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The ClawsCove is about to go under construction.
But before they break out the hammers and nails, everything in the store is 30% off for this week only. That includes all of the championship merchandise that you don’t have yet.
Hours: M-F 10 am – 5 pm and Sat 10 am – 3 pm.
Discount on in-store purchases only but you can also shop online by clicking here.
We’ll have a bunch of things for you on the blog coming up this week. Among them:
Enjoy.
Original BlueClaw Carlos Ruiz turns 32 today, so we’d like to wish him a Happy Birthday. Ruiz, as you know, was on our first roster, breaking camp with the first team in BlueClaws history and he caught the 2nd game in team history, April 6th, 2011 in Kannapolis.
Ruiz also caught the first no-hitter in BlueClaws history, a seven-inning game on April 12th of that year thrown by Keith Bucktrot. Bucktrot was perfect into the 6th (Lakewood made an error then) and he did not walk anyone or hit anyone as part of that no-hitter. Then-GM Ed Wade and about 30 other Phillies front office employees were in attendance.
In that game, Ruiz had 4 RBIs, which was a season-high for any BlueClaw and broken in 2002.
I remember talking to Greg Legg last year about Ruiz, right before he rehabbed with the BlueClaws. Legg manged him both in Lakewood in 2001 and later Reading in 2004.
Legg said he could always play defense, but they didn’t really know what kind of prospect he was until a few years later, when he blossomed with Reading. That year, also Ryan Howard’s break-out year, Ruiz hit 17 home runs in 349 at bats. He had hit 14 home runs total over the previous four years, in a combined, in 944 at bats.
Here’s another one: Cesar Hernandez, likely Lakewood’s second baseman this year, was ranked by MLB.com as the 7th best 2B prospect in the minors. Hernanez played with Williamsport last year and after the season was placed on the Phillies 40-man roster. He didn’t make the top 10 in the system by Baseball America but will probably make the top 15.
7. Cesar Hernandez, Phillies: Hernandez made his United States debut in 2009 in the Gulf Coast League, but really jumped out with his All-Star performance in the short-season New York-Penn League last year. His 32 steals were good for second in the league and he was sixth in the batting race (.325). He should be a fun one to watch during his full-season debut with Lakewood in the South Atlantic League.
Hernandez is the youngest guy on the list and only one who hasn’t yet reached a full-season league.
We missed this among all of the other prospect lists from the last few days. Former BlueClaws C Travis d’Arnaud was ranked as the 9th best catcher in the minors as per MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo:
9. Travis d’Arnaud, Blue Jays: Catching depth is something every organization strives for, and the Blue Jays have some. Arencibia might be the guy for now, but d’Arnaud could eventually supplant him as the everyday catcher in Toronto. In his first season with the organization after coming over in the Roy Halladay deal, he missed a chunk of time with a back issue, but it’s not expected to be a long-term problem. He’s got a great arm and is very agile behind the plate. While his offensive numbers haven’t consistently stood out to date, he’s got good bat speed and a solid approach that should lead to good results. It might take him a couple of years, but he profiles to be a better all-around backstop than Arencibia in the future.
Note: Derek Norris, who was the All-South Atlantic League catcher last year, beat out d’Arnaud. Though d’Arnaud ranks ahead of him here.
The Yankees have three of the top 10 in Jesus Montero (1), Gary Sanchez (3 – who could be with Charleston this year, in Lakewood April 25-29), and Austin Romine (7).
A few days after Jonathan Singleton made the list as one of the top first base prospects in Minor League Baseball, 2008 BlueClaws OF Domonic Brown was named one of the top outfield prospects in Minor League Baseball by Jonathan Mayo on MLB.com.
3. Domonic Brown, Phillies: The Phillies might be saying publicly they’re not handing the right-field job to Brown this spring, but rest assured they’re hoping he wins it outright. He has all the makings of the prototypical right fielder, with outstanding raw power and a strong arm. Brown really started to tap into that power in 2010, but he’s more than just a home run threat — he should hit for average as well. He’s got good speed to boot, and his entire package reminds many of a young Darryl Strawberry.
Also:
MLB’s top 50 prospects list comes out on Tuesday.
Our buddy Steve Degler from Service Electric Cable interviewed Mark Parent at his introductory presser in Reading yesterday. A lot of footage you see here is from FirstEnergy Park last year when they came to visit.
Mike Drago of the Reading Eagle has this article today on new Reading manager Mark Parent, who of course spent last year with the BlueClaws. He never played for Reading, or in Reading, coming up in the San Diego system, but Mark spent one day at FirstEnergy Stadium in 1998:
Parent was catching for the big club and was impressed with young left-hander Randy Wolf, who switched sides and pitched in a Philadelphia uniform that day.
“I can remember going over to (Phillies manager) Terry Francona saying, ‘Why is he in Double-A and not with us in Philly?’ ” Parent recalled Wednesday, during an introductory press conference at the Crowne Plaza Reading, Wyomissing. “He should’ve went on the road trip with us, the way we were going.”.
Here’s an article from Jeff Schuler in the Morning Call:
“I’ve been in the new stadium, I see the game, I listen to the rhetoric about players wanting … I mean, Cliff Lee, wanting to come to Philly? Back in the day, guys were trying to get out,” Parent said. “When I was playing, we were talking about getting rid of [Curt] Schilling all the time, instead of trying to add on to him. Not that Mr. Giles [former Phillies President Bill Giles] wasn’t doing a good job, but Mr. Montgomery has seemingly brought a lot of life to the organization.”
Here’s the video, courtesy of the Reading Phillies YouTube page.
2010 BlueClaws manager Mark Parent was introduced today to the folks in Reading, where he will manage in 2010.
This comment will certainly resonate with BlueClaws fans:
“My guys will know I am here for them. I want them to get better, I want them to have all the success in the world. I managed in two other cities, other than Lakewood, I managed in Lancaster, Cal. and Chico in the Golden League, and we won everywhere — so I expect to win.”
Tommy Viola “Phils You In” at his blog with more from the presser.
This is from MLB.com’s great prospect writer Jonathan Mayo. He ranks the Top 10 prospects by position and Jonathan Singleton, with the BlueClaws in 2010, comes in 4th among 1st baseman.
4. Jonathan Singleton, Phillies: When he was drafted out of high school in 2009, Singleton was thought of as a project — more tools than anything. The Phillies had liked his bat, and it turned out to be very productive right out of the gate — as Singleton was named the South Atlantic League’s Most Outstanding Major League Prospect this past year. It looks like he will be able to hit for both average and plenty of power, especially as he matures. He could make a move to an outfield corner, so he won’t be blocked by Ryan Howard down the line.
Note the following: Of the 10 first baseman on the list, only #6 Christian Yelich of the Marlins finished the season in Lo-A. Yelich was drafted in the first round by Florida this year. Everyone else was older and at a higher level.
Also note, Singleton may be playing some LF this year with Clearwater (the Phillies are set at the 1B position, you may have heard). So we’ll look for him on another list next year.
Phillies first round pick Jesse Biddle will join BlueClaws manager Chris Truby, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, and general manager Ruben Amaro at the January 26th Phillies Winter Tour at Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood.
Biddle, a Philadelphia native and the 27th overall pick in the 2010 draft, will likely be with the BlueClaws in 2011 and would be the sixth Phillies first round pick to play with the BlueClaws (Gavin Floyd, Cole Hamels, Greg Golson, Kyle Drabek, and Anthony Hewitt).
Here is an article on Biddle from July by Frank Fitzpatrick in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“They say they like all four of my pitches – fastball, curve, slider, change-up,” Biddle said. “They want me to focus on fastball, slider, change-up, and mainly to throw fastballs for strikes. They want me to get ahead with it, and then I may have an opportunity to strike them out with the slider.
“But right now it’s not about striking people out. It’s about pitching to contact, learning how to pitch. . . . They’re going to take their time with me. As a first-round pick and a high school guy, they need to make sure they protect me and get me acclimated to the system. I’m a quick learner.”
Here is a Winter Tour order form, or call Amy at 732-901-7000 ext 172.
Some of you may use Twitter and have seen the “hashtag” used on Tweets.
Last week, we linked to the PhoulBallz.com story on Phillipe Aumont in which Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. said “We don’t judge (his) abilities necessarily by performance, but (instead) by progress and he’s still a young kid. Prospects sometimes take a long time. The pudding has not been made yet, so it’s really a matter of time for (him) to continue to develop. We still believe in him to be a fine prospect.”
We also put this on Twitter using the hashtag “dessert” for no particular reason except the link between desserts and pudding.
So later in the day, I see that the @BlueClaws were used in a “Dessert Diary” posting by someone I had never heard of. I click the link, and what do you know, featured among stories about Karen’s Blueberry Bananna Smoothie, Tres Leche Cake, Salted Pumpkin Caramels, and White Chocolate Raspberry Cheescake is Aumont Headed Back to Bullpen.
See below, and click to enlarge. I love Twitter.
Travis Mattair, Anthony Gose and Travis d’Arnaud were all teammates on the 2009 South Atlantic League Champion BlueClaws. Two are now in different organizations from different trades. d’Arnaud was sent to Toronto in the Roy Halladay deal in December, 2009. Gose was sent to Houston in the Roy Oswalt trade in July and then immediately flipped to Toronto, where he was re-united with d’Arnaud.
Mattair, meanwhile, took 2010 off, to try his hand at college basketball. He’s now back in baseball, and has begun a cross-country trip from his Kennewick, Washington home to Clearwater (2,933 miles, the quickest way, but they’re sight-seeing), where he will open Spring Training with the Phillies and live with Gose and d’Arnaud.
He’s detailing his trip to Jay Floyd at PhoulBallz.com:
We are going and going, with minimal stops, till our teeth our floating to even go to the bathroom. We’re trying to get to each destination as fast as we can. Each of us are driving 350-400 miles each, and then we switch. We’re trying to get down to Clearwater as fast as we can so I can get my stuff moved in to Anthony Gose’s place, where Travis d’Arnaud will be staying as well, and then I’m going to show Eric around Clearwater and then we’ll hit Miami. Eric’s never been to Florida, so it should be a good time seeing everything down there.
Click here to read the full posting and be sure to follow along.
Gose and d’Aruand should both be with Double-A New Hampshire this year. They’ll be in Trenton and Reading from April 29 – May 5, Trenton again June 27- 29 and August 29 – September 1.
They’re actually related. Who knew?
Jay over at PhoulBallz.com caught up with Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. who talked about Phillippe Aumont, who came to Philly in the Cliff Lee deal.
“We don’t judge (his) abilities necessarily by performance, but (instead) by progress and he’s still a young kid. Prospects sometimes take a long time. The pudding has not been made yet, so it’s really a matter of time for (him) to continue to develop. We still believe in him to be a fine prospect.”
He said he’ll go into the bullpen full-time in 2011. While they tried to make him a starter, grooming a reliever with a big arm is certainly a good thing in a system that includes Jarred Cosart, Trevor May and Brody Colvin, all young starters, among their top five prospects.