Minor League Report: April

Also featured on Phillies Nation.

Despite the team's recent struggles, the Philadelphia Phillies are off to a decent start. Several current Phillies are homegrown, so it is important to keep an eye on some potential future Phillies. Here are the latest updates from the minor leagues:

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs: AAA (7-10, 3rd in International League North)

The IronPigs find themselves three games under .500 despite having a 3.60 team ERA and .274 team batting average, which are better than the league average.

John Mayberry Jr. and Chris Duffy have been the two best hitters for IronPigs. Both have 13 runs batted in. Mayberry is batting .288 with two home runs, but he still continues to strike out at a high pace. Cody Ransom has provided most of the power for the 'Pigs, crushing a team-leading four home runs.

Nate Bump has been the most consistent starter, posting a 1.35 ERA in 20 innings. He has been pitching to contact; he has allowed a lot of hits, and has a low total of strikeouts.

Scott Matheison has done well in 8.2 innings. Opponents are batting just .179 off the right-hander who is returning from Tommy John surgery. On the other hand, Drew Carpenter (7.15 ERA) has been rocked.

Reading Phillies: AA (8-9, 5th in Eastern League)

The Reading Phillies are a game below .500, despite having several of the Phillies' top prospects. Domonic Brown has yet to disappoint though. Brown is batting .325 with a .936 on-base plus slugging percentage.

Phillipe Aumont had his troubles during spring training, but he threw six no-hit innings on Sunday. Overall, Aumont is 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA.

Yohan Flande is 0-2, but that is mainly due to a lack of run support. Flande's ERA is 0.96 in 18.2 innings. He has allowed a lot of hits, but he has not walked many batters.

Lakewood Blue Claws: A (9-9, 4th place in Northern South Atlantic League)

The Blue Claws were the 2009 South Atlantic League champions, so they will have some expectations for 2010.

Darin Ruf has opened some eyes this April. The first baseman is batting .328 with a .921 OPS. 2008's first round draft pick, Anthony Hewitt, has two home runs and a .282 average.

Nicholas Hernandez is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in four starts. Jarred Cosart is 3-1 with a 3.26 ERA and has 0.88 walks and hits per innings pitched.

Clearwater Threshers: A+ (11-6, 1st place in Florida State League North)

Record-wise, the Threshers have been the best team of all the Phillies affiliates. Cody Overbeck leads the team in home runs (3) and RBI (11). The third baseman also has a .333 average and .965 OPS.

Anthony Gose has struck out a lot, resulting in a .247 average, but he has six stolen bases to lead the team.

Austin Hyatt is 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA and 0.75 WHIP. Also, he has struck out 27 batters in 22.2 innings. Other pitchers to watch are J.C Ramirez and Trevor May, who have both pitched well so far.

Phillies/Twins Preview & Other Notes

As seen on Phillies Nation.

With the rain pushing back J.A Happ’s start, the Phillies altered their rotation for the week. On Monday, Roy Halladay will start and Jamie Moyer will pitch in a B game. Cole Hamels will pitch on Tuesday, Joe Blanton Wednesday, Kyle Kendrick Friday, and Halladay on Saturday. The Phillies have off on Thursday, when Happ will throw again.

Happ will start in today’s game against the Minnesota Twins. It can be seen on MYPHL 17 and MLB Network at 1:00 p.m. Carl Pavano will take the hill for the Twins.

The Twins lineup will consist of almost all regulars, except Joe Mauer: Denard Span, Orlando Hudson, Justin Morneau, Jim Thome, Michael Cuddyer, Wilson Ramos, Delmon Young, J.J Hardy and Nick Punto.

For the Phillies, all the regulars are in the lineup for the first time this spring: Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Ben Francisco, and Carlos Ruiz.

Other Notes:

Phillippe Aumont, Yohan Flande, Scott Mathieson, Drew Naylor, J.C Ramirez, Jesus Sanchez, Joe Savery, Bill White, Tuffy Gosewisch, Kevin Nelson, John Suomi, Freddy Galvis, Quentin Berry and Tyson Gillies have all been re-assigned to minor league camp.

Scott Matheison is the most surprising name on the list. Ruben Amaro said that Matheison could appear in the big leagues in 2010, but also said that he needed to “refine” his secondary pitches.

It is still uncertain if J.C Romero and Brad Lidge will be ready by April 5. Romero says not to count him out for Opening Day, although it appears to be a long shot at this point.

Romero threw 30 pitches yesterday, and mixed in a few changeups. Romero will start throwing sliders tomorrow.

Today, Lidge threw to a few hitters. On Monday, Lidge will likely throw in a minor league game. Both Lidge and Romero see progress.

Phils Sign Players to Minor League Deals

The Phillies signed Shigetoshi Yamakita and Naoyo Okamoto to minor league deals. They each spent 2009 with the Shonan Searex, a minor league team of the Yokohama Bay Stars. Both players are left-handed pitchers.

Yamakita, 32, posted a 2.47 ERA in 27 innings. Okamoto, 26, had a 5.28 ERA in 15.1 innings.

In other minor league signings, the Phillies added veteran outfielder Freddy Guzman. Guzman is currently playing in the Caribbean Series and made highlights when he stole home. The switch-hitter spent most of 2009 in different Triple-A affiliates, however he played in ten games with the New York Yankees, and stole four bases.

Bryce Harper Watch! Bryce Harper went 3-for-15 in his junior college tournament. That's a .200 AVG. Even in a limited number of at-bats, that is struggling, especially for the phenom named Bryce Harper.

He went 0-for-8 in a double header. He has 1 home run. He went 2-for-6 in another game .

Again, it's a small sample size.

SAL Champions: BlueClaws

Congratulations to the 2009 Lakewood BlueClaws! For the second time in their 16-year history, the Phillies Single-A affiliate clinched the South Atlantic League title. They beat the Greenville Drive (Red Sox) 5-1 in game four of the series.

Korey Noles earned the win, pitching seven solid innings. The BlueClaws were able to manufacture runs by playing small ball. Travis d'Arnaud, Harold Garcia, Troy Hanzawa, and Anthony Gose each drove in runs. Gose's speed was a key factor in the victory.

It was a good night for the Phillies organization. The Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 9-3, decreasing their magic number to 8.

The only down side was that J.A Happ (oblique) and Carlos Ruiz (sprained wrist) left the game early. Ryan Howard hit two home runs, but he had a bandage on his arm at the end of the game. Shane Victorino was not in the lineup due to stomach problems. Luckily, none of the injuries appear to be serious.

Drabek & Taylor Named Paul Owens Winners

As seen on Phillies Nation.

Right-handed pitcher Kyle Drabek and outfielder Michael Taylor were named the 2009 Paul Owens Award winners for best pitcher and player in the Phillies organization.

Drabek, arguably the Phillies most prized prospect in the farm system, went 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA in Single-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. The 21 year old struck out 150 batters in 158 innings and opponents batted .239 against him. Drabek was recently shut down for the remainder of the season.

Taylor batted .320 with 20 home runs, 84 runs batted in, and stole 21 bases in Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Taylor, 23, had a .944 on-base plus slugging percentage. He hit for the cycle on August 12.

Drabek Shut Down

Also posted on Phillies Nation.

The Philadelphia Phillies shut down Kyle Drabek for the remainder of the season. Drabek, the Phillies top prospect, has been placed on the inactive list.

Drabek is not injured, but the Phillies decided to shut him down since he pitched 158 innings this season, the most in his professional career. In both Clearwater and Reading, he was 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA. Drabek will not pitch in the Arizona Fall League or Florida Industrial League.

The Phillies made a great decision. Drabek, who recovered from 2007 Tommy John Surgery, had himself a terrific year, but he was starting to tire out. He had a 5.05 ERA in five August starts. This will benefit Drabek’s future, and protect him from injury risk.

IronPigs News

Joe Savery was promoted from Double-A Reading to Triple-A Lehigh Valley today.

With Reading, the 23 year old was 12-4 with a 4.41 earned run average in 112.1 innings. He allowed 1.46 walks and hits per innings pitched.

In other IronPig news, Pedro Martinez will rehab in AAA tonight.

The IronPigs seven game home winning streak was snap yesterday-- by their former teammates. Lou Marson and Jason Donald went a combined 2-for-6 with 2 walks and run against their old team. Carlos Carrasco pitches against the IronPigs tonight.

Kendrick Scratched

Kyle Kendrick was a late scratch from his start with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The move is a little suspicious, but it could mean one of a few things.

1. He is legitimately hurt. However, my IronPigs insider, IRONPIGPEN, told me that Kendrick is not hurt.
2. He is getting called up. However, that might not make sense because the Phillies have nobody to send down, unless somebody is being placed on the disabled list. Even though, they would probably recall Sergio Escalona if that were the case.
3. There is a trade in the works.

Call of the Day: In 2007, Kyle Kendrick made some nice plays against the Pirates.

"Nice play by Kendrick. That will not get the run home. That is
out number two."

Taylor Promoted, Knapp DL'd

As seen on Phillies Nation.

Top prospect Michael Taylor has been promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The 23 year old batted .333 with 15 home runs and 65 runs batted in with Double-A Reading. In addition, he had an on-base plus slugging percentage of .977.

In other minor league transactions, Jason Knapp has been placed on the seven-day disabled list with shoulder fatigue. Knapp is 2-7 with a 4.01 ERA. He is eligible to come off the disabled this weekend, but will likely miss another week.

BA's Top 25 Prospects

Baseball America released their mid-season top 25 prospects today. The list features three Phillies:

17. Dominic Brown, OF
(Season with A+: .299 AVG/.379 OBP/.540 SLG/.919 OPS/9 HR/38 RBI/14 SB)

23. Michael Taylor, OF
(Season with AA: .340 AVG/.405 OBP/.583 SLG/ .989 OPS/ 15 HR/ 64 RBI/ 17 SB)

24. Kyle Drabek, RHP
(Season with A+ and AA: 9-1/108.1 IP/2.58 ERA/110 SO/ 136 BB)

In addition, Jason Knapp was listed in the top 50.
(Season with A: 2-6/84.2 IP/ 3.40 ERA/ 1.13 WHIP/ 111 SO/ 36 BB)

Jason Heyward, an outfielder in the Braves system was ranked number one. With A+ and AA, he is batting .300 with 10 HR. His OPS is .911.

Tim Beckham, the Rays first round pick in the 2008 draft, was ranked 20th.

Pharm Phriday: All Star Edition

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have three players headed to the All Star Game. Andrew Carpenter, Mike Cervenak and Andy Tracy were selected to represent the International League All Stars.

Carpenter is 7-1 with a 2.75 earned run average in 14 games. Carpenter earned his first Major League win when he was called up earlier this season to start against the Washington Nationals.

Cervenak is batting .311 with 10 home runs and 66 runs batted in. Cervenak, 33, was selected to be an All Star last season, but did not play due to his promotion to the Major Leagues. Tracy is tied for second in the International League in home runs with 14.

IRONPIGPEN gives the complete I.L Roster.

The Reading Phillies have four players selected for the Eastern League: Joe Savery, Neil Sellers, Michael Taylor, and Vance Worley.

Savery and Taylor were selected by the fans. Savery leads the Eastern League with 10 wins. He also has a 3.08 ERA Taylor leads the league with a .348 batting average. Taylor is second in the league with a 1.009 on-base plus slugging percentage.

Sellers is batting .300 with 8 home runs and 44 RBI.

Worley is 5-4 with a 3.63 ERA. As always, Phoul Ballz gives a great interview with his most recent being with Worley.

Both All Star games will be held on July 15.

Lopez Starting Friday

For a few days it looked like Carlos Carrasco would make his Major League debut. However, that is not the case. Rodrigo Lopez will start on Friday against the New York Mets.

Lopez is 65-65 with a 4.80 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in his Major League career. In 2007, he had Tommy John Surgery and spent most of the 2008 season recovering. The Phillies signed Lopez to a minor league deal after spring training. In 13 starts with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Lopez is 5-4 with a 3.91 ERA and opponents are batting .292 against him.

I think the Phillies should have given Carrasco a chance. Yes, he has struggled at Triple-A, but he has proven to be a great pitcher in the past. A change of scenery may help him, and that could of been minor leagues to majors.

Lopez has experience, but his numbers do not blow anyone away. He has been very inconsistent in the minors. One day he'll pitch six shutout innings, the next outing he will pitch three innings and give up five earned runs. You never know what to expect from Lopez.

In other news, Raul Ibanez will not be playing at Reading tonight for pre-cautionary reasons. Even though there are no setbacks, it is unlikely he will return this weekend, but should be able to start rehabbing tomorrow.

Organizational Moves

Antonio Bastardo has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain. Left-handed relief pitcher Sergio Escalona is recalled.

Starting pitcher Yohan Flande was promoted from Single-A Clearwater to Double-A Reading yesterday. He will make his first start with the Reading Phillies tonight.

In Clearwater, Flande was 7-1 with a 2.52 earned run average.

The move could indicate a promotion for two other players in the farm system. The Phillies need a starter, so a player will be called up from Triple-A or Double-A. There could also be a Double-A to Triple-A promotion.

However, after Flande was promoted, the Phillies acquired Brian Mazone from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mazone, a former Phillies farm hand, is 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in Triple-A this season.

The move could fill a hole in Lehigh Valley’s rotation after somebody is promoted to the majors. It can also prevent a Double-A player from being promoted to Triple-A.

In addition, J.A Happ will start on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves. A pitcher that has yet to be announced will pitch on Friday against the New York Mets. Originally, the call-up was slated for Thursday.

Drabek & Flande To Represent Phillies

Seen on Phillies Nation.

Kyle Drabek and Yohan Flande will represent the Phillies in the Futures Game in St. Louis during the All Star Break.

Drabek, the Phillies first round pick in 2006, will represent team USA. In Class A Clearwater, Drabek struck out 74 batters in 61.2 innings. He was 4-1 with a 2.48 ERA before being promoted to Double-A. In four starts with Reading, Drabek is 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA. Drabek has rebounded nicely from 2007 Tommy John surgery.

Flande will represent the World team. Flande was never considered a high prospect, however he has been impressive this season with Clearwater. He is 6-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.

Violaters Shouldn't Rehab

Major League Baseball has allowed minor league rehab appearances for those who violated the drug policy. Manny Ramirez and J.C Romero, for example, were each allowed rehab appearances before their suspension ended.

Personally, I don't think they should be allowed to rehab before their suspension is up. They violated the policy, they should be penalized. They're banned from MLB for 50 games, that should mean all of baseball, minor leagues and its affiliates. If they need rehab, they should wait until the suspension is up. They can learn their lesson and it supports a stronger drug policy for MLB.

It's not really a suspension if they're still allowed to play somewhere. Yes, it's not the majors, but what if it is not Manny, instead a veteran player on a last place team, but borderline major league talent. He played in the MLB, but he isn't that good. He rehabs in Triple-A, but that is where he should play anyway.

Because of the rehab, Manny Ramirez is receiving more attention around the minor leagues now. Minor League Baseball even broadcasted the game live on their web site. Between innings, kids swept off the bases wearing Manny dreadlocks. Manny received so much fan support and said "People love me everywhere." What kind of message is this sending to kids? Take a banned substance get positive support and attention?

In conclusion, MLB should not allow rehab appearances. By allowing it, it is almost like they are somewhat supporting the policy.

Drabek Continues To Dominate

As seen on Phillies Nation.

Kyle Drabek was lights out in Single-A this season. Now he is lights out in Double-A.

In his fourth start with the Reading Phillies, Drabek threw eight shutout innings in the Phillies 4-0 win over the Harrisburg Senators. He allowed only four hits, struck out five, and did not walk a batter. Drabek shut down a sizzling offense that scored 19 runs in the last two games.

He threw 96 pitches; 69 strikes. He retired the last sixteen batters he faced. Drabek improved to 3-0 and lowered his earned run average to 2.08.

Call of the Day: Ryan Madson struck out out B.J. Upton in a key situation during Game 4 of the World Series.

"Fans are on their feet while rally towels are being waved... Here's the stretch
by Madson. 3-2 pitch... Swing and a miss! He struck him out with a changeup!"

"Big strikeout by Madson with his great change of his. Down go the Rays.
No runs, a hit, they leave two. Stretch time, we go to the bottom of the
seventh. Phillies lead, 6-2."

Pharm Phriday: 6/12

In this edition of Pharm Phriday, IRONPIGPEN brought in some of his insight on the IronPigs.

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (AAA): 24-35, 5th in INT North

Pablo Ozuna was suspended 50 games for using perfomance enhancing drugs.

Carlos Carrasco: 1-7/ 5.56 ERA/ 1.42 WHIP/ 67 SO/ 66.1 IP

IRONPIGPEN: I think a book was published and distributed throughtout International League on Carrasco and everyone has now read it. I think Carrasco is a strikeout, hard-thrower type, but doesn’t know how to “pitch” – use off speed, locate stuff and have a “trick pitch.” And I think when things start to go bad he loses concentration and starts to unravel quick. The veteran hitters in AAA are killing him. This is like 11 or 12 starts now so…

Andrew Carpenter: 5-0/ 2.75 ERA/ 68.2 IP/ 1.15 WHIP/ 45 SO

IRONPIGPEN: He really has done well since coming back after Washington game; I don’t think he’s flashy SO guy like Carrasco but I think he’s learning to get guys out.

Reading Phillies (AA): 35-23, 2nd in EAS South

Joe Savery: 7-1/ 3.78 ERA/ 1.38 WHIP/ 47 SO/ 66.2 IP

Kyle Drabek: 2-0/ 1.50 ERA/ 12 IP/ 7 SO/ 1.50 WHIP

Clearwater Threshers (A+): 28-28, 2nd in FSL North

The Threshers had to cancel all Phillies related giveaways due to Major League Baseball's policy. No minor league affilaite can sell or give away merchandise more than 60 miles away from its parent team after Spring Training.

Tim Kennelly: .311 AVG/ 3 HR/ 32 RBI/ .859 OPS

Lakewood Blue Claws (A): 34-24, 1st in SAL North

Jim Murphy: .315 AVG/ 6 HR/ .934 OPS/ 28 RBI

Pharm Phriday: 5/29

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (AAA): 19-27, 5th in INT North

Miguel Cairo, who was just designated for assignment has joined the IronPigs and is batting .357 with 1 HR and 5 RBI.

Jason Donald has been struggling, batting just .234,but has missed the last couple games due to a hamstring injury.

Antonio Bastardo pitched 7 scoreless innings in his last outing. In 13 innings, he is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. IRONPIGPEN predicts that he will be the next prospect to be called up. With Brett Myers injured, that prediction doesn't seem far off.

Reading Phillies (AA): 25-20, 3rd in EAS South

Michael Taylor continues to dominate. His .322 AVG, 8 HR, 33 RBI, and .960 OPS leads the team by far.

Neil Sellers is also having a decent year at third base. He is batting .313 with 5 HR, 19 RBI and a .863 OPS.

Vance Worely has been stellar in the 57.1 innings he has pitched. His ERA is just 2.83. Even more impression his WHIP: 0.91.

Clearwater Threshers (A+): 22-20, 2nd in FSL North

Dominic Brown: .338 AVG/ 6 HR/ 33 RBI/ .989 OPS

Yohan Flande: 5-1/ 3.38 ERA/ 40 SO/ 1.33 WHIP

Kyle Drabek: 3-1/ 2.91 ERA/ 52.2 IP/ 11.5 K per 9 / 1.18 WHIP

Lakewood Blue Claws (A): 27-19, 1st in SAL North

Travis D'Arnaud is batting just .185, but leads the team in RBI with 25. Phoul Ballz has an interview on the catching prospect.

Tyler Cloyd: 5-2/ 3.08 ERA/ 1.07 WHIP/ 8.86 SO/BB

Call of the Day: In July of 1993 Mickey Morandini hit a grand slam off San Francisco's Dave Righetti in the eighth inning of an 8-3 win.

"Righetti stretches... 1-2 pitch... swing and a well-hit ball to deep
right... this ball is a grand slam, a grand slam home run Mickey Morandini and
the Phillies have broken this game wide open!"

Everybody Dance Now

Jay from Phoul Ballz originally posted this, but it was just too awesome, I had to post it.

The Lakewood Blue Claws had a dance off against the Greensbrough Grasshoppers after the rain washed out the firework show. But there was still a show..

(Best part is around the 4:45 mark)



Like dancing? Check out this college baseball danceoff between USF and UConn, which happened a few days before the Blue Claws did it. A fun time, none the less.



Gotta admit, the BlueClaws are better dancers than those college kids. The college boys just had a batter ending.. How awesome would this be if the Phillies did this?

Call of the Day: Harry Kalas calls final pitch for the NLCS in 2008.

"The 3-2 pitch...Swing, and a pop-up, this game is gonna be over...Carlos
Ruiz squeezes it, and the Phillies are the National League champions! The Phils
move on to the World Series!"

Mayberry's Impact

In need of an extra right handed bat for for interleague play, John Mayberry Jr. was called up from Triple-A.

Mayberry's eight home runs and 25 runs batted in led the Lehigh Valley IronPigs coming into Sunday. Called up to the majors, Mayberry impacted the Philadelphia Phillies lineup right away by showing his power to the nation.

His first major league home run, a three run shot, gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead on Saturday. He also doubled.

In his second game, he was 0-for-5 with a strikeout.

Charlie Manuel said Mayberry will stick around for awhile, but the Phillies do not need a designated hitter until June 23 when they play the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. After their series in Tampa, they head to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays.

Mayberry won't recieve much playing time with a starting outfield that consists of Jasyon Werth, Shane Victorino and the red hot Raul Ibanez.

Despite their need for a right handed bat off the bench, the Phillies would benefit if Mayberry is sent back down to Triple-A. Being able to play on a daily basis, he'll get extra at-bats so he won't be rusty if he gets playing time in the majors at the end of June.

He does not have enough experience, and strikes out too much to serve as a temporary pinch hitter. Just 25 years old, his future is an everyday player, not a utility man.

While Mayberry is a much needed right handed power bat, the Phillies should look elsewhere for the sake of benefiting the team in the future.

For IRONPIGPEN's point of view on this subject, please visit his blog: IRONPIGPEN: The Pork Stops Here!