The Evolution of Ken Giles

There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth this year about the Phillies development process, and inability to develop a homegrown reliever.  This past week, the Phillies promoted their best relief prospect in a while to the major leagues in Ken Giles (where he joined fellow homegrown relievers Bastardo, De Fratus, Diekman, and Hollands). … Read more

What to Make of Cam Perkins

One of the breakout candidates for the first half of the Phillies season has been outfielder Cam Perkins.  On his career Perkins is hitting .305/.358/.438 and he has put up gaudy doubles numbers with 74 doubles across 241 games.  In 2014 he hit 19 doubles in 52 games for the Reading Fightin Phils.  On the first glance these numbers start to create a narrative of a player who should be topping prospect lists.  Lets take a deeper look into a player who has been getting a ton of press.

Lets start with the defense.  In the field Perkins can play RF, LF, and 1B (he did play 11 games at third base in 2012, his college position).  In the outfield he has an average arm, and he is passable on his routes.  He has the athleticism to be playable in both corners, but he fits best in left field long term.  Overall the defense shouldn’t be a liability, but it isn’t going to help him.

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