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Spring Training Notebook

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

blueclaws-notebookA quick look from around spring training with a former BlueClaws flavor.

We’ll start in Clearwater, where Todd Zolecki wrote this article for MLB.com about the Phillies revamping their farm system.

“We were fortunate to be in a position to do it,” Phillies assistant general manager Chuck LaMar said Sunday at the Carpenter Complex. “Secondly, we were able to do it because we weren’t completely wiping out the system.”

Remember, as we talked about with Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, the Phillies cupboard was replenished at least a little bit with the prospects they got back from Seattle in the Cliff Lee portion of the Halladay trade.

“It becomes a little bit more difficult to continue to pull from your Minor Leagues,” Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “You keep doing that, and you kind of defeat the purpose of what we’re trying to do, which is try to extend our ability to contend for more years than just 2010, 2011 and 2012. We want to extend it beyond that. But time and circumstance will dictate what we want to do and what we’ll be able to do. We have some depth in certain areas. We have less depth in others, just like every other organization. But we’ve moved a lot of talent from our system and you want to try to preserve the talent as much as you can.”

Dave Murphy writes here about Domonic Brown’s education, learning from some of the best in the game to prepare himself to join them, someday soon most likely. As detailed in the article: when Brown first heard about the Halladay trade, he was driving to Port St. Lucie to see his mother. He called Michael Taylor, and it was Taylor who told Brown that he, not Brown, had been traded away.

(more…)

Posted in Carlos Carrasco, Domonic Brown, Jason Donald, Kyle Drabek, Lou Marson, Matt Maloney, Michael Taylor, Past BlueClaws, Phillies, Spring Training | No Comments »

Former Claws at Other Camps

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

10springtraining1We’ve already looked at (here) the 16 former BlueClaws in Phillies big league camp, but there are 20 other former BlueClaws in 12 big league camps around baseball.

The most heavily populated team with former ‘Claws? No surprise, the Toronto Blue Jays.

  • Travis d’Arnaud (2009): starting catcher on the 2009 SAL champion BlueClaws (.255-13-71), and was sent to the Blue Jays as part of the Roy Halladay trade. A non-roster invitee for the 21 year old who had never been above Lo-A is significant and impressive.
  • Kyle Drabek (2007): more on Drabek here, but the 2007 BlueClaws pitcher is considered one of the top 20 prospects in the sport. He could debut in Toronto later this summer or early 2011. He is another non-roster invitee.
  • Jesus Merchan (2005): Now in his 6th organization, Merchan played 25 games with the BlueClaws in 2005 and is a non-roster invitee here. Hit .339 with Arizona in AAA durign the 2008 season.
  • Randy Ruiz (2004): Hit 27 home runs with the BlueClaws, debuted with the Twins in 2008 and is now on the Jays 40-man roster. He homered in Yankee Stadium last year.

(more…)

Posted in Adrian Cardenas, Carlos Carrasco, Gavin Floyd, General Baseball, Jason Donald, Josh Outman, Kyle Drabek, Lou Marson, Matt Maloney, Michael Bourn, Michael Taylor, Past BlueClaws, Travis d'Arnaud | 1 Comment »

Philadelphia Indians

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Well not quite. Two former BlueClaws (and Phillies prospects), Jason Knapp and Carlos Carrasco, were ranked 6th and 7th respectively by Baseball America in their annual Indians prospect rankings.

Knapp and Carrasco went to Cleveland along with Lou Marson and Jason Donald in the deal that brought Cliff Lee to the Phillies back in July.

Knapp barely pitched for Lake County (in the SAL) after the trade (remember, he was on the DL with shoulder fatigue at the time of the trade) and the other three all switched dugouts in Lehigh Valley (when Columbus was in town). Carrasco and Marson played in the big leagues while Donald, stayed in AAA. He figures to be one of the former BlueClaws to make a big league debut in 2010.

An interesting question is where would Knapp and Carrasco have fit in among the Phillies prospects? Here is the Phillies prospect list, done before the Roy Halladay trade took #2, 3 and 4).

If I had to guess, Knapp would have been somewhere around 4 (either just ahead of or just behind Travis d’Arnaud), which would be 2 when you take out d’Arnaud, Michael Taylor and Kyle Drabek, who were traded. As for Carrasco, probably between 6 and 7 (Anthony Gose & Sebastian Valle).

(Photo: Waiting For Next Year…where by subheading is “when we won’t have a Cy Young winner to trade.” lol)

Posted in Baseball America, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp, Lou Marson, Past BlueClaws | No Comments »

7-UP: Seven Former ‘Claws Helped Land Halladay

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

happy-halladays-blueclaws1When the dust finally clears out after the deal is officially announced, possibly later today, it looks like the tally will be seven former BlueClaws that in one way or another helped the Phillies land Roy Halladay. In all, four of them were traded for Lee, who was in turn traded to Seattle in the Halladay deal.

Let’s take a look…

The Cliff Lee Deal
Jason Donald: Middle-infielder was with the BlueClaws in 2007, when he hit .310, earning an early June promotion. The Arizona product, drafted in 2006, ended up in AAA this year with the Indians, and has a chance to make their Opening Day roster in 2010. He and Jason Knapp are the only members of the Lee deal to not yet reach the big leagues.

Jason Knapp: He pitched great at times for Lakewood, but his season was unravled on July 10th in Kannapolis when he injured his shoulder, allowing 6 runs in 2/3 of an inning in the process. The BlueClaws scored less than three runs per game for Knapp (hence his 2-7 record) but he throws 95 and fanned 111 in just 85 innings. He’ll likely open 2010 with Hi-A Kinston.

Carlos Carrasco: One of the three aces on the 2006 SAL Champion BlueClaws, when he went 12-6, 2.26, Carrasco made it to Cleveland last year, joining Josh Outman and Matt Maloney from the ‘06 rotation as big leaguers. After going 6-9, 5.19 with Lehigh Valley, after the trade he was 5-1, 3.17 for Columbus in the Indians system.

Lou Marson: An ‘04 draft pick, Marson was the catcher on the ‘06 BlueClaws. Debuting with the Phillies in 2008, he went 11-44 with the Indians and could make the Opening Day roster next year. He hit .277 between Lehigh Valley and Columbus last year.

The Roy Halladay Deal
Kyle Drabek: He spent part of 2007 in Lakewood before getting hurt, but emerged as the top pitching prospect in the organization during a dynamite 2009 which saw him go 13-3 between Clearwater and Reading, with almost a strikeout per inning. Obviously the Phillies were reluctant to give him up (a potential ace), but you have to give something to get something, as they say.

Travis d’Arnaud: When Marson was traded in July, that stamped d’Arnaud as the catcher of the future in the organization. A polished hitter, apparantly Toronto was going to take him in 2007 but the Phillies jumped in one pick ahead. His numbers weren’t great, .251-13-71 (he hit .211 in the first half), but had a dynamite second half (including 28 doubles). Also, he hit 13 home runs, which would have easily been 20 if he played in a more hitter friendly ballpark. Manager Dusty Wathan gave him a ton of credit not just for bouncing back with a great second half offensively, but also for being a stabalizing force for the entire pitching staff from the first out of the season to the last.

Michael Taylor: Of these seven, he’s clearly the biggest winner. Blocked by Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth, Taylor, who will be traded to Oakland, probably jumps right into the Athletics Opening Day lineup, not far from where he went to school (Stanford). His .361-10-50 in the first half of 2008 is probably the best half any BlueClaw has ever put together offensively.

Posted in 2009 BlueClaws, Carlos Carrasco, General Baseball, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp, Kyle Drabek, Lou Marson, Michael Taylor, Past BlueClaws, Phillies, Travis d'Arnaud | 1 Comment »

The Draft

Monday, November 9th, 2009

The MLB amateur draft sometimes gets lost in the shuffle (it’s in the middle of the season, you’ve never heard otf the guys getting drafted save one here or one there), but in reality it’s such an effective way to build your organization.

A quick glance at their highest ranked prospects over the last few years shows the importance the organization puts on the draft, and that they’ve gotten a lot out of the draft the last few years.

  • 2009: Nine of the top ten (save Carlos Carrasco) come out of the draft and three of those nine (plus Carrasco) land the Phillies Cliff Lee…Lou Marson’s trade elevates status of Travis d’Arnaud (another draft pick), plus big years from Anthony Gose and Trevor May from the 2008 draft class.
  • 2008: Nine of the top ten (again, save Carrasco) are draft picks. This top ten includes Adrian Cardenas and Josh Outman, traded later this year for Joe Blanton, and Greg Golson, traded after the season for John Mayberry, Jr.
  • 2007: Eight of the top ten (save Carrasco and Edgar Garcia) are draft picks. In here is Matt Maloney, traded this year for Kyle Lohse, and Michael Bourn, traded after the season for Brad Lidge.

So the Phillies have put a clear premium on the draft in recent years, compared to international free agency. We figure in the Baseball America list, released later today, there’s a decent chance eight of the top ten are draft picks (save Sebastian Valle and Yohan Flande) are draft picks.

Next, look at Phillies core players that were drafted by the team: Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madson.

Jayson Werth was a bargain free agent, Shane Victorino was acquired in the Rule Five Draft

Posted in Adrian Cardenas, Around the Farm, Carlos Carrasco, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, JA Happ, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp, Matt Maloney, Michael Bourn, Phillies, Ryan Howard, Sebastian Valle, Travis d'Arnaud, Trevor May, Yohan Flande | 1 Comment »

Projecting the Top Ten

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

We’re going to take a shot at projecting the Phillies top ten prospects as ranked by Baseball America, who will unveil their Phillies rankings on Monday. First, a few quick notes on guys that were in the top ten last year that will not be there this year:

  • Four of the top ten (Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Donald) were traded to the Indians in the Cliff Lee deal in July. So obviously they’re out.
  • JA Happ was eligible as a prospect last year but is no longer eligible this year after going 12-4. He’s a front-runner for NL Rookie of the Year.
  • Last year: 1. Domonic Brown, 2. Carlos Carrasco, 3. Marson, 4. Donald, 5. Kyle Drabek, 6. Michael Taylor, 7. Travis d’Arnaud, 8. Zach Collier, 9. Happ, 10. Knapp, full top 30

So, who are the big movers this year?

  • Anthony Gose led all of MiLB in steals and was voted the most exciting prospect in the SAL at age 18 (until August 10th).
  • Trevor May was a 4th round pick last year who missed some time in the spring with a back injury. He allowed three earned runs in his last 37 innings with Lakewood and was virtually unhittable at the end of the sesason.
  • Sebastian Valle didn’t hit that well first go-around with Lakewood, but was 18, catching two days a week, and mostly DHing. When he went to Williamsport, he was outstanding.
  • BJ Rosenberg wasn’t even ranked in the top 30 last year but pitched to an ERA just north of 1 between Lakewood and Reading. One of the rare ones to double-jump and skip Hi-A.
  • See a trend? All were key factors on the 2009 SAL Championship BlueClaws club.
  • Also should mention Drabek, who was outstanding in his first year after Tommy John Surgery.

Other notes…

  • On a media/broadcaster survey done by the Reading Eagle, Brown, Taylor, and Drabek were 1-2-3 in some order on all ballots. It is impossible to forecast anyone else in the top three when the list comes out tomorrow.
  • This system was ranked 12th last year by Baseball America…should be higher this year (the top three are all arguably top 30 prospects). And that’s despite trading away four of their better prospects for Cliff Lee.

Onto the projections (this is how we think Baseball America will rank them)…

  1. Domonic Brown: missed some time with a finger injury this year, but hit about .285 between Clearwater and Reading at 21 (turned 22 on 9/3). He topped the list last year, no reason to think he won’t again this year.
  2. Kyle Drabek: Putting a premium on high level starting pitching. There are only so many potential aces in this game and they’re so valuable. Drabek produced at Clearwater and at Reading and will be 22 on Opening Day.
  3. Michael Taylor: Hard to believe he hit .227 in his rookie campaign with Williamsport (2007). All logic says that he will be in the big leagues at some point in 2010 after hitting 20 home runs between Reading and Lehigh Valley.
  4. Travis d’Arnaud: Just 20, he didn’t let a .200 first half get to him, had 29 doubles in the second half and got stronger as the year went on playing a demanding position. Trade of Marson confirms him as catcher of the future in the organization and has power to all fields.
  5. Trevor May: Again, a premium on pitchers. Big, strong 6-5 righty will have to cut down on his walks but a lot of that was early in the year and he fanned 11 per nine at 19 in the Sally. Takes Knapp’s place as the system’s next big pitching prospect.
  6. Anthony Gose: 76 stolen bases speak for themselves. But I thought the best thing that anyone said about Gose was Dusty Wathan’s comment that after the game “You don’t know if he went 0-4 or 4-4.” He’s incredibly poised and already a great defensive player.
  7. Sebastian Valle: Might be a little bit of a stretch but realize his early struggles in Lakewood came when he was catching two days a week and primarily the DH. He hit .315 catching every day at Williamsport and just learned the position a few years ago. He’s 19 and will likely be Lakewood’s Opening Day catcher this year.
  8. Brody Colvin: Baseball America had him in their top 50 among draft picks last year. The Phillies took him in the 7th round and signed him away from LSU. I’ve never seen him. He’s only thrown one game as a pro. Have heard good things…Note that he’s here because I think Baseball America will put him here. Looking forward to possibly seeing him in Lakewood this season.
  9. Antonio Bastardo: 24 year old went 2-2, 1.75 with Reading, his primary spot, but was called up and to Philly and was on the playoff roster for all three rounds this year. Still a little green as he was with Lakewood in 2007, when he went 9-0.
  10. Yohan Flande: Lefty went 4-4 with Reading and his strikeouts dropped 7.4 - 6.4 from his time at Clearwater. But he made the Futures Game in his second year in this country. Is just 23. Still upside here.
  11. BJ Rosenberg: Bonus pick, was him or Flande. Rosenberg fanned 11 per nine w/ Lakewood and 7 per w/ Reading. But he was basically unhittable with the BlueClaws. Have to figure that he could be in AAA this year and in the bigs not too much after that. He’s 24.

There you go.

Posted in Anthony Gose, Antonio Bastardo, Around the Farm, BJ Rosenberg, Baseball America, Brody Colvin, Carlos Carrasco, JA Happ, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp, Kyle Drabek, Lou Marson, Michael Taylor, Past BlueClaws, Sebastian Valle, Travis d'Arnaud, Trevor May, Yohan Flande | 2 Comments »

The ‘Claws and Cliff

Monday, October 19th, 2009

cliffleeblueclawsWe’ve been looking at some former BlueClaws after these Phillies playoff games, and after his outing last night, let’s look at the four former BlueClaws that brought the Phillies Cliff Lee.

  • RHP Jason Knapp was in a Greenville, SC mall with BlueClaws teammate Rob Roth when the deal went down. He heard from his agent, then waited out four and a half hours at the ballpark before the deal was official and he heard from Indians brass. Knapp was 2nd in the league in strikeouts when he was injured in July and recently had shoulder surgery, though he is expected ready for spring training. As the BlueClaws team bus was driving over to the ballpark, with Knapp on it, tv commentators were saying that the 18-year old was the key to the deal for the Indians, which brought some ooohs and aaahs from his BlueClaws teammates.
  • C Lou Marson went 11-44 with the Indians as a September call-up (which he was last year with the Phillies) and the catcher on the 2006 champion BlueClaws will have every chance to be on the Tribe’s Opening Day roster next year. He will have to hold off uber-prospect Carlos Santana who might be another year away.
  • IF Jason Donald was hurt much of the year with Lehigh Valley and didn’t play after August 15th with AAA Columbus in the Cleveland system. He’s the one of the three older members of the deal to not make his big league debut, but that should come next year and could come in the beginning of the season. The SS will be a utility infielder after starring for seven weeks with the 2007 BlueClaws before an early June promotion.
  • RHP Carlos Carrasco was a guy the Phillies were hesitant to trade, and Chuck LaMar talked about his excellent “stuff” but ultimately, without Kyle Drabek or Domonic Brown in the deal, he was going to be in it. Carrasco debuted with the Indians, but went 0-4, 8.87 over five starts. He gave up four runs in his first pro inning and it took six hitters to get an out (except when Curtis Granderson was thrown out trying to stretching a double into a triple). He was one of the aces on the 2006 BlueClaws title team.

As for Lee, eight shutout innings last night and he has been flawless as the Phillies roll along in the NLCS.

“Make pitches, mix speeds, stay out of the heart of the plate,” Lee said after the game. “That’s the name of the game as far as pitching goes.”

(AP Photo)

Posted in Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp, Lou Marson, Past BlueClaws, Phillies | No Comments »

Cliff Lee and the Lakewood BlueClaws

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

As Cliff Lee takes the hill today for game one of the National League Division Series (2:37, TBS), think back to late July and the trade that brought him to Philly, when four current or former BlueClaws were traded for the reigning Cy Young Award winner.

  • RHP Jason Knapp was in a Greenville, SC mall with BlueClaws teammate Rob Roth when the deal went down. He heard from his agent, then waited out four and a half hours at the ballpark before the deal was official and he heard from Indians brass. Knapp was 2nd in the league in strikeouts when he was injured in July and recently had shoulder surgery, though he is expected ready for spring training. As the BlueClaws team bus was driving over to the ballpark, with Knapp on it, tv commentators were saying that the 18-year old was the key to the deal for the Indians, which brought some ooohs and aaahs from his BlueClaws teammates.
  • C Lou Marson went 11-44 with the Indians as a September call-up (which he was last year with the Phillies) and the catcher on the 2006 champion BlueClaws will have every chance to be on the Tribe’s Opening Day roster next year. He will have to hold off uber-prospect Carlos Santana who might be another year away.
  • IF Jason Donald was hurt much of the year with Lehigh Valley and didn’t play after August 15th with AAA Columbus in the Cleveland system. He’s the one of the three older members of the deal to not make his big league debut, but that should come next year and could come in the beginning of the season. The SS will be a utility infielder after starring for seven weeks with the 2007 BlueClaws before an early June promotion.
  • RHP Carlos Carrasco was a guy the Phillies were hesitant to trade, and Chuck LaMar talked about his excellent “stuff” but ultimately, without Kyle Drabek or Domonic Brown in the deal, he was going to be in it. Carrasco debuted with the Indians, but went 0-4, 8.87 over five starts. He gave up four runs in his first pro inning and it took six hitters to get an out (except when Curtis Granderson was thrown out trying to stretching a double into a triple). He was one of the aces on the 2006 BlueClaws title team.
  • All in all, the Phillies traded four of their top ten prospects to get the man who gets the ball today, Cliff Lee, and it’s hard to argue the deal didnt’ work out from the Phillies’ standpoint.

“The first thing I thought of when I got traded was, it’s an opportunity to get back to the postseason and contribute,” Lee said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, adding that in ‘07, “I had to be a backup and sit there and watch other guys play.” That would be the “A Bug’s Life” series against the Yankees, before they blew a 3-1 lead to the Red Sox in the ALCS.

Posted in Carlos Carrasco, General Baseball, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp, Lou Marson, Past BlueClaws, Phillies | No Comments »

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