The Other Side of the Trade

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.

Bako or Marson?

Also featured on Phillies Nation.

Paul Bako's biggest moment as a Phillie came on July 11 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bako's walk-off single capped an 8-7 come from behind win. Lou Marson's biggest Phillies moment came on the last day of the 2008 season. He clubbed his first Major League home run, walking into the dugout only to receive the silent treatment.

With Chris Coste gone and Carlos Ruiz as the everyday catcher, Paul Bako has found himself a home as the Phillies backup catcher. However, is Lou Marson a better option?

Marson could find himself dealt by the trade deadline. Keeping him in Triple-A may keep his value higher in case he struggles in the bigs, but Marson is very close to being, if not already, Major League material. In addition, the Phillies might want him to get playing time instead of sitting next to John Mayberry Jr.

Marson does not hit for power, but his average is a solid .295 after returning from an injury. His on-base-percentage is an impressive .384, and he has shown his patience during his cup of coffee, drawing three walks in 17 at-bats (one which led to Shane Victorino's grand slam against the Marlins).

Bako hasn't done much at the dish. He is batting .195, and in 24 more at-bats than Marson had with the Phillies, Bako has the same amount of walks (3). Bako has not homered and has a total of four runs batted in. Bako isn't there for his bat; he is there mainly for his defense.

Bako has called a good game; his catcher's ERA is 3.74, but that stat is mostly dependent on the pitchers. Bako hasn't done anything eye-popping which has stood out. He has made one error and threw out one runner in seven chances, but he doesn't come close to Chooch behind the plate.

Don't take away from Marson's catching abilities. It's not easy for a catcher to come up and learn a whole new set of pitchers, but Marson's defense is impressive. In limited Major League playing time, Marson has already thrown out three runners attempting to steal. That may have to do with runners being unfamiliar with him, but he has a cannon. He has thrown out 18 runners with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

It isn't like Marson is a stranger to the Phillies. Marson was found in the middle of the NLDS clincher celebration, in the bullpen catching various pitchers during the postseason, and in the World Series parade despite not being on the playoff roster. He knows what a playoff atmosphere is like, despite not playing in one. He also played in the Olympics, where he batted .308 against some of the world's finest.

At 37, Bako has the experience over the 23 year old Marson. It has been a vicious cycle that the Phillies upper positional prospects are blocked and don't make an impact until their mid-to-late 20's (see Chase Utley being blocked by Placido Polanco). Is it time for the Phillies to go with a young guy? Who should the Phillies rely on as their backup catcher, Paul Bako, or Lou Marson?

Injury Updates

Scott Eyre has been placed on the 15 day disabled list with a strained right calf. Kyle Kendrick was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Eyre could be out for "quite a while."

Jason Donald will need surgery on his right knee and will miss 3-4 weeks. Lou Marson was also placed on the disabled list. Donald and Marson were both hitting under .235 in Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Streak Over

It had to end sometime. Brad Lidge's consecutive streak ended at 47, not including the postseason, the third longest streak in major league history.

Raul Ibanez gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the second, but it was erased by Adrian Gonzalez's two run home run an inning later.

After that, starter Brett Myers allowed just one more run. In 6.2 innings, he allowed three earned runs on six hits and four walks as he struck out six. Myers even helped himself with the bat, like he did during the 2008 postseason. He ripped a double off the right field wall, tossing the bat like he thought it was gone. He score a run, putting the Phillies within a run.

Ryan Howard tied the game at 3 with his second home run of the year. But it didn't take long for the Padres to regain the lead. In the eighth, Nick Hundley's RBI double off Ryan Madson put the Padres ahead.

However, Chase Utley's third home run of the season tied the game in the bottom of the eighth and Pedro Feliz his a sacrifice fly to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead.

Going into the ninth inning, things looked good for the Phillies with Mr. Perfect coming onto the mound. Tom McCarthy announced that Lidge had completed 47 consecutive save opportunities, and that was the end of it.

Scott Hairston got a pinch hit double, and scored on Brian Giles' ground ball to tie the game. The Phils played the tie, with the infield in, but it wouldn't matter because Lidge allowed two more baserunners and with two outs, Kevin Kouzmanoff smashed a three run home run.

Lidge would receive a standing ovation as the Phillies Phaithful recognized his streak, and that he is only human.


Heath Bell would not blow a save, as he completed his 7th save of the year and the Padres went onto win, 8-5.

Call of the day: It wasn't his most recognizable call, but to Lou Marson, it meant the world.

"Well hit, Marson is going to hit a home run. Outta Here! Lou Marson in his
major league debut has slugged a homer."

"I remember hearing the call," Marson recalled after being asked of Kalas'
call. "It was definitely an honor and was very special to me."

Ruiz Strains Oblique

During today's game against Colorado, Carlos Ruiz left the game because he suffered a right oblique strain after catching a high pop in foul territory

The Phillies will know more about the injury on Saturday, but as of now Ruiz is said to be day to day. However, Lou Marson was scratched from the IronPigs lineup fifteen minutes before their game, indicating the Phillies are concerned about Ruiz’s injury and do not want Marson to suffer an injury in case he needs to be called up.

UPDATE Friday, 9:30 PM: Marson is flying to Denver tonight just in case Ruiz is placed on the Disabled List tomorrow. Ruiz could miss up to two weeks.

UPDATE Saturday, 5:00 PM: Ruiz has been placed on the 15 Day Disabled List. Marson is with the team.

Lou Marson: A Cup Of Coffee

He rounded the bases and headed toward the empty side of the dugout. He walked down the steps high-fiving air until the rest of the team congratulated him. The thrill of his first Major League homerun.

Lou Marson made his Major League debut September 30th, 2008 in the most meaningless game of the season. For Marson, the game meant a lot. He had a lot to prove and while he did that, he created memories including his first Major League at bat, hit, and homerun. He even threw out a runner at second base.

Marson spent his 2008 season in AA Reading before he was called up in September. He batted .314 with 5 HR, 46 RBI and a .849 OPS in 94 games before heading to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics where he batted .308 in 13 ABs.

Marson had a good reason for being late to the Arizona Fall League, but still played well in his short amount of time with the Mesa Solar Sox. He batted .324 with 10 RBI in 11 games.

Despite only playing one game at the big league level, Marson gained plenty of experience. Since the Phillies were in the heat of a playoff race, Marson knew he wasn't going to get much, if any, playing time. However, Marson got into the final regular season game showing his potential. He hit well, handled the pitching staff well, and played great defense at the catchers position in that last game of the season.

There was some talk Marson could take So Taguchi's playoff spot, but it wasn't meant to be. However, that wouldn't mean Marson was headed straight to the Arizona Fall League.

The Phillies invited Marson as a non roster player for the postseason. Marson warmed up the pitchers in the bullpen, and was right in the center of every clinching celebration. From the division clinching to the World Series parade, Marson was in the center of all of it. Marson now knows what winning is like at a big league level.

Marson got a first hand experience of how great it is to win. He didn't have to worry about making a mistake on the field, but instead kicked back and enjoyed baseball taking the champagne bottle when it was presented to him.

Marson's experience of being in a World Championship atmosphere is going to help him greatly. Marson has a ring, but does he feel like he earned it in one game? Or, will Marson want to feel like he earned it? When he gets a chance to play everyday, Marson is going to want to feel apart and a key contributor of a World Series Championship team. He is going to want to be the one catching the final pitch and being in the bottom of the dogpile, rather than being that guy high-fiving air.

Winter League Update

Many of baseball's top prospects are taking part in Winter Leagues, including several Philadelphia Phillies prospects. Players are taking part in the Arizona Fall League, Hawaii Winter League, and Caribbean Leagues.

Here are some player updates (statistics as of November 14, 2008):

Arizona Fall League:

SS, Jason Donald: 22 G, .405 AVG, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 1.162 OPS

C, Lou Marson: 7 G, .286 AVG, 6 RBI, .899 OPS

P, Andrew Carpenter: 21 IP, 0-2, 6.86 ERA, 1.67 WHIP

CF, Quentin Berry: 19 G, .325 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .785 OPS

Caribbean Leagues:

P, Carlos Carrasco: 19 IP, 1-0, 19 SO, 2.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP

P, Antonio Bastardo: 12 IP, 8 SO, 3.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP

Hawaii Winter League:

P, Kyle Drabek: 16.1 IP, 1-1, 14 SO, 2.76 ERA, .067 ERA

OF, Dominic Brown: 20 G, .344 AVG, 1 HR, 8 RBI, .959 OPS

Put Out the Torch

This is the last and final Olympic update. The Olympics are officially over. The Summer Olympics won't be back until 2012 in London.

USA finished with 110 medals, 36 gold. Hosting team China finished with 100 medals, but 51 were gold.

Phillies prospect Jason Donald helped USA win the bronze medal in baseball. Donald went 2-2 including a 2 run homerun in USA's 8-4 victory.

During the Olympics, Donald led Team USA with a .381 AVG. He hit 1 HR and had 5 RBI. His OPS was 1.107.

Lou Marson hit .308 in 13 AB during the Olympics. His OBP was .438.

Korea won the gold in baseball, over Cuba.

If USA wants baseball back in the Olympics, they are going to need to use Major League players. The downside of that is that baseball players are competing in playoff races during the summer. So baseball back in the Olympics could be done.

There was some controvery in gymnastics as some of the Chinese gymnast may of been under the age of 16. You must be 16 to compete.

16 year old gymnast Shawn Johnson of the United States won a gold medal on the balance beam.

Japan shocked the world when the beat USA in softball for the gold medal. USA won the last 3 gold medals, but this year they fell 3-1.

The redeem team, USA basketball beat Spain for the gold in a 118-107 victory. Dwayne Wade led the way for USA with 27 points.

Kobe Bryant scored 20 points including a huge 3 pointer to help seal the deal.

Seanez, Olympics

Rudy Seanez was activated from the Disabled List today. Seanez was on the DL due to an inflamed right shoulder. To make room for Seanez on the roster, infielder Mike Cervenak was optioned to Leigh High Valley.

The Phillies have an extra pitcher on the roster. I think the Phillies should of sent Wes Walrond down. Walrond has struggled with the Phillies so far. His ERA is 6.23 in 4.1 IP. His WHIP is a very high 2.77.

The Phillies pitching has been strong, and it is the offense that as been weak. Altough some arms need some more rest during this time, the Phillies need more offensive producers. Cervanek is only 1/7 this season, but the Phillies need offense badly.

In Olympic news, Phillies prospects Jason Donald and Lou Marson each went 1-3 against Canada. Both drew walks, and Marson scored a run. Jason Donald did make an error, however. USA beat Canada 5-4 yesterday.

Also, Michael Phelps won another gold medal. This time he won by .01 seconds to beat Serbia's Milord Cavic. Tonight, Phelps will go for his 8th gold medal. He will need help by his teammates, in the Men's 4 x 100m Butterfly.

Donald/Marson Olympic Update

The Phillies have to prospects in Beijing, China for the 2008 Summer Olympics: Catcher Lou Marson and Shortstop Jason Donald. Team USA is 1-2 during the Beijing Olympics so far.

Jason Donald is 3/6 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.

Lou Marson is 1/3 with a walk.

Marson and Donald were both in the starting lineups of USA's only win in game two. Donald played in 2 games. Marson made an apperance at catcher in the 9th inning of game one.

Oh and by the way, Phelps won another medal, and still has a chance for a couple more.

USA has 46 total medals, 14 which are gold. China has 41 medals, but 26 are gold.