This kinda sucks, though it's a real long time coming. Been going way down hill for years, but always a go to oyster spot, especially happy hour. The wife and I would stop down after work many Friday's.
Phillies’ Second Half Hints That Success is Closer than Expected
24 November 2015, 02:01pm — by Matt Winkelman
There is a school of thought that says the road to contention for a team is linear with the team advancing little by little each year until success is assured. This theory been debunked by many teams over the year who seemingly leap to contention from nowhere. Now this doesn’t mean the Phillies can jump from 63-99 to the playoffs in 2016, a 30 game swing is a bit much to ask for (for reference Houston made a 16 game swing and the Cubs made a 24 game swing in 2015). That being said, the Phillies are closer to a team that looks like a 2017 contender.
First let’s start with the basics. The 2015 Phillies did not underperform. Baseball Reference had them at 14.2 total WAR and Fangraphs at 16.4 total WAR. That puts the expected win total somewhere in the 61-64 range, so right about where the Phillies ended up. The Phillies even traded away a good chunk of the production in trades that sent out Cole Hamels, Ben Revere, and Jonathan Papelbon. But yet if we use Fangraphs 1st half (91 games) and 2nd half (71 games) sample size and scale them to 162 games we find this:
First Half fWAR/162: 10.7 (~58-104) Second Half fWAR/162: 24.0 ~(71-91)
If we backtrack a bit to the 81 game split we see that the Phillies went 27-55 (54-108) in the first half and 38-44 (76-88) in the second half. Given that the Fangraphs 1st half/2nd half split includes more of the traded veterans this makes sense, but we are still on the right track of second half growth. But how did this team trade away its remaining veterans and still come out on the other side as a 10+ win better team.
Clearing the Incompetent:
It starts with the pitching. In the first half of the season Severino Gonzalez, David Buchanan, Dustin McGowan, Chad Billingsley, Kevin Correia, Jerome Williams, and Sean O’Sullivan combined for 280 innings of baseball (just over 31 nine inning games). The lowest ERA among them was Sean O’Sullivan at 6.08. In the second half Alec Asher, Adam Loewen, David Buchanan, and Aaron Harang were all over 6.00 ERAs, but they only contributed 159.2 innings. In their place there more games by Adam Morgan (4.52), Aaron Nola (3.59), and Jerad Eickhoff (2.65).
On the hitting side it was less pronounced with guys hitting the garbage bucket, but the team certainly didn’t miss Grady Sizemore going forward.
On both sides the Phillies are closing gaps that were artificially large because of the filler on the roster. This roster junk was suppressing the Phillies true future talent level.
The Hitters went From Putrid to Bad:
No one is going to give you an award for being a replacement level player, but when you are the Phillies’ first half lineup they should. Chase Utley, Cody Asche, Jeff Francoeur, Domonic Brown, Darin Ruf, and Ryan Howard combined for a first half fWAR of -4.0, in the second half that same group was at 0.7. Part of this was improvement, someone was regression, and some was reduction in playing time. Either way it helped to limit the impact on the team. None of the players look to have a long term future with the Phillies (Ruf and Asche could be bench players) so we can really look at their contributions as zeroes that can be built on.
Youth, Youth, and More Youth
Let’s start with Odubel Herrera who put up 2.6 fWAR in the second half (on the back of a .432 BABIP), now Herrera is not going to keep the pace up, but he did show large improvements in walk rate that should indicate long term success. Maikel Franco actually had less impact in the second half, but he should be a positive going forward (obviously). Aaron Altherr took an outfield job away from Francoeur and Brown and racked up a 1.7 fWAR while playing really good defense and showing great power and speed. Cameron Rupp went from zero to mediocre.
The impact was also felt on the pitching side where Eickhoff and Nola made up for the loss of Cole Hamels. Meanwhile Ken Giles outperformed Papelbon, and while Adam Morgan’s year wasn’t stellar he was an upgrade on the Phillies’ previous back end starters.
Going From Here:
Time for funny math. Let’s say that the returning young players are Giles, Eickhoff, Nola, Morgan, Herrera, Altherr, and Franco. Let’s say all three hitters average out to 2-3 win players (Franco stays healthy, Herrera regresses some, Altherr’s defensive metrics stabilize), that gives us say 8 wins. Nola and Eickhoff can probably be filed in that same 2-3 win category, Ken Giles has been a reliable 2 win reliever, Morgan is probably a 1-1.5 win pitcher, so let’s call the whole bunch 7 wins. We are at 15 wins using our funny math. So assuming the Phillies just get a zero everywhere else (not the easiest task we just saw) we are looking at a repeat of 2015. The spots left to fill are:
C, 1B, 2B, SS, OF, SP, SP, bullpen
Now we know 1ish WAR pitcher Jeremy Hellickson will be in one of those SP slots and that C/1B/2B/SS have their placeholders. We also know that reinforcements are on the way for C/SS/OF/SP during the 2016 season. Obviously the Phillies aren’t to contender status in 2016, but the roadmap is there and the roster is a break or two from where the FO can make the moves in trade or free agency to make the leap to contention. The Phillies won’t be the worst team in baseball in 2016 and are unlikely to own that distinction for a long time. They aren’t good yet, but it is almost there.
Anyone see Creed yet? saw it tonight, kinda reminded me if what Silver Linings Playbook did a few years ago. Shot at some pretty cool philly places like Johnny Brenda's and the Electric Factory as well as some of the restaurants that were they used although i never been to any of them.
8/28/98- Camden, NJ
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Tres Mts.- 3/23/11- Philly. PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
Amazing that the braves got more for shelby miller than the phils got for cole hamels (I still hate the hamels trade). Look at the landscape of the NL East. Braves are loaded with young talent (maybe the most stud prospects in MLB), the mets have a young rotation full of beasts, and the nats have arguably the most talented roster in MLB -- combined with future all stars such as giolito, robles, and turner.
Andy MacPhail is a loser. There are dark days ahead...sadly at least a decade of them.
On a positive note...this is the last year of watching the fat whale 1B flailing at pitches in the dirt. And the david hernandez signing was a great move.
8/28/98- Camden, NJ
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Tres Mts.- 3/23/11- Philly. PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
Astros get swing-and-miss stuff from Giles, but at what cost?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Astros' playoff exit was largely tied to a problem in their bullpen, which they've addressed using some of the bulk in their farm system while keeping all of their top prospects. For the Phillies, it's a no-brainer to deal a 70-inning-a-year closer -- one who has a very short track record of pitching at this level of performance -- for two prospects and a needed rotation option.
The Astros' bullpen was a weakness in one specific way: They couldn't miss bats. It wasn't an ineffective bullpen, like the Dodgers' non-Jansen relievers or the Red Sox's relievers for most of the year, but they couldn't miss bats and it cost them badly in October. Whether they view Ken Giles as a closer or as a more fungible high-leverage option when they need a strikeout or two, he's better than any reliever they had in 2015 by a pretty significant margin.
Hitters swung and missed at one of every four sliders that Giles threw last year, and struggled to even put his upper-90s fastball in play. He doesn't walk guys, although I think his control is well ahead of his command -- he gets away with some mistakes in location because his two pitches are so good. I don't ordinarily like paying for closers, in money or prospects, but in this case the Astros acquired Giles with five years of control remaining, two of them pre-arbitration years, so they're going to receive substantial value for what they gave up, and while the guys they gave up are good prospects, they were not among Houston's top five. Ken Giles brings swing-and-miss stuff to the Astros bullpen, but he didn't come cheaply in a deal with the Phillies. Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports
The Phillies get a lot of value back for their young closer, who was a luxury on a team that's not going to be very good with or without a guy to handle a three-run lead in the ninth inning. The most notable name is right-hander Vincent Velasquez, a promising starting pitching prospect who has thrown 152 1/3 innings in total over the last two years around various injuries, and one who has never thrown more than 124 innings in any calendar year as a professional. He has an above-average fastball and plus changeup, but didn't use the change enough in his big-league tenure and has never found an above-average third pitch. I think he can remain a starter even if the curveball remains a fringe-average weapon because the changeup is good and hitters don't see the fastball well, but some evidence of durability would be nice.
Houston took outfielder Derek Fisher in the sandwich round in 2014 out of the University of Virginia; when first overall pick Brady Aiken didn't sign, Fisher became their top signed pick in the draft class, although their next pick, A.J. Reed, has since blown past Fisher and become one of the top 50 prospects in the game. Fisher is a very athletic corner outfielder whose performances have never quite lived up to his tools, especially on defense, as he's a 70 runner who is a below-average fielder in any spot in the outfield. Fisher does work the count well and can turn on a fastball, although left-handers who can spin the ball are his nemesis. The batting-practice power he's shown for years has never really translated to in-game power, and I think he's more likely to hit for average with 30 doubles than to hit 20-odd homers in the majors. Because he's limited to left field, he's probably an average everyday player rather than a star; if that home run power ever shows up after the first pitch, however, he'd be a much better prospect.
Brett Oberholtzer fills a critical need for the Phillies right now, as he's a major-league starter with a pulse. He missed time this spring with a finger injury, but came back as the same guy he was in his solid 2014 season -- a command left-hander with a fringy fastball and three off-speed weapons that allow him to change speeds and eye levels. The Phillies were about to use the Phanatic as their No. 4 starter, so Oberholtzer gives them something a little better than that. They may also receive a fourth prospect in the trade, likely to be announced after Thursday's Rule 5 draft.
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
Love this trade of Giles. What the hell else are you going to do with a closer on a shitty team? Great move by Klentak.
Wow. Just saw Thomas Eshelman is the 4th guy in the trade. Hell of a haul right there.
The Phillies of old would never have made this move.
When they get good again, they can always make a move like Houston did here to get another young closer.....or maybe Valesquez turns into one over time. I saw one scout said he could be similiar to Giles in that role.
Phillies Likely to Select Rays’ Tyler Goeddel in Rule 5 Draft
by Bill Baer on December 9, 2015 MLB • Philadelphia Phillies 8 Comments
J.J. Cooper of Baseball America hears from two sources that the Phillies are likely to select outfielder Tyler Goeddel from the Rays with the first overall pick in the Rule 5 draft on Thursday. That’s right: not only does one get the first overall pick in the amateur draft for finishing with baseball’s worst record, one also gets the first pick in the Rule 5 draft.
Goeddel, 23, was selected by the Rays in the first round, 41st overall, of the 2011 draft. He has put up middling numbers over parts of four seasons in the minors. This past season, his first at Double-A Montgomery, Goeddel hit .279/.350/.433 with 39 extra-base hits (including 12 home runs) with 28 stolen bases in 37 attempts across 533 plate appearances.
Here’s what Cooper wrote about Goeddel at Baseball America:
Goeddel’s bat seemed to take off somewhat this year after he moved from third base to the outfield. He’s an athletic, if a little slight-framed righthanded hitter with a smooth swing who is above-average in the corners and playable in center field. Coming off a .279/.350/.433 season at Double-A, Goeddel is one of the more polished hitters available in this year’s Rule 5 draft.
Any player the Phillies select in the Rule 5 draft must remain on the 25-man roster for the duration of the season; otherwise, they must offer the player back to his original team. This shouldn’t be an issue for the Phillies just as it wasn’t last year with Odubel Herrera. The club doesn’t have a bounty of major league-ready outfield talent. Herrera has center field and Aaron Altherr will man right field. Goeddel could either play left field full time or share the spot with Peter Bourjos. Theoretically, Herrera could move to second base to open up an outfield spot, but considering how well he played defensively in center field, that would appear to be a sub-optimal transition.
The Phillies were fortunate to get an historically-good performance from Herrera after selecting him in last year’s Rule 5 draft. If Goeddel joins the squad, temper expectations; don’t expect him to match what Herrera did.
Adding any more major league-caliber outfielders, whether through the Rule 5 draft or otherwise, all but writes Cody Asche out of the picture. The Angels reportedly had some interest in Asche, but there are a handful of other teams — mostly small-market types — that could benefit from Asche’s versatility as well. At this point, it would be surprising if Asche were to show up to spring training in a Phillies uniform.
Appel: 5th No. 1 overall pick to be traded by his drafting team before reaching MLB; 2nd this week (Dansby Swanson)
Trades a closer....gets a whole starting rotation in return. Ha
That is fucking insane. What an awful trade for houston. I really like Appel
good trade for the phils. I actually would have preferred fisher over appel based on what the scouts are saying (apparently appel went from the first overall pic and a potential front of the rotation guy to at best a mid rotation arm -- the phillies already have plenty of those types).
draft will be really interesting this year. doesn't seem to be a clear cut number one guy so I hope the phils follow the astros plan the year they drafted correa (who wasn't labeled as the clear cut number 1 pick) and used the excess draft allotment they saved on the #1 pick to get mccullers with their 2nd pick.
and they also have a surplus of outfield prospects now, which makes fisher a little redundant. give me a guy like appel with his pedigree. maybe a change of scenery is what he needs.
Nice to see Ryan Lawrence land on his feet at Philly Voice. Are there any decent writers left at Daily News/Inquirer?Jeff Mclane's decent with the Birds coverage and David Murphy is good but I'm having a hard time thinking of others who are worth reading anymore....
Nice to see Ryan Lawrence land on his feet at Philly Voice. Are there any decent writers left at Daily News/Inquirer?Jeff Mclane's decent with the Birds coverage and David Murphy is good but I'm having a hard time thinking of others who are worth reading anymore....
Philly Voice & Philly Mag have by far the best local content
Nice to see Ryan Lawrence land on his feet at Philly Voice. Are there any decent writers left at Daily News/Inquirer?Jeff Mclane's decent with the Birds coverage and David Murphy is good but I'm having a hard time thinking of others who are worth reading anymore....
McLane took a hit reporting that Chip calling Shady nonsense. Chip's been giving him very short answers since then.
Alright, alright, alright!
Tom O. "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
Comments
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
Godddddd, c'mon 2pm.
http://mobile.philly.com/beta?wss=/philly/news&id=358332541
Stopped in Saturday for a bunch of Oysters and bloodies
Phillies’ Second Half Hints That Success is Closer than Expected
24 November 2015, 02:01pm — by Matt Winkelman
There is a school of thought that says the road to contention for a team is linear with the team advancing little by little each year until success is assured. This theory been debunked by many teams over the year who seemingly leap to contention from nowhere. Now this doesn’t mean the Phillies can jump from 63-99 to the playoffs in 2016, a 30 game swing is a bit much to ask for (for reference Houston made a 16 game swing and the Cubs made a 24 game swing in 2015). That being said, the Phillies are closer to a team that looks like a 2017 contender.
First let’s start with the basics. The 2015 Phillies did not underperform. Baseball Reference had them at 14.2 total WAR and Fangraphs at 16.4 total WAR. That puts the expected win total somewhere in the 61-64 range, so right about where the Phillies ended up. The Phillies even traded away a good chunk of the production in trades that sent out Cole Hamels, Ben Revere, and Jonathan Papelbon. But yet if we use Fangraphs 1st half (91 games) and 2nd half (71 games) sample size and scale them to 162 games we find this:
First Half fWAR/162: 10.7 (~58-104)
Second Half fWAR/162: 24.0 ~(71-91)
If we backtrack a bit to the 81 game split we see that the Phillies went 27-55 (54-108) in the first half and 38-44 (76-88) in the second half. Given that the Fangraphs 1st half/2nd half split includes more of the traded veterans this makes sense, but we are still on the right track of second half growth. But how did this team trade away its remaining veterans and still come out on the other side as a 10+ win better team.
Clearing the Incompetent:
It starts with the pitching. In the first half of the season Severino Gonzalez, David Buchanan, Dustin McGowan, Chad Billingsley, Kevin Correia, Jerome Williams, and Sean O’Sullivan combined for 280 innings of baseball (just over 31 nine inning games). The lowest ERA among them was Sean O’Sullivan at 6.08. In the second half Alec Asher, Adam Loewen, David Buchanan, and Aaron Harang were all over 6.00 ERAs, but they only contributed 159.2 innings. In their place there more games by Adam Morgan (4.52), Aaron Nola (3.59), and Jerad Eickhoff (2.65).
On the hitting side it was less pronounced with guys hitting the garbage bucket, but the team certainly didn’t miss Grady Sizemore going forward.
On both sides the Phillies are closing gaps that were artificially large because of the filler on the roster. This roster junk was suppressing the Phillies true future talent level.
The Hitters went From Putrid to Bad:
No one is going to give you an award for being a replacement level player, but when you are the Phillies’ first half lineup they should. Chase Utley, Cody Asche, Jeff Francoeur, Domonic Brown, Darin Ruf, and Ryan Howard combined for a first half fWAR of -4.0, in the second half that same group was at 0.7. Part of this was improvement, someone was regression, and some was reduction in playing time. Either way it helped to limit the impact on the team. None of the players look to have a long term future with the Phillies (Ruf and Asche could be bench players) so we can really look at their contributions as zeroes that can be built on.
Youth, Youth, and More Youth
Let’s start with Odubel Herrera who put up 2.6 fWAR in the second half (on the back of a .432 BABIP), now Herrera is not going to keep the pace up, but he did show large improvements in walk rate that should indicate long term success. Maikel Franco actually had less impact in the second half, but he should be a positive going forward (obviously). Aaron Altherr took an outfield job away from Francoeur and Brown and racked up a 1.7 fWAR while playing really good defense and showing great power and speed. Cameron Rupp went from zero to mediocre.
The impact was also felt on the pitching side where Eickhoff and Nola made up for the loss of Cole Hamels. Meanwhile Ken Giles outperformed Papelbon, and while Adam Morgan’s year wasn’t stellar he was an upgrade on the Phillies’ previous back end starters.
Going From Here:
Time for funny math. Let’s say that the returning young players are Giles, Eickhoff, Nola, Morgan, Herrera, Altherr, and Franco. Let’s say all three hitters average out to 2-3 win players (Franco stays healthy, Herrera regresses some, Altherr’s defensive metrics stabilize), that gives us say 8 wins. Nola and Eickhoff can probably be filed in that same 2-3 win category, Ken Giles has been a reliable 2 win reliever, Morgan is probably a 1-1.5 win pitcher, so let’s call the whole bunch 7 wins. We are at 15 wins using our funny math. So assuming the Phillies just get a zero everywhere else (not the easiest task we just saw) we are looking at a repeat of 2015. The spots left to fill are:
C, 1B, 2B, SS, OF, SP, SP, bullpen
Now we know 1ish WAR pitcher Jeremy Hellickson will be in one of those SP slots and that C/1B/2B/SS have their placeholders. We also know that reinforcements are on the way for C/SS/OF/SP during the 2016 season. Obviously the Phillies aren’t to contender status in 2016, but the roadmap is there and the roster is a break or two from where the FO can make the moves in trade or free agency to make the leap to contention. The Phillies won’t be the worst team in baseball in 2016 and are unlikely to own that distinction for a long time. They aren’t good yet, but it is almost there.
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
Andy MacPhail is a loser. There are dark days ahead...sadly at least a decade of them.
On a positive note...this is the last year of watching the fat whale 1B flailing at pitches in the dirt. And the david hernandez signing was a great move.
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/keith-law/insider/post?id=4614
Astros get swing-and-miss stuff from Giles, but at what cost?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Astros' playoff exit was largely tied to a problem in their bullpen, which they've addressed using some of the bulk in their farm system while keeping all of their top prospects. For the Phillies, it's a no-brainer to deal a 70-inning-a-year closer -- one who has a very short track record of pitching at this level of performance -- for two prospects and a needed rotation option.
The Astros' bullpen was a weakness in one specific way: They couldn't miss bats. It wasn't an ineffective bullpen, like the Dodgers' non-Jansen relievers or the Red Sox's relievers for most of the year, but they couldn't miss bats and it cost them badly in October. Whether they view Ken Giles as a closer or as a more fungible high-leverage option when they need a strikeout or two, he's better than any reliever they had in 2015 by a pretty significant margin.
Hitters swung and missed at one of every four sliders that Giles threw last year, and struggled to even put his upper-90s fastball in play. He doesn't walk guys, although I think his control is well ahead of his command -- he gets away with some mistakes in location because his two pitches are so good. I don't ordinarily like paying for closers, in money or prospects, but in this case the Astros acquired Giles with five years of control remaining, two of them pre-arbitration years, so they're going to receive substantial value for what they gave up, and while the guys they gave up are good prospects, they were not among Houston's top five.
Ken Giles brings swing-and-miss stuff to the Astros bullpen, but he didn't come cheaply in a deal with the Phillies. Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports
The Phillies get a lot of value back for their young closer, who was a luxury on a team that's not going to be very good with or without a guy to handle a three-run lead in the ninth inning. The most notable name is right-hander Vincent Velasquez, a promising starting pitching prospect who has thrown 152 1/3 innings in total over the last two years around various injuries, and one who has never thrown more than 124 innings in any calendar year as a professional. He has an above-average fastball and plus changeup, but didn't use the change enough in his big-league tenure and has never found an above-average third pitch. I think he can remain a starter even if the curveball remains a fringe-average weapon because the changeup is good and hitters don't see the fastball well, but some evidence of durability would be nice.
Houston took outfielder Derek Fisher in the sandwich round in 2014 out of the University of Virginia; when first overall pick Brady Aiken didn't sign, Fisher became their top signed pick in the draft class, although their next pick, A.J. Reed, has since blown past Fisher and become one of the top 50 prospects in the game. Fisher is a very athletic corner outfielder whose performances have never quite lived up to his tools, especially on defense, as he's a 70 runner who is a below-average fielder in any spot in the outfield. Fisher does work the count well and can turn on a fastball, although left-handers who can spin the ball are his nemesis. The batting-practice power he's shown for years has never really translated to in-game power, and I think he's more likely to hit for average with 30 doubles than to hit 20-odd homers in the majors. Because he's limited to left field, he's probably an average everyday player rather than a star; if that home run power ever shows up after the first pitch, however, he'd be a much better prospect.
Brett Oberholtzer fills a critical need for the Phillies right now, as he's a major-league starter with a pulse. He missed time this spring with a finger injury, but came back as the same guy he was in his solid 2014 season -- a command left-hander with a fringy fastball and three off-speed weapons that allow him to change speeds and eye levels. The Phillies were about to use the Phanatic as their No. 4 starter, so Oberholtzer gives them something a little better than that. They may also receive a fourth prospect in the trade, likely to be announced after Thursday's Rule 5 draft.
Vegas 93, Vegas 98, Vegas 00 (10 year show), Vegas 03, Vegas 06
VIC 07
EV LA1 08
Seattle1 09, Seattle2 09, Salt Lake 09, LA4 09
Columbus 10
EV LA 11
Vancouver 11
Missoula 12
Portland 13, Spokane 13
St. Paul 14, Denver 14
Wow. Just saw Thomas Eshelman is the 4th guy in the trade. Hell of a haul right there.
When they get good again, they can always make a move like Houston did here to get another young closer.....or maybe Valesquez turns into one over time. I saw one scout said he could be similiar to Giles in that role.
http://www.csnphilly.com/blog/700-level/remembering-when-you-could-prank-call-phillies-gm-colberts-late-show
Phillies Likely to Select Rays’ Tyler Goeddel in Rule 5 Draft
by Bill Baer on December 9, 2015
MLB • Philadelphia Phillies
8 Comments
J.J. Cooper of Baseball America hears from two sources that the Phillies are likely to select outfielder Tyler Goeddel from the Rays with the first overall pick in the Rule 5 draft on Thursday. That’s right: not only does one get the first overall pick in the amateur draft for finishing with baseball’s worst record, one also gets the first pick in the Rule 5 draft.
Goeddel, 23, was selected by the Rays in the first round, 41st overall, of the 2011 draft. He has put up middling numbers over parts of four seasons in the minors. This past season, his first at Double-A Montgomery, Goeddel hit .279/.350/.433 with 39 extra-base hits (including 12 home runs) with 28 stolen bases in 37 attempts across 533 plate appearances.
Here’s what Cooper wrote about Goeddel at Baseball America:
Goeddel’s bat seemed to take off somewhat this year after he moved from third base to the outfield. He’s an athletic, if a little slight-framed righthanded hitter with a smooth swing who is above-average in the corners and playable in center field. Coming off a .279/.350/.433 season at Double-A, Goeddel is one of the more polished hitters available in this year’s Rule 5 draft.
Any player the Phillies select in the Rule 5 draft must remain on the 25-man roster for the duration of the season; otherwise, they must offer the player back to his original team. This shouldn’t be an issue for the Phillies just as it wasn’t last year with Odubel Herrera. The club doesn’t have a bounty of major league-ready outfield talent. Herrera has center field and Aaron Altherr will man right field. Goeddel could either play left field full time or share the spot with Peter Bourjos. Theoretically, Herrera could move to second base to open up an outfield spot, but considering how well he played defensively in center field, that would appear to be a sub-optimal transition.
The Phillies were fortunate to get an historically-good performance from Herrera after selecting him in last year’s Rule 5 draft. If Goeddel joins the squad, temper expectations; don’t expect him to match what Herrera did.
Adding any more major league-caliber outfielders, whether through the Rule 5 draft or otherwise, all but writes Cody Asche out of the picture. The Angels reportedly had some interest in Asche, but there are a handful of other teams — mostly small-market types — that could benefit from Asche’s versatility as well. At this point, it would be surprising if Asche were to show up to spring training in a Phillies uniform.
Appel: 5th No. 1 overall pick to be traded by his drafting team before reaching MLB; 2nd this week (Dansby Swanson)
Trades a closer....gets a whole starting rotation in return. Ha
draft will be really interesting this year. doesn't seem to be a clear cut number one guy so I hope the phils follow the astros plan the year they drafted correa (who wasn't labeled as the clear cut number 1 pick) and used the excess draft allotment they saved on the #1 pick to get mccullers with their 2nd pick.
I can't believe how much the cost of a closer has been. Insane.
Tom O.
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"
-The Writer
Maybe you need to move to Antarctica>LOL