Rosters

Rule 5 and 40 man Roster Preview

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We are about a month out from the deadline for the Phillies to add players to the 40 man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.  The promotions of Maikel Franco and Ken Giles during the season eliminated two of the most interesting names needing protection, but there are still plenty of decisions that need to be made.  Currently the Phillies roster is at 39 players, some will move on as free agents, others will be cut, and a small group might even get traded.

Roster Locks (21): David Buchanan, A.J. Burnett, Justin De Fratus, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, Cole Hamels, Mario Hollands, Cliff Lee, Ethan Martin, Jonathan Pettibone, Carlos Ruiz, Cody Asche, Maikel Franco, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Aaron Altherr, Marlon Byrd, Kelly Dugan, Ben Revere, Domonic Brown

I think there is a good chance that any of Burnett, Hamels, Byrd, and Brown aren’t back next year.  This is more showing that if they are moved it will be a player outside of the org sliding right into that 40 man spot.  In other words they aren’t going to free up space.

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Fall/Winter League Assignments

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We will be tracking the assignments of prospects to winter and fall assignments: All Winter/Fall League stats can be found here Winter League: Maikel Franco – Gigantes del Cibao (DWL) Carlos Tocci – Phillies Complex (Clearwater) Yoel Mecias – Phillies Complex (Clearwater) Jose Pujols – Phillies Complex (Clearwater) Aaron Altherr – Aguilas del Zulia (VWL) William Cuicas – Tigres … Read more

Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernandez and Building the 2015 Bench

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There are few things to say positively about the 2014 Philadelphia Phillies season. We’re nearing the final stretch to the season and September promotions should bring about an ounce of excitement for the faithful fans that still decide to watch this team. One area of the ball club that has been abysmal this season along with the previous years has been the bench.

The collective group of John Mayberry, Tony Gwynn, Cesar Hernandez, Wil Nieves and Reid Brignac is a group of mostly below replacement level players that don’t provide value offensively or even defensively. Nieves is the lone exception and works well with the pitching staff.

Offensively, the Phillies rank 24th in major league baseball, with a .245 on base percentage this season when pinch-hitting. They have a collective .542 OPS, 19th in the league. Their bench options lack positional flexibility and they struggle to get on base. Regardless of how the manager plays the matchups beyond John Mayberry against left handed pitchers, there are no strong options that will yield a positive outcome.

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GCL Phillies Roster Released

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Today at 12:00pm Eastern, the GCL season begins.  It marks the start of summer and of hope eternal.  So with not much time to spare, lets jump into the roster. Pitchers: Francibel Alejo, Lewis Alezones, Austin Davis, Jacques Degruy, Seranthony Dominguez, Jared Fisher, Scott Harris, Matt Hockenberry, Matt Imhof, Denton Keys, Franklin Kilmone, Brandon Leibrandt, … Read more

Phillies Call Up Aaron Altherr

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I am sure everyone wishes that Aaron Altherr would make his major league debut under happier circumstances. Howver, with the passing of Tony Gwynn, tyhe Phillies have placed Tony Gwynn Jr. on the bereavment list. Altherr has the distinction of being the only healhthy coutfielder on the roste, Kelly Dugan and Zach Collier are still on the DL and Tyson Gillies was removed from the 40 man roster recently. The other two names were Leandro Castro and Cameron Perkins, neither his on the 40 man rster and neither cshould be a primary centerfielder.

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Looking at Williamsport’s 2014 Roster

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The announcement of rosters each year is a good marker of where players stand with the organization.  The release of short season rosters is always in flux as new draftees alter the lineup over the first week of the season.  So here is the current roster, what it means and how the 2014 draft fits in.

Pitching:

Mitch Gueller, Alejandro Arteago, Richard Bielski, Delvy Francisco, Manaure Martinez, Ricardo Pinto, Frank Rivas, Keivy Rojas, Feliberto Sanchez, Josh Warner

The only set members of the rotation are likely Arteaga (who started 9 disastrous games for Lakewood this year), Sanchez, and Gueller.  Of that group Gueller’s return trip to Williamsport is the most interesting name here, a former 1st round pick who had the potential for 3 plus pitches coming out of the draft.  In 2013 he showed inconsistency across the board along with a drop in velocity, but if he can show some of his pre-draft stuff he could jump back up lists.

2014 Draft –  The Phillies top 2 picks Aaron Nola and Matt Imhof could skip past Williamsport on the way to Lakewood or higher.  However, the Crosscutters rotation should pick up 4th round pick Chris Oliver and6th round pick Brandon Leibrandt.  Depending on signings, Matt Hockenberry (9th), Austin Davis (12th), Nathan Thornhill (13th), and Joey DeNato (19th) could all factor into the rotation and at least into the bullpen.  Speaking of the bullpen, 22nd round pick Ryan Powers is a power RH reliever out of Miami (OH) who could factor into the late innings of the Crosscutter bullpen if the Phillies send him there.

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