One thing we will hit on quickly, the Braves have reportedly traded Casey Kotchman for Adam LaRoche. While we like Rochy, and would welcome him back, this deal is a little puzzling as Kotchman has to have more value than LaRoche. One thing is for sure, this deal would make my wife happy, as “Clutch” (her pet name for LaRoche) is a favorite of hers.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, and Hohn was once again behind the plate for a game involving the Braves. Apparently Brian McCann was up to bat, with no outs and Chipper (whom had just been walked on four straight pitches) on first base. Marlins reliever Dan Meyer threw a pitch to McCann that the Braves catcher thought was a ball, yet Hohn called it a strike. McCann went on to ground into a double play, on a pitch that he would have been taking on had the count been 3 – 0 at the time instead of 2 – 1.
McCann then went into the clubhouse and watched a replay of the pitch. Upon returning to the field before the start of the bottom of the eighth inning, McCann asked Hohn if he would admit that he missed that pitch. Hohn responded in the only way he seems to know how, by ejecting McCann (it is an immediate ejection for arguing balls and strikes, but it is not like he tried to show up the ump during the at-bat).
Bobby Cox then got ejected as well, because Hohn said he heard something from the dugout, and was going to eject someone. In typical Bobby Cox fashion, Bobby told him to eject him instead. Hohn obviously obliged.
The disturbing, and perhaps most telling, part of this story did not happen until the game was over, however. After Nate McLouth struck out to end the game, Hohn and Marlins catcher John Baker did a fist bump. You read that right. The ump and the catcher of the team that had just won a game that had questionable balls and strikes called throughout gave each other props when it was over.
While I am not one for whining about the umpires, I do have to say that this is pretty fishy. Not only is it fishy, but as far as we know it is unprecedented. I have never heard of a player and an ump doing this before, or even shaking hands after a game. So the question has to be asked, does Bill Hohn have it out for Atlanta?
Jason Donald has recently been described as a future utility man in the Majors. For your fourth ranked prospect, you hope for a better fate than that, and the Phillies used to hope he would supplant Jimmy Rollins at short. Well, before this season even started those expectations had shifted towards the utility role, and after dude has raked to a .235 batting average this season you can guess where those expectations are at this point. Maybe Donald, who is 24 years old, can turn it around in the batters box, but in order to do so he will have to stop striking out so much (he has 58 Ks in 234 at-bats, which projects out to over 150 over a full season in the Bigs).
Jason Knapp is 6′5″ of raw talent. Dude can hit triple digits on the radar gun, has a decent changeup, a power slider and a breaking ball. Problem is Knapp can not seem to develop a consistent delivery, which causes him to change planes and lose his command. As things stand, Knapp is projected to be an overpowering set-up man in the Majors, and possibly a closer. He is young as well, though, at only 18 years of age, so there is time to refine his approach and develop him into a starter if he is durable enough.
Lou Marson was the catcher of the future for the Phillies. Through 63 games, the third ranked ranked prospect is hitting for a .294 average and a .751 OPS in AAA. During a brief stint in the Majors, he hit .235 with a .644 OPS. Like Donald, Marson has been missing too many pitches, as he does strikeout a bit too much. Will Marson be a top tier catcher in the Majors at some point? No one knows, but the 23 year old has talent to go with his professional approach.
Those are the prospects being sent to Cleveland. A probable utility man, a power bully, a future three in the rotation, and a catcher. Well, they are giving up something else as well, as someone is going to lose a starting rotation spot.
So in the end, what the Phillies gave up for Lee is hard to quantify. This entry will be added to the “featured posts” section for easy reference next year when we revisit this deal.
If you own Sherrill, look at Jim Johnson. No, Johnson is not setting the world on fire, but he is next in line for saves and does get a few strikeouts over time.
Downs? You obviously need to have him backed up with Jason Frasor. Frasor has bee a bit disappointing in the saves department, as he only has three on the season. Hell, he only has seven since the start of 2005 after nabbing 17 for the Blue Jays in 2004, but this season he is helping out in ERA and WHIP too.
Qualls? Jon Rauch is there for a reason, and that reason will become apparent if they move Qualls. Remember last year, when Rauch was the closer in DC before getting shipped out to Arizona? Yeah, he racked up 17 saves for the Nationals, and will rack up some for ‘Zona if they trade Qualls.
If Cordero gets moved things could be interesting. Dave Weathers is still there, and he is performing well once more. Also pitching well is Arthur Rhodes. Which of these old heads will get the nod? My bet is Weathers, but do not be shocked if Rhodes gets a look or they do a bullpen by committee.
One thing is for sure, a lot of people are into football. Be it the American version, or the rest of the world’s (soccer), Sports Betting has taken over the sport. Whether it is just a weekly pool, a fantasy league, or legitimate Football Betting, a lot of us get involved with gambling to a degree. Good luck in your endeavors this season, no matter what the variety.
With the fantasy football season around the corner, we may or may not be doing some NFL fantasy coverage. With baseball running deep into October, the Winter Meetings, and then the college sports coverage, time gets to be a premium. We will do our best to keep you posted on anything major, though, and possibly provide some draft tips and sleepers.
As a Braves fan, seeing Gonzalez suit up for Atlanta would be sweet, and it would fill the power bat need of the lineup. Would Casey Kotchman, Kelly Johnson and a prospect get the deal done? Probably not, but if I were Frank Wren I would certainly know for sure…
In the Philadelphia version of the trade, the Phillies were to send Happ, Michael Taylor, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald all to Toronto. The Blue Jays declined the offer, which is about as good of an offer as I can see them getting.
Taylor, who entered the year as the sixth ranked prospect in the Phillies’ system, was promoted earlier this month to AAA Lehigh Valley, is very highly regarded by the Phillies right now, and could be called up in September when the rosters expand. After raking to a tune of a .333 batting average and 0.977 OPS in AA, Taylor has been having his issues in AAA. That being said, he just came off a six game hitting streak that has his average sitting at .263 for the Iron Pigs, with two homers in 38 at-bats. Hopefully the six game streak was a sign of things to come, and Taylor gets things going.
Carrasco, the Phillies second best prospect headed into the year, has had a rough season so far in AAA, as he is currently sporting a 5.18 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He is going to have to do much better than this if he wants to be the future #2 starter for the Phillies, but his 112:33 K:BB ratio shows that he still knows how to get strikeouts while keeping command of his pitches. That may not carry over to the Bigs, and it will be interesting to see if Carrasco gets a call in September himself. As things stand now, Carlos is not ready for the next level, but a 2010 arrival date should be expected.
Jason Donald started the season as the fourth ranked prospect for the Phils. Like Taylor, Donald struggled when he got to AAA. Unlike Taylor, however, Donald is no longer in AAA, but rather back at the Gulf Coast League, which is a rookie league. He is doing better since being demoted, but still not gaining any traction with his bat. Donald was heralded as the heir apparent to Jimmy Rollins, but his career is trending in the wrong direction for a 24 year old at this point.
All in all, a very solid offer for Halladay, and one I am surprised the Blue Jays turned down, but I can see the logic. If the Phillies are going to get a current Major League ace like Roy Halladay, they are going to have to part ways with their best pitching prospect. While that may have been Carrasco back in March, it is now clearly Kyle Drabek, who the Phillies have allegedly labeled as untouchable. Personally, I do not see how the Phillies can expect Toronto to give up Halladay and not get the best pitching prospect from the team they send him to. You have to give up something to get something, especially when that something is the arguable front runner for the AL Cy Young award.
Who will rack up more Ks this season?
Total Voters: 45
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