat with two brothers .  Remember Tim?  I think the Phillies tried his bat at all 8 positions before taking a look at his 95 mph arm.  He was  released in 2013.

The Caribbean Series runs February 2-8, 2015.  Last year, Sebastian Valle hit a grand slam in the championship game and former Phillies’ “prospect” Chris Roberson (2001, 9th round) was voted MVP of the series.

This link will take you to the stats of Phillies’ organization players playing ball during the off season.

http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/org.jsp?id=phi