Category Archives: Other Stuff

What Good Prospects Look Like

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I had a whole long post in my mind about what good prospects look like statistically in the minor leagues.  Unfortunately the day didn’t break right and that article will never be written.  Instead here is something quick to remember when you are looking at guys in the minor leagues and saying they are so much better than a random major leaguer.  Here is what the Phillies Starting Lineup looked like during their best minor league seasons.

Position Player Age Year PA 2B 3B HR SB BB K AVG OBP SLG
C Carlos Ruiz 27 2006 (AAA) 423 25 0 16 4 42 56 0.307 0.389 0.505
1B Ryan Howard 24 2004 (AA-AAA) 560 28 1 46 1 60 166 0.291 0.380 0.637
2B Chase Utley 24 2003 (AAA) 490 26 2 18 10 41 75 0.323 0.390 0.512
SS Jimmy Rollins 21 2000 (AAA) 533 28 11 12 24 49 55 0.274 0.341 0.457
3B Cody Asche 22 2012 (A+ – AA) 559 33 6 12 11 34 93 0.324 0.369 0.481
LF Domonic Brown 22 2010 (AA-AAA) 389 22 4 20 17 37 74 0.327 0.391 0.589
CF Ben Revere 20 2008(A-) 517 17 10 1 44 27 31 0.379 0.433 0.497
RF Marlon Byrd 23 2001 (AA) 582 22 8 28 32 52 93 0.316 0.386 0.555
Average 23 507 25 5 19 18 43 80 0.318 0.385 0.529

Continue reading What Good Prospects Look Like →

Lehigh Valley Weekly Report

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Lehigh Valley went 4-3 on the week and are now 24-21 on the year and in 4th place of the Northern Division of the International League, just 0.5 game behind division leading Buffalo.  The ‘Pigs are off on Wednesday before spending Memorial Day weekend home against Toledo and then depart for a 9 hame/8 day road trip against Norfolk and Durham. The ‘Pigs have won 7 of their last 10 games and hold the IL’s best record in May (13-7)

‘Pigs League Leaders (min 12 ab’s)Hitting: Maikel Franco is 7th in AB’s (162); Tyler Henson is 8th in runs(25), 5th in strikeouts(47) and 3rd in SB’s(11); Jim Murphy is 7th in RBI’s(25);

Pitching:David Buchanan is 2nd in wins(5) and has the 7th worst WHIP (1.57); Luis Garcia is 5th in saves (6); Barry Enright is 10th in IP (50.1) and tied for 3rd in HR allowed (7)

‘Pigs Prospects: David Buchanan had a very rough outings in his last start on Sunday, going just 1IP and allowing 4 runs on five hits.  With the loss Sunday, he fell short of becoming the first IronPigs player to win five straight.  In his four previous starts (all wins), he threw a combined 22.2 inning, allowing 9 earned runs (3.57ERA). With RISP, the opposition is hitting just .143 against him. Continue reading Lehigh Valley Weekly Report →

Around the System–Starting Pitchers

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A first look at at how starting pitchers are faring around the organization.  Next up is a look at relief pitchers.

Lehigh Valley

David Buchanan, 25, Phils 7th round pick in 2010 draft; 9 starts; 5-1 with a 3.98 ERA; 40.2IP 47H 13BB 31K; 3 HR allowed; 1.48 WHIP; 1.08 GO/AO; .301 opp. avg.; 2.9BB/6.9K per nine; .297 vs. LHH, .305 vs. RHH, .217 with RISP; 2-1 with a 5.25 ERA in 3 May starts.  Buchanan started the year very strong but has hit somewhat of a wall as of late.  Too early to pan ic, but a raised eyebrow.

Barry Enright, 28, Signed as a free agent in 2014; 8 starts; 1-2 with a 3.97ERA; 1CG; 45.1IP 45H 13BB 28K; 7HR allowed; 0.84 GO/AO; .256 opp. avg; 1.27WHIP; 2.6BB/5.6K per 9; .207 vs. LHH; .298 vs. RHH; .235 with RISP; 1-0 with a 2.78 ERA in 3 May starts; Enright started slowly but has really come around in May, culminating with a masterful CG in his last start.

Sean O’Sullivan, 26, Signed as a free agent in 2014; 8 starts; 1-3 with a 3.75ERA; 48IP 52H 15BB 21K; 3HR allowed; 0.78 GO/AO; .277 opp. avg; 1.40 WHIP; .330 LHH; .227 vs. RHH; .354 with RISP; O’Sullivan is far from overpowering but has done a decent job “pitching to contact” and has put the ‘Pigs in a place where they can be competitive in games he starts. Continue reading Around the System–Starting Pitchers →

Reading Report: 5/12-5/18

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Last Sunday saw the week for the Fightins end with Severino Gonzalez’s strange game and a 15-0 loss in Trenton. This week was a bit better, with a 4-3 Reading win against Bowie, giving the club a 5-1 week.

It was an interesting week for Hoby Milner, who went seven innings last Monday in New Hampshire, allowing five hits and two runs, to go along with three walks and a couple strikeouts. Continue reading Reading Report: 5/12-5/18 →

A look at the Giles-less Reading bullpen

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Ken Giles struck out 29 of the 57 batters he faced in the Eastern League in 2014. There was no question that his promotion was warranted, and no question that the Lehigh Valley bullpen was prepared for the right-hander’s talented arm to join them.

It did, naturally, leave a bit of a hole in the relief corps in Reading. It’s been a week since Giles’ promotion to the Pigs, and the Reading bullpen has had a few games to sort out what life is like without the hard-throwing Giles. (The pen also lost Kyle Simon, who was promoted to Lehigh Valley along with Giles.) So, what’s left in the bullpen for the Fightins? Will we see other promotions sometime soon? Should we expect to see any of them with the big club this year? Continue reading A look at the Giles-less Reading bullpen →

Around the System–Catchers

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A first look at catchers throughout the organization.  Definitely more optimism than the lot of middle infielders, although currently no true stand out.  Next Up: STarting Pitching.

Lehigh Valley

Koyie Hill, 35, Acquired from Washington  in 2014; .298/.366/.464 in 84 AB’s; 2HR 14RBI; 10%bb/24%k rates; .211 vs. LHP, .323 vs. RHP; .423 with RISP. 22 games at C with 1 error (.993); 2 passed balls; 7/17(41%) CS;  Hill has played much more than expected due to Rupp’s injury and has been outstanding in the role he has been asked to fill,  With Rupp now back in the lineup, expect  Hill to be used twice a week.

Sebastian Valle, 23, Signed as a free agent in 2006; .227/.245/.455 in 44AB’s between Reading and Lehigh Valley; 2HR 12RBI; 4%bb/22%k rates.  12 games at C with 1 error (.988); 1 passed ball; 2/7(29%) CS; Valle has been relegated to a back up role at both Reading and Lehigh Valley, playing once or twice a week.  He shows flashes but has not been playing regularly enough to establish any real consistency.

Cameron Rupp, 25, Phils 3rd round pick in 2010; .259/.459/.778 in 27 AB’s; 4HR 9RBI; 9 games at C with no errors; 0 passed balls; 1/5(20%); CS; Just returned yesterday after missing a little over a month with an oblique injury. Continue reading Around the System–Catchers →

Hot or Not

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A look at the time period covering games played May 8-14…Random thoughts…In a year where he is repeating a level, Carlos Tocci‘s numbers are quickly becoming problematic….JP Crawford continuing to do what he does…I am about to begin my now yearly crusade of promoting giving Cesar Jiminez a shot in the Phils ‘pen…About as poor a line as you can get from Severino Gonzalez this week…Kenny Giles stays on the hot list, even during a week where he transitions to AAA…Two names I expected alot more from are Kyle SImon and Seth Rosin….After a slow start, STeve Susdorf showing again that he can flat out hit.  Unfortunately, no power and little speed.

Hot Hitters:(Min 12 AB’s) Steve Susdorf (.500, 6R); Ronny Cedeno (.400, 6RBI); Maikel Franco (.357, 7RS HR 6RBI); JP Crawford (.353); Carlos Alonso (.333, 2HR 4RBI); Pete Lavin (.333); Tyson Gillies (.333, 6R)

Not Hot Hitters:Carlos Tocci (.042); Logan Moore (.078);  Edgar Duran (.100); Harold Martinez (.111); Aaron Altherr(.125); Matt Tolbert (.133); Andrew Pullin (.143); Brian Pointer (.154); Samuel Hiciano (.167); Wilmer Oberto (.167); Willie Carmona (.167)

Hot Starting Pitchers: Drew ANderson (6IP 4H 1ER 2BB 6K); Sean O’Sullivan (7IP 5H 2ER 3BB 2K); Hoby Milner (7IP 5H 2ER 3BB 2K); Barry Enright (7IP 7H 2ER 1BB 2K) Honorable Mention: Paulino Continue reading Hot or Not →

Looks Can Be Decieving

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Many opinions on the internet about prospects stem from their stats, and especially small sample size stats.  We are all guilty of making snap judgements, but often in that moment we miss out on the bigger picture.  Stats help create an objective look at what is happening in the game, but without context or proper use, they can be deceiving and lead us into opinions that may not be aligning with the truth.  So with all of that being said we are going to play a game of mystery players and look at some trends that may not be showing up in the traditional triple slash lines or the box scores.  Given the small sample size nature of these stat lines they are not meant to be predictive of the future, they are meant to show comparisons and past performance.

So lets start off with Player A and Player B who are showing some interesting trendings from 2013 to 2014. Continue reading Looks Can Be Decieving →

Lehigh Valley Weekly Report

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Lehigh Valley had a very good week, going 5-2, and are now  20-18, 2 games behind division leading Buffalo in the Northern DIvision of the International League.  The ‘Pigs remain home through Friday with three more against Scranton before heading to Buffalo for a four game series.

‘Pigs League Leaders: Maikel Franco is 4th in AB’s (141) and 8th in doubles (10); Tyler Hensen is 9th in runs(23), 9th in SLG (.500) and 4th in SB’s (10)

Pitching: Luis Garcia is 5th in saves (6); Barry Enright is 5th in HR allowed (6).

‘Pigs Prospects:Jon Pettibone has been solid but has been unable to go more than 5.1 innings in any start but one this year.  In 5 starts, Pettibone is 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA and a WHIP that sits at 1.06.  Opponents are hitting just .224 against him and he is walking just 2.1 per nine innings.  Overall excellent results but needs to stretch himself out a bit more after missing some time in SPring Training. Continue reading Lehigh Valley Weekly Report →

Around the System–Middle Infield

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This was one of the more depressing exercises in my recent existance with JP Crawford saving me from a complete malaise.  Next up will be catchers.

Lehigh Valley

Ronny Cedeno, 31, Acquired as a free agent in 2014; .198/.244/.247 in 81 AB’s; 0HR 8RBI; 6%bb/19%K rates; .148 vs. LH; .222 vs. RHP. 20 games at SS with 3 errors (.963);  2 games at 2B without an error; Cedeno has been a small step above awful thus far

Freddy Galvis, 24, Signed as a free agent in 2006; Went 1-7 before going down with a broken collarbone in Saturdays game.  Expected to miss 6-8 weeks.

Matt Tolbert, 32, Signed as a free agent in 2013; .220/.292/.237 in 59 AB’s between Reading and Lehigh Valley; 0HR 1RBI; 1SB; 8%bb/11%k rates.  6 games at 2B with 1 error (.933); 6 games at 3B without an error; 4 games in the OF without an error; Has been adequate in limited playing time.

DL: Andreas Blanco

Reading

Carlos Alonso, 25, Phils 32nd round pick in 2010; .283/.369/.372 in 113 AB’s; 1HR 9RBI; 3SB; 11%bb/17%k rates; .229 vs. LHP; .311 vs. RHP; .275 in May. 17 games at 2B with 2 errors (.977);  12 games at 3B with 3 errors (.857); Alonso has been solid and dependable playing nearly every day for the Fightins. Continue reading Around the System–Middle Infield →