Category Archives: 04. Prospect Features

10-22-2013 AFL Update

8. Arizona Fall League, Asche, Cody, Collier, Zach, Joseph, Tommy

About 2 weeks into the AFL season now.  Of note is Kyle Simon’s nice outing yesterday.  Looks like he’ll be used as a starter every fifth day.  Will be interesting to see how the league handles him (or the top of the league’s lineups, anyway), when they get to see him a second time around in the same game. He was not great with the Baltimore org as a starter in 2012, and was thriving as a reliever in Reading.

Anyway, here’s a link to all the stat lines for all of the Phils minor leaguers in off-season leagues.  Looks like a handful more guys are playing than were last time I checked.  Lisalverto Bonilla is back in action, which is a good thing.  Unfortunately, I am pretty sure Domingo Santana is not Phils property, despite being on that website. Continue reading 10-22-2013 AFL Update →

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) →

10-18-2013 AFL Update

8. Arizona Fall League, Asche, Cody, Collier, Zach, Joseph, Tommy

More than a week into the AFL season, and Cody Ashce continues to rake.  It’s like he’s back in Clearwater with those numbers. 

Anyway, here’s a link to all the stat lines for all of the Phils minor leaguers in off-season leagues.  Good place to go check in on Freddy Galvis and Darin Ruf and Tyson Gillies, among others.  Just ignore Justin Friend’s 27.00 ERA.  Give him a full year, and it’ll come down to 0.27.  Trust me.

Also of note, the AFL guys have new photos.  Which means one important thing: Kyle Simon’s mustache. Continue reading 10-18-2013 AFL Update →

10-12-2013 AFL Update

8. Arizona Fall League, Asche, Cody, Collier, Zach, Joseph, Tommy

After a couple games, you can see that all of the Phillies prospects have played.  Cody Asche had a nice game in there.  Kyle Simon didn’t really have a great one last night.  Which is a mild understatement.  Come to think of it, calling that a mild understatement is a mild understatement.  And so forth.

Continue reading 10-12-2013 AFL Update →

Arizona Fall League Kicks Off Today

8. Arizona Fall League, Asche, Cody, Collier, Zach, Joseph, Tommy

As most of you know, seven Phillies minor leaguers will participate in the Arizona Fall League this year as members of the Peoria Javelinas.  The list includes four Reading relievers, and three interesting position players: C Tommy Joseph, 3B Cody Asche, OF Zach Collier, LHP Jay Johnson and RHPs Colby Shreve, Tyler Knigge and Kyle Simon.

Continue reading Arizona Fall League Kicks Off Today →

Tommy Joseph #10, Cody Asche #17, and Jon Pettibone #19 on BA’s Eastern League Top 20

Asche, Cody, Joseph, Tommy, Martin, Ethan, Morgan, Adam, Other Stuff, Pettibone, Jon

Baseball America posted their Eastern League Top 20 today including three members of the Reading Phillies, note that Adam Morgan and Ethan Martin were not eligible for this list due to innings accrued.

Tommy Joseph – Joseph a catcher was the centerpiece of the trade with San Francisco for Hunter Pence.  He put up crazy numbers in the Cal League in 2011 and his numbers came down this year in the EL.  He has the ability to hit the ball to all fields and has at least plus power right now.  His contact rate has gone down recently but his walk rate has increased.  It is still to be seen where the Phillies send him next year with Valle at LHV and Rupp behind him.

Continue reading Tommy Joseph #10, Cody Asche #17, and Jon Pettibone #19 on BA’s Eastern League Top 20 →

Jesse Biddle #10 and Adam Morgan #12 on Baseball America top FSL Prospects List

Biddle, Jesse, Morgan, Adam, Other Stuff

Clearwater southpaws Jesse Biddle and Adam Morgan both made BA’s top 20 prospect list for the FSL.  They were the 2nd and 3rd best LHP and 5th and 6th best pitchers overall.

Biddle was the second youngest pitcher to qualify for the ERA title (behind former #2 pick Jameson Tallion).  He led the league in strikeouts with 151 and he was 10-6 with 3.22 ERA over 143 IP.  Biddle’s fastball sits average to slightly plus (90-93) though he can flash higher than that.  Biddles curveball is a true plus pitch and changeup is showing major improvement.

Adam Morgan led the league in strikeouts before being promoted to AA Reading (his FSL line was 118 IP 4-10, 3.29 ERA, 27 BB, 133 K).  His fastball is plus sitting 91-94, his secondary stuff profiles as average though there is some room for improvement.  Much of Morgan’s success can be attributed to his ability to locate his fastball throughout the zone.

At this point both profile to be at least #3 starters with the possibility of being slightly better than that.  Morgan having finished the year in AA is slightly ahead of Biddle in major league ETA but with Biddle opening the year in AA he is not that far away.

(Scouting reports paraphrased from Baseball America write ups)

Maikel Franco #16 on Baseball America top SAL Prospects List

Franco, Maikel, Other Stuff

Lakewood 3B Maikel Franco was ranked the 16th best prospect in the South Atlantic League by Baseball America after a very good season in which he hit .280 with 14 HR and 84 RBI’s.  Franco was the third highest ranked 3B on the list behind Trevor Story (Rockies) and Gavin Cherini (Red Sox). The Phils sit with two 3B in their system who are legitimate prospects at this stage (Asche and Franco) but will likely have to fill the position in the short term by signing a free agent to what is hopefully just a one-two year deal. (Youkelis, Keppinger)

Roman Quinn named #3 NYPL Prospect by Baseball America

Other Stuff, Quinn, Roman

SS Roman Quinn was named the number three prospect in the New York Penn League by Baseball America behind Rays pitcher Taylor Guerrieri and Pirates pitcher Luis Heredia.  After being recognized as the fastest baserunner in the Phils system by BA in 2011, Quinn went on to hit .281 with 1HR and 26 RBI’s to go along with 30SB in a successful 2012 campaign.

Pettibone Gets The Call-Up

Other Stuff, Pettibone, Jon

Multiple media sources are reporting that Jonathan Pettibone has been called up to AAA Lehigh Valley.  First report I saw was from @anthonyburkhart of The Republican-Herald in Reading.

Pettibone put forth a strong performance tonight, going 7 innings, giving up just 1 earned run, 3 hits and no walks, and striking out 6 Altoona Curve(s?).  On the season, he was 9-7 in 19 starts for Reading, with a 3.30 ERA, gave up 115 hits, 9 of them homeruns, allowed 27 bb and struck out 81 in 117.1 innings pitched, for a WHIP of 1.21, a k rate of 6.34/9, a very good bb rate of 2.07 and a HR rate of 0.69/9.

For the record, I also saw a report tonight that Jarred Cosart was just called up to AAA in the Houston organization.  So 2 of the 5 so-called “Baby Aces” aces are now in AAA, 2 remain in AA, and one is still repeating A+.