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 →

General Discussion – Week of 10-15-2012

Weekly Discussion

Here’s a fresh general discussion for everyone.  I know there’s not much going on other than AFL and the MLB Playoffs, so go ahead and talk about, I don’t know, apples and oranges.  Are they mentioned in the same breath so often that now they’re grouped together, perhaps devaluing the notion of “apples and oranges”.

Or you could talk about baseball.  MLB playoffs I guess.

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 →

BP Prospect Profile on Maikel Franco

Other Stuff

For those of you who have access to BP’s pay content go to the site and read the full article at http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=18646#commentMessage as well as ask questions in the comments.

For those that don’t it is a large scouting report written by Hudson Belinsky who does a ton of scouting in the Northeast.  The premise of the article being that he often uses Lakewood as a venue to see the prospects in the SAL and can get caught up really watching a Phillies’ prospect, in 2011 it was Domingo Santana and in 2012 it was Maikel Franco.

Continue reading BP Prospect Profile on Maikel Franco →

Tyler Cloyd #19 on BA’s International League Top 20

Other Stuff

Today BA released their IL Top 20, on a whole it was a weak list with Cloyd making the back end of it.

Cloyd’s year has been much discussed and was phenomenal.  After his promotion to the big leagues he showed valid many of the concerns that were put forth about him.  Cloyd’s fastball sits 86-89 and can rarely touch 90, however he commands it well.  He also has an average change up and cutter to use against left handed hitters.  His curveball also is an average pitch but it does not have the ability to be a put away pitch.  At most Cloyd is a back end #4 starter but likely profiles as a fringy #5 starter.  He can be effective if his command is there but because of his stuff he has to perfect in order to succeed.

Missing the list were a trio of potential high impact relivers in Jake Diekman, Phillipe Aumont, and Justin DeFratus in addition to some other interesting middle relief prospects such as Michael Schwimmer and BJ Rosenberg.

General Discussion–Week of October 8

Other Stuff

Your place to talk about anything this week.  Arizona Fall League is in full swing.  Baseball America organizational rankings are wrapping up with 9 Phillies’ prospects making lists.

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)