Drew Naylor Robbed in 3-1 Threshers Loss

5. Clearwater, Other Stuff

July 19 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Threshers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 1
Hammerheads 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 – 3 2 0

BOX SCORE

SCHMIDT LIST PLAYER-OF-THE-GAME

The Threshers and Hammerheads were mired in a pitcher’s dual on Tuesday night. Drew Naylor got the start for the Threshers and threw a gem. He held the Hammerheads to just one hit through seven innings of baseball, but the Threshers were held scoreless through seven innings on just six hits by the Hammerheads.
Continue reading Drew Naylor Robbed in 3-1 Threshers Loss →

Clearwater Threshers Report

02. Org Reports, 5. Clearwater, Savery, Joe

The Clearwater Threshers have continued to struggle over the last couple of weeks since my last Clearwater report. They have a second half record of 10-18 and are currently 11.5 games out of first. Obviously the biggest news in Clearwater lately was the Phillies trade that sent both Adrian Cardenas and Matt Spencer from the Threshers along with Josh Outman to the A’s for pitcher Joe Blanton.

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July VSL Update

1. VSL/DSL

This week we will take a quick look at the VSL and DSL teams this summer.  As always, these reports are based on little more than statistics over the Internet, so they are highly subjective.  The key statistic to look for is age-based performance.  In general, the better prospects are the younger ones that get regular playing time.  Prospects over the age of 19 are rarely top prospects.  The Phillies VSL squad last year might have been a slight exception to that rule as 3 20-year-olds (Freddy Ballestas, Yonderman Rodriguez, and Harold Garcia) are all making significant contributions in the U.S. this season.  It remains to be seen if all of them are prospects, however, as each is somewhat old for the league they are playing in.

The VSL Phillies are currently in 3rd place out of 8 teams in the league with a record of 28-24.  Unfortunately the best players on the team have tended to be the older players.  The average age of the team is slightly above the league average this year and many of the younger players have struggled.  This article will take a look at the top players and prospects so far, with a follow-up article after the season ends to rank the top prospects.

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Williamsport and GCL Weekly Report (7/12-7/18)

2. GCL, 3. Williamsport

The two short-season teams have been chock full of intriguing stories up to this point. On most nights these two teams are the first stop for me on the minor league scoreboard. Let’s take a look at how these two teams fared over the last week.

Continue reading Williamsport and GCL Weekly Report (7/12-7/18) →

Top 30 Prospects Updated

Other Stuff

With 3 prospects from my Top 30 traded, it was time for an update. The next update will come after the trading deadline, as I suspect more moves are in the works. Again, a quick thanks to everyone who stopped in for the first time, and for those who continue to check in regularly. The Blanton discussion obviously got heated, but I think its important to remember that we’re all Phillies fans at the end of the day, and we’re all rooting for Big Joe to pitch well. Also, best wishes to Adrian, Josh and Matt in Oakland, and we’ll continue to check in on them and see how they are doing as the season progresses. Have a nice weekend.

Iron Pigs Report

7. Lehigh Valley

An abbreviated week because of the All Star break led to a 2-3 record on the week, leaving Lehigh Valley at 40-59 on the year, 22 games back of division leading Pawtucket. ‘Pig league leaders include Mike Cervenak who is 4th in at bats (356), 9th in runs (55), 3rd in hits (110), 9th in doubles (21), and 2nd in average (.310).  Andy Tracy is 8th in slugging % (.518), 5th in on base % (.393), 3rd in RBI’s (65), 6th in homers (17), and 4th in doubles (24). Pitching leaders include Brian Mazone who is 5th in innings (116.2), 5th in homers allowed (15), and 4th in WHIP (1.16).  Les Walrond is 9th in ERA(3.32).  JA Happ is 8th in ERA (3.31), 10th in IP (108.2), leading the league in strikeouts (116), and 7th in WHIP (1.20).  Matt Childers is 2nd in the league with 15 saves.

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Phillies acquire Joe Blanton for 3 prospects

Other Stuff

No names released yet, as far as I’ve seen. I’ll update this spot when the names are known. Hold your breath.

Update—> Cardenas, Spencer and Outman.

Wow.

For A’s fans who find the blog, you can find info on these guys here.

Cardenas
Outman
Spencer

Jason Donald on his Olympic selection

Other Stuff

Saw this at BA, thought I’d pass it along.

“I was really excited,” Donald said after taking batting practice at the Double-A Eastern League All-Star game. “My mind just started racing just thinking about everything. I don’t think I really heard too much after they told me that I made the club. Now hopefully it starts to sink in a little more. I still have a little bit, a couple more weeks here, l and I’m going to do my best to finish it out with Reading and then go on to Beijing and try to win a gold medal.”

Donald, 23, is batting .301/.381/.493 in 302 at-bats this season for Double-A Reading. One of the better offensive shortstops in the minors, Donald doesn’t have any experience playing in international competitions, but his sound approach at the plate and line-drive stroke should be assets when the Olympics begin next month.

“You hear things, obviously with Cuba just because of our history with them, and I know just how good of a baseball country they are, but you know I really don’t know too much,” Donald said. “I know they’re going to bring their best, as are all the teams, so I’m just looking forward to the opportunity.”

Goldstein on Galvis and Sampson

Galvis, Freddy

In his latest NL East Notebook, he hits on two of our better prospects at Lakewood;

Two players currently at the Phillies’ Low-A affiliate at Lakewood don’t have very good numbers, but that doesn’t mean the scouts aren’t impressed with them nevertheless. Freddy Galvis, an 18-year-old Venezuelan shortstop, is batting just .225/.289/.257, but one scout who recent saw him couldn’t help but be impressed. “Defensively, he’s what I call an extreme defender—he’s just a magician out there,” said the scout. “Every day you see him, he’ll make at least one play that a lot of big-league shortstops wouldn’t have a chance at. And he’s not just flash, all the routine plays are made as well.” As for his non-existent offense, the scout did see enough room for improvement to tag him as an everyday player. “Look, he’s definitely a bottom of the lineup guy, but he slaps the ball around and keeps his hands inside well. I think that small-ball situational hitting will be there for him in the end, as there are some offensive instincts there.”

Another player not exactly lighting up the stat sheet for the Blue Claws is 19-year-old right-hander Julian Sampson. A 12th-round pick last year who got third-round money, Sampson has a 4.98 ERA in 16 starts with just 41 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings, but a scout who saw him found him the most memorable arm on the staff. “There’s just a lot to like there—he’s athletic, powerful, and has really nice arm action,” recalled the scout. “I saw effortless 91-93 mph velocity that touched 95, an above-average breaking ball, and an interesting kind of palmball as a change.” So why the poor numbers with that kind of stuff? The scout offered a couple of theories. “His command is below average, so he’s currently centering the ball, and there’s no deception in his delivery, so batters get a good long look at it.

Reading Phillies Weekly Report (7/9 – 7/15)

6. Reading

The Reading Phillies had a tough week, dropping 4 out of 6 games to skid into the all-star break at 39-56.  It was an unusual week, with lots of player movement and awkward scheduling due in part to the futures game held Monday at Yankee Stadium.  There was also a Brett Myers sighting this week, so lets get to all of the action in the game recaps…

Continue reading Reading Phillies Weekly Report (7/9 – 7/15) →