It is no surprise that the Bravos top two needs are also their top two prospects, outfield and first base with Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman. We will refrain from posting the entire lists so that you visit the BA entry.
Hoover just turned 22 this month, and his only stint above Class A Rome was a three inning, three earned run outing earlier in the season. The 6′3″, 215 pound 10th round draft pick (2008 draft) is set to move up the ranks next season, and a possible late 2010 MLB debut is not out of the realm of possibilities. My bet would be that he ends the 2010 season in AAA, and pushes to join the MLB club in Spring Training of 2011.
Of course, we will keep our eye on Hoover and do our best to keep you up to speed on his progress.
In case you missed it, John Smoltz was designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox. Damn. Even thought he marriage saw a rocky breakup in the end, Smoltz has always been one of my personal favorites, and I wished him the best in Beantown. With this move, and Tom Glavine not pitching for anyone this season, it looks like Atlanta GM Frank Wren deserves some credit for knowing when to say when.
Despite being only 4.5 games back in the division, and 3 games back in the Wildcard, the Braves are getting no love and seem to be flying under the radar. Here at The Sports Idiot we have told you not to overlook the Bravos before, and perhaps it is time to do so again. Do not look now, but the Braves are suddenly 59 – 54 on the season, and riding a 4 game winning streak.
Like the Phillies did this week, the Braves will have to make a rotation decision before too long, as Tim Hudson will be making his next rehab start on Thursday.
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.
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.
Due to time constraints, we can not give you insight into the dudes getting moved for Holliday.
Who will rack up more Ks this season?
Total Voters: 45
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