2013 MLB Draft: 8 Position Players Philadelphia Phillies Should Target

For the Philadelphia Phillies and all teams around baseball, the MLB amateur player draft, which takes place during the first week of June, is a chance for the team to really bolster what, in recent years, has been a barren and nearly decimated farm system.

The strength of the Phillies’ farm system comes in the form of pitching, particularly left-handed pitching. In fact, since 2002, the Phillies have spent four of their six first-round picks on pitching, three of which, including Cy Young finalist Cole Hamels and minor league standout Jesse Biddle, were left-handers.

But while the pitching has been developed pretty well, many other areas, most notably at the corner outfield, have been neglected and sorely underdeveloped.

And for that reason, the Phillies should make the most of their four draft picks in the top 100 and their 16th overall pick, the highest since the team drafted Hamels in 2002.

While this draft has been considered a pitching-heavy one, there are plenty of good corner outfielders, as well as other positions, that are there to be had. There are also some standouts who might fall through the cracks and some guys with marginal talent who could end up being draft steals when all is said and done.

There are spaces throughout the minor league organization that need to be filled, and the Phillies will certainly have a group of talented guys to choose from.

So, in no particular order, here are eight position players the Phillies should consider drafting with some of their early picks.

  

All prospect rankings courtesy of Baseball America’s Top 250 and MLB’s 2013 Top 100 Draft Watch.
Scouting Grades courtesy of Jonathan Mayo (MLB’s 2013 Top 100 Draft Watch).

 

Statistics courtesy of: Samford Baseball, Mississippi State Baseball, Stanford University Baseball, Fresno State Baseball

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Chase Utley Injury: Updates on Phillies Star’s Oblique

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley has caught the injury bug again. 

Utley is heading to the 15-day disabled list with what the team is calling a “very mild” Grade 1 oblique strain, according to a report from Mike Axisa of CBS Sports. Philadelphia expects Utley to return to the lineup within the next two to four weeks. 

The move is retroactive to May 21, and an MRI on Thursday did not reveal any further intercostal or ribcage damage. 

Utley’s latest DL stint will mark the fourth time in the last four seasons that he’s missed time during the regular season due to injury.

Philadelphia has not yet made a roster move to replace Utley on the 25-man list. Freddy Galvis and Kevin Frandsen will likely get the bulk of the playing time at second base while Utley recovers from his latest trip to baseball’s medical haven. 

A five-time All-Star, Utley was off to a good start to the 2013 campaign. Hitting .272 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in 44 games this year, Utley isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire but is a steady contributor to Charlie Manuel’s lineup and a proven veteran presence.

It looks like Utley’s trip to the DL is nothing more than a precaution for the Phillies, who were 5.5 games out of first place behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East heading into Thursday night’s action. When it comes to Utley’s status, though, Phillies fans have learned to take nothing for granted when he is forced to miss time via injury. 

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Phillies 2013 Mock Draft: Projecting Their Top 5 First-Round Targets

With the 2013 MLB Draft right around the corner, the Philadelphia Phillies have likely narrowed their choices as to who they want to select with the 16th pick, their highest in the draft since 2002 when they drafted Cole Hamels with the 17th pick.

The Phillies’ top-16 pick is a result of a 2012 season in which they played .500 baseball, ending with an 81-81 record. While it wasn’t a losing record, it was the first time the Phillies had not finished a season with a winning record since 2002 when they ended at 80-81.

The Phillies’ farm system is pretty bare across the board as a result of the many high-profile trades Ruben Amaro, Jr. has made in his time as Phillies GM. Nevertheless, some areas of the farm have more depth than others, so while the Phillies may disagree with my philosophy and select someone based upon talent alone, positional play will impact this list.

With a farm system thin of outfielders and first basemen, players at those positions will be the primary focus of this slideshow. So without further ado, here’s a look at the top five players the Phillies will look to take with their first draft pick on June 6.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Mismanagement Has Rendered the Club Insignificant

Such a Herculean task it is to dissect the Philadelphia Phillies nowadays. 

Nearly two months into the season, the Phillies continue to hug a sub-.500 record. Meanwhile, the front office continues to debate on whether or not their supposed plan is being implemented appropriately. 

Whatever plan general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has for this club is not working. Simply put, he is at the forefront of the blame while skipper Charlie Manuel should be ousted for his debilitated decision-making.

A perfect example of the adverse decision-making on behalf of the Phillies skipper can be seen Tuesday night, when the Fightins square off against the Miami Marlins.

In 13 innings versus the Phils, Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez has yet to allow a run scored while giving up just three hits. Of those three hits Fernandez has permitted, two came off the bat of the switch-hitting utility man Freddy Galvis. 

Despite the small sample size, it is evident that Galvis has had the most success any Phillie has had against Fernandez to date. However, he will be on the bench in this affair.

Instead, outfielder Delmon Young will get the nod.

Young is baseball’s version of Napoleon Dynamite when it comes to defense. He is also struggling to stay above the Mendoza Line, batting-wise. 

It’s not like Amaro Jr. and Manuel have to be committed to Young. After all, Young is on a one-year contract worth a thrifty $750,000. 

So what gives? 

At the end of the day, the Phillies’ decision to sit Galvis against Fernandez in favor of D. Young is representative of the porous decision-making the club has made over the course of the last two seasons.

Naysayer’s with pie-in-the-sky attitudes will point out that the Phillies are a good series or two away from overtaking first place in the National League East.

Never mind their record against sub-.500 clubs as opposed to clubs with winning records.

Never mind the fact they have yet to take on the Washington Nationals.

Let’s get one thing clear: The Phillies are in decline. Anybody who says otherwise is likely to still believe in the Tooth Fairy.

The window of opportunity to repeat the feat from 2008 closed in 2011. The door slammed shut when the Phillies gave up a 2-1 series lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. The nails were hammered in the coffin when the Phillies surged late last year only to have their postseason hopes dashed in a series sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros.

In-game mismanagement by Manuel coupled with questionable personnel decisions from Amaro Jr. have rendered the Phillies insignificant. 

The sad reality is that the organization continues to string its fanbase along in similar fashion to the Philadelphia 76ers. After trading for center Andrew Bynum (and his two bad knees), Sixers ownership led fans down a path, all season long, to think that Bynum could play at some point.

As everyone knows, Bynum never debuted. 

The Phillies will not make the playoffs, either.

The point is that the Phillies organization has made terrible decision after terrible decision. Sure, hindsight is always 20/20. Unfortunately, some of the moves the Phillies have made were called into question at the time they occurred.

For instance, the decision to trade Vance Worley and prospect Trevor May to Minnesota has turned out to be atrocious. Sure, Worley has been horrible for the Twins, but nobody could have forecast that at the time. So long as May develops into a serviceable No. 4 or 5 pitcher in the majors, the Twins soundly defeated the Phillies in this trade.

One has to wonder: Whose bright idea was it to trade arms for Major League Baseball’s leader in ground-ball rate?

Regardless, the doom and gloom in South Philly is real. Fans oblivious to the mismanagement of this club can continue to think the Phillies have a shot to contend. Those who understand reality will just sit back, elbows crossed, and watch everything unfold for the worst.

Prior to the start of the season, many with realistic expectations believed the Phillies were an above-.500 club with a decent chance at cracking the postseason, even in the NL East.

Those expectations have now been altered. More likely than not, one can expect the Phillies to finish with a losing record for the first time since 2002. That was the year when Nelly’s “Hot in Herre“ could be heard on every radio station in America, George W. Bush was still in his first term as president and the United States had not yet invaded Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

As Charlie Chapman once said: “In the end, everything is a gag.” Words couldn’t speak truer for the current state of the Phillies.

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Philadelphia Phillies: As Ryan Howard’s Fade Continues, Darin Ruf Must Play Now

Ryan Howard is day-to-day with inflammation in his left knee, per Ryan Lawrence of Philadelphia’s Daily News.

That isn’t all. The magnetic resonance imaging test of Howard’s knee identified “changes” in his meniscus.

Since my training is in law and not medicine, maybe it would be best to hear it from Phillies‘ trainer Scott Sheridan: “He’s got some changes in his meniscus and his knee. And he’s also got some inflammation in the knee that concerns us.”

Maybe Howard will be back in a few days. Maybe he will need a disabled list stint.

Either way, it does not really matter. Ryan Howard is a player with egregiously diminishing skills who now cannot much stay on the field.

And Howard’s at-bats against decent left-handed pitching are the stuff of nightmares. As of this writing, Howard’s on-base percentage against lefties is .213.

At this point in his career, Howard would be a solid platoon player. And that’s about it.

If the Phillies could commit to playing Howard only against right-handed pitching, the production the Phillies would get from a half season from Howard and the rest from the likes of John Mayberry Jr. and Michael Young might equate to the output of a decent full-time first baseman.

Or maybe Darin Ruf should be splitting time with Howard at first base. More on Ruf in a minute.

It all sounds crazy, of course, because of Howard’s contract.

The common refrain any time the idea of sitting Howard crops up is that the Phillies owe Howard too much money.

Here’s the thing, though: One thing should have nothing to do with the other where that issue is concerned.

Howard is going to get the whole of his $20 million this year and $25 million in each of the next three seasons no matter what his playing status is.

Playing Howard only because of the money he is making, then, is quite possibly sacrificing enhanced chances to win future games because of a past blunder.

Not only does that decision-making run counter to the basic ethic of professional sports, which is to win above all else, but it sends the absolute wrong message to the other 24 guys on the team who might have a better chance to win if Howard sits against left-handed pitching.

Because Howard got off to a decent start in 2013, and because Darin Ruf‘s season began poorly at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Ruf fell off most Phillies fans’ radar after he was the darling of spring training.

And it is not like Ruf is now the second coming of Miguel Cabrera at Lehigh Valley now.

But Ruf‘s batting average is up to .267, and he has hit five home runs in 40 games.

In limited major league action last season, Ruf hit three home runs in 12 games.

Maybe Ruf cannot hit right-handed pitching well enough to keep a job at the major league level. That’s okay, because Howard can still do that just fine.

Ruf can almost certainly hit left-handed pitching at a better clip than .196.

If the Phillies are serious about trying to steal a playoff spot this season, the first order of business must be the beginning of cutting their losses with Ryan Howard.

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Stock Up, Stock Down for Philadelphia Phillies’ Top 10 Prospects, Week 7

The Philadelphia Phillies top pitching prospects saw their immediate futures take an interesting turn this past week when the team signed Carlos Zambrano to a minor league contract.

With Roy Halladay and John Lannan on the disabled list, pitchers such as Adam Morgan, Tyler Cloyd and Ethan Martin seemed like the top options for filling a rotation spot.

However, after Cloyd’s upcoming start, it could be Zambrano who gets the next chance to fill a rotation spot. This would keep Morgan and Martin in Triple-A to work on recent struggles, as they try and achieve positive results with more consistency.

But what about the chances for the Phillies other top-10 prospects, according to Baseball America, of reaching the major leagues soon?

Let’s take a look at which players’ stock is up and which of them are down following Week 7.

 

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

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5 Things We Learned About the Phillies Through the 1st Quarter of the Season

The Philadelphia Phillies have had an interesting season thus far in 2013. The season has been riddled with ups and downs, from offensive resurgence of some players to injuries and depth issues concerning others.

As the season has now officially reached the one-quarter mark, it may be safe to say that certain trends are here to stay for the Phillies. Certain performances by certain players have been stellar, while others have been terrible.

I’m being intentionally ambiguous here. The point is, even after a quarter of the 2013 MLB season, there is enough information to gauge the Phillies so far. Here are five things that we’ve learned about the Phillies after the first quarter of the season.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Potential Trade Partners for Chase Utley

The Philadelphia Phillies have been somewhat of a pleasant surprise thus far. Despite sitting two games below .500, the Fightin‘ Phils are only three-and-a-half games out of first place in the National League East.

To some, suggesting the Phillies should be sellers at this point in the season may seem asinine. However, their current standing is more illusory than anything as they have struggled mightily against teams with winning records. Don’t forget they have yet to face the Washington Nationals.

One of their largest chips is second baseman Chase Utley. In the final year of his deal, Utley is hitting .289 with a team-high 24 RBI. His seven home runs are tied with Domonic Brown for most on the club.

For many, the prospect of seeing Utley in another uniform is surreal. He was at the core of the 2008 World Series championship team. A few years prior, he was the reason why Placido Polanco was dealt to the Detroit Tigers. Needless to say, if anyone has been the face of this franchise, it’s been Utley.

It wasn’t too long ago when many women were walking around Citizens Bank Park wearing pink shirts stating they are Utley’s “girlfriend.” Everyone remembers when the late, great Harry Kalas declared, “Chase Utley, you are the man!”

Utley is to the Phillies what cheesesteaks are to Philadelphia. 

On the other hand, nothing lasts forever. 

2013 is the first season since 2010 where the 34-year-old appears to be at full health. Prior to this season, Utley’s numbers were on a serious decline. Such facts makes one wonder as to whether this is a contract-year surge. Regardless, the increased production is the primary motivator to move Utley while the organization can attain as much in return as possible.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at Utley’s potential suitors. 

 

Baltimore Orioles

Sure, the Orioles may be more inclined to pursue rotational depth that is more on par with that of the other top-flight teams in the American League. However, the production they have received from second base has been abysmal. 

Ryan Flaherty is hitting a putrid .140 in 98 plate appearances. His two HR and six RBI don’t make up for his 23.5 percent strikeout rate. While Flaherty usually faces right-handed pitching, his current Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 0.0 highlights the fact that he is doing nothing for the O’s. Absolutely nothing.

The other option Baltimore has at second base is Alexi Casilla. The soon-to-be 29-year-old has never proven to be much of a hitter. His career year came in 2008 with the Minnesota Twins, but his production then was rather unflattering. 

What would the Phillies receive in return? Stud prospects Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman are out of the question. With a top-heavy farm system, the optimal return would include righty Branden Kline and outfielder Glynn Davis. 

 

Kansas City Royals

If this organization is serious about making a run into late October, it would behoove them to consider Utley. Put simply, their second base situation is ugly. 

They are platooning Elliot Johnson and Chris Getz. Johnson is striking out one in nearly every three at bats, while Getz is hitting an appalling .193. Between the two, they have two HR, 10 RBI and 21 runs scored in 46 games.

There isn’t much to look forward to within the farm system either. The Royals are currently 19-17 and one-and-a-half games behind the first place Detroit Tigers. The overall lineup has underachieved. Utley would give the squad more prowess at the plate.

The Royals made headlines by dealing super prospect Wil Myers to Tampa Bay prior to the start of the season. Stud prospects Kyle Zimmer and Bubba Starling can’t be seriously considered in an exchange for Utley. However, the Phillies would be pleased if they received lefty John Lamb or shortstop Orlando Calixte in return.

 

Oakland Athletics

Even though they are one game below .500, the A’s are in prime position to compete for the AL West or a wild-card berth. Unfortunately, Eric Sogard is not the answer at second base.

Next week Sogard will turn 27. Since 2010, he has had several brief stints in the majors. While he makes decent contact, his .233 batting average is far from stellar. He has very little power to speak of as well.

For the second consecutive year, Scott Sizemore has torn the ACL in his left knee. Oakland can’t look inward since they have very little hope in terms of finding a replacement for Sogard in the minors. Therefore, Utley would be a solid fit for a franchise looking to make its first consecutive trip to the playoffs since 2000-03.

In a deal for Utley, the Phillies could expect to receive the likes of righty Nolan Sanburn, lefty Pedro Figueroa or outfielder Michael Taylor. Neither of these three prospects has tremendous upside but they would foot the bill in exchange for Utley.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Handing Out First-Quarter Grades to the Players, Manager

After a tough first month and a half of the baseball season, filled with both ups and downs, it is time to hand out the first-quarter grades for the Philadelphia Phillies pitchers, position players and the manager.

Just like students get report cards, so too is each member of the Phillies roster. The report cards will look at what each player has done well, which areas could use improvement and some teacher comments describing why each player received the grade he did.

For position players, grades were assigned based on their offensive and defensive performance and then an overall grade was decided considering those two numbers as well as remaining factors explained in the comments section. Each of the 13 position players on the roster were given individual grades.

As for the pitchers, the bullpen was measured separately as was the starting staff. Each member of the starting staff was given a grade and it was factored in to give an overall grade for the rotation which included Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick and Jonathan Pettibone.

The team was also graded as a whole on their offense which factored in league rankings and overall first-quarter numbers. Charlie Manuel was given a grade based on perceived managerial performance, decision making and the overall standing of the team.

Of course, like every report card you’ve ever gotten, it is just a measurement of where you currently stand, not where you are going. The grades represent the now, but for certain players, the expectation is improvement.

So take a look at the slides to see the grades for your favorite players. And feel free to comment on your own ideas of what the grades should be.

All stats courtesy of espn.go.com

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An Early Look at 10 Realistic Moves Phillies Could Make at the Deadline

Call it a reverse black cat. Call it anything you want. But this Phillies team, which is four games out of first place, is not only not making the playoffs.

They are not going to finish .500.

So many things had to go right for the Phillies to contend this year. For the most part, it is just not happening.

True, Chase Utley has had a bit of a resurgence, still leading the team in both home runs and runs batted in. But he never had a ton of range at second base. Now, his knees just don’t let him go where he wants to go. With five errors and a .972 fielding percentage, he had better hit.

All the other “must haves” for this team are little more than wishes unfulfilled.

Roy Halladay needed to be an elite pitcher again. You can forget about that.

Carlos Ruiz needed to come back from suspension and be a .300 hitter again. So far, he is hitting .200.

Ben Revere needed to be a table-setter and a run-scoring machine. All he has done is proven the age-old adage that you cannot steal first base.

Michael Young needed to be a run-producing right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup. Somehow, despite hitting .310 thus far, Young has nine runs batted in. Slugging .395 as a third baseman is pretty sorry.

It would be great to have this piece be Exhibit “A” when the Phillies are leading the National League East by five games in late September.

Failing that, though, these are the moves the Phillies will need to make at or before the trade deadline.

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