Top 10 2010 Prospects

Baseball America released the Phillies Top 10 Prospects.

1.	Domonic Brown, of
2.	Kyle Drabek, rhp
3.	Michael Taylor, of
4.	Travis D’Arnaud, c
5.	Trevor May, rhp
6.	Anthony Gose, of
7.	Sebastian Valle, c
8.	Jarred Cosart, rhp
9.	Antonio Bastardo, lhp
10.	Domingo Santana, of

The top 3 shouldn’t surprise you after we unloaded 4 prospects for Cliff Lee, but the new crop of prospects behind them is slowly helping to continue the Phillies success of a farm system.  D’Arnaud would likely be the replacement for Carlos Ruiz down the road.  I’m really looking for him to break out next season and some scouts actually felt he had a higher ceiling than Lou Marson.

Trevor May is a power arm, similar to Jason Knapp, who was traded for Cliff Lee.  May’s fastball tops out in the mid 90s and he has a 12-6 hammer curve to compliment it.  May could see himself in the back-end of the rotation down the road or in late-inning relief because of his strikeout ability.

Anthony Gose is a flat out speedster.  He stole 76 bases this season, but he was thrown out 20 times.  However, he really to need improve his hitting approach if he ever wants to be starter in the bigs.  His minor league career OPS is below .700.

Valle, Cosart, and Santana are a little to predict their future.  Baseball America even sees Valle switching positions to third and starting for the Phillies in 2013.  Cosart is another power arm similar to May.  Lastly, Santana hit for a .897 in the Gulf Coast League last season, so it’ll be interesting to see how he does at a higher level.

Antonio Bastardo is an interesting name as he is now listed at 9th, down from last year.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bastardo pitching in the bullpen next season for the Phillies.  If Bastardo would like to remain a starter, he really needs to work on his control to cut down on his pitch counts.

You think someone is missing from the list? How about 16-game winner, Joe Savery.  Savery likes to pitch to contact and generally these types of guys will never make any top prospect list, but they always find their way into the majors.  Also, it speaks volume about the depth in the Phillies farm system.  Both the 2007 and 2008 first round picks are not in this list: Savery and Hewitt.

Phillies Decline Feliz’s Option

Todd Zolecki has tweeted that the Phillies have declined Pedro Feliz’s $5.5 million option, and will pay him a $500,000 buyout.

In his two seasons with the Phillies, Feliz hit .259 with 26 home runs, and 140 RBIs.  In 2009, he had a career high in .308 OBP, which is not exactly an astounding number.  His slugging percentage has been on a steady decline since 2006 and the Phillies lineup saw a black hole whenever he batted during the postseason.

Pedro Feliz however was likable player this season with superb defense and a knack for coming through in the “clutch” during the regular season.  Feliz hit .336 with RISP this year with 82 RBIs on the season.  Also, it was Pedro Feliz who knocked in the go-ahead run in game 5 of the World Series last year.  He also hit a game-tying home run in game 4 of this year’s World Series.

The move doesn’t necessarily mean Feliz will not return because the Phillies could likely bring him back at a cheaper price.  Feliz did not have a huge market for himself before the 2008 season when the Phillies signed him.

I’d expect the Phillies to look at Adrian Beltre who’s price likely dropped dramatically after a poor, injury-riddled 2009 campaign.  Beltre will only turn 31 in April compared to Feliz who will be 35.  Beltre is also a superb defender and by no means would he be a defensive downgrade.

The Phillies could also consider Chone Figgins, but I have a feeling that he’ll be out of the Phillies price range.

Injury Notes: Lidge, Eyre, and Ibanez

Todd Zolecki reports that Brad Lidge, Scott Eyre, and Raul Ibanez will all be scheduled for surgeries early next week.

Brad Lidge will have surgery next Wednesday to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow.  Also, Lidge will have his flexor tendon evaluated and could miss Spring Training time if it requires surgery.  For someone that really wants to regain his former form, this could deal a huge blow to that.

Scott Eyre will also have surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow on Monday.  The Phillies have already said that they would wait and see the results of his surgery before they extend Eyre an offer.  Eyre has already made it clear that it is either retirement or a return to the Phillies.  Because of his decision, it will give the Phillies plenty of time to decide on which route they plan to take.

Lastly, Raul Ibanez will have a sports hernia surgically repaired.  Credit should be given to Ibanez for playing through this.  I cannot imagine having the ability to feel comfortable at the plate with such an injury and that is what probably lead to Ibanez often finding his bat speed behind on the fast ball.

Future Preview: Brown in Rising Stars Game

If you have nothing to watch tonight, tune into the MLB Network at 8pm as Phillies prize prospect, Dominic Brown, will participate in the Rising Stars Game.

Dominic Brown appeared on Major League Baseball’s mid-season prospect list ranked 24th.  Brown has been playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League and he has hit .256 with a .781 OPS.  He’s hit 2 home runs, drove in 15, and carries a 17/9 K/BB ratio.

 

Notes: Stairs, Park, and Eyre

Once again, thank you Twitter.

Todd Zolecki has tweeted news regarding Chan Ho Park, Scott Eyre, and Matt Stairs.

- The Phillies have contacted Chan Ho Park’s agent about re-signing him.  Personally, I love the idea because he was a vital part of our bullpen.  I think Park is finally realizing he’s more valuable as a reliever and not a starter.  He’s also quickly become a fan favorite.  As a reliever, Park was 2-2 in 50 innings for the Phillies.  He posted great numbers: 2.52 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 3.25 K/BB.

- They have also decided that they will only bring Matt Stairs back on a minor-league deal.  Personally, I don’t care for it all.  I liked his power threat off the bench, but the results just weren’t there.  Also, we really cannot afford to have an all or nothing guy pinch-hitting for us.

- Lastly, the Phillies will wait and see on the results of Scott Eyre’s surgery before they consider bringing him back.  If everything looks good, I cannot imagine him not being re-signed.  He was 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA this season in 30 innings.  He was a great situational lefty for them.

Brett Myers Will Not Return

According to Andy Martino on Twitter, Brett Myers was told by the front office that he will not be brought back with the team.

Myers started with the Phillies at the age of only 20.  In 240 games (183 starts), Myers was 73-63 with a 4.40 ERA.  Injuries set him back this season and he was never able to truly find himself again out of the bullpen.  He said he approached the Phillies about a 1-year incentive laden deal, but the Phillies declined.

“I’ll be fine,” Myers said. “I’ve got friends and family up here, but there’s always a time when change has to happen. If I don’t fit their plans that’s fine with me. There’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t sit here and be sad about it. It’s been great playing here. I’ve had ups and downs here. It’s always tough when you have to leave your family behind, and I consider the Phillies family. I’ve been with them for 10 years. But like I said, there’s always a time when you want to go.”

“We decided to go in a different direction,” Amaro said.

Myers said he would have been willing to sign a one-year, incentive laden deal to remain with the Phillies, but the Phillies weren’t interested. He also said he has no preference regarding starting or relieving with his new team. He said he would like to pitch closer to his Jacksonville, Fla., home. If he starts, he would like to start in the National League. If he is a reliever, he would pitch in either league.

Source: Todd Zolecki

I think most fans, well fans that actually followed the team prior to 2007, saw this day coming at some point.  If Myers is signed as a starter, I could see him receiving close to if not more than $10 million on a year deal.  The guy still has ridiculous stuff and needs to fix his self-proclaimed “Kenny Powers” head.

Lee Still in Philly. ND on Feliz

As if it was unexpected, the Phillies picked up Cliff Lee’s $8 million option to keep him on board for 2010.  Lee went 7-4 with the Phillies in the regular season and had a 3.39 ERA (do I need to mention how he performed in the postseason).  Including the playoffs, Lee totaled over 270 innings and 5 complete games.

Cliff Lee will obviously be the ace heading into next season.  They’re still mulling the decision of extending Lee to a long-term deal.  We do know that the Phillies do not like to go more than 3 years for a starting pitcher, so we’ll see what Lee wants.

In other news, the Phillies have until Monday to decide on whether or not to pick up Pedro Feliz’s $5 million option.  The free agency pool is pretty thin and the Phillies already have $103 million committed to 12 players next year.  His OPS has never been great, but it was below .700.

However, Feliz is such an integral part to their infield defense and there is not much in their farm system to replace him.  For a 7 hole hitter, Feliz was in the lower half in terms of OPS, but his average did rise and he did knock in 82 runs.

The Narrator of Our Summers

2010 for HK.

 

Hold Your Head Up Kid

The cookie will not always crumble your way; however, I and EVERYONE should be proud of this 2009 Phillies team.  Sure, they didn’t win the World Series and playing the Yankees should never be an excuse, but they made it back there when nobody wanted to give them that ability.  No one.  In fact, most people crowned teams like the Mets and Braves as division champs before the season started.  They felt the Phillies had the possibility to creep in as the Wild Card.  They thought wrong.

The Phillies improved on their 2008 regular season record by winning 93 games this year.  They did this with a numerous amount of blown saves.  They gave us a flair for the dramatics in the NLDS and NLCS only to clinch their 2nd straight World Series berth.  Folks, another pennant (2009 NL Champs) is still going to be flying high in Citizen’s Bank Park.

Breaks, questionable calls, managerial decisions didn’t go our way in this World Series.  It happens.  We were out-hit and out-pitched.  It happens.  It happens to the best of teams.  It happened to the cot damn Yankees in 2001 and 2003 when neither the Diamondbacks or Marlins were supposed to touch them.  This is baseball.  A game of luck.  A game of inches.  This is why, without a doubt, it is the greatest game to ever play.  Remember these good moments because we have been filled when plenty of bad ones as Phillies fans.  Don’t harp on the bad.  It is time for us to realize that this franchise may finally be on the rise as a whole and they could be a contender for many years to come.

These are your Philadelphia Phillies.  They need your support now more than ever.  2010 is a new year and you should expect much of the same from the previous two seasons.  This is not the start of another championship drought.  This is just a bump in the road.  This franchise has a future.

You should always have high hopes.

Be proud, my friends.

2009 is Over

Shitty.  Write more tomorrow.

We’ll be back.  Mark my word cot damnit.  We’ll be back.