Stock Up, Stock Down for Philadelphia Phillies’ Top 10 Prospects for Week 19

The Philadelphia Phillies made another move this past week to give their minor league talent more opportunities to earn a spot on the 2014 Opening Day roster.

By designating outfielder Delmon Young for assignment, the Phillies opened a spot for Darin Ruf to see regular playing time and try to make a case for the 2014 roster.

With Young gone and Michael Young at first base, the Phillies can play Cody Asche and Ruf regularly as they formulate their offseason plan.

Players such as Jonathan Pettibone and Ethan Martin have also been given opportunities to audition for spots for next season while Cesar Hernandez could become a September call-up and audition for a bench role.

The Phillies also made an international signing this past week by signing 16-year-old third baseman Luis Encarnacion to a deal worth $1 million, according to Tom Schad of the team’s website.

While Encarnacion gets set to begin his minor league progression, how did the Phillies’ top 10 prospects (according to mlb.com’s 2013 Prospect Watch) fare this past week?

Let’s take a look at whose stock is up and whose is down following Week 19.

 

* Tommy Joseph (No. 5) is out for the remainder of the season due to injuries, via Matt Gelb of Philly.com. Larry Greene, who is ranked No. 11 according to mlb.com’s 2013 Prospect Watch, will be included in these rankings.

**All statistics courtesy of MiLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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Ranking Potential Landing Spots for Jimmy Rollins

Jimmy Rollins has cleared waivers, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. While he did give a clear reason for his no-trade clause to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, saying, “There are still a couple things I would like to be number one on the lists of in this organization … so until those things are done, I’m not going anywhere,” the shortstop would be better suited in a new uniform.

While teams like the San Diego Padres could really use Rollins, the only way he’d conceivably waive his no-trade clause is if he could go to a contender. Here are three teams, in ascending order, that could vie for the veteran shortstop:

 

No. 3: New York Yankees

I know it’s silly to call the Yankees a contender at this point, but they’re never out of the race.

After a long career devoid of significant DL stints, Derek Jeter now can’t stay healthy, and the Yankees continue putting nobodies or has-beens out on the field.

Rollins would certainly fit New York’s mold. He’d be an overpaid, past-peak, once-All-Star veteran and would likely be one of the more productive hitters in a lineup that has the fourth-lowest team average and has scored the fourth-fewest runs in baseball.  

In 2013, New York shortstops are batting .216 with an OPS of .578. While Rollins isn’t even close to the player he used to be, he’s still batting .255 and with a .660 OPS, so he would be an upgrade.

 

No. 2: Cleveland Indians

The Indians are fighting for any edge they can get in their quest to make it to October. Detroit’s latest winning streak makes it unlikely that the Indians will take the AL Central, but Cleveland’s wild-card hopes are very much alive.

Currently, Cleveland has Asdrubal Cabrera at short, and he’s been abysmal. He sports a .243/.297/.397 line with seven stolen bases and a .694 OPS. While Rollins’ power numbers are a little below Cabrera’s, he’s got nearly twice as many steals and gets on base more.

Defensively is where Cleveland could really use Rollins. In terms of UZR, by all accounts the most comprehensive advanced defensive metric, Cabrera is the worst shortstop in baseball. Rollins’ UZR (supplied by FanGraphs) of minus-1.9 isn’t 2012’s 8.7, but it’s nowhere near as cellar-dwelling as Cabrera’s minus-19.

A colleague of mine actually tweeted at me today inquiring about Rollins:

Well, Rollins certainly hasn’t been good. He’s been a disappointment and a pain in Philadelphia’s side. However, he’d be an improvement over Cabrera in the average, OBP and speed departments, and his defense—while it has declined since last year’s Gold Glove performance—would be a huge help.

 

No. 1: St. Louis Cardinals

Pittsburgh is soaring and St. Louis is scuffling. And the Cardinals are getting no help from their shortstop.

Yes, he is a defensive wizard at times and is better at fielding his position than most in the game, but his brilliance stops there.

If Cabrera is abysmal, then there must be such a thing as sub-abysmal, and it is reserved for Pete Kozma.

Maybe that’s a little harsh, but his numbers warrant that kind of criticism. His cool .232/.279/.294 line and .573 OPS slot him as the worst in all offense categories on the Cardinals, and he sports the worst average, slugging percentage and OPS of any starting shortstop in baseball. Jimmy Rollins isn’t a premier shortstop anymore, but he’s also not Kozma.

If there’s talk about Rollins potentially going anywhere, most of the chatter has been concentrated in the St. Louis fanbase:

St. Louis needs to pull itself out of its current funk if it wants to take the division over the do-no-wrong Pirates. It certainly has a wealth of young talent to offer Philly’s barren farm system, so if Rollins will entertain a deal, so should Ruben Amaro Jr.

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Potential Michael Young Suitors, Trade Packages After He Cleared Waivers

The Philadelphia Phillies have been given a second chance to trade Michael Young before the end of the season after the third baseman cleared waivers, as reported by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

In doing so, any team can make an offer to the Phillies for Young and, assuming he will agree to a move, he’ll be dealt between now and the August 31 waiver trade deadline. This doesn’t mean that a deal is imminent or even likely, but there are avenues open to both parties. 

There was some chatter early Thursday when Young was initially in the Phillies’ lineup for an afternoon game against the Chicago Cubs then got scratched soon after. But it turns out a sore hamstring was the culprit, according to Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. 

With the trade winds possibly swirling around Young and the Phillies once again, we wanted to look at teams that might have an interest in acquiring his services for the stretch run and what they could give up to make it happen.

 

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Why Extending Chase Utley is a Smart Move by the Philadelphia Phillies

Chase Utley isn’t going anywhere, as the five-time All-Star second baseman signed a two-year extension Wednesday that will take him through the 2015 season with the Philadelphia Phillies.

ESPN reports: “The deal is worth $27 million for two seasons with multiple vesting options, sources told ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark.”

The deal didn’t exactly come as a surprise; Utley has repeatedly said that he wants to remain in Philadelphia, and though there was growing speculation this year, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. did not trade the 34-year-old free agent-to-be at the trade deadline.

While Utley has battled knee injuries in the past and is getting up there in age, there’s no doubt that this is a great move for the Phillies.

Utley is batting .275 with 15 home runs and 43 RBI through 83 games and, at 34, remains among the top second basemen in Major League Baseball both at the plate and in the field:

Chase Utley reportedly signed contract extension. Utley has 2nd-most Wins Above Replacement among NL 2nd basemen this year (Matt Carpenter).

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 8, 2013

Utley’s productivity hasn’t dipped at all in recent years, and that was seen once again Wednesday night, as he came in as a pinch-hitter mere hours after reaching the deal and knocked in a run against the Cubs:

Chase Utley is the story of the night. Reaches extension with the Phillies, pinch-hit single scores Mayberry to tie game in 7th.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) August 8, 2013

Unfortunately, the Phillies lost once again, but Utley did his part once again.

Apart from his on-field contributions, his status as a major fan favorite is just as valuable to the franchise and undoubtedly played just as big a part in the $27 million investment/extension. Such fan favorites ensure that fans will always have reason to keep coming back even through tough times such as now.

Here are but a few of the immediate reactions in the Twittersphere after news broke of the deal:

SHARKS HAVE A WEEK DEDICATED TO CHASE UTLEY

— DRUNK PHANATIC (@DrunkPhanatic) August 8, 2013

@Ashley_Knaff yeah i love that site. but not as much as i love the demi-god chase utley.

— max (@maxperla) August 8, 2013

CHASE UTLEY’S TEARS CURE CANCER. TOO BAD HE’S NEVER CRIED

— DRUNK PHANATIC (@DrunkPhanatic) August 8, 2013

Chase Utley hits harder than [insert Eagles safety here]

— Brian Tripp (@psuTripp) August 8, 2013

CHASE UTLEY ONCE WON A GAME OF CONNECT FOUR IN ONLY THREE MOVES

— DRUNK PHANATIC (@DrunkPhanatic) August 8, 2013

Now that the Phillies have secured their second base position for another couple seasons, the team will now need to focus on getting younger at other positions.

With Utley, Ryan Howard at first and Jimmy Rollins at shortstop, the team has three infielders who are 33 or older, and all three will be back for a few years.

Amaro made it perfectly clear that he does not want to undergo a rebuilding process just yet, and signing Utley to this $27 million extension proves that once again. Utley is no longer the cornerstone of the team’s future (that’s Domonic Brown), but he will surely continue to play a key role for the team in the coming years.

Follow @JoshSchoch

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Post-Deadline Moves Phinished Phils Could Still Make

One of the suggestions sportswriters get is to function as something other than a calendar or a standings list.

Presumably, readers are savvy enough to know what today’s date is and where their favorite teams reside in the current standings. Don’t duplicate effort, so goes the advice.

Well, pitch that, because the Phillies‘ present condition is atrocious enough to demand a taking of inventory.

The Phillies, not even a full week into August, are:

• 16.5 games out of first place in National League East
• 11 games under .500
• 10.5 games out of a wild card spot, the value of which is diluted since there are two of them

Give them this, though: Based on run differential, their record should be much, much worse than it is.

The Phillies have a run differential of negative 88 runs. As of this writing, it is the second-worst run differential in all of Major League Baseball, ahead of only the woeful Houston Astros.

The Good Ship Phillies hung around the .500 buoy for half a season, hit a rock and sank like a stone.

Woe be to you, if you have tickets to watch this moribund, overpriced, non-achieving side for the next 51 games.

Who wants to talk possible post-deadline trades? Don’t all jump up at once.

For the uninitiated, the rules governing post-deadline trades are set forth really well by Jay Jaffe of Sports Illustrated here.

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Stock Up, Stock Down for Philadelphia Phillies’ Top 10 Prospects for Week 18

While deciding to stand pat at the non-waiver trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies promoted two of their top 10 prospects this past week.

Cody Asche and Ethan Martin were both promoted from Triple-A, although it’s still unclear how long Martin will remain in the major leagues.

Asche, meanwhile, now has a chance to audition to become the team’s starting third baseman heading into next season.

Both Asche and Martin join Jonathan Pettibone, Darin Ruf and Justin De Fratus as top prospects who began the season in Triple-A and are now on the major league roster.

Players such as Jake Diekman, Michael Martinez, Joe Savery and the recently promoted Zach Miner also began the season in Triple-A.

Will any of the Phillies’ other top 10 prospects earn a promotion this season? How did the rest of the team’s top 10 prospects, according to MLB.com’s 2013 Prospect Watch, fare this past week?

Let’s take a look at whose stock is up and whose is down following Week 18.

 

*All statistics courtesy of MiLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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Can Philadelphia Phillies Salvage Charlie Manuel’s Likely Last Season?

The Philadelphia Phillies are sitting at 50-60 and unable to string together some victories to counter their recent eight-game losing streak. This post-All-Star break downward spiral is yet another piece of evidence that shows why this team needs to abandon its current philosophies and rebuild.

I suppose technically with 52 games left Philadelphia could shock us all with its perennial pinch hitters getting everyday starts and whatnot, but in my mind, the future beholds a sour ending for Charlie Manuel.

This is Manuel’s ninth year as Philadelphia’s manager. He’s almost 70. He may have just quoted Jay-Z on the record in answering looming questions about his future with the Phillies, but youth is not something that he brings to this franchise.

Jordan Raanan of NJ.com said while Manuel’s time is definitely up in Philadelphia, the team’s current conundrum is not his fault:

Clearly he didn’t all of a sudden become a bad manager. It’s just that the same moves he made several years ago aren’t working anymore. It almost certainly has more to do with the players on his roster rather than the man calling the shots.

Manuel echoes this sentiment.

Put simply, the Phillies haven’t been playing good baseball. And seeing as Manuel is in the final year of his contract with third base coach Ryne Sandberg waiting in the wings to likely take over managerial duties, he’s not sugar-coating anything. In an interview with Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Manuel didn’t hold back:

I think we’re a ways off. That’s what I think. I know what we’ve had for two years. Every year, really. We are players off.

Don’t get me wrong; I still have faith in our players. I’m a manager and I believe that we can win…but when I look out there and I see how we play, I also have to be realistic.

What do you do when you’re reloading and not rebuilding quite yet? Because Ruben Amaro Jr. is stubborn and won’t admit complete defeat, he’s going with what stings less—bringing up the young guys. 

And the Phillies have done that. They’ve given a bunch of starts to the now-injured Johnathan Pettibone and brought up pitching prospect Ethan Martin. Darin Ruf is now an everyday outfielder (and keep in mind that he’s naturally a first baseman), and Cody Asche is in the hot corner.

Philadelphia’s most blaring issue is its outfield. From every vantage point, it can’t be improved.

Of Philly’s top 20 prospects, outfielders are in High-A or below. The fact that the Phillies’ farm system is so dry wouldn’t be of as much concern if we were seeing Ben Revere, Domonic Brown and Ruf take the outfield, but instead it’s Ruf, Delmon Young and John Mayberry Jr.

Assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said in an interview with Chris Branch of Courier-Post on July 20th that “Nix can play in center field if he has to. (Kevin) Frandsen could play some outfield. He’s done that before. (John) McDonald can play all over the place. I think we’re in pretty good shape. Everybody should be well-rested. We’re good to go.”

“Good shape” with Laynce Nix in center is telling enough.

Branch also added that “at the major-league level, Frandsen and McDonald have a combined 13 games experience playing the outfield.”

At this point, there’s really nothing more the Phillies can do to leave a positive lasting impression on good old Chawlie. They’ve given shots to young relievers like Jake Diekman and Justin De Fratus. They’re playing Ruf everyday. They’re even trying to turn second baseman Cesar Hernandez into an outfielder.

For now, the Phillies can hope that Amaro gets it right with the waiver wire after bombing at the trade deadline.

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5 Philadelphia Phillies Prospects Who Will Help the Team in 2014

Philadelphia Phillies fans are getting a glimpse at the future with the arrival of Cody Asche and Ethan Martin to the majors. Asche made his debut at third base on Wednesday night, while Martin is set to make his first career start Friday against the Braves.

For Phillies fans, the arrival of young talent to the ballclub is a welcome sight. With the team eight games below .500, the 2013 season is a lost cause, and it is time to start looking toward the future.

Asche and Martin have a chance to make an impact now, but there are more players sitting in the farm system who have a chance to shine for the Phillies in 2014 and beyond.

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Grading Philadelphia Phillies’ Trade Deadline Performance a Real No-Brainer

The Philadelphia Phillies have loudly announced through their silence and inactivity at the trade deadline that they are a franchise without a plan.

Or a brain.

General manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., soon to be known as “lame duck GM Ruben Amaro, Jr.,” did as good a job at the just-passed deadline as you did.

You did nothing to make the Phillies better, and neither did he. Of course, it is not your job to improve the Phillies’ roster for either this season or future seasons.

For now, at least, it is his job. His inexcusable inaction at the trade deadline, though, suggests that it may not be his job all that much longer.

The prevailing belief about the Phillies’ failure to move even one expensive veteran player for younger, cheaper help is that the Phillies wanted too much for the players other teams had interest in.

Calling out the Phillies as the primary loser of the trade deadline, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark indicated that other general managers were put off by Amaro, Jr.’s insistence for premium return on players like Cliff Lee. 

Worse still, Amaro, Jr. steadfastly maintained that the Phillies would not pay any of Lee’s exorbitant contract to make a deal happen.

Lee had more than enough value to return the types of prospects Amaro, Jr. allegedly wanted (Xander Bogaerts from the Boston Red Sox for example), but not if the team getting Lee would be on the hook for upwards of $75 million in the next three seasons.

Amaro, Jr. wanted the best of both worlds in a Lee deal, and thus came away with no deal at all.

All right, so maybe holding on to Lee was a good idea. 

But there is no reason or excuse for Michael Young or Carlos Ruiz to still be playing in Philadelphia.

Young and Ruiz are middle-aged players with playoff experience who were attractive to teams in contention. 

According to Jon Heyman of cbssports.com, the New York Yankees made legitimate inquiries on both players, including an offer for Young, and were more or less turned down flat by Amaro, Jr.

And that is how, as Stark put it: “Shockingly, after an eight-game cliff-dive…they still managed to stagger to the deadline tape without GM Ruben Amaro Jr. pulling off a single deal.”

So Amaro, Jr. and the Phillies (and their fans) pick up in August where their abysmal July left them off.

Twelve and a half games out of first place in the National League East division.

Nine games out of a wild card berth, with three teams ahead of them.

Hey, at least Phillies fans will get to watch Ruiz try to add to his 2013 total of one home run for the next two months.

Ruben Amaro, Jr.’s trade deadline performance, in school terms, does not even merit an “F.” Only a grade of “incomplete” fits.

Because failure implies effort.

 

 

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How Philadelphia Phillies Can Go from Bad Trade Deadline to Good Waiver Wire

The Philadelphia Phillies were a complete bust at the trade deadline. When word surfaced that Ruben Amaro Jr. might be willing to shop perennial trade deadline frequenter Cliff Lee (even with Amaro‘s wildly unreasonable expectations of what he could get in return), it almost seemed like Philly was finally waving the white flag.

While complete silence ensued, the Phillies could still end up making some moves in August due to the bloated contracts of their most coveted trade chips. 

 

Michael Young

This was the biggest surprise of the deadline. Young was drawing interest from a number of teams—especially the Yankees at the last minute. Shockingly, Amaro was asking for too much, reported CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.

Still, he’s the most likely to go in August. There’s a reason why Matt Snyder of CBS Sports used Young as an example of the waivers process in his most recent article.

Young has a no-trade clause, but is willing to waive it in a few cases:

Snyder also reports that Young would accept a trade to the Yankees.

Plenty of teams have a need for Young and would be willing to shell out the cash. There’s a good chance he’ll clear waivers due to his salary of $16 million, so he’ll then land back on the trade market. Since MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reported that Texas likely won’t trade for Young and the Yankees were ready to make an offer, look for further New York negotiations in the not so distant future.

Seeing as the Phillies just brought up prospect Cody Asche to play third, which moved Young over to first, it doesn’t seem like Philly is set on keeping Young.

 

Carlos Ruiz

The Yankees are also interested in Chooch:

While Chooch is not the most expensive (he’s making $5 million) compared to other Phillies, he is relative to someone like Kelly Shoppach. 

While New York made the latest inquiry, the St. Louis Cardinals would be wise to look into the Panamanian catcher.

St. Louis couldn’t do much backstop-wise before the deadline, seeing that All-Star and MVP candidate Yadier Molina only just landed on the DL, but as the Cardinals have found themselves two-and-a-half games back in the National League Central and are without their premier game-caller, they’re now desperately in need of someone to fill the hole.

If Chooch clears waivers, St. Louis has many prospects to offer the Phils. They wouldn’t give up someone like Michael Wacha or Carlos Martinez, considering Ruiz has been a dud offensively this year (.248/.298/.293), but Ruiz is one of the better game-callers in baseball, and Cardinals pitching is obviously used to good defense behind the dish. St. Louis should give up someone for Chooch if they want to compete with the red-hot Pirates. 

 

Chase Utley

While the Phillies have recently been talking about a new $13 million a year Utley deal (three years or two years and a vesting option for a third), according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Phils should still place him on waivers. Yes, he’s a fan favorite and the face of the franchise and all of that mushy stuff, but contenders could use the DL king more at this point.

Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Philly should build around Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon—no mention of the second baseman.

David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News wrote today, “The decisions that Amaro and Co. have made have created a lineup that will be nearly impossible to improve if Utley returns to it.”

Utley currently makes $15,285,714, so he’d likely clear waivers. The soaring Los Angeles Dodgers would be a great fit for him.

For starters, Utley is a California boy at heart. He went to UCLA and thrives in that environment.

Secondly, the Dodgers would surely benefit from an upgrade at second.

Utley’s power numbers are creeping back up this season. (As Murphy writes, “10.4 percent of his plate appearances ending in extra-base hits, compared with 8.3 percent from 2009-12, a home run every 21.9 at-bats, compared with 24.6 over the previous four seasons.”) They would definitely be a step up from Mark Ellis (.360 slugging and a .684 OPS compared to Utley’s .505 and .845) and Nick Punto (pretty worthless).

The Phillies have guys like Cesar Hernandez (he can discontinue his outfield experiment if need be) and Freddy Galvis they can plug in at second if need be, and they could look to receive a Dee Gordon or Joc Pederson from L.A.

 

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