Philadelphia Phillies: Looking Inside the Club for Right-Handed Pitching

Philadelphia’s assistant general manager, Scott Proefrock, said Tuesday through Twitter that moving Joe Blanton is not a necessity for the team at this point in time.  The Phillies have announced that they do in fact have enough salary room to keep the right hander for this season, going against many reports since the signing of Cliff Lee in December.  

Along with this announcement, Proefrock also said that the team is going to look within the organization for right-handed pitching help not only for this season but also for when Blanton does leave.  So what young guys could help them out?

One young guy that can give the rotation an extra boost if needed is Scott Mathieson. Mathieson is 28-years-old and has suffered a few elbow injuries that have set him back in his career thus far.  Even after two successful Tommy John surgeries, Mathieson still throws in the high 90s with good location and command.  He pitched in the Futures All-Star game in 2005 and has been with Philadelphia twice in his career.  While Mathieson has been featured more as a long-relief pitcher recently, he has been a starter throughout most of his time in the minor leagues.  

Another prospect that could make a difference is Vance Worley.  Worley made two starts for the Phillies in 2010 and finished with a record of 1-1 with an impressive 1.38 ERA.  At just 23 years of age Worley has a very promising career ahead of him and he could continue to make a difference as a fill-in spot in the rotation this year and could become a part of the rotation when one of the five leave the team.  

Andrew Carpenter has made three appearances with the Phillies since 2008. Carpenter has great control and features a fastball in the low 90s, a good slider and a split-finger fastball to go with a change-up he’s developed since making his big league debut.  The only downfall for Carpenter is that he has a tendency to record many fly-ball outs which could hurt him in Citizens Bank Park.  

Phillippe Aumount is another pitcher who has been recognized in the Phillies farm system.  Aumount was acquired in the 2009 Roy Halladay trade.  Aumont comes in at 6’7″ and features a hard sinking fastball that tops out around 96 MPH.  He also has a good slider. He attempted to develop a change-up in 2010 but could never get a real feel for it. He has struggled with control, averaging over five walks per nine innings pitched.  If he can regain control over his pitches he could make an impact in the near future.  

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