Category Archives: 02. Org Reports

2012 DSL Phillies – Week One Update

1. VSL/DSL

As we did with the VSL a few weeks ago, this post will summarize the new names on the 2012 Phillies Dominican Summer League roster while also providing some early clues on who the top prospects to watch might be.  As always we lead with the caution that any observations here are based on stats, playing time, and age.  They are not based on actual scouting reports unfortunately unless certain players have been mentioned in interviews with the Phillies minor league staff.

In 2011 the DSL Phillies played in the 8 team Boca Chica South division and finished at 38-33, in 3rd place 8.5 games behind one of the Cubs 2 affiliates.  Many other organizations have started a second VSL team in recent years as they have closed their Venezuelan academies.  The Phillies still field one team in each league.  One interesting note on the Phillies DSL team from last year: they were outscored by 58 runs and still finished 5 games over .500.  Maybe Manny Amador should be considered to manage the big club. Continue reading 2012 DSL Phillies – Week One Update →

2012 VSL Phillies – Week One Update

1. VSL/DSL

The 2012 Venezuelan Summer League Phillies season started last week.  This post will provide a quick summary of the new names on the roster as well some insights on the first week of play.  It can also serve as a discussion area for Venezuelan prospects.  The Dominican Summer League should start next week as well and will be covered in a separate post.

The VSL has shrunk this season from 6 to 4 teams as the Pirates and Reds both pulled out of the league.  Four teams remain: the Phillies, Rays, Tigers, and Mariners.  The other teams are now sending their Venezuelan prospects to the DSL where the competition is better and the politics are a little more stable.  It is an open question as to whether the VSL can continue as a viable entity, though the Phillies seem to be staying to take advantage of the money they have invested in their baseball complex.  In addition, there may be additional advantages in attracting Venezuelan prospects who can play on a team in their country for the first year or two.  The Phillies do continue to invest in top Venezuelan prospects with their largest investment to date last year in signing OF Carlos Tocci.  Tocci will most likely make his debut later this year in the GCL.

Continue reading 2012 VSL Phillies – Week One Update →

First Person Scouting Report – Reading Phillies – 24 April 2012

6. Reading, Scouting Reports

Loyal reader Warren was able to attend Tuesday’s Reading Phillies game and provided a well-structured, detailed report. I will provide that report to you here. Thank you Warren for the time and your opinions.

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AA Game Review: Reading Phillies vs Richmond Flying Squirrels (SF Giants) – 4-24-12
Reading improved to an impressive 12-5 on a chilly Tuesday evening at First Energy Stadium, beating San Francisco’s AA affiliate 6-0. The big story here was Tyler Cloyd, who easily handled Richmond’s prospect laden lineup which includes top farmhands Gary Brown , OF, and Tommy Joseph, C / 1b. Reading’s own talented offense provided plenty of support, breaking things open with a four run seventh inning.

Continue reading First Person Scouting Report – Reading Phillies – 24 April 2012 →

2012 – New International Players In Spring Training

1. VSL/DSL, 2. GCL, International Signings

This post will provide a brief summary about the new names seen on the minor league work groups this spring.  There are more than 20 players on the minor league spring training rosters that are new signings or who played last year in one of the two Latin American complex leagues (the DSL and VSL).

The big news internationally for the Phillies this past year was the signing of OF Carlos Tocci for a reported bonus of $759,000.  This bonus is one of the largest ever given by the Phillies to an International player, though the team’s largest bonuses in the past have a mixed record of success.  The highest bonuses have generally been spent on players that did not work out (Seung Lee, Il Kim, Carlos Rodriguez), though the team has had some success with mid-level bonuses to players like Carlos Carrasco and new 2B Freddy Galvis.  By all accounts Tocci is a highly skilled CF with plus tools but with major questions about how much power he might eventually add.  Tocci is the big name in spring training, however, and it will be interesting to see where the team places him.  Galvis was in a similar situation and he was given an aggressive placement in the NY-Penn league when he was 17.  Tocci will not even turn 17 till later in the Summer, however, so a GCL destination is the most likely. Continue reading 2012 – New International Players In Spring Training →

Ryne Sandberg wins Baseball America’s MOY award

7. Lehigh Valley

Here’s the link. He says all the right things, and really he’s assembling an impressive CV as he looks to move up to the next level. He’ll get the call sometime soon, hopefully he’s able to work up the ladder to the top spot in the Phillies org. Congrats to him on the accomplishment.

Arizona Fall League Update, 12 November 2011

8. Arizona Fall League

It hasn’t been a great AFL season for the Phillies reps. But Jacob Diekman has done well (except the walks). Find all the rest below the fold.

Continue reading Arizona Fall League Update, 12 November 2011 →

Arizona Fall League Update, 30 October 2011

8. Arizona Fall League

Here is your latest update. As a reminder, the AFL is very offense-friendly. That said, the Phillies offensive players have been disappointing, and if they were looking at Overbeck’s AFL performance to determine if he was worth a spot on the 40 man roster, the answer might be no. The AFL is a small sample, and while maybe teams shouldn’t place a big emphasis on it, many of them do. I’m less concerned about Gillies, simply because he hasn’t been healthy in like 2 years, and he’s trying to shake the rust off. Simply being on the field and playing is a big step for him, and I think its a no brainer that he will be protected. Cloyd is missing bats, but his other numbers haven’t been overwhelming. Check below the fold for the player pages

Continue reading Arizona Fall League Update, 30 October 2011 →

AFL Update, 23 October 2011

8. Arizona Fall League

The update is in pictorial form, below the jump. Discuss as you see fit.

Continue reading AFL Update, 23 October 2011 →

Arizona Fall League Update, 15 October 2011

8. Arizona Fall League

As promised, another update on our guys in the AFL. I’m just posting their player pages with their detailed stats, if you find mentions of the guys around the web with detailed info, please do post it here.

Continue reading Arizona Fall League Update, 15 October 2011 →

Arizona Fall League Update, 9 October 2011

8. Arizona Fall League

Hey all. I’m going to be posting semi-regular updates on the Arizona Fall League, probably twice a week or so, and this is update #1. The Phillies did not send any upper echelon prospects this year, but there are a number of interesting guys to watch, led by Tyson Gillies, who has spent more time on the trainer’s table than on the field the last 2 seasons. Gillies is joined by Cody Overbeck, who was a mixed bag in 2011, and then a group of future bullpen arms. For those of you who haven’t followed the Arizona Fall League before, a quick primer. There are 6 teams in the league, and each team is a mix of prospects from 5 MLB teams. The Phillies prospects play for Scottsdale, along with prospects from the Red Sox, Nationals, Giants and Angels. The league is an offensive heavy league for two primary reasons. One, teams rarely send their elite pitchers to the league due to managing innings/pitch limits for a season. The exception here is a guy coming off an injury who needs to get his work in, as well as a few guys who were drafted in June and signed late, not having time to make their debuts in the regular season leagues. Additionally, the conditions in the desert are very warm, the air is thin, and the wind helps create many high scoring games. Because of these varying factors, offensive numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt, and pitching numbers just the same. As we should be doing with all leagues, focus on peripherals and secondary skills in relation to the production in the league as a whole. Check below the fold for the update on our guys

Continue reading Arizona Fall League Update, 9 October 2011 →