Archive for category Minor Leagues
Good Thing The Phillies Beat Florida State Because If They Didn’t They Would Definitely Suck This Year!
Posted by WTT in Minor Leagues, Phillies Rants on March 4th, 2010
Come on, admit it. You know around 8 P.M. you actually let that thought creep into your mind. The truth is, however, that tonight’s game was about as irrelevant as it gets.The Phillies regulars paraded around the field for two innings and then handed it off to the likes of Dewayne Wise and Brian Bocock (who the fuck is Brian Bocock?), so there are certainly no conclusions whatsoever that can be drawn after this game.
And besides, this year I’m going to be a man of logical and rational thinking. There’s no need to jump to conclusions; thus, let’s apply my calm and collected analysis to this initial examination of Phillippe Aumont, the newly acquired centerpiece of the Cliff Lee deal.
A calm and collected man like myself knows there’s no way that one can make any comparison between Cliff Lee and what this kid projects to be in 2012 if/when he gets to the big club. It’s insane, unfair, and completely unrealistic. Aumont will probably be an average to slightly above average Major League pitcher, so to say it was stupid to trade Lee for Aumont is ridiculous. It was about dumping salary and if Aumont materializes then that’s a bonus.
See how sane and rational I’m being?
Okay, sorry. I tried.
Nice job there, kid.
What the fuck, Phillippe Aumont?
Let’s take a look at tonight’s line from Young Phil:
3 walks, 2 hits, and 5 earned runs in…TWO-THIRDS OF A FUCKING INNING? Really?
Look, I’m not asking for this guy to go out and be Cliff Lee. I’m not evening asking for him to be Kyle Drabek, but what the the Hell? You have to give me a little bit more than that line against a fucking college team. I wonder if the task of stopping the Florida State Seminoles seemed too daunting of a task, or if the electric March atmosphere of Bright House Networks Field and its 4,192 raucous fans was simply overwhelming for the young right-hander. After the game, Aumont had this to say:
You want to get that first impression out there. And you have that small pressure that’s behind you that you got traded for Cliff Lee. You want to do good. You don’t want to disappoint, especially the fans. Fans are a big part in this. If I look at me right now, this is over. But I want to do good, just give the fans some support.
My advice? Whatever, man. Stop being a pussy and get it done.
Certainly, one shitty performance in March doesn’t hold too much weight in trying to project what this kid will be, but hopefully there was absolutely nothing about his showing tonight that’s indicative of his future with this team.
I just can’t wait until the games really count. If we don’t beat the Yankees tomorrow we’re definitely going to suck this year!
I Love Big Canadians
Posted by Bay Slugga in General Thoughts, Minor Leagues on March 1st, 2010
I realize that the title of this post may sound a bit faux pau after yesterday’s hockey game, but hear me out on this. Phillippe Aumont, one of the prospects acquired in the Cliff Lee deal, is a fucking beast. Standing at 6′7 and weighing 220, Aumont has the potential to be an intimidating force for the Phillies. I’m all about the kid’s ability to throw the baseball, but I’m very happy I now have a new Canadian to root for. RIP Matt Stairs 
Aumont was drafted as a starter by the Mariners, but was moved to the bullpen in order to quicken his road to the show and alleviate the stress on his throwing shoulder. Since he was acquired by the Phillies, it has been reported that Aumont will be shifted back into the rotation in the minors. I’m in agreement with the Phillies on this one – this is the right move.
While Aumont’s value may be as a late inning reliever, it is important for him to throw as many innings as possible in the minors to polish his stuff. I would say that it isn’t outside the realm of possibility that Aumont is a September call up to fill out the bullpen, and a minor league season of 140ish innings could be great preparation for the kid.
Whether Aumont is a starter or a reliever moving forward, I’m confident in his abilities to have an impact with the club within the next few years. A fastball that touches the upper 90’s paired with a diving slider could make Aumont the favorite to take over Lidge’s closing duties a few years from now. Until then, I’ll be excited to check out the Reading boxscores every 5th day and see how my large Canadian is doing.
If there was any doubt to the kind of stuff Philly has (haha get it?), check out this video.
And now, the smoke is beginning to clear…
Posted by Dickie Assburn in Breaking News, Minor Leagues on December 15th, 2009
What I’ve known since midday yesterday was that Roy Halladay is going to wear red and white next year. That’s all well and good. He is a great pitcher, a great leader, and I’m happy to have him on our team.
Just like the Yankees may have given up more than many thought they would have to get a guy like Granderson a few weeks ago (biased Yankees fans: suck a dick), I am scared that the Phillies may have one-upped that deal.
In effect, we traded OF Michael Taylor, IF Jason Donald, C Lou Marson, RHP Carlos Carrasco, C Travis d’Arnaud, RHP Jason Knapp, and fiiiinally, RHP KYLE DRABEK for Halladay and some prospects I’m unsure about.
BaseballAmerica’s Top Prospects in the Phils’ Organization for 2009:
| 1. | Dominic Brown, of |
| 2. | Carlos Carrasco, rhp |
| 3. | Lou Marson, c |
| 4. | Jason Donald, ss |
| 5. | Kyle Drabek, rhp |
| 6. | Michael Taylor, of |
| 7. | Travis D’Arnaud, c |
| 8. | Zach Collier, of |
| 9. | J.A. Happ, lhp |
| 10. | Jason Knapp, rhp |
As you can see, 7 out of these 10 prospects are no longer with us. I’d go as far as saying that 8 of them are gone, because J.A. Happ really can’t be considered a ‘prospect’ anymore.
Then again, we all knew Lee very possibly could have left after this season. All signs pointed to him testing the free agent market.
I don’t know what to say/think. Thoughts?
The Drabek Machine is Now in Safe Mode
Posted by Even Stevens in General Thoughts, Minor Leagues on August 31st, 2009
Kyle Drabek, arguably the Phils’ best minor league pitcher, has been shut down for the season. As we’re sure you’ve heard by now, he is coming off of Tommy John surgery and has pitched a career high 158 innings this year. Since the minor league season is coming to an end, so is the Cinderella season of 21-year old Kyle Drabek.
"Check me out yo, I look like Nick Hogan."
Many fans were hoping the kid would be a September call-up so that we could get a glimpse of his stuff before he fights to become a part of the 2010 Phillies rotation. Such is not the case, as the Phillies are making the RIGHT move and protecting the golden arm from harm (you like that?). The youngster would be putting his health at risk by continuing to throw after posting nearly 160 innings about a year removed from elbow surgery. He has been a machine at the Single-A and Double-A levels, posting an ERA that I can’t quite locate (trust me though, it’s good bro). For now, that machine is in safe mode – and that’s a good place to be.
There are reports out there that suggest Drabek has been worrisome to the Phillies’ brass lately. He got lit up in his last start, and hasn’t quite been as sharp as usual since the All-Star Break. While the Phillies maintain that he is not hurt, the fact of the matter is that they are shutting him down before he becomes hurt due to extreme stress on his arm. Let’s hope that the added time off heading into the off-season is just what the doctor ordered for the young flamethrower. I don’t want to see him pull a Cole Hamels in Spring Training next year, throwing Rick-Vaughn-for-most-of-Major-League-II-type shit up to the plate.
This site was founded on an important ideology that still holds true today. Whether it’s Cole Hamels or Kyle Drabek, it’s really all about the rest.
Return of the Rock Star? Dude, It’s Gonna Happen.
Posted by WTT in General Thoughts, Minor Leagues, Phillies Rants, Playoffs and World Series on August 27th, 2009
Last night, I said that the game boiled down to one thing- Cole Hamels. And, for eight innings it did. Hamels was outstanding in tossing eight innings of shutout baseball. But then came the ninth inning and then that whole premise was fucked because for the second consecutive night the Phillies’ bullpen suffered a ninth inning implosion.
So now we know two things:
Brad Lidge cannot consistently close games for this baseball team.
Ryan Madson can’t even close a fucking door for this baseball team.
For whatever reason, Charlie Manuel considers Madson to be option 1b when Lidge is unavailable. This obvious question here is…well…are you fucking serious? Despite going back out and getting in done in the tenth, Madson has been dreadful as a closer, blowing saves at a greater pace than, you guessed it, Brad Lidge. That’s a special feat right there. Thus, it should be mandated that under no circumstances should Ryan Madson be permitted to lock down a baseball game in the ninth inning. Can’t happen. Why not give Chan Ho Park the ball in that spot? Let’s see what he’s got.
Remember that whole Bridge to Lidge thing? That was cute, wasn’t it? So why the Hell does it feel like I’m watching Yorkis Perez and Wayne Gomes try to nail it down late. So where are we going with this…?
Brett Myers says "fuck you" to the Eerie Seawolves
Last night, in a little town called Reading, a man named Brett Myers took the mound in his third rehab appearance of the season. And guess what? It was glorious. Here’s the line:
2 IP, 5 Ks, 0 runs, 24 pitches, 17 Strikes. And you know what they say. If you can fucking dominate the Eerie Seawolves, you are ready to nail shit down in October against the Rockies, Cardinals, and Yankees. After the game, Myers had this to say:
“I’ll do whatever I can to help out,” said Myers. “I’m not going to come back and try to take anybody’s job. I just want to go out there and I want to compete and I want to help the team win as much as possible.”
Translation? “Let’s get fucked up and break some shit. I’m going to be a rock star again, bitch!”
The Lies We Tell for Pussy
Posted by Even Stevens in Breaking News, Game Previews, Minor Leagues, Miscellaneous Rants on July 16th, 2009
Alright so here’s how we’re going to work this. First, I’m going to tell you something pretty cool. You’re going to be like “Oh, that’s cool.”
But then I’m going to tell you why it doesn’t make sense, and then you’re going to be like “Oh, well that blows. What a douche.”
Okay, so…
"Yeah, baby. Pedro's pitching tomorrow. You should come down for the game."
Pedro Martinez is scheduled to make his first rehab assignment tomorrow night (Friday) at Single-A Lakewood, which is in central New Jersey and about a 1.5 hour drive from Philadelphia.
This “news” comes directly from Josh Feinberg, who is a member of the front office with the Lakewood Blue Claws, a Phillies minor league affiliate. This news wasn’t told to me, though. It was told to a beautiful female friend of mine who he wants to come down to the game. She relayed the news to me, where I then said that I’m positive this guy is full of shit.
Ah, the lies we tell for pussy.
Pedro Martinez, in his days with the Mets, would only do a rehab start in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He would never make the trek to Buffalo or wherever the fuck else their minor league affiliates were. He didn’t care. He would only pitch in Florida.
Now, I’m not saying that it’s Pedro’s way or the high way, but let’s get serious here. Both David Murphy and Todd Zolecki have speculated that Pedro would begin his minor league rehab assignment in Clearwater for a couple starts before finishing up in Lehigh Valley. Also, the Phillies put him through a barrage of tests yesterday that left his shoulder feeling pretty sore. He was going to take a few days off before he pitched again anyway, so it doesn’t make sense for him to have a rehab start tomorrow night.
If he pitches tomorrow in Lakewood, cool. People should go. But if he doesn’t, Josh Feinberg is a piece of shit pussy-hound who should be tormented until he’s fired for leaking false information to beautiful girls.
Update: Feinberg is a d-bag. Pedro is in Miami with the Phils, hoping to throw a side session this weekend. He will report to Clearwater on Monday.