Reading Report July 21st-31st

6. Reading

Reading went 6-5 over the last 11 days, including the completion of a suspended game, and another game that was suspended until mid-August.  Harold Garcia was the hitting star of the period (along with the usual suspect, Matt Rizzotti), batting .356 and throwing in an unexpected .600 SLG.  He hit in 10 of the 11 games, with a double, two triples, and 2 home runs.  Garcia has been killing lefties in AA, posting almost a 1.200 OPS, albeit over only 30 plate appearances.

Of course, calling Garcia the ‘star’ shortchanges the monster of the Eastern League, Matt Rizzotti, who posted close to his usual stats, .414/.614/.655 for a 1.269 OPS.  His most unusual stat was drawing 15 walks in the 10 games, with Akron simply refusing to pitch to him in the last two games of their series.  Rizzotti now leads the EL in batting by 53 points, in SLG by 103 points, and in OBP by 20 points, currently holding the sabermetric triple crown. Continue reading Reading Report July 21st-31st →

Around the System, Corner Infield

Around the System

One last post trade deadline trip around the system, prior to post season reviews. Look for Middle Infield sometime late next week.

Lehigh Valley

Andy Tracy, 36, 301 AB’s; .282/.392/.502; 14 HR 53 RBI; .310 vs. LH, .274 vs. RH, .282 with RISP, .257 in July; 15% bb rate, 23% k rate. 67 games at 1B, 5 errors (.991); 8.33 R/F. Tracy has struggled with shoulder problems most of the season and it has shown in his recent power numbers.  Still consistent however.

Neil Sellers, 28, 330 AB’s; .258/.326/.355; 3HR 31 RBI; .299 vs. LH, .255 vs. RH, .241 with RISP, .253 in July, 9% bb rate, 18% k rate. 32 games at 1B with 1 error (.996); 8.72 R/F. 48 games at 3B with 2 errors (.983), 2.38 R/F. The disappointment with Sellers has been his power numbers which have dropped precipitously since his AA days.  His fielding, which was questioned in years past, has been serviceable. Continue reading Around the System, Corner Infield →

Jiwan James Q and A

James, Jiwan

Through the continued help of Greg Giombarrese, the Media Relations Director of the Lakewood BlueClaws, Outfielder Jiwan James has agreed to answer your questions.  James, 21, was the Phils 22nd round pick in the 2007 draft.  Prior to the 2009 season, James converted from pitcher to the outfield and has shown a great deal of promise.  In his 429 AB’s this year, James is hitting .284/.331/.382 with 3 HR and 53 RBI, to go along with 27 stolen bases.  A native of Williston, Florida, he has impressed with his arm, notching 8 assists from his center field position this year.  The signing of James was considered to be a major coup back in 2007 when he was hours away from attending University of FLorida before signing with the Phils.  Prior to this season, James was ranked the 11th best prospect in the Phillies system by Baseball America.  Feel free to leave your questions below for Jiwan James and expect to see a post at the end of next week with your answers.

Lehigh Valley Weekly Report

7. Lehigh Valley

 The first three up, then the last four down for Lehigh Valley whose troubles continue at 44-62, in 5th place of the Norther Division of the International League, 16.5 games behind division leading Scranton with 36 games left to play.

‘Pigs league leaders thru 7/28: Hitting: John Mayberry is 5th in runs(58); Chris Duffy is 8th in triples (4) and is 6th in strikeouts (96); Andy Tracy is 2nd in walks (55), 2nd in OBP (.397), and 4th in SLG (.508). Pitching: Nate Bump is 6th in ERA (3.33); Drew Carpenter is 7th in ERA (3.39); Brian Mazone is 7th in starts (20) and 6th in hR allowed (16); Scott Mathieson is 2nd in saves (20); Joe Savery is 8th in walks (41). Continue reading Lehigh Valley Weekly Report →

July 30 Discussion

Box Score Recap

There was a trade yesterday, but we still have prospects left over, and some of them played last night!

GCL Phillies won 1-0.
Williamsport won 1-0.
Lakewood won 7-6.
Clearwater won 7-2.
Reading lost 6-5.
Lehigh Valley lost 2-1.

Commence discussion!

My analysis of the Oswalt trade

Trade Discussion

So, here we go. I have to admit, sitting down and thinking about blockbuster trades is a lot more fun than analyzing 6 year minor league free agents. And though you can call Ruben Amaro Jr a lot of things, passive isn’t one of them. Which is entertaining for everyone, me included. If you’ve just stumbled out of your cave and missed the news, the Phillies today acquired Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros for 3 players, including big leaguer JA Happ and two prospects, Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar. You’ve likely read lots of analysis already, but I’m going to slant mine toward the prospects side, as always, so if you’re interested, you can check below. I know the most common response to this thread will just be to use it as another sounding board for your personal take on the deal, which is fine, but I’d hope you at least give my breakdown a read before launching into your own take. With that said, check below and we’ll get to work.

Update 7:34 PM –> It was a long day. If there are typos, try and get past them. If I made any errors, I’ll correct them at the bottom of the post after you point them out. Thanks.

Continue reading My analysis of the Oswalt trade →

Phillies acquire Roy Oswalt for Happ, Gose and Villar

Trade Discussion

According to Ken Rosenthal’s twitter feed, the deal is complete. The Phillies give up LHP JA Happ, OF Anthony Gose, and SS Jonathan Villar in exchange for Roy Oswalt and cash, believed to be in upwards of $11M.

There are plenty of places to read about Happ. If you want to read about Anthony Gose, check here, and you can also check out my Top 30 prospects from this past winter to read about Jonathan Villar.

In my midseason Top 15, I ranked Gose #5 and Villar #13 in the system.

I will provide full analysis of the deal later this evening, so if you want to hear my take, check back later. In the meantime, use this post to discuss the deal.

Phillies and Astros agree on a deal for Roy Oswalt?

Trade Discussion

This link does not come from ESPN/Fox/SI or any of the big sites, but it appears to be legit.

If Oswalt approves, and the prospects the Phillies are giving up are named, I will provide the analysis here. Should be an eventful 24 hours or so. In the meantime, discuss away!

1:27 AM –> All the big hitters now picking up on the Fox Houston story. We’ll see in the morning.

10:37 AM –> Rumors flying. One indicates its Happ, Worley, and Rizzotti for Oswalt + Cash. Another indicates its Happ, Worley and Singleton for Oswalt + Cash. I won’t have analysis on the trade until its agreed upon and the names are confirmed from all parties. I’m aiming for thorough, thoughtful analysis, not sloppy and fast analysis. But my initial thought is that either deal is a win for the Phillies, and I’ll have a ton more later.

1:32 PM –> Strongest rumor yet is that it is Happ, Worley and Gose for Oswalt plus cash. What a massive win for the Phillies.

3:05 PM –> The deal is done. Take all discussion of said deal to the new posting. Thanks, management.

Domonic Brown to the Majors

Other Stuff

It was under different circumstances than most expected, but the name most believe is currently the #1 prospect in baseball, Domonic Brown, received the much-anticipated call to the majors this afternoon as Shane Victorino was placed on the DL with an oblique strain.

Brown, 23, was hitting .346/.390/.561 in 107 AB’s with AAA Lehigh Valley.  He had 5 HR and 21 RBI to go along with 5 SB in 6 attempts. Overall on the year, Brown has hit .327/.391/.589 with 20HR and 68 RBI in 343 AB’s.  Additionally, he has stolen 17 bases in 24 attempts. His walk rate is 10%, while striking out at a 19% clip.  Continue reading Domonic Brown to the Majors →