International

Phillies Spend 7th Most on International Talent in 2014

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As they kick off their 2014 International Reviews, Baseball America has released their figures on club spending on non-Cuban international signings.  The time period here covers the both the second half of the 2013-2014 spending period and the first half of the 2014-2015 spending period.  The Phillies spent the 7th most among major league clubs … Read more

Quick Thoughts on Cuban Free Agents

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With another name emerging on the market and the impending signing of Yoan Moncada, I thought it was time for a few thoughts on the available players and everything around the international signing rules. The Rules Themselves: They are really dumb.  I am not going to argue against players getting money because owners are rich … Read more

Phillies Scouting Staff Graduates 13 Players to Majors in 2014

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Over the years the Phillies amatuer talent acquisition staff has gotten a lot of crap from fans.  I personally think a lot of it is unfounded and comes from a set of unreasonable expectations for the developmental process.  The scouting staff has no control over the developmental process, especially after a player is traded to another organization.  The staff deserves huge amounts of credit for finding the player in the first place, and with a huge 2014 it is only fair to give them their due.

This is not an indictment of trades that have been made, merely the originally signed players

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Phillies Diversify Minor League Talent Acquisition

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After half a decade of trading away prospects the Phillies system bottomed out in the winter of 2012-2013.  The system lacked impact and it lacked depth.  This lead to a large fallow period for the Phillies farm system, one that sat over Clearwater and bled up into the high minors.  The Phillies responded to this crisis of depth with high school heavy drafts in 2012 and 2013, and those prospects have been slow to move through the system.  The Phillies have started to do something they haven’t done in a long time to help their draft classes, they have started to diversify their talent acquisition.

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July 2 Signing Period Open Thread

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This morning at 9am the July 2 signing period opened.  The Phillies have been linked to 3 SSs and a catcher, all should get mid-six figure bonuses. I will update this thread as signings come in. Bonus Pool: $3,221,800 Confirmed Signings: $2,540,000 The Phillies Sign SS Arquimedes Gamboa for $900,000 Gamboa was Baseball America’s #8 … Read more