–Its time to start paying significant attention to Tyler Cloyd. In his 8 starts between Reading and Lehigh Valley, Cloyd is 7-0 with a 1.24 ERA.  Opponents are hitting just .194 against him.  His stats are actually significantly better for Lehigh Valley then for Reading, although still excellent during his time in Reading.  Most impressively, during his time with the ‘Pigs, hitters are just .067 against him with RISP.

–Another week on the hot list for Scott Elarton…could his time be coming with a lousy start by Kendrick today?

–The concern about Brody Colvin should be reaching is apex.  Very troubling start. Hit around and terrible command.

–“Continued success” for Darin Ruf , Cody Asche and Cesar Hernandez this week. 

—Tyson Gillies has fallen below the .250 mark on the year with his struggles this week.

Hot Starters:Colin Klevan (W, 7ip 4H 0ER 4BB 7K); Jesse Biddle (W, 6.2IP 4H 0ER 4BB 8K); Scott Elarton (W, 6IP 1H 0ER 3BB 3K); Julio Rodriguez (W, 6IP 1H 0ER 5BB 3K); Trevor May (6.1IP 0H 1ER 4BB 5K); Tyler Cloyd (2W, 11IP 6H 1ER 2BB 10K); Jon Pettibone (15.2IP 11H 3ER 2BB 10K, W). Continue reading Hot or Not →

After splitting their doubleheader last night, Lehigh Valley is 21-16 and in 3rd place of the Northern Division of the International League, three games behind division leading Pawtucket.  Lehigh Valley returns home tonight and begin an 8 game homestand against Indianapolis.

Probables: Tonight: Cloyd; Wednesday: Elarton; Thursday: Bush. Continue reading Lehigh Valley Weekly Report →

Alot to talk about in the OF.  Next up, catchers, late in the week.

Lehigh Valley

Domonic Brown, 24, Phils 20th round pick in 2006; .247/.290/.355 in 93 AB’s; 6%bb/21%k rates; 0HR 13 RBI; 3/6 SB; .318 vs. LH, .225 vs. RH, .450 with RISP; 24 games in the OF with 5 errors (.878). Consistent disappointment from Brown for the past year and a half with production far from expected, difficulties in the field, and a myriad of injuries hampering his development.Reverse splits are noteworthy and although on 20 AB’s, his avg. with RISP is a huge positive. Continue reading Around the System–Outfield →

–After a rainout yesterday, Lehigh Valley plays a doubleheader today in Louisville that starts at 5:05. This is followed by a 11 hour bus ride back to Allentown and a 7:05 game on Tuesday at Coca Cola Park.  Domonic Brown has had one AB since May 2nd as he continues to battle his sore hamstring.

—Kelly Dugan was activated by Lakewood after spending time on the DL with a nasty sprained ankle.

—Julio Rodriguez has now thrown 17 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run after 6 more yesterday in the Reading victory. JC Ramirez earned his 2nd save as he continues to see time in critical spots out of the Reading bullpen.  He has pitched well other than a bumpy outing last Tuesday.

–Since Jiwan James pronounced on Twitter Friday evening that he found the problem in his swing, he has had two multi hit games.

—Maikel Franco went 2-4 with a homer and 3 RBI’s in the Lakewood victory Sunday.

–Our old friend Jason Donald was optioned to Columbus by the Indians yesterday.

I have a soft spot in my heart (and my head) for guys who put up really solid offensive numbers in AA. Travis Chapman, Eric Valent, Jeff Stone, Matt Rizzotti, Steve Susdorf, and, this year, at least so far …. Darin Ruf.

Continue reading A few comments on Darin Ruf →

–Domonic Brown was out of the Lehigh Valley lineup yet again, continuing to recover from his hamstring issues.

—David Buchanan, who started the season very strong for Reading has been struggling lately and had a nasty line last night: 5.1IP 10H 7ER 3BB 0K.

—Darin Ruf has another multi hit game last night and is approaching 50 hits on the young season. His average stands at (.387).

—Cody Asche had three more hits last night for Clearwater, raising his average to .364.

—Stephen Malcolm made his debut at SS for Lakewood last night and went 1-4, with a run scored and stolen base.

Gotta go gear up for Mothers Day.

Couple of quick notes as we get the weekend started:

First, there has been an excellent response to the call for help and it appears that boxscores will be back early next week, and Philly Jamaal has graciously agreed to keep rosters and transactions up to date.  There have been a few volunteers for feature writing which I am sifting through but I wanted to offer up the opportunity one more time before I put the plan in place…Please email me at phuturephillies1@yahoo.com if you have any interest in contributing to the site. I appreciate all the offers and the kind words of support in getting us back on track here.

Now onto baseball: Continue reading Saturday Update →

A look at the middle infield with the good news coming in Reading.  Up next are the Outfielders, which should come out next Thursday.

Lehigh Valley

Kevin Frandsen, 29, Re-signed as a free agent in 2012; .238/.292/.286 in 105 AB’s; 0HR 2RBI; 1 SB; .256 vs. LH, .227 vs. RH, .227 with RISP; 4%bb/7%k rates; 20 games at 2B with 2 errors (.978); 3 games at 3B with 1 error; 3 games at 1B without an error, 2 games at SS without an error. Frandsen has struggled this year, not looking nearly as good as he did last year thus far.

Mike Fontenot, 31, Signed as a free agent in 2012; .319/.373/.447 in 47 AB’s; 0HR and 6 RBI; 0SB; .333 vs. LHP, .308 vs. RHP, .364 with RISP.  7 games at 2B without an error; 5 games at 3B without an error; 1 game at SS without an error. Fontenot has played well since his late APril signing but with less than 50 AB’s, still way too early to tell if he can help the big club. Continue reading Around the System–Middle Infield →

SS Tyler Greene, a high draft pick that has really struggled in Lakewood during the early going has been transferred back to Extended Spring Training and will likely join Williamsport when their season begins. Greene, just 19, was hitting .147 and was also struggling in the field.  Joining the BlueCLaws will be SS Stephen Malcolm, who was an 8th round pick in 2010 and hit .253 for the GCL Phils last year before missing 2011 after being sent home due to disciplinary issues.

I really hate to use a Black Eyed Peas lyric to jump-start this transition and maybe I do in the hope that James will come back soon….but:

As James mentioned I have agreed to run the show.  I wont complicate things other than to simply say a couple of things.  First, the level of respect and decorum that has been demanded since the site’s inception should continue and a departure from that will not be tolerated.  Ok, now with that out of the way…

Secondly, the new email address for the site is phuturephillies1@yahoo.com.  I can be contacted directly there.

The transition will be a bit rocky for the next few weeks.  I will try to post as much as possible but I am going to need help from all of you.  If any of you would like to contribute to the site, I am listening so please email me directly.  First step will be to put someone in charge of daily boxscores. I would also like affiliate reporting and continued features on players, along with work on the draft (working on James with this).

So, hang in there through the transition.  While I feel like I have a good knowledge of the baseball side of things, if anyone can help with the site set up on the IT end, I would love to hear from you.

In closing….Darin Ruf!