You can check it out here. The angle isn’t really the best, and its only a few pitches interspersed with the interview (and for English being his second language, he’s picked it up well), but he appears to have removed most of the “hitch” in his delivery. Obviously the results speak for themselves, but I gotta say, I’m extremely encouraged by the early returns. At the time I wrote my Top 30, I was under the impression that Aumont would be used in relief, just as he was with Seattle, and only after my list went to publication was it announced that he was being moved back to the rotation and his mechanics would be cleaned up. Knowing that, I’d have ranked him probably 5th in the system behind Brown, Gillies, May, and Santana, and right ahead of Gose.

Check it out here in the Toronto Sun. Basically, its been a best case scenario since Aumont got to spring training. In my Top 30 writeup and everything I wrote after the Halladay/Lee deals, I indicated that I’d love to see Aumont moved back to the rotation, and that his mechanics/arm action be cleaned up. So far, the changes appear to be taking, and Aumont seems to have a great attitude toward everything. This is obviously extremely promising, and had I known the Phillies were going to follow this plan, I’d have probably ranked Aumont a few spots higher in my Top 30. Good stuff.

Also, keep an eye on the Reading Phillies website. They’ve been posting recaps of the minor league games being played between the Phillies and other AA affiliates. In the 8-1 win yesterday there were solid performances from Tyson Gillies and Michael Schwimer, among others.

Update –> Thanks for the mention in comments, the Blue Claws Blog has updates from all the games. Check it out here.

Jim Salisbury has the latest. To me, this is a no-brainer. Aumont might not have the stuff/control to remain a starter long term, but he’s still developing, is still very young, and there’s no reason to rush him to the majors in the bullpen. The rumors about his degenerative hip, plus his mechanics made it seem like the bullpen was the only option, but I think giving him a season to start and see what they have makes a lot of sense. If his fastball can sit 93-94 with heavy sink and he can refine his curve and changeup enough to be average pitches, he can certainly be a middle of the rotation starter. And that has more value than a 7th/8th inning reliever. Aumont turned 21 a few days ago, he’ll likely spend 2010 at AA, where he will be young for the league. I have him ranked 8th in my top 30 based on the notion that he’d be a reliever. With them moving him back to the rotation, I’d bump him up to 6th, behind Brown, Gillies, May, Santana, and Gose.