As I promised, I figured I’d do a Top 30 update after the trade deadline, even though no prospects were traded (yet) and kind of give a brief thought to how my Top 30 would change. All stats are as of August 2nd I believe, so close enough. Again, this is only my Top 30 as of now, and its mostly just gut instinct. I reserve the right to change my thoughts on guys at any moment, and the next update could reflect that. Update below…
DSL Update – Early August
In this article we will take a midseason look at the DSL Phillies in 2008. This year’s team is another young team like last year’s division champions, though it is also arguably less talented. There are no standout young offensive players like Sebastian Valle and Leandro Castro that have emerged, though an improving pitching staff has kept the team in contention. After a poor 12-23 start, the Phillies have won 10 of their last 12 to improve their record to 22-25, 4th place and 8 games behind the Mariners who are leading the Santo Domingo North division.
We have still not seen any information on any players the Phillies have signed in 2008 from Latin America. Their budget reportedly increased this year to about $1.5 million from maybe $800,000 total last year. Unfortunately this budget still places the Phillies in the lower half of the majors in terms of spending. This may be seen in the lack of offensive prospects on the team. Offensive prospects tend to develop a little earlier than pitching prospects.
The rest of this post will look at the hitters and pitchers that have shown the most in the early part of the season, with extra attention to the younger players who are undoubtedly the better prospects. As always, these are statistical observations only, as first hand scouting reports are difficult to come by.
Carrasco Debut
I had the opportunity to attend tonights ‘Pigs game and watch Carlos Carrasco in person. He had an impressive night. He went 6.2 innings and gave up 2 runs (none earned) on 6 hits. He didnt factir in the decision, in a game Lehigh Valley won 5-3. Carrasco walked 2 and struck out 4. He threw 102 pitches, 67 for strikes and certainly looked like he belonged and then some. His fastball was between 91–93 for most of the night, and he hit 94-95 with half a dozen pitches. His change was very impressive, causing numerous groundouts on a very busy night for 3B Joey Hammond. There were a few balls hit hard, but Carrasco kept his composure for the most part and worked out of trouble on a couple of occasions. This was only his first start and some growing pains are expected but from this initial report, he has the stuff to be very successful. As I literally almost ran into both Ruben Amaro, Jr. and Dave Montgomery, at the game, it seems as if Carrasco’s first start had everyone interested.
Carrasco Promoted
After Les Walrond was called up to take the place of Rudy Seanez (DL) on the major league roster, coveted prospect Carlos Carrasco was called up to AAA–Lehigh Valley and is expected to start Sunday. Looking first at Carrasco, the 21 year old is 7-7 with a 4.32 ERA in Reading this year. He has pitched 114.2 innings, given up 109 hits, walked 45 and struck out 109. Opponents are hitting .254 against him and his WHIP is 1.34. He also has given up 13 gopher balls this year in his 19 starts. Carrasco has a fastball that usually hovers between 89–93 , and has a good late kick to it. Carrasco’s “out” pitch is considered to be his change which is extremely effective. His curveball has shown improvement over the last couple of years as well.
Walrond, 31, has been absolutely phenominal as of late with a 29 inning scoreless streak without yielding an earned run for the ‘Pigs. Never really on the major league radar screen prior to now, Walrond who was acquired from the Cubs earlier this year has been quite a surprise for Lehigh Valley. On the year he is 5-7 for Lehigh Valley with a 2.63 ERA in his 17 starts. He has pitched 103.1 innings, given up 88 hits, walked 36, struck out 95 and opponents are hitting only .235 against him. His WHIP is 1.20 and he has given up only 3 homerun balls. This is Walrond’s third stint in the majors (Cubs’06 and Royals ’03).
Friday Thoughts
It’s August, the final full month of the minor league season. There are a number of interesting story lines to follow over the final month. What I do NOT want to focus on is the big league club, unless a prospect is traded now in a post waivers deal, or if a player is called up. The last week or so, it seems like the entire discussion has been focused on potential trades, which is only natural because of the time of the year. But now its time to get back on track. With that, a few general thoughts….
Iron Pigs Report
A good week for the Iron Pigs as they went 5-2 on the road to move their record to 48-65, 20.5 games behind division leading Pawtucket in the Northern Division of the International League. Our weekly look at league leaders include Mike Cervenak who is 3rd in the league in hits (124) and leading the league in average (.320). Brandon Watson is 9th in the league in average (.296) and 5th in the league in hits (115). 1B Andy Tracy is 3rd in the league in doubles (27), 3rd in the league in RBI’s (72), 4th in the league in walks(54), and 6th in the league in OBP(.379). Les Walrond leads the league in ERA (2.61. JA Happ is 7th in ERA (3.30), leads the league in strikeouts (127), and is 4th in WHIP (1.18). Brian Mazone is 6th in WHIP (1.19), 5th in homers allowed(17), 3rd in IP(134), and 3rd in starts (22). Matt Childers is 3rd in the league with 18 saves. Continue reading Iron Pigs Report
The farm appears safe
Gillick/Amaro/Arbuckle contained themselves, no blood was shed for a fungible middle reliever, and my sanity has been restored. So everything is safe. Tomorrow we can focus on the last month of the minor league season and the draft deadline and everything not related to Ron Mahay, Will Ohman, and Roy Halladay. Thanks again everyone for your continued support.
Trade deadline today/Signing deadline in 2 weeks
Today is the non-waiver trade deadline. All players who are not traded by 4PM today are subject to waivers before they are traded. This means that a player must clear waivers between August 1st and August 31th or they cannot be traded. On the prospects side, players on the 40 man roster are not subject to waivers, but players in the minors and on the 40 man roster are. If you feel the need to discuss potential trades here, do it in this post. After today, we resume normal service. Also, the August 15th deadline is rapidly approaching. No news yet on Pettibone, Weber or any of our unsigned guys. Any info will be passed along, obviously.
Reading Phillies Weekly Report (7/23-7/29)
Very busy and productive week for the Reading Phillies. The Phils performed at their best this week as they sent there two Olympic respresentatives off in style, going 5-2 on the week, while beating up on the likes of New Britain, New Hampshire, and Harrisburg. Instead of doing the game by game recaps, lets take a look at what our best prospects did on the week.
Kyle Drabek returns
If you missed it, Kyle Drabek has returned to the mound after Tommy John surgery.
3 IP – 1 H – 0 ER – 0 BB – 0 K – 9:0 GB/FB
Welcome back Kyle.
