Category Archives: 04. Prospect Features

Threshers’ Notebook

01. Site Features, 02. Org Reports, 5. Clearwater, Savery, Joe

The Threshers had a six game week this past week with a day off on Monday; overall they went 3-3 in the week.

They lost the final game of their series against the Vero Beach Devil Rays on Wednesday with Joe Savery taking the loss. After a Tursday night rain out they then split a double header to start a series with the St Lucie Mets. Drew Naylor pitched a complete game in the first game of the double header but took a 3-1 loss while Andrew Carpenter pitched a complete game in the second game by throwing a one-hit shut out in route to a 4-0 Threshers win.

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Threshers Update 6/25

02. Org Reports, 04. Prospect Features, 5. Clearwater, Savery, Joe

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last full Clearwater report, but not a lot has changed over that time. The first half of the season ended with the Threshers alone in last place with a record of 32-38 13.5 games out of first place, and the second half of the season has begun with the Threshers again in last place with a 1-5 record 4.0 games out of first. Edgar Garcia, Matt German, Brett Harker, and Gus Milner all took part in the FSL all star game for the Threshers at the end of the first half, and each performed well in the game.
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Kevin Goldstein’s Top 100 Update

Savery, Joe, Top Prospect Lists

Over the next few days Kevin Goldstein is going to do brief blurbs on his Top 100 guys. Here are the udpates on Carrasco and Savery

68. Carlos Carrasco, RHP, Phillies
Eligible Next Year? Yes
Production: 3.78 ERA at Double-A (88-85-32-85)
Stock Report: He’s missed more bats at Double-A this time around, but remains a bit more hittable than one would like. Still, it’s a slight step forward.

96. Joe Savery, LHP, Phillies
Eligible Next Year? Yes
Production: 4.69 ERA at High-A (78.2-99-33-64)
Stock Report: Down. After a good start to the season, Savery has been getting hammered of late, giving up 57 hits in his last 35 2/3 innings. Some scouts are worried that something else is wrong, as his stuff has been way off as well.

An injury might explain Savery’s very mixed results. Hmm.

EDIT –> This is an update of his 2008 preseason Top 100, not a current Top 100 or a projected Top 100 next year. “Eligible Next Year” has to do with projected prospect eligibility for next season.

Clearwater Week in Review

02. Org Reports, 5. Clearwater, Savery, Joe


Spread the word…wear Phuture Phillies!

For the first time this season the Clearwater Threshers had a winning record for the week of their report. The team was 4-3 on the week, though they remain at 25-33 on the year and in last place in their division. The good news on the week was the announcement of the F.S.L. All-Star team. Four Threshers were chosen to represent the Western Division at the game this upcoming Father’s Day weekend in Brevard County, FL.

Edgar Garcia, Matt German, Brett Harker, and Gus Milner will all take part in the game. In addition as the defending Western Division champs the Clearwater Threshers coaching staff has the honor of leading the Western Division squad in the game.
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Threshers Week in Review

02. Org Reports, 5. Clearwater, Savery, Joe

The Clearwater Threshers finished another week with a 3-3 record and currently sit at 21-30 on the year twelve games out of first place with 19 games remaining until the end of the first half of the season. Barring a complete collapse by all five of the teams ahead of our club in the standings it seems unlikely that that team can secure a playoff berth in the first half of the season to try and defend their 2007 FSL crown. Of course as we say here just about every year, there’s always the second half .

Despite the team’s record the club is not as bad as their record would indicate. Offensively the team has made some strides while beginning to get some extra base hits which is certainly promising. After trailing the league most of the season they moved up three places to ninth (of twelve) in slugging percentage this week. Unfortunately the pitching also ranks ninth in ERA with a 4.11 mark on the year and the Threshers staff has surrendered the most HR in the league having given up 45 so far on the year while the offense has managed to hit just 23 HR of their own.
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Weekly Threshers Notes

02. Org Reports, 5. Clearwater, Savery, Joe

The Clearwater Threshers got the past week off to a rough start when they were held to just one run in their series final against the Dunedin Bluejays, but finished the week on a high note by picking up a 9-3 win over the Daytona Cubs and giving Zack Segovia his first win of the season. Sandwiched in between were to more wins and three more losses to give the team a 3-4 record on the week moving the team’s overall record to 18-27 on the year securing their place firmly at the bottom of the FSL Western Division standings.
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Clearwater Threshers Weekly Report

02. Org Reports, 5. Clearwater, Savery, Joe

Welcome Back Adrian Cardenas!

The Threshers had a pretty good week this week despite going just 3-3 in the process with Sunday as an off-day for Mother’s Day. The week began with the Threshers picking up two wins to extend their streak to four wins-in-a-row for the first time this year; they then lost two tightly contested games on Friday & Saturday.

The team was shut out by their cross-county rivals the Dunedin Bluejays on Monday with Tuffy Gosewisch picking up the team’s only hit in the game, and then they ended the week with a come-from-behind win over the Bluejays thanks to a seventh inning home run from Adrian Cardenas in his first game back since April the 17th. Continue reading Clearwater Threshers Weekly Report →

Clearwater Threshers Report

5. Clearwater, Bastardo, Antonio, Savery, Joe

Well last week’s report contained 8 games due to a 10:30 am game on Wednesday last week, so this week’s report includes only 5 games because of a day off for the league on Tuesday this week. Of course the big story for the week was Antonio Bastardo’s line in his game this past week. Overall the team went 2-3 on the week winning it’s last two games making it the first time this season the team has won two games in a row.

The offense has come to life a bit as of late coming up from last in the league in team batting average after week one, and next to last in batting average after week two to fourth (of twelve teams) in batting average currently. The offense has drawn the second most walks in the league, and has struck out fewer than all but one team in the league. Unfortunately the team is hitting without any power at all. The offense is last in slugging percentage, and in all XBH categories, last is RBIs, and next to last in runs scored as a result. (The odd thing is the team with the fewest runs in the league, the Tampa Yankees, are only one game out of first in the division.)

For the most part pitching remains the team’s strength and they lead the league with four shut outs so far this year, and have allowed the second fewest runs. The team has the third most strikeouts in the league with 197, but has also allowed the second most walks with 99. Continue reading Clearwater Threshers Report →

All Bastardo, All the time

Bastardo, Antonio, Ten Pack/Hot Sheet

Its Monday Morning Ten Pack time

Antonio Bastardo, LHP, High-A Clearwater (Phillies)
Bastardo can be seen as one of those “is what he is” kind of players: a short lefty with average velocity. However, beyond his left-handedness, he’s also got fantastic command and a killer changeup. That’s enough to make him some kind of prospect, and he’s on a roll with the Threshers, striking out 13 over eight two-hit innings yesterday—his third double-digit strikeout game in five starts. Currently sitting with a 1.17 ERA and 47 Ks in 30 2/3 innings, Bastardo is starting to get some attention as something more than just a future lefty lefty specialist, though he still has that in his back pocket, as lefty batters are currently 3-for-37 with 23 strikeouts against the 22-year-old Dominican.

I think KG is getting a little carried away with the “excellent command”, but Bastardo is getting noticed. Move over Cole Hamels….

Another lesson on patience

Bastardo, Antonio

Its not a surprise for me to log on and see people ranting about Antonio Bastardo, and of course you only have to go back to last summer to see this lesson, which will be explained again, in the case of Tyler Mach. I had a few posters vocally ranting about Mach needing to be promoted to Clearwater, because he was clearly a better prospect than I was giving him credit for. This was when he was hitting a ridiculous .400+ after a weeks of the short season. Of course he cooled down dramatically, and now he’s still MIA and pondering retirement. Of course those calls about how off base I was, and how I was “disrespecting his prospect status” have died down. Now it looks like history is getting ready to repeat itself with Antonio Bastardo. So, again, I ask you to be patient, and here’s why…

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