Just looking at some box scores, just some random thoughts, in bulleted format.

* Marson had a .679 OPS in May, and wasn’t much better in the beginning of June, but he’s hitting .371 over his last 10 games, with 10 RBI and 4 BB. He only has 2 extra base hits (both doubles), so the power still hasn’t come, but he’s at least starting to put it together.

* Anthony Gose is 44/52 in SB. His plate discipline is obviously lacking at this point, and he hasn’t hit for much power, but that speed sure is something. As a reference point, Michael Bourn stole 58 out of 64 in his age 21 season at Lakewood. Gose has a real chance to end up with 65-70 SB, though his success rate might not be quite as good.

More below….

Continue reading Random thoughts →

BA has the full rosters.

No surprise on Drabek, but Flande is a bit of a surprise. He wasn’t really on the radar entering this year, but has been great in the FSL, despite being old for the level. His stuff is fringy, but he apparently has solid control and command, so he could be a back end type.

Kyle Drabek (3-0)threw eight shutout innings, giving up just four hits in the 4-0 Reading victory Friday night.  He didn’t walk a batter and struck out five, lowering his AA ERA to 2.08.

On another topic, see below the fold for some comments by Steve Shrenk, Reading Pitching Coach on the recent performance  of a few Reading pitchers:  (Source: Reading Phillies.com Interview with Anthony Opperman)

Continue reading Drabek Throws 8 Shutout Innings →

With the groin injury to Raul Ibanez, the Phillies once again have recalled RF John Mayberry from Lehigh Valley.  Mayberry, 25, figures to play at least against lefties, and maybe a bit more with Ibanez out of the lineup for at least the next 15 days and probably longer.  In his brief stint with the Phils, Mayberry hit .222 with a homer and 3 RBI’s in 9 at bats.  He has struggled since being sent back down to Lehigh, hitting just .121 over his last 10 games, with 10 strikeouts in 33 at bats.  These next several weeks will be critical weeks for Mayberry, solidifying his status as the teams fourth OF next year, or opening the door for consideration of other candidates.

The trickle down effect on the Phils system could be interesting as well.  Is it time to call up Michael Taylor? Or, would the Phillies prefer he continue playing in the winning atmosphere established in Reading this year? Continue reading John Mayberry Recalled →

I figured it was only a matter of time until someone hijacked the draft thread to discuss this, so this is a pre-emptive strike.

Clearwater’s Dom Brown, one of the Phillies top positional prospects, will be out for three to four weeks after fracturing the fifth finger on his right hand after getting hit by a pitch Monday night.

“He’s got a slight fracture and that’s too bad because he’s been playing and swinging the bat well,” Phillies director of minor league operations Steve Noworyta said. “We’re going to have to hold off with him for a little bit.”

Doesn’t seem like a big issue. Link here.

Jim Salisbury gives his take on the Phils’ ongoing search for starting pitching and the chances of certain players leaving the system.

Link

He hits some on the head and misses wildly on others (i.e. Travis D’Arnaud).

Feel free to discuss.

Ruben Amaro and Dallas Green were among those in attendance as Kyle Drabek took the hill at First Energy Stadium for his first Eastern League start. The weather kept many people at home, but those who witnessed this performance did not come away disappointed.

Continue reading Drabek’s AA Debut →

The draft is next Tuesday, and I hope to have my mock draft polished up and published on Monday, so look for that. I wanted to make two points though in the meantime. The first point is that everyone who writes for this site does it purely because they care about the Phillies minor league system. No one here gets paid, there are no ads on this site (a service to you), and there is no money. The style that someone uses is their style, and anything they contribute is more than you’d get if it was just me writing one or two articles a week. To criticize these people for providing you a free service seems unfortunate to me. If you know of a better website out there for your Phillies minor league news, by all means check it out regularly. But please refrain from the ticky tack insults of the contributors here. 99% of the folks here are excellent, the 1% who try to stir the pot are sometimes just the loudest. If there’s something you want to know about a player or an affiliate, by all means ask the person who writes the report, but if they’re unable to find out, don’t hold it against them. That’s just silly. Check below for more…

Continue reading Update →

John Mayberry, Jr. is not in tonights starting lineup, the first time this year he has not been in the lineup that I can recall.  Pablo Ozuna is in the lineup, as is Miguel Cairo, who will be playing third base.  As of late this afternoon, the Phillies had not yet announced a roster move and Mayberry was still in Allentown, at Coca Cola Park, but seems as if he may not be around long.