2010 MLB Draft Results: Philadelphia Phillies Drafting for Future, but Whose?

Is Jesse Biddle the Philadelphia Phillies’ pitcher of tomorrow, or is he the next player to be dangled the next time the Phillies need help at the trade deadline?

Only time will tell.

In the three other major professional sports leagues, the annual player draft is an opportunity to discover what players will be on what teams in the immediate future. 

NHL, NFL, and NBA teams pick players in the draft who will be on the team and, for the most part, playing a role the following season.

Not so in the Major League Baseball First Year Players Draft.

Major League Baseball teams often draft players for one of two reasons.  They are either drafting players that can fill an anticipated need in the not so distant future or players that are good-looking prospects who can fetch a high bounty in return on the trade market. 

Generally, an already successful team will draft as much for the latter reason as the former.

It is unclear what the Phillies have in mind.  On the one hand, the Phillies are in constant need of pitching, and they pursued pitching three times in the first four rounds of the draft.  On the other hand, none of the three pitchers they drafted are without issues.

Pitchers that look to have developed skills but issues to work out make great trade bait.

Let’s have a look at the first three rounds of the Phillies’ 2010 draft.

 

First Round: 27th Pick Overall-LHP Jesse Biddle, 6’6”, Germantown Friends High School (PA)

See video of Jesse Biddle here .

At 6’6″ and 240 pounds, Biddle is obviously an exciting left-handed pitcher from a raw-materials perspective.  As a recent high school graduate, however, his short-term outlook is limited. 

He has a fastball that hits 92 mph and a change-up that might be his best pitch, though comes in a bit too fast to be successful when he’s throwing low-nineties with the fastball.

According to some scouts as well as MLB.com, Biddle has control issues and has room to grow on his fastball. 

For a team like the Philadelphia Phillies, these sorts of comments are likely to be ones that they will pass on to whatever team they try to trade him to two, three, or even four years down the road.

The upside here is, of course, that Biddle is only 18 years old—if he grows another inch, adds a couple of miles per hour to his fastball, and gets a little control of his pitches, he could develop into a very good major league left-hander.

For my money, I’m betting that’s exactly what Ruben Amaro says in July of 2012 when he’s shopping this guy for a deadline deal.

 

Second Round: 77th Pick Overall-RHP Perci Garner, 6’3”, Ball State

Perci Garner is a 6’3″ right-hander out of Ball State who also happens to be a former backup quarterback for Ball State. 

Garner works with four pitches, primarily a 92-94 mph fastball and a very good curve, along with a slider and a change-up.  Garner’s weakness at this point is his command, but his future appears to be in his own hands—he has the build and the raw skills to be a solid major league power-pitcher if he can develop his game, and his control, in the minors.

 

Third Round: 108th Pick Overall-Catcher Cameron Rupp, 6’1”, University of Texas

At 6″1″, 240 pounds, Rupp is a bit of an ox behind the plate. Rupp had a very successful career offensively at the University of Texas, maintaining an on-base percentage above .380 and hitting for some good power. He also threw out 30 percent of base-stealers during his college career.

The Philadelphia Phillies probably aren’t looking to replace Carlos Ruiz anytime soon, but if Rupp continues to develop as he has from high school—where he won the Aflac All-America Home Run Derby—to college, he could make it interesting in a few years—or he could be the next Crash Davis.

 

Fourth Round: 141st Pick Overall-LHP, Bryan Morgado, 6’3”, University of Tennessee

I’ve never completely understood the obsession in Major League baseball with left-handed pitching, given that most hitters are right-handed.  I particularly don’t get it for the Phillies, who never have to worry about facing two of the most lethal left-handed hitters in the game.

Nevertheless, the Phillies have took their second left-handed pitcher of the draft, Tennessee Volunteer Bryan Morgado, in the fourth round.  The Chicago White Sox took Morgado at 102nd in 2009, but he returned to school to improve his draft stock.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, Morgado had major issues—he only started five games, and in the twenty games he pitched overall he walked 36 batters in 52.1 innings pitched.  On the other hand, he also struck out 75 batters, for a 12.9 strikeout-per-nine-innings ratio, which is just wacky.

This is the type of guy whose strikeout ratios will mesmerize some people into thinking that he is just a little maturity away from being a dominant starting pitcher—think Juan Cruz and Kyle Farnsworth.

He has journey-man middle-reliever written all over him.

 

Fifth Round: 171st Pick Overall-RHP Scott Frazier, 6’7”, Upland High School (CA)

 

Scott Frazier is the stuff that broken dreams are made of—a lanky kid from Southern California with a nothing-but-potential 92 mph fastball and a good curve-ball that sits in the 73-75 range. 

In the first game of high school season, Frazier threw a 17-0 no-hitter in which he allowed only a walk and an error while striking out 18 batters.

With a bit of development, he could be the best of this bunch, but he isn’t in that place yet.

Frazier has been signed by Pepperdine and, in all likelihood, will be pitching for them next spring.

 

Overview

For as long as they play in Citizen’s Bank Park, the Philadelphia Phillies will be looking for pitching, and in the 2010 Major League Baseball First Year Player’s Draft, they certain grabbed their fair share. 

While all of these guys have potential, none of these guys are automatic future major leaguers.

Sometimes potential is a lot easier to sell on the trade market than it is to actually turn into success.  I suspect that the Phillies will use these players re-load their minor league system for the deadline deals of tomorrow.

Frankly, there’s nothing wrong with that.

 

Asher B. Chancey lives in Philadelphia and is a co-founder of BaseballEvolution.com .

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Donald Glover All-Stars: Ten Players Who Are Not Sons of Major Leaguers

On April 21, 2010, actor Donald Glover of television’s “Community” went on the Jay Leno show.

At the beginning of the interview, Jay Leno said “I figure I gotta check this guy out on the internet. I look up Wikipedia. It says, “Donald Glover, son of famed actor Danny Glover, blah, blah, blah blah, blah.”

To this, Donald Glover replied “Yes,” and the crowd gave an appreciative round of applause.

Then came the gag: Leno and Glover informed the crowd that Donald is not, in fact, the son of Danny Glover, but people always assume that he is. Donald, it seems, has even had to correct his Wikipedia entry numerous times because it keeps getting changed.

Major League Baseball has similar issues from time to time. For example, Steve and Barry Lyons, who were both born on June 3, 1960, are not brothers.

Let’s have a look at the Donald Glover All-Stars: Major League Players Who are Not the Sons of Other Major League Players.

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Four-Year-Old Philadelphia Phillies Fan Caught Drinking Beer At Game

Earlier this season, a Phillies fan was arrested after he decided it was a good idea to throw up on a father and his daughters.

Another was hit with a taser after running onto the field.

Now, they have 4-year-olds drinking beer in the stands .

Apparently, the blond kid on the right was shown taking sips from that Miller Lite (I drink Miller Lite, too!) at least two times during the live broadcast of Sunday’s game against the San Diego Padres.

I’ll be honest—I think this is funny. Incredibly irresponsible, but funny. This kid will now have a great story to tell at his future AA meetings.

Here’s a video of the incident from The Fightins .

 

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DeSean Jackson’s OTA Absence Not Contract-Related?

DeSean Jackson, along with cornerback Asante Samuel, missed OTAs today, and according to sources close to the team, no one is expecting them to participate at all this week.

The news isn’t all that surprising for Samuel given the fact that he skipped an entire week of voluntary workouts last season as well. He’s cited as having “personal issues” to deal with, but who knows whether or not that’s true.

Samuel has shown that he doesn’t look at these workouts as a vital part of his offseason, so it’s likely he fed the Eagles some nonsense excuse knowing there’s not a whole lot they can do.

Jackson’s absence, on the other hand, is a bit more peculiar. He has been a gym rat for his first two seasons and hasn’t missed practices but now, in the midst of contract uncertainty, he’s missing not just a couple days, but an entire week’s worth of practices.

So, of course, the first conclusion is it’s his way of sending a message. He wants the Eagles to see that he doesn’t have a problem missing workouts if he doesn’t get the money he deserves.

Even though he’s already said he wasn’t going to cause a problem over it.

“DeSean Jackson’s absence from Eagles OTAs today is not contract related,” according to Adam Schefter. He tweets. “Not sure why he is missing, but am told it is not contract.”

Schefter catches a bit of a hard time amongst bloggers and fans alike but nine times out of ten the guy is right and his sources rarely let him down.

The word around Philly is that Jackson’s absence is related to several different miscellaneous things he has to deal with and he is choosing to skip the voluntary workouts in order to address whatever those things might be.

But even if he does have other things to deal with, the fact that he would choose right now to address them does speak to how he’s feeling at the moment.

If he wasn’t seeking a new deal, would he have skipped practice in order to deal with these things?

He does have an agent who could deal with any PR-related events.

So while there two sets of rumors floating around to explain Jackson’s absence, the most likely scenario is that it’s a combination of both.

If he’s already missing workouts because he’s unhappy about his current deal, it could mean a long offseason of headaches for the Birds.

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Philadelphia’s Gem: David Akers a Figure of Consistency for the Eagles

Being given the responsibility of your team’s kicker in the NFL is an unforgiving one.

When you are called upon, you are expected to deliver, no matter what the situation.

Some kickers cannot handle the pressure of making that winning field goal in the fourth quarter as time expires.  Promptly, they are released without second thought. 

With this in mind, when a kicker succeeds at the highest level for one team, it is a symbol of his character and consistency.

There are few in the NFL that demonstrate character and consistency better than David Akers.

He has quietly become one of the faces of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise.

However, his journey to the top was not without doubt and uncertainty. 

Before his NFL career began, in the year 1997-1998, Akers worked as a substitute teacher at Westport Middle School in Louisville, Kentucky.

When opportunity knocked at the end of the year, Akers joined the Washington Redskins for his first chance at a starting position as kicker in the NFL.

He would find out it wasn’t meant to be however, as the Washington Redskins released Akers in 1998 after a short time with the squad. Having no other choice, he returned to his wife in Atlanta, where he picked up a part-time job as a waiter in Lawrenceville, GA.

After being on the waiver wire three times, and being released by the Washington Redskins, Akers finally signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on January 11, 1999.

He began his career in Philadelphia behind veteran Norm Johnson as a long field goal and kickoff specialist, until winning the starting position in 2000.

He would never look back.

For the next ten years, the Eagles would rely on Akers and his consistency time and time again.

If there is a clutch kick that needs to be made, David Akers is going to step up. He has had as much to do with the past ten years of the Philadelphia Eagles’ success as anyone.

He is the only player on the current Philadelphia Eagles roster who has played under Andy Reid for all 11 years of Reid’s tenure in Philadelphia.

With the stroke of his left foot, David Akers has delivered countless victories for the Philadelphia Eagles, becoming his franchise’s all-time leader in points, field goals, and extra points. 

This year, Akers was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s with his 30 playoff field goals in that time span, third only to Adam Vinatieri and Gary Anderson.

David Akers is the NFL’s leading points scorer since the year 2000 with 1,169 total points; a testament to his unwavering attitude to be the best he can be for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Without question, David Akers has used his determination and longevity to become one of the greatest kickers in NFL history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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MLB: Top 20 Players Who Look Odd in Their Current Jerseys

Most of the greatest players of all time spent the final year or few years on teams for whom they did not spend their entire careers, and it just didn’t seem right.

Whether it was Willie Mays with the Mets, Hank Aaron with the Brewers, Babe Ruth with the Braves, or Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker and Eddie Collins with the Athletics, seeing iconic players in some strange team’s uniform is always unsettling, like when your grandfather needs help going to the bathroom.

Guess what? Major League Baseball currently sports a gaggle of such players. Let’s have a look.

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Dutch Daulton At JJ Elephant: Phillies AM Flyers PM …What a Day!

Sunday was just weird and frankly after not watching  much but listening to the Flyers game (my ESP telling me we would lose, drat) following a day outside with Darren Daulton with kids learning the art of batting , as well as customers all starry eyed because they met him and talked some sports (including Flyers), I was beat. This blog is now 18 hours late!

Darren “Dutch” Daulton  –  what a mensch (look it up if you have no idea what it means).  He worked with all the children and they loved it.  There were three kids who were particularly talented and he was wonderful with them. It was his patience with the others who love the sport but need work that was amazing.

Parents were catchers and fielders, enjoying the experience with their kids.  Balls were broken in half and quarters, landing in trees and bushes. Talk about passion for the sport! Jeff (our cancer survivor) pitched for an hour with the biggest grin on his face.  Dutch signed one of the balls he used with a special inscription and told him he had a good arm.  He also told him he could give the “Old Man” a run for his money if he were 10 years younger. Sure he could!

Yesterday was about passion for all sports. All the Phillies and Flyers were discussed.  We Philadelphians are all about our teams and favorite players!

Parents, kids and fans crowded around Dutch, applauding him as he entered the café.  He in turn treated each of them with gratitude and humility, a rare quality today. I cannot say enough good things about the day and about Darren Daulton.  Go to Facebook JJ Elephant Fan Page to see all the photos.

The visit to JJ Elephant made every one of us fans of Daulton and the game.  Wouldn’t it be grand if instead of sitting at a bar with kids for hours or waiting in line at the mall  for an athlete to sign something in 3 seconds, kids had a chance to play a sport and learn from an athlete? 

I am hoping more athletes follow Dutch and come to meet and greet customers, work with kids and have a real (non alcoholic) lunch sitting and chatting with people.

Now the switch.  At 2 pm I quickly took off my Phillies’ jersey and switched to my Flyers Giroux tee shit and Stanley Cup playoff hat. 

I predicted the Flyers in 7 but was told it must be six.  I had that “eeky” feeling so I  worked on editing Dutch photos rather than watch the blowout.  I did actually break down and watch moments here and there. Since I was exhausted and knew the outcome, why expend the energy cheering for the(measly) four goals? I clapped though. 

The Chicago Machine fought dirty – we needed the Flyers to be the Broad Street Bullies of old.  I am still puzzled as to why they pulled the goalie so early. Isn’t that damn Amstel Light song they do after each goal annoying?  I will never pick up that beer again as long as I live.

The refs missed some penalties on Chicago and there was the home ice advantage.  Flyers played a much cleaner series thus far and overcame more odds to get to the Cup finals.  The buzz is that they will win at home and still win in Chicago.

Niemi was truly amazing so despite my bias, kudos to him.  Leighton was pulled but it seemed there was little defense helping the goalies during the game.

Flyers are a team that seems destined to win, but who knows?  I will wear my orange and black and pray to the hockey god (s) for the win on Wednesday at home.  They cannot lose the most important game of the series!  Guess that means no TV for me (my gift to the Flyers).

Now to stop the Chicago Machine…

Shoot——————————–>Score   Go Flyers!

 

 

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Charlie Manuel Must Find a Way to Correct Philadelphia Phillies

If it’s not one thing with these Phillies over the past two weeks or so, then it’s another. If the pitching is spot on, then you can be sure the offense will struggle to muster a single run.

Then once the hitting finally gets going, the pitching and defense begin to struggle, and you’re stuck with that Padres game from Sunday.

The Phillies had no business losing that game the way they did, especially since the offense lit it up in the first two innings. Granted, the Padres quickly pulled Kevin Correia, their starter, after the second inning, but there’s no reason for San Diego’s bullpen to be as shutdown as it was.

They’ve turned themselves into a pretty decent team, and the bullpen isn’t anything to scoff at, but this Phillies lineup should be able to hit any bullpen in the league—especially when they’re forced to eat up eight innings.

Then again, perhaps I’m being too optimistic by thinking the hitting is coming back. Perhaps Correia was simply that bad. Maybe if the Phillies had actually been on, they could have tagged him for 15 runs and not five.

I’m just not sure. Right about now, you’re basically reading the thoughts of a man who has absolutely no idea anymore. First I thought it was just a funk they’d get out of, then I thought it was about complacency, and now I’m telling you I have no idea—and I’m not sure anyone in the organization does either.

The players, the coaches, and the front office seem truly stumped. The only thing they can tell us is that they’re sick of talking about it, as Shane Victorino recently told the media.

Well, Vicky, I’m about as anti-Philly media as they come, but if even one of the eight of you would start connecting with the ball like we all know you can, there would be no questions about why in the world the most talented lineup in the National League is struggling.

Then as far as the pitching goes, there doesn’t seem to be much of an answer there either.

One thing I do know, however, is that when every aspect of a team is beginning to fall apart, it’s time to look at the coaches. No, I’m not going to start a “Fire Charlie Manuel” campaign, but it’s on him to get this team headed back in the right direction.

Given his track record, I believe he will, but he’s certainly taking his sweet time about it.

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An Introspective (and Slightly Humorous) Look at Roy Halladay

So, you think you know who Roy Halladay is? You could look at his baseball card, but all that will tell you is that he is a six-foot, four-inch, 230 pound right-handed starter for the Philadelphia Phillies. If you look at a website like Baseball Reference, all that will tell you is how he pitched (stat-wise) prior to being traded, and of course his current numbers with Philadelphia.

It’ll also tell you that Roy is a 13-year Major League veteran who has played 12 of those 13 years with the Toronto Blues Jays. Well, Wikipedia defines Roy Halladay “as a Major League starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. So, I ask the question—who exactly is Harry Leroy Halladay?

Well, after doing some very extensive, painstaking, humorous, and ridiculous research, I have started to put together a picture of who exactly he is. Here is what I found out:

First off, Roy Halladay isn’t right-handed, he is just bored. The only reason he pitches right-handed is because doing so left-handed didn’t offer him a challenge. The fact is, Roy could throw left-handed and still strike out 10 Mets batters (or 10 Yankees—your choice).

Roy Halladay is actually related to the infamous gunslinger, Doc Holliday. The only difference between the two is that Roy uses fastballs instead of guns and ammunition. The truth about Halladay’s height as well: Roy is actually 100 feet tall, he had to shorten himself to the required “under 100 feet tall” Major League Baseball standard/requirement. He does this so hitters might have a chance against him.

The fact is: Roy Halladay is more than just a person. He is a myth and a legendary folk hero. How else could someone out pitch Nolan Ryan and Grover Cleveland Alexander before he was even born? Or could it be than Roy is a figure of mythology much like Odysseus or Achilles?

In short, I don’t know.  Okay, so here is the deal after I did my research: yes, Halladay is a right-handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. We all know that. But Roy is also a legendary pitcher, just ask the New York Yankees whenever they have to face him.

There is some scientific proof of who Roy Halladay is. It’s not a lot, but it’s something. Scientists have tried to discover the chemical makeup of Roy Halladay. They [the scientists] discovered that the formula is IP9H0BB0K27.

Moreover, on the scientific makeup of Halladay, he has his own Periodic Table of Elements. The Table reads: 1Cu (Cutter) 2Cv (curve-ball), 3Ch (change-up), 4Fu (brush-back). As scientists discovered, any exposure to 4Fu causes instant death.  

Or did you already know that Roy Halladay defies the laws of physics? Though someone will tell you—actually, everyone will tell you—that you can’t break the laws of physics, so scientists had to develop a new theory which has become universally known as the “Roy Halladay Law”. Or how about that whole Pythagorean theory of “A Squared + B Squared = C Squared,” thing? Well is not that… what is it in reality? “A Squared + B Squared =Roy Halladay.”

Roy Halladay could run for President of the United States and Governor of Pennsylvania, but he is/will be too busy, helping the Phillies win the Division. Speaking of politics and Roy Halladay, Halladay is used by the United States as an effective and legal use of “Torture.” The application of mental or physical torture in order to obtain information or confession from a prisoner is commonly referred to as the “third degree.” The only confirmed act that guarantees 100 percent success in securing information is showing the prisoner a life-size cutout of Halladay holding a baseball, from 60 feet, six inches away.

Even religion is affected by Roy Halladay. For a person to be canonized into sainthood by the Catholic Church, there must be proof of at least ONE miracle needs to be established. Of all the miracles recognized, it can be said that no saint has ever gotten so much as a foul tip off of a Roy Halladay fastball and it might never be achieved. Moreover, if people converted to “Halladay-ism,” it would end the all of the world’s religious problems/issues. 

As for the last set of facts I found about Roy Halladay: did you know that Roy Halladay has a PhD? If you have been reading along or have been watching any of his starts, of course you did. Roy Halladay has PhD in K’s. But did he need to go to college to get it? No. Roy Halladay didn’t need to go to college, because he already had a PhD in strikeouts from a baseball powerhouse school known as: Dominant Mastery University .

Of course, Roy Halladay is proof that you don’t need a PhD, MD, EdD or even a G.E.D. to be a doctor or suffer through Medical School for that matter.

Did you also know that Roy Halladay could be used as a sort of “self-help” or cure for maladies, bad pitching mechanics, and bullpen woes? Yes, in fact, I had issues while I was a pitcher in high school. I changed my pitching mechanics to mimic Roy Halladay. I won 20 games and my Earned Run Average dropped five whole points [not 0.05 or 0.50 not even 0.55 but 5.00] to 0.57.

Once, Roy Halladay cut his hair and donated it to “Locks of Love” so an 11-year old cancer patient named Kelly could feel normal. Upon receiving Roy’s hair, she was instantly cured of cancer, grew nine inches, and could throw a change-up that even Roy was impressed with.

So, roughly, that is Roy Halladay in a condensed version of a nutshell. He is a robust and unique pitcher, ballplayer and individual. So much so that this very article could not/cannot contain an adequate amount of facts on exactly who Roy Halladay is. So if you want more, you can go to your nearest computer, log onto the Internet and go to Roy Halladay Facts [dot] WordPress [dot] com for more information. Roy Halladay Facts- The ORIGINAL crazy, absurd and ridiculous facts about an athlete. 

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Still Tossing: Jamie Moyer, 47, Is Still a Valuable Option in Fantasy

Some things in life you just cannot explain. 

 

Things like: How does lint get in my belly button? How do ugly musicians marry supermodels? And, how in the world is Jamie Moyer, 47, still winning baseball games at the Major League level?

After last night’s seven-hit, one-strikeout, complete-game performance against the San Diego Padres, in a 6-2 victory, Moyer continues to be a phenomenon.

The win was Moyer’s 264^th of his 24-year career and his 100^th victory after turning 40 (an accomplishment only reached by Jack Quinn and Phil Niekro).

This season, Moyer is 6-5 with a 3.98 ERA (career ERA is 4.21) and is still striking out batters—which he did last night against Padres’ outfielder Oscar Salazar with a 75-mph fastball, or change-up (it’s hard to tell the difference).

The most impressive thing about Moyer is he is not Nolan Ryan pitching into his mid-to late 40’s. Ryan retired at age 46.

This is Moyer, who at times gets his brain beaten in, but has compiled a winning record in four of his last five seasons.

Moyer’s 620 starts are first among all active pitchers. Second is Andy Pettitte with 468. Moyer needs just six more starts to pass Jim Kaat for 16^th all time.

The Pennsylvania native has pitched most of his career in Seattle. In 11 seasons, Moyer went 145-87 with a 3.97 ERA and made the 2003 All-Star.

Midway through the 2006 season, the Mariners shipped Moyer, a 5.5 million dollar salad tosser, to the Phillies for two minor league prospects.

At the time, it made sense to the Seattle brass to move Moyer, who made eight million dollars in 2005. However, his career was far from over.

Since arriving in Philadelphia, Moyer has gone 53-36 with a 4.44 ERA and is still making eight million dollars a season.

His 33 complete games are third among active pitchers—teammate Roy Halladay has 54, and Washington’s Livan Hernandez sits at 48.

Each preseason fantasy owners go through their “sleeper” picks. Each season, owners bypass Moyer because they think this will be the year he stops becoming a dependable option.

“If I can contribute this year in a healthy way in innings, I’m going to want to continue to play,” Moyer told radio host Dan Patrick on May 1^st.

Moyer said he could see himself pitching into his fifties.

This means a few more seasons of bypassing Moyer in the 20^th round. And a few more seasons of trying to solve the life mystery that is Jamie Moyer.

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