Weather shortened the opening series of the Ottawa Lynx home stand from four to three games against the Southern Division leading Richmond Braves and that was probably a good thing considering how the Lynx played. Ottawa continued their trend of when they lost it was a blow out and when they won, it was a tight dramatic victory. The pitching staff continued to be beaten up and this time the defence which had been solid all season couldn’t get the job done. The frustration was beginning to show on the face of manager John Russell and if Ottawa are going anywhere this season, the team is going to have to start playing much better.
The best of the rest
Here is a compilation of the remaining players from BA’s Top 200. The list is long, so read below the fold.
Travis Mattair….and a near accident
I called my friend on the drive home, and waited for a minute or two till it got to the Phillies. When she told me we took Mattair, I almost swerved off the road. That takes most of the sting out of our previous pick for me.
I’ll have a full writeup on all of our picks later this evening. Time to catch my breath.
David Dellucci turns into a pumpkin…or Travis d’Arnaud
The Phillies, drafting at #37 in the compensation round, take Travis d’Arnaud, a high school catcher out of Lakewood High School in California. More analysis later, but to be honest, I don’t like it.
That’s all from me for now, work is about to end, I’m about to head home and ponder this some more. First thought, like the Savery pick, hate the d’Arnaud pick. More later.
And the Phillies select……….Joe Savery, LHP
There it is. More analysis later, but for now, here is the video and profile of Savery.
I also want to clear something up, because I know a lot of people will read snippets and panic. Savery did not have labrum surgery. He had minor surgery to remove a bone growth near his labrum, it was preventative surgery, he did not have a torn labrum, and I don’t even think he has a frayed labrum. I understand the panic that sets in when you hear that word, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. Rice pitchers have a bad reputation in the big leagues, but at some point, someone has to buck the trend.
By the way, the above is based on everything I’ve read on Savery, if it’s incorrect, I’ll get the full report later.
Ok boys and girls, it’s draft day
Today is the day we’ve been waiting for. The rumors continue to circulate. Will we take a Boras guy if he drops? Will we go above slot at 19? Will it be a bat or an arm? So many questions, so few answers at this point, but that’s what makes this so exciting. I’ll post the complete draft order for the first round and the supplemental round, and I’ll update it as the picks come off the board. If you’ve got a rumor, or just any thought you’d like to share, put it here, we’ll use this post to discuss all of today’s action. Here is a recap of all of the pre-draft writings, and here is today’s draft order:
01. Tampa Bay –
02. Kansas City –
03. Chicago Cubs –
04. Pittsburgh –
05. Baltimore –
06. Washington –
07. Milwaukee –
08. Colorado –
09. Arizona –
10. San Francisco –
11. Seattle –
12. Florida –
13. Cleveland –
14. Atlanta –
15. Cincinnati –
16. Toronto-
17. Texas –
18. St Louis –
19. Philadelphia –
20. Los Angeles Dodgers –
21. Toronto –
22. San Francisco –
23. San Diego –
24. Texas –
25. Chicago White Sox –
26. Oakland –
27. Detroit –
28. Minnesota –
29. San Francisco –
30. New York Yankees –
31. Washington –
32. San Francisco –
33. Atlanta –
34. Cincinnati –
35. Texas –
36. St Louis –
37. Philadelphia –
The Ottawa Lynx: Some Observations For The Month of June
Manager John Russell is steady, calm and deliberate and keeps his responses short and to the point.
“That’s Triple A baseball.” “It’s too early in the season to start checking the standings.” “We just didn’t get it done today.” “He played a good game today.” “We’ll get it going.”
You can not expect long, excited answers from the man who guided this team to first place in the Northern Division of the IL last season and won Manager of the Year honours. He sits at his desk at the end of each game, working on his computer, and with a nod of his head invites the media in for the daily question and answer session. Although his answers often seem to be standard fare, this ten year veteran, (1984-1993), major league catcher and minor league manager knows what it takes to win ball games and understands the ups and downs of a long season.
Continue reading The Ottawa Lynx: Some Observations For The Month of June
A collection of videos
I’ll admit, it’s 11:20 PM Eastern, and I’m really giddy about tomorrow’s draft. That said, I wanted to do a roundup of all the mock drafts in the last day or so, and put together the collection of players who have been linked to us in the last few days. Study them one last time, then we’ll hold our breath and see what happens. The first 6 picks of the draft will probably directly impact who we take at 19. So, here are the guys we’ve been linked to over the last week or so. If I’ve forgotten anyone, let me know.
Phillipe Amount, RHP (Ecole Du Versant, Gatineau, Quebec)
Madison Bumgarner, LHP (South Caldwell H.S., Hudson, NC)
Michael Burgess, OF (Hillsborough High School, Florida)
Michael Main, RHP/OF (DeLand HS, DeLand, Fla)
Devin Mesoraco, C (Punxsatawney HS, Pa)
Chris Withrow, RHP (Midland Christian HS, Midland, Texas) (Scroll Down for video)
Jason Heyward, OF (Henry County HS, McDonough, Ga)
Also, how about this for a last minute rumor…the D-Rays are considering taking Matt Wieters over David Price. If that happens, I might be more surprised than if the Phillies take Porcello.
Reading Report
Reading lost 4 of 7 games this week, and are at 28-30 on the season, in 5th place in the Southern Division, 6 games out of first place. Hitting leaders for the Phils include Javon Moran 4th in runs (36) and 2nd in stolen bases(16); Greg Jacobs who is 6th in hits (57), 2nd in RBI’s (36), and 9th in battering average (.310); Randy Ruiz who is 7th in hits (57), 5th in homers (8), 6th in RBI’s (34) and 6th in batting average (.317); Mike Costanzo who is 7th in runs (34); 3rd in homers(10), and 2nd in strikeouts (75); Jason Hill is leading the league in doubles (19); and Jesus Merchan continues to lead the league in hitting (.374). In the pitching categories, Matt Maloney is 3rd in the league in innings (67), 6th in the league in strikouts(55) and leading the league in homers allowed (9); Landon Jacobsen is 2nd in the league in innings pitched (70.2) and 5th in wins (5); and Kyle Kendrick continues to lead the league in innings pitched (72.1)
Kevin Goldstein’s latest (and last?) mock draft
At this point, you probably just want the Phillies to pick so you can stop thinking about it, right? Well, here’s Kevin’s latest guess. I’m assuming this is his last mock, but of course, lots can change tomorrow. Blurbs for a few guys in here as well
01. Tampa Bay – David Price
02. Kansas City – Josh Vitters
03. Chicago Cubs – Jarrod Parker
04. Pittsburgh – Devin Mesoraco
The Pirates would like to take Wieters here, but a request submitted to ownership to spend big money was quickly denied. That had the team turning to college pitching, with Detwiler their number one target. Unfortunately, the Pirates have been taking college pitchers in the first round for years, with each one requiring surgery and making the Pirates feel like they are stuck in the movie Groundhog Day. Which brings us to Devin Mesoraco. The catcher from Punxsutawney is the fastest rising player in the draft, thanks to outstanding private workouts, including one in front of Pittsburgh decision makers on Sunday in which he sprayed balls all over the field hitting with a wood bat. His combination of offensive and defensive skills rank with anyone around at this point and the local product angle makes for some much-needed good PR for a team that desperately needs it.
05. Baltimore – Ross Detwiler
06. Washington – Matt Wieters
Are the Nats making a big splash, as many have rumored? Right now, the answer looks like yes. Washington has money to spend, and they’ve made no secret of their desire to invest heavily in their scouting and player development system. They’ll have their choice of Boras’ two top clients in Porcello and Wieters, but with pressure to improve the big league team as soon as possible, they’ll opt for Wieters, the powerful switch-hitting catcher who could move through the minors quickly. Early indications are that Wieters will require a deal similar to the one that the Rangers gave to fellow Boras client Mark Teixeira six years ago, which means a big league deal approaching $10 million. Washington is ready to pony up.
07. Milwaukee – Mike Moustakas
08. Colorado – Matt Dominguez
09. Arizona – Daniel Moskos
10. San Francisco – Casey Weathers
11. Seattle – Nick Schmidt
12. Florida – Jason Heyward
13. Cleveland – Blake Beaven
14. Atlanta – Josh Smoker
15. Cincinnati – Phillippe Amount
16. Toronto – JP Arencibia
Looking for a quick and easy sign while also looking to address an organizational need, Toronto is reportedly all over college catcher J.P. Arencibia with one of their two first-round picks. Arencibia went into the spring as a possible top ten pick, but a nagging back injury kept him from playing at his best. If he can get healthy, he’s a solid pick here, and the team is suddenly worried that he won’t be around at 21.
17. Texas – Matt Harvey
The Rangers have a pair of first-round picks, and seemingly no budget concerns with the first of the duo. They have a positive relationship with Boras, and have been on Matt Harvey all year. Harvey entered the year as the second-best high school pitcher in the draft, but his stock dropped a bit due to inconsistent performances. Texas is still trying to gage his signability, and if it’s considered even halfway reasonable, they feel the power righty would be a steal this low.
18. St Louis – Julio Borbon (please let this be true)
19. Philadelphia – Michael Main
The Phillies love athletes with high ceilings, and conveniently enough, there will be a couple of options for them at this stage. Tampa-area high school outfielder Michael Burgess fits the bill, but he might be too raw for even Philadelphia’s taste, and there should still be some high-ceiling pitchers to choose from. In that case, Florida high school star Michael Main makes sense for Philly, as he’s a supreme physical specimen, with second- to third-round talent as a center fielder, although they’ll put him on the mound.
20. Los Angeles Dodgers – Madison Bumgarner
21. Toronto – James Simmons
22. San Francisco – Beau Mills
23. San Diego – Joe Savery
24. Texas – Kevin Ahrens
25. Chicago Whitesox – Tim Alderson
26. Oakland – Aaron Poreda
27. Detroit – Rick Porcello
The Tigers are laying in wait, seeing which talent falls in their lap because of signability concerns. It worked last year with Andrew Miller at number six overall, and will work again this year. Porcello is the perfect fit here, and an absolute steal this low. Scouting director David Chadd loves tall pitchers who throw hard, and could be willing to open the checkbook for a talent like Porcello.
28. Minnesota – Will Middlebrooks
29. San Francisco – Todd Frazier
30. New York Yankees – Matt LaPorta
————–
Now, read pick #27, especially the last line, and remember how good it is to be a Phillies fan
