This Week’s Schedule
- Lehigh Valley (60-40) @ Worcester (51-50)
- Reading (36-58) @ Hartford (50-45)
- Jersey Shore (39-53) @ Brooklyn (59-37)
- Clearwater (49-45) @ Tampa (45-47)
- DSL Phillies Red (18-22)
- DSL Phillies White (12-27)
Hitter Spotlight
OF Gabriel Rincones Jr.
6-15 2 2B 2 HR 5 RBI 6 BB 3 K 1 SB .400/.571/.933
There has been an opportunity for Rincones to have grabbed himself a major league role, but he didn’t walk to go with his strikeouts in the first month of the season, and he hadn’t really hit power. He is now getting on base with 12 walks and 12 strikeouts in July and since the start of May he has a .385 OBP despite a .207 average because he has a 21.0% walk rate. He has another of the 3 true outcomes covered with a high (but fine with that walk rate) 24.3% strikeout rate. This week he hit 2 home runs to go with the two doubles bring him to 3 in 15 July games. He does not have hit hard hit balls in the air enough though, and a surprising number of his home runs are line drives while his fly balls are more lazy. It is almost certain that Justin Crawford will get the first chance to replace Max Kepler, but Rincones is Rule 5 eligible this offseason, and if he is still in the org after the deadline, it doesn’t feel impossible he finds himself in a pinch hit or platoon role come September if he can lift the ball more through August.
Pitcher Spotlight
LHP Mavis Graves
1 GS 5 IP 2 H 1 R 0 ER 2 BB 6 K
After a great debut, it was a struggle for Graves who occasionally showed signs of life, but kept showing poor control in his starts. He got a bit of a break going on the Development List after his June 20th start. He had given up 4 home runs in that start, but had walked only one. His first start back he gave up a bunch of hits, but once again only walked one. Since then he has on a definite heater over his last 3 starts totaling 13 IP 5 H 1 R 0 ER 3 BB 13 K. This week he was mostly 90-91 with his fastball, but he touched 93 and did a good job pitching it up in the zone where it was out of danger and set up the secondary pitches. Graves mostly used the slower of his two breaking balls and his changeup, but broke out the mid 80s harder cutter pitch to some success as well. He pitched in on righties with the breaking ball and used it as a chase pitch away to lefties. His changeup how was his best pitch of the week, sitting 82 to 84 and just fading away from righties. It is going to be hard for Graves to survive in the majors in a starting role at this velocity given his command is still shaky, but if he can throw enough fastballs to keep hitters honest while working both sides of the plate that can work. He ended up off my midseason list because of the command issues, but he is still lurking as an arm that is 2 mph and a continued run of command away from being firmly back in the mix.
Notes and Thoughts
- The Phillies wrapped up their draft signings with everyone but 20th round Landon Schaefer. The bonuses were not as predicted, but it is a good and talented class with plenty of college arms, the big projectable high schooler in Fisher, and now two high school shortstops. The undrafted class has some strong hitter performers as well.
- Thursday was the last day of the FCL season as the team finished 16-42. The team was fundamentally flawed and short handed. They had a poor defense with players playing new positions that harmed what was a good rotation and shaky bullpen. The offense was also light all season. Some of the pitchers will move up to the Threshers.
- Hendry Mendez is back to not hitting for much power in July, but he got his hits and continues to walk and strikeout at an even rate. The Phillies don’t need to trade him, but he is definitely in the small group of likely to be traded players.
- Devin Saltiban has only played center since returning to Jersey Shore. He is striking out at a high rate, but two home runs this week brings him to 4 in 15 July games. He needs to make contact, but he really easily gets to his pull side power.
- With Saltiban in center, Avery Owusu-Asiedu has moved around the outfield more. It wasn’t a monster week, but 3 walks and 3 strikeouts in 5 games as his contact rates remain strong. He did steal 5 bases this week (all between Saturday and Sunday) and has 9 in his last 9 after steal just once in his first 13 games as a BlueClaw.
- A 3-5 with 2 doubles rounded out a free swinging first week in high A for Eduardo Tait. He came to the plate 23 times and put the ball in play on 22 of those trips.
- It isn’t that Justin Crawford has had a big change in approach, but he has mostly stopped striking out by just making more contact with two strikes. He had 1 extra base hit, a home run on a ball up and in he got to, but he gets to first on weak slop and it works for now. A BABIP based profile can work better if he can continue to keep the strikeouts now.
- Andrew Painter had a bad inning and some rough command at points, but he made it through 6 innings on 76 pitches will continuing to use a diverse arsenal. Home runs continue to be a problem for Painter, though his HR/FB rate is among the highest in AAA indicating there might be a bit of luck in addition to poor command to his struggles.
- It felt inevitable that the rickety command of Griff McGarry would come part in a start. Griff on Saturday did not get a hitting prospect loaded Binghamton to expand the zone and threw 70 pitches in 2.2 innings with 5 walks and 5 runs.
Injuries and Transactions
- Brandon Beckel (REA), Griffin Burkholder (CLW), Manolfi Jimenez (CLW), Adonis Medina (LHV), Luke Davis (CLW), Eduardo Tait (JS), Diego Gonzalez (JS), and Guillermo Rosario (FCL) assigned to new levels
- Brewer Hicklen acquired for cash and optioned to LHV
- Eiberson Castellano activated from IL
- Danny Wilkinson’s rehab moved to CLW
- Ryan Cusick outrighted to LHV
- Yhoan Escalona, Gunner Mayer, and Nabil Crismatt activated from Development List
- Charles King, Griffin Burkholder, and Diego Gonzalez added to Development List
- Nelson L. Alvarez and Koyo Aoyagi released
Links and Things
Around the Web
- BP on Draft: Reviewing the National League – Baseball Prospectus
Videos and Posts
Hi Matt, the Phillies signed a 19 yo RHP named Markos Sanchez out of the Mexican league ten days ago. He’s listed at 5’7″ and 154 lbs. He had 10IP in Mexico this year and gave up 10 ER with 14 BBs and 2 Ks (young for the league of course). It’d be cool if you could shed any light on what the heck that’s about; pretty “leftfield” signing on the surface. Knuckleballer maybe?
Thought he looked fine, but not special in the game I tracked on July 22. Fastball 87-91, changeup 81-84, and curveball 71-74. Looks like a DSL pitcher, but that is all eye test and a pitch speed number so I don’t know spin rate, movement, attack angle, etc. He obviously has some room to grow physically, but not too much.
A lot to give up for Duran?