Philadelphia Phillies

After taking a week and a half off from looking at the draft it is time to look at what high school pitchers might be available in the 1st and 2nd round this year. Off the Board: Kohl Stewart – RHP – Texas Stewart might have the best raw stuff of any pitcher in the draft and has been climbing quickly up draft boards.  Stewart won’t fall out of the Top 10 but what the Astros do at #1 could affect where he will end up.  At that high a pick all of his signability concerns are irrelevent Trey Ball – LHP – Indiana A month ago there was a realistic chance that Ball could fall to 16 but he has shown a fastball that is 91-94 even in the cold wet whether and is now firmly in the Top 10 discussion.  He has some promise in the field do but at 6′ 6″ with great athleticism his future is on the mound. 1st Round: Ian Clarkin – LHP – California Clarkin has a plus fastball that sits 90-92 but can touch 94, he matches that with a curveball that already flashes plus.  The changeup shows at least average potential, but lacks consistency.  Clarkin is a bit small at 6′ 2″ which gives some scouts pause. Rob Kaminsky – LHP – New Jersey Kaminisky’s fastball sits 89-92 touching 94+ and he is the makings of an average changeup.  His curveball is a plus pitch now and could be the best in the draft.  The problem is Kaminisky is a filled out 5′ 11″, leaving little room for potential, scouts are also worried that he won’t be able to keep the ball down. Hunter Harvey – RHP – North Carolina Hunter’s fastball sits mostly in the low 90s but he has reportedly gotten it up to 97 this spring.  The changeup and curveball have potential but they are mainly flashes.  At 6′ 3″ 175lbs there is some room for projection that he could hold plus plus velocity as starter. Phil Bickford – RHP – California At this point Bickford is all fastball, but it might be a 70 grade pitch that consistently is up to 95-96, with room for enough projection that it could be an elite pitch.  The secondary pitches are lacking but the clean arm action and fastball give him plenty of potential. Hunter Green – LHP – Kentucky Green has been inconsistent this spring but when he is on he shows you a fastball that can touch 95 to go with a changeup and curveball that show plus potential.  There are some mechanical things to work on, but at 6′ 4″ 180lbs there is big potential here. Matt Krook – LHP – California Krook has been rising quickly up draft boards this spring.  He can bring a fastball that sits 90-92 touching 95 with good downward movement.  The curveball has at least plus potential and the changeup shows promise.  Krook is 6′ 4″ so there is plenty of potential there as well. Connor Jones – RHP – Virginia Given where he will go in the draft and his strong commitment to UVA, Jones may be the toughest sign of the first round.  His fastball has plus velocity but also really heavy downward movment.  The changeup and slider have potential but are works in progress. Devin Williams – RHP – Missouri Williams velocity jump this spring has some scouts higher on him then others.  The fastball can touch 95 and the changeup has good movement.  The breaking ball is inconsistent, as are his mechanics.  The big draw is that there is lot of filling out he can do which gives scouts plenty to dream on. 2nd Round Kyle Serrano – RHP – Tennessee Serrano offers less projection then other HS pitchers in the draft as the velocity is average sitting more 90-92 touching 94.  The changeup and curveball will flash plus, he will move quick because of his good feel for pitching.  He is committed to Tennessee where is father is the head coach, so it could be a tough sign. Dustin Driver – RHP – Washington An athletic pitcher out of the Pacific Northwest, Driver will bring a fastball that

Ladies (and gents) get your swooning couches ready: Cutesy Stutesy is coming back to Philadelphia. After the demotion of Phillippe Aumont to AAA, the Phillies made the corresponding move this afternoon and brought long lost summer fling Mike Stutes back to the major leagues. Stutes, you may remember, pitched 62 memorable innings in 2011, averaging a healthy strikeout rate (8.4 per nine innings), but a far less healthy walk rate (4.06 per 9) and home run rate (1.02 per 9). Still, despite some troubling peripherals, Stutes was generally a success, pitching to a 3.63 ERA over 57 appearances. Then, as with most things in 2012, the wheels came off of Stutes. Having earned the key to both the seventh inning and our hearts, the hunky bullpenner had a fairly rough 5.2 innings and then was shut down for the rest of the year after undergoing shoulder surgery. As the linked article above says, he was "erratic" in Spring Training (which, like, maybe he was just emotionally unstable, man), and he was sent down to AAA Lehigh Valley to gain some experience and confidence. He looked pretty good over 27 innings this year, keeping his K/9 at 8.33, while lowering his BB/9 (to 3.67) and HR/9 (to .33). Yes, it's a small sample, but hey, why not throw something at the wall, right? As for Aumont, the linked article says that Charlie still has faith in our mutual frere. And well he should: despite fairly middling results in terms of control, Aumont's stuff is not to be doubted. I think it's fairly safe to assume that we'll see him again this year, and with the proverbial chip on his shoulder! And so the bullpen worm turns. Still, while it remains to be seen if the 'pen got any better by dropping Aumont and adding Stutes, we do know one thing for sure: it definitely got better looking.

Maybe this latest move will help straighten things out in the bullpen. It's worth a shot. The Phillies sent right-handed reliever Phillippe Aumont to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and called up fellow righty Mike Stutes. Stutes, who made his mark in the Phillies bullpen during the 2011 season, spent much of last season hurt and wound up needing surgery. He was fighting for a spot in the relief corps. during spring training, but didn't make the 25-man roster out of camp and instead, started the year in Triple-A. He has been stellar during the month of May. In those 10 outings (14 1/3 IP), Stutes has an ERA of only .063, having allowed just one earned run. Opponents are hitting only .157 against him. He's given up eight hits, three walks and have fanned 14. Stutes will be available to pitch Friday's game in Washington.  Aumont will be available for tonight's game at Coca-Cola Park. The Phillies' bullpen is tied for the second-highest ERA (4.63) in the National League. Their .269 batting average against is second worst and their 1.47 WHIP is the highest in the league. Stutes can't be a savior, but maybe he can get calm things down out there. The Phillies already had sent down Raul Valdes and called on B.J. Rosenberg for some help.

If you want to hear some Phillies talk and watch the Great Sports Debate, you have several chances starting tonight. Here are the days and times the latest show will air: TCN -Tonight at 7 p.m. -Friday at 11a.m.  CSN -Saturday at midnight -Sunday at 7 p.m.

Hey folks, just in case you haven’t seen it, here’s a link to the fund-raising page of Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs Josh Fields and his wife, with a note about their efforts and those of Reading Fightins’ Tyler Henson. Many of the Reading guys are also donating a small sum for every retweet on Twitter, so find Henson on there @Hendog4 and you can seek those guys out to retweet their messages. I think it’s Rupp, Biddle, Jim Murphy, Jay Johnson and David Buchanan, and maybe more. www.youcaring.com/other/home-base-oklahoma-city-tornado-relief/61171 Both Henson and Fields are new to the Phillies this year, and their efforts to help people in their home state of Oklahoma should be commended. If you weren’t planning to give anything, I’d like to challenge you right now. I’m going to put up $50 myself as a matching gift for a bunch of us to give small donations through the Fields’ site or another Oklahoma Relief Charity, or to Red Cross (Text ‘redcross’ to 90999 to donate to Red Cross at large – they’re helping in Oklahoma of course, though it’s not a targeted donation, per se). Five people giving $10 or ten giving $5 or any combination thereof. Whatever you give, I will give. Please be honest - just comment on this page by this time tomorrow and say how much you gave after reading this, (sign in anonymously if you don’t want to brag or whatever), and if any of you guys want to challenge others with matching goals, let me know in the comments and I will add it to the top.

On this edition of the show, Phillies outfield prospect Kelly Dugan calls in to chat with the guys.  Additionally, Jay and Tug discuss shortstop Roman Quinn‘s recent offensive improvements leading the way for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws as well as righty pitcher Perci Garner‘s success with Class A Advanced Clearwater.  Some breaking TheFightins.com news is announced and discussions also include Brian Gump, Bill Rice and some local independent league clubs. Listen above, download below, and subscribe to the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast on iTunes. Direct MP3 Download

Brad Lidge will be appearing on murals and den walls for the rest of time. Sep 20, 2011; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brad Lidge (54) delivers to the plate during the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals during game one of a doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals defeated the Phillies 4-3 in 10 innings. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports Fists in the air, knees on the ground, a delirious Chooch thundering toward him, his mouth somewhere in the middle of screaming “OH MY GOD WE DID IT.”  It was the World Series victory that spawned 28 years of restrained celebration, a couple of flaming cars, a pretty bad concussion for this guy, and the idea that Brad Lidge is perfect. Brad Lidge is not perfect, as we learned in the subsequent three years of his Phillies career.  But he achieved for himself a lifetime pass to the city of Philadelphia, going 48-for-48 in save opportunities in 2008, and fetching this town a World Series title. So it makes sense that he will retire as a Phillie on August 1 at home against the Giants, throwing out first pitch to – he hopes – Carlos Ruiz. Brad played six years for the Astros, four years for the Phillies (He was pitching for us as recently as September 2011. Why does that sound so recent?), and one part of a year with the Nationals, who brought him in just to turn him around and make him say stuff like this. He finished up with 225 saves and an accumulated WAR of 7.8.  But all of that pales in comparison to that one moment in which he’d answered when the next World Series win would come, and just before we’d start waiting for the next one that wouldn’t.

The Phillies have won 7 of 10 games and find themselves just a game behind the Nationals for second place in the NL East, but have a tough weekend ahead of them in Washington. Jordan Zimmermann goes for the Nats in Game 1. The underrated righty leads the NL with seven wins, is third in ERA (1.62), third in WHIP (0.87) and first with three complete games. The opposition is hitting .202 off him. The Phillies have hit Zimmermann around,...

I've heard fans express the opinion that Michael Young is doing well this year: getting on base, being a professional hitter, and playing a surprisingly competent third base. While in the same breath bemoaning that Rollins is having a terrible year so far. Is this really the case? Michael Young has largely delivered on what was expected. Many of us were quite concerned about what the Phillies might get from him this season. He is 36 and coming off a year in which he was quite literally the worst player in baseball to get regular playing time. And even before last year, he's been overrated, excelling in the higher profile stats like hits and batting average while falling short in areas that don't get as much scrutiny, like walks and fielding. But so far this year the Phillies could really not have asked for anything more than he's provided. A .287 average, along with the pleasant surprise of a very uncharacteristic 12.8% walk rate, have combined to put him on base at a .378 clip -- the 16th highest figure in the NL (and in the top 10 until just a couple of days ago). Young's defense has not been atrocious, and he at least looks better than the worst case scenario that many were afraid of (i.e. something like 2012's Ty Wigginton). He's caught most of what's been hit at him, and has even made the occasional spectacular play. But his range is limited, and when taking all of his defensive contributions into account, he's been below average. Rollins on the other hand is doing about what we expected: he's hitting close to the league average (wRC+ of 92), and playing better than average defense at a premium position. Wins Above Replacement is a handy way to add up their contributions, and whether you use the version from FanGraphs (fWAR) or Baseball-reference (rWAR), Rollins has the higher WAR: by fWAR: Rollins 0.8, Young 0.7 by rWAR: Rollins 0.5, Young 0.3 Their Fangraphs summaries: Essentially Rollins' fielding advantage offsets Young's advantage at the plate, and Rollins gets about an additional 0.1 WAR bump for playing the more premium position. In addition, they seem to be headed in different directions in recent weeks, as Young has cooled off, while Rollins' hitting has warmed up after his customary slow start. Rollins' career stats: 1st half: .263/.320/.410 (.317 wOBA, 90 wRC+)2nd half: .277/.337/.461 (.344 wOBA, 107 wRC+) Now, as we know, WAR is meant to be used as an approximation, and differences of tenths of a win are not really meaningful. All we can say is that Rollins so far would have the more credible claim for being more valuable. His new contract proved to be a bargain in 2012, when (based on fWAR) he was the second best shortstop in the baseball. Even with the slow start, he seems to be on his way to earning the contract and then some again this season.

The system doesn't have a seemingly infinite number of Catchers, as it seems to with Starting Pitchers, but I do need some line to act as a base, so I'll limit it to guys 25 or younger (no Kratz, no Lerud) who have played in the US. Again, I will do my best to include no bias in the overview of players, and players will be listed in alphabetical order. Tommy Joseph - Currently playing in Triple-A Strengths: Plus power potential for a Catcher. Strong arm, athletic. Reknowned for his leadership, considered one of his primary strengths. Strong defensively. Weaknesses: Patience is an issue, low BB, high K player. Negates some of his power. Power has been spotty and only really blossomed in the California league, the most offensive environment in the minors. Won't hit for average. Gabriel Lino - Currently in Extended Spring Training Strengths: Potential for Plus power, plus throwing arm, and, with considerable work, maybe plus defense. Has exhibited good plate discipline in the past with fairly low K rates, combined with good walk rates. Good pop times Weaknesses: Swing gets long and causes him trouble with off speed pitches, which could make moving up the ladder in the Minors challenging as off speed pitches become more common and better. Defense is very raw, struggles with blocking pitches and occasionally drops more routine pitches. Big player who could grow out of Catcher as he continues to grow. Athletic enough that defense can be expected to improve, may need some swing overhaul. Cameron Rupp - Currently in Double-A Strengths: Solid defensive catcher with a strong enough arm for the position. Exhibits good footwork behind the dish. Coaches have spoken positively about his leadership ability. Patient hitter who will take walks. Weaknesses - Oldest of the Catching prospects in the Phillies system at 24. Some of his success at the plate could be the result of being on the old side for the leagues he succeeded in. Gets tied up by inside fastballs. No individual tool stands out as being particularly good, but no particular tools stands out as being particularly awful either. Sebastian Valle - Currently in Double-A Strengths: Plus to even plus-plus power potential is Valle's calling card. Valle has grown into a solid defender behind the plate with plenty of arm for the position and enough athleticism that he can move to other positions if needed. Only 22 years old. Weaknesses: Valle does not walk (his walk rate is abnormally high this year at ~6%, which would be low for most serious prospects). Valle is not an elite contact hitter and strikes out at a roughly 25% clip. Plus power is nice, but if you can't make consistent contact it is difficult to harness and show up in games. While young, the clock is ticking as he has to be protected on the 40-man roster. Poll Which Catcher will have the best MLB career? Tommy Joseph Gabriel Lino Cameron Rupp Sebastian Valle 35 votes | Results