Many are calling the cops on Ruben Amaro Jr. for stealing. As you know by now, the Indians traded Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco to the Phillies in exchange for Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, and Lou Marson.The edge appears to be for the Phillies who got a Cy Young winner, a right handed bat, and saved their best prosepcts in J.A Happ, Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor. While they aren't the highest ranked prospects, the Indians got four decent prospects in return, two who are very close to being Major League ready.
The Indians are set in the catching department with Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach, but Marson is very close to being MLB ready. The 23 year old doesn't have much power, but hits for a high average. His catching abilities are impressive; he blocks the ball well and has a strong arm.
Donald, like Marson, is returning from an injury this year. Donald can also hit for average, but has a little more pop than Marson. Donald is very versatile. Primarily a plays shortstop, he can also play second and third. In the long haul, I think second will be a better option for him because he doesn't have the greatest arm strength. Asdrubal Cabrera is doing okay for the Tribe this year, but Donald could make an impact in 2010.
Jason Knapp has the most potential of the bunch, and he was the centerpiece of this deal. He is a strikeout machine, and he is only 18. He has 111 strikeouts in 85.1 innings, that's 11.7 K/9.
Carlos Carrasco has fallen off the radar, but he once touted as the Phillies best prospect. He has a very good curveball, and people forget how young he is (22). He'll probably be a middle of the rotation starter in the future, but he has always been a top prospect despite a shaky year this season. A change of scenery might help him too. He can turn around his struggles, he is a talented pitcher.
Even though the Indians didn't get the Phillies best prospects, the Indians still received a good amount of talent in return.
1 comments:
It's not robbery. 4-10 months ago, Donald, Carrasco and Marson were the prizes of our system. Just because Taylor, Brown and Drabek have excelled, doesn't make the rest of these guys any less talented.
I'll miss Knapp the most, as I've had the chance to interview him and see him in action. He's quite mature for his age, and very talented. I wish all these guys the best and look forward to watching them progress further.
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