Phillies 6th Round pick Brandon Leibrandt has been on a roll recently which has started the round of questions about how good he can be, which ultimately end up on fastball velocity. Velocity is the most tangible and quantifiable aspect of a pitcher’s arsenal. Movement, command, and deception are all in the eye of the beholder and once we start talking secondary pitches the amateur eye is really out of its league. So we debate velocity and whether it is enough for a pitcher to survive in the major leagues (should the prospect in question survive the other levels in between them and their major league aspirations).
Prospect Spotlight
When Should the Phillies Promote Maikel Franco?
Philadelphia Phillies infield prospect Maikel Franco clubbed another home run Wednesday afternoon, adding to a red hot month of July, where the Dominican Republic native is hitting .344/.366/.604 for a .971 OPS. He’s hit three homers over his past ten games and four in July, almost half of his season total of nine homers on … Read more
Nefi Ogando and Power Arm Potential
The Phillies 2014 trade deadline must be entirely different than their 2013 deadline for the sake of the rebuild. General Manager Ruben Amaro and company made minor moves last season and refused to shakeup the core. One player they did move was veteran infielder John McDonald, who was dealt for minor league pitcher Nefi Ogando … Read more
Whats Up With Cord Sandberg?
Cord Sandberg was the Phillies 3rd Round pick in the 2013 draft, many scouts had him as a late first, early second round talent, but he fell due to a college scholarship to play quarterback. After a hot start in the GCL last year he hit .207/.313/.272 on the season with poor contact. In 2014 … Read more
Futures Game: J.P. Crawford
It was no surprise that J.P. Crawford was named to the US roster for the Futures Game this past Sunday. Crawford has become the Phillies consensus top prospect after his continued success in 2014 following being the #16 overall pick of the 2013 draft. Crawford stormed through the South Atlantic League and is now settling … Read more
Futures Game: Maikel Franco
The Phillies had two representatives at the Futures Game this year Maikel Franco and J.P. Crawford. There were a lot of other prospects there, and I will get to them in a later piece. I was able to make the 4.5 hour trek from Madison to Minneapolis to take in the game, which was well … Read more
Phillies Post Trade Deadline Call-Up Options
The Phillies (42-53) lost their second straight game Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, the offense was anemic and pitching was horrific. There are rumors surrounding the impending trades, including a potential Marlon Byrd trade to the Seattle Mariners. There are many names that will be talked about in the coming weeks. Philadelphia sits ten games behind … Read more
Three Under the Radar Storylines
There has been a lot attention paid to the resurgence of two third baseman in the Phillies system in Maikel Franco and Zach Green. The shortseason Williamsport Crosscutters have been putting up some impressive offensive numbers as well. But there are a couple of players whose performances aren’t generating as much buzz. Andrew Knapp in … Read more
Kelly Dugan’s Offensive Potential in Context
Scouting Director Marti Wolever and the Philadelphia Phillies stocked up on collegiate players in the 2014 draft. Some names have already had an impact in Williamsport and Philadelphia’s other minor league affiliates, most notably Aaron Nola. They’ve recently missed out on high school outfield bats in both the draft and trades, but one is climbing … Read more
Phillies have Rebuilt Minor League Depth
Going into the 2012 offseason the farm system was decimated, the Phillies had just completed the Hunter Pence trade leaving Trevor May as the top prospect in the system. Over the previous 4 seasons the Phillies had traded away large portions of their top prospect lists, while giving up first round picks to sign free … Read more