Category Archives: 03. Draft Central

Rule 5 Draft Preview – 40 Man Roster Decisions

Rule 5 Draft

Each December at the Winter Meetings is the Rule 5 draft, the draft was created in order to provide a path to the major leagues for players in deep systems that would otherwise be blocked.  To be eligible for the Rule 5 draft a player must:

  • Not be on a 40 man roster
  • Have been in the minor leagues for at least 4 years if he was signed at or after age 19
  • Have been in the minor leagues for at least 5 years if he was signed at or before age 18

The main point of interest here is which prospects will receive a 40 man roster spot in order to be protected in the draft.  Two of the most controversial players Tyler Cloyd and Darin Ruf received spots on the 40 man roster has part of their September call-ups and are thus exempt from the draft.  The Phillies have until November 20 to submit a 40 man roster to the commissioner’s office of those that are to be protected. Continue reading Rule 5 Draft Preview – 40 Man Roster Decisions →

BA’s 2012 Draft Report Card (with added scouting reports)

2012 Draft, Gueller, Mitch, Watson, Shane

Today Baseball America released their Draft Report card for the 2012 draft (article can be read here http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/draft/news/2012/2614213.html).  BA has put out some awards with a short blip, I have added some more information to each profile:

BA’s Quick Take:

Despite forfeiting their first-round pick by signing Jonathan Papelbon, the Phillies added a pair of promising high school pitchers with supplemental picks they got for losing Raul Ibanez and Ryan Madson.

Best Pure Hitter:

Andrew Pullin (OF/2B) – Pullin was the Phillies 5th round pick, an outfielder in high school the Phillies are moving him to second base.  Pullin’s hitting style is unorthodox but he keeps his hands in the zone and has the ability to spray line drives all over the field.

Cameron Perkins (1B/3B/OF) – Perkins drafted out of Purdue in the 6th round.  Perkins has a good feel for hitting and a fast bat, he proved throughout his college career that he can make good contact.

Continue reading BA’s 2012 Draft Report Card (with added scouting reports) →

Draft 2012 Added

03. Draft Central, 2012 Draft

I added a home page for the 2012 draft on the menu bar at the top.  Just a place to find all of the discussions from before, during, and after the draft.  Here’s a link if you want to bookmark it.

https://phuturephillies.com/the-draft/2012-draft-picks/

International Signing

International Signings

Per Ben Badler at BA, the Phils have signed Jose Pujols, who Badler called #20 in International FA market.  “Philadelphia has signed Dominican corner outfielder Jose Pujols for $540,000. Pujols, 16, has tremendous righthanded power and bat speed from his lanky 6-foot-4, 175-pound frame.”

Seeing Badler also reporting Phils signed 16-year old catcher Deivi Grullon.  Commenters below have info on him already, but Badler called him the 15th best Intl. prospect last week.

Continue reading International Signing →

Draft Tracker

2012 Draft

I have compiled what public info I could and read everyone’s comments in the Draft Day Three post.  Please let me know if you all have any more info that should be included.  Signing dates are from Phillies site on MLB.com.  Bonuses are from published reports.  Click the graphic to enlarge. Continue reading Draft Tracker →

Draft: Day Two

2012 Draft

Rounds 2-15 will take place today and this is your place to talk about it.  I will unfortunately be out of the loop until this evening because of work commitments but will try to gather what info I can to post tonight.  Feel free to post whatever you all can find in the comments section during the day. Things get underway at noon, and Victor will be providing updates as the day goes along. Continue reading Draft: Day Two →

The Draft, Day One, Phils Pick Shane Watson, Mitch Gueller

03. Draft Central, 2012 Draft

An official post that will be updated throughout the next couple of days with draft information. Please use this post exclusively for your draft comments.  No doubt with the loss of James, draft coverage will suffer.  That being said, I will do the best I can to keep everyone updated with what is occurring over the next three days…..

And with their #40 pick, the Phillies select……P Shane Watson, a high school pitcher from California.

The Phils go for Watson, who is a big right handed pitcher with a lean body has been clocked up to 95-96 MPH and generally throws around 92. Watson has a good deal of raw arm strength, but like most high schoolers must work on his consistency.  The MLB Network put his comp at Jordan Zimmerman. Watson adds what scouts say is an excellent 12-6 curveball that he throws in the low 80’s.  Watson is working on his secondary pitches that include a change and slider.  Watson is committed to playing at USC.

With their second pick in the Supplemental Round (#54), the Phils pick high school Mitch Gueller, who is committed to Washington State. A big guy, many are calling the Gueller the best pick from the Northwest in the draft. Keith Law ranked Gueller as the 39th best prospect in the draft as an OF, while Baseball America ranked Guellar #107 as a pitcher.  As on the mound, Guellar throws his fastball in the low 90’s with a good change up and a breaking ball that is improving.  While Guellar is considered more advanced as a pitcher, Guellar has also shown very good potential as a hitter.

More to come tomorrow.

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 →

Phillies one of the finalists for Jorge Soler?

International Signings

I’m trying to not get too excited, but Jeff Passan, who generally doesn’t make a habit out of rumor mongering, tweeted this

https://twitter.com/#!/JeffPassan/status/169962180060524544

So I’m excited now. I did a writeup on Cespedes and Soler a little while back. BA has a nice in depth scouting report on Soler in this article (subscription required for the full thing), but here is the conclusion:

Soler is athletic for his size and there are reports of him running the 60-yard dash in 6.5 seconds—a time that grades out as well above-average speed—but several scouts have said he’s really an average runner at best, running better underway than down the line. Soler was a tall, slender guy back in 2008 when he played third base for Cuba at the 16U COPABE Pan American Championships in Mexico, but he’s blown up physically since then. Depending on how much bigger he gets, there’s a chance he could end up at first base down the road, but he should be able to handle right field for the near future. Scouts are mixed on his outfield instincts but he does have an above-average arm. He would likely begin his career at one of the Class A levels.

So if you’re the type of person who gets bent out of shape when things don’t go your way, then don’t get excited. But if you like to believe in the best possible scenario unfolding, then get excited that the Phillies are legitimately in the running for this guy.

The Cubs sign Gerardo Conception for $7M

International Signings

You can cross him off your winter wishlist. I wrote a bit about him here, and he ended up signing for right in the range I had speculated. Another one bites the dust.