Baseball Prospectus 1996
Since the collapse of the Phillies' mini-dynasty in the late '70s and early '80s, the Phillies have operated in the shadow of the Mets, briefly the Pirates, and now the Braves. Because the farm system was completely bereft of talent, Lee Thomas did not have the option of rebuilding from within. As a result, he developed a different strategy for resurrecting the Phillies: he took chances on a lot of castoffs, and has had reasonable success. While waiting for the occasional blockbuster trade where he completely humiliates the other GM (Dykstra-for-Samuel being his masterpiece), Thomas picked up position players while their value was low, hoping for a rebound (Eisenreich, Charlie Hayes, Dykstra, Incaviglia). He signed pitchers who were injury risks, but who also had high upside potential (Ken Howell, Jose DeJesus, Dennis Cook, Curt Schilling, Ben Rivera, Tommy Greene, Bobby Munoz). That's not to say he hasn't made mistakes: the Dale Murphy pick-up was bad, and the Jefferies signing looks bad so far, and the recent pair of trades to give up Paul Quantrill and get Mike Benjamin both look poor.
But generally, it seems as if Lee Thomas' approach has been that of the cunning underdog who's been dealt a bad hand, and manages to make something out of nothing. If things worked out, the Phillies had the opportunity to surprise people as they did in 1993, when crucial players like Dykstra and Schilling stayed healthy. When the Phillies gambled and didn't win, everyone expected that the Mets or another powerhouse of the moment to win anyway, so there wasn't really a great blow to expectations.
That was before the bold success of 1993, and now the team isn't sure what it should be doing. Before the '93 season, the Phillies made a number of low-level acquisitions; after the disappointment of almost getting Bobby Bonilla the previous year, it looked as if the Phillies were settling into a hopeless free agent backwater. But Thomas' buy low and gamble approach worked, and the Phillies suddenly became a great team. Since then, the Phillies have had to suffer the weight of expectations, and their roster moves show it.
The '93 team collapsed in a rash of injuries in '94, as key players like Dave Hollins, Darren Daulton, Dykstra, John Kruk, Schilling, and Greene, as well as several secondary players, all broke down. These injuries, while not to be unexpected individually, were a catastrophe all at once. Only two major changes were made between these seasons: the trades of Mitch Williams and Terry Mulholland, and in both cases, they were replaced effectively (by Doug Jones and Bobby Munoz). The core of the team remained the same.
After '94, Thomas decided that several important changes had to be made to shake this team up and get back to being the team that unseated the Braves; with realignment, that would be an even more important objective. Instead of settling for canny bargain shopping, the Phillies got sucked into the spiral that ruins most high-expectation teams seeking to stay on top: they stopped doing what got them there. As a "contender" trying to shrug off the anomaly of the strike-ruined 1994 season, the Phillies embraced the conventional wisdom of making important-looking moves, like signing prominent free agents Gregg Jefferies and Charlie Hayes. They made some clever roster moves, like getting Mike Mimbs through the Rule V draft, but they were stuck in the trap of making short-term veteran pickups to secure a shot at being a contention.
The '95 season had other ominous portents for the Phillies. Several Phillies were active on the union's behalf, particularly Daulton. Kruk retired, at least until the fridge was out of beer, and Dykstra took some odd potshots at the union in the press, so that by the time the '95 season rolled around, it was already taking strange shape.
The Phillies roared out of the gate to the best record in baseball, 37-18, surprising everybody. Mostly, they were doing it with pitching, as Schilling was healthy, Tyler Green finally lived up to his promise, and Mike Mimbs made the Dodgers look bad for keeping somebody like Traction Action Rudy Seanez in the organization instead. Charlie Hayes was drawing more walks than he'd ever drawn before, and the Phillies could look forward to getting even better once the offense, and particularly the big four of Hollins, Dykstra, Daulton and Jefferies, came around. The team could at least expect staying on an even keel if the offense snapped back into shape while the pitching came back to earth.
It didn't happen. The pitching staff broke down as the league caught up to Mimbs and Green, and Schilling was injured again. In light of past gambles on injury-prone pitchers who briefly pitch well and then get hurt, picking up Sid Fernandez to do both within two months was symbolic of the pitching staff's season as a whole. But even more troubling was the disappearance of power from the Phillies' lineup. The expectation was that the Phillies would score runs, and as the season went on and the offense didn't snap out of it, dissatisfaction grew and the front office panicked. A scapegoat was called for, and as the Braves picked up steam management felt something had to be done to shake the team out of its slump. Gregg Jefferies was grousing about playing left, and Dykstra was swinging between injuries and needing to move out of centerfield. Dave Hollins was tabbed as the fall guy, despite doing a solid job offensively, because he was playing first and batting cleanup, neither of which were his strong suits. To clinch matters, the team resorted to a veteran pickup to pin its hopes on, Andy Van Slyke. Substituting Van Slyke's fading star for Hollins' excellent on-base ability only deepened the team's offensive slump, and the Phillies collapsed to the worst record in baseball during the remainder of the season.
The moral of the story is that what seemed like an organization committed to putting together a team that scored by putting lots of people on base was not a philosophy. It didn't keep the Phillies from resorting to picking up mediocre veteran regulars like Hayes, Jefferies or Van Slyke, when their previous success had been the product of patience with Darren Daulton, or gambling on Dave Hollins, Jim Eisenreich or Pete Incaviglia. The willingness to constantly take low-risk gambles on injury-prone veteran pitchers has had some payoffs, but whether or not the team abandons this approach as the farm system begins to yield reasonably talented prospects remains to be seen. Whether or not the team simply gives up on Tyler Green or puts him back together again could be particularly informative of how Thomas will handle pitching prospects in the future.
FRONT OFFICE: Well, in case it hasn't come across yet, Lee Thomas has shown a willingness to take risks on pitchers, and has a knack for picking up useful spare parts on offense. His drafts have improved, particularly since reshuffling the staff that ran the farm system into the ground: first farm director Jim Baumer and his lackey Jack Pastore, then his own hirelings, Lance Nichols and Jay Hankins, the men who gave you Jeff Jackson instead of Frank Thomas. The farm system is now relatively deep in pitching, and both full-season A-ball teams had great seasons while Reading won the Eastern League championship. Lee Thomas has the benefit of the calm support of owner Bill Giles, and you'll rarely see either man run down the players, coaches, or organization in public. The big "controversy" in the past year was the firing of AAA manager Mike Quade, and his replacement by Butch Hobson, after the season. The reaction of the press was generally shock that the Phillies had done this, rather than criticism of the move per se.
MANAGER: Jim Fregosi may always look like he's about to run for the Mylanta, or that his eyes are about to burst out from under his brows, but that could just be memories of Mitch Williams. Off the field, in interviews, he always seems relaxed and good-natured, so the dugout glower must just be his game face. As a manager, he's not easily fooled, but he also doesn't gamble much. On offense, he's a strong believer in platoons, doesn't have anyone run but the players who can, and avoids "little ball" tactics like the bunt or the hit-and-run. He has not jumped on the Tony LaRussa bandwagon for pitching micro-management, as his relievers usually get an inning or two in their outings, and he's not afraid to bring his closer into the game in the eighth inning. He'll yank a starter in trouble quickly enough, although a particularly entertaining anecdote, which shows a flash of the famous Fregosi temper, comes from his days managing the White Sox in 1987:
The often exciting Joe Cowley got hammered in the top of the first inning, and when the inning ended, he walked straight into the clubhouse, intending to hit the showers, guessing his day was done. Fregosi, only a few months on the job, was livid. When the second inning rolled around, he had Cowley dragged out onto the mound to take some more pasting, after apparently colorfully explaining to Joe who ran the ballclub.
HOWARD BATTLE 1972 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MYR 533 128 13 1 14 28 7 4 .240 .278 .347 .220 117 46 1992 DUN 528 115 11 1 15 41 5 4 .218 .274 .328 .209 110 42 1993 KNX 515 120 12 3 5 36 9 5 .233 .283 .297 .205 105 38 1994 SYR 516 134 18 5 10 33 22 2 .260 .304 .372 .246 127 58 1995 SYR 446 105 12 2 7 35 10 8 .235 .291 .318 .214 96 37The Phillies want to believe he's a prospect,but he won't be beating out either Todd Zeile this year or Scott Rolen down the road, so how much of a prospect can he really be? Rick Schu not only was a better prospect, he probably still is. Scouts have said that he took on a "been there, done that" attitude to his second straight year in Syracuse, which is crypto-truth for either "has an attitude problem," or "was solved by International League pitching and didn't adjust."
MIKE BENJAMIN 1966 SS/3B/2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PHX 224 40 7 1 5 15 3 2 .179 .230 .286 .172 38 11 1991 SFG 107 15 4 0 2 7 3 0 .140 .193 .234 .131 14 3 1992 PHX 107 30 7 1 1 1 3 1 .280 .287 .393 .241 26 11 1992 SFG 76 15 3 1 1 4 1 0 .197 .237 .303 .186 14 5 1993 SFG 147 31 6 0 4 9 0 0 .211 .256 .333 .203 30 11 1994 SFG 62 16 4 1 1 5 6 0 .258 .313 .403 .270 17 9 1995 SFG 187 44 4 0 3 8 12 1 .235 .267 .305 .215 40 15 1996 PRJ 116 22 5 1 0 7 8 1 .190 .236 .250 .180 21 7Pulls almost everything, and smacks left-handers around enough to look useful as a utility infielder. Why the Phillies thought he was worth a pitching prospect and a catcher with some sock is inexplicable.
GARY BENNETT 1972 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BAT 152 22 2 0 0 9 1 0 .145 .193 .158 **** -9 -1 1993 SPA 128 24 2 1 0 8 0 1 .188 .235 .219 .135 17 4 1993 CLR 55 15 0 0 1 2 0 0 .273 .298 .327 .222 12 5 1994 CLR 56 12 2 0 0 7 0 0 .214 .302 .250 .193 11 4 1994 REA 208 41 5 0 2 10 0 1 .197 .234 .250 .154 32 8 1995 REA 271 56 5 0 4 16 0 0 .207 .251 .269 .174 47 14Your basic card-carrying career minor league backup catcher in the larval stage. He's young and has a good defensive reputation, so don't be surprised if he's around forever, like Orlando Mercado.
STEVE BIESER 1968 OF/C/3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SPA 175 34 1 0 1 21 7 2 .194 .281 .217 .177 31 9 1992 CLR 214 54 5 3 1 33 5 4 .252 .352 .318 .241 52 23 1992 REA 140 35 4 2 1 4 6 2 .250 .271 .329 .217 30 12 1993 REA 169 46 3 2 1 12 6 3 .272 .320 .331 .236 40 17 1993 SWB 83 20 2 0 0 2 3 0 .241 .259 .265 .191 16 5 1994 SWB 228 55 7 1 0 14 11 6 .241 .285 .281 .204 46 17 1995 SWB 245 61 9 4 1 19 12 4 .249 .303 .331 .231 57 24Switch-hitting jack of all trades, although he's still a mistake-prone backstop and an awful third baseman. He's a very useful player for AAA, where rosters are smaller, but not even another expansion would get him to the majors to stay. He's supposed to be very popular in Scranton.
KENT BLASINGAME 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 CLR 399 91 7 4 7 23 14 10 .228 .270 .318 .207 83 31 1995 REA 196 34 1 2 1 23 7 5 .173 .260 .214 .158 31 8He's old, moving very slowly through the system, and a worse fielder than he is a hitter. His father is minor league field coordinator for the Phillies, but this wasn't nepotism: he was signed out of the Northern League over his father's protests, and it looks like Dad was right.
ESSEX BURTON 1969 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 UTI 59 11 1 0 0 5 2 1 .186 .250 .203 .149 9 2 1992 SBN 473 96 3 2 1 45 29 12 .203 .272 .224 .179 85 27 1993 SBN 513 108 5 4 1 61 35 13 .211 .294 .242 .199 102 37 1994 PRW 514 129 14 5 1 51 45 14 .251 .319 .304 .235 121 53 1995 BIR 565 134 10 2 1 68 45 15 .237 .319 .267 .222 125 52Taken in the AAA portion of the Rule V Draft, Burton is one of those basepath waterbugs who buzzes around on the field with blazing speed. He led the Southern League in errors at second, but doesn't look to be a bad defensive player, since he turned quite a few double plays and has good range. He may get a shot at a bench role with the Phillies, or he may settle for being Scranton's leadoff man this year.
ROB BUTLER 1970 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STC 313 82 6 2 5 8 15 8 .262 .280 .342 .223 70 28 1992 DUN 394 118 10 3 5 19 12 7 .299 .332 .378 .254 100 46 1993 SYR 209 55 7 1 1 13 7 4 .263 .306 .321 .225 47 19 1993 TOR 47 13 3 0 0 7 3 2 .277 .370 .340 .256 12 6 1994 SYR 95 23 5 1 0 7 2 0 .242 .294 .316 .220 21 8 1994 TOR 74 14 0 0 0 6 0 1 .189 .250 .189 .124 9 2 1995 SWB 326 89 10 2 3 22 6 5 .273 .319 .344 .235 77 33Another example of that most infamous breed of flops, the Blue Jays outfield "prospect." You'd have thought the Phillies learned their lesson with Sil Campusano, but apparently they're desperate to avenge losing George Bell to Toronto via the Rule V draft years ago. He could wind up as a fifth outfielder/pinch-hitter type, like Gary Varsho, but he's got to impress the right people to get that 25th roster spot. He can handle all three outfield positions.
DARREN DAULTON 1962 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PHI 290 62 11 1 13 41 5 0 .214 .311 .393 .248 72 35 1992 PHI 497 148 31 4 34 92 11 2 .298 .407 .581 .332 165 111 1993 PHI 513 134 32 4 22 115 5 0 .261 .396 .468 .301 154 94 1994 PHI 257 80 15 1 14 33 5 1 .311 .390 .541 .318 82 51 1995 PHI 338 82 17 3 7 53 3 0 .243 .345 .373 .256 86 42 1996 PRJ 402 107 18 0 16 72 2 0 .266 .378 .430 .285 115 64My feeling is that for the rest of his career, he might settle into being Darrell Porter, or he might be sporadically great and frequently injured. Daulton's big breakthrough in '90 came when he was moved to the #2 slot in the lineup, and finally given some offensive responsibility, but he's a different hitter than the closed pull hitter he was then: he has opened his stance and learned to spread the ball around. Very popular with his pitchers for his game-calling, although he's never had great success stopping the running game. There's been some speculation that his dropoff was caused by his union responsibilities interfered with his rigorous off-season regimen. Slated to play left field, but has looked positively Reimeresque in the spring.
DAVID DOSTER 1971 2B/3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 SPA 227 50 5 0 3 16 0 0 .220 .272 .282 .191 43 14 1993 CLR 28 9 2 1 0 1 0 0 .321 .345 .464 .283 8 4 1994 CLR 487 129 27 1 14 44 10 5 .265 .326 .411 .259 126 62 1995 REA 550 132 24 2 16 38 9 5 .240 .289 .378 .234 129 56A second baseman during the season, and an Eastern League All-Star in one of two teams named. He's been playing third in the Arizona Fall League this winter. As a second baseman, he's got some pop and could turn into a Tim Teufel kind of player; as a third baseman, he's Tom Quinlan, and should probably cancel those plans to drop a down payment on a new car. Either way, he has to pass Kevin Jordan at second or Scott Rolen at third, so he'll really have to earn his shot. Along with Tommy Eason, he was a big star in the postseason for Reading's EL championship.
LEN DYKSTRA 1963 CF/LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PHI 252 81 15 5 3 37 22 3 .321 .408 .456 .314 79 48 1992 PHI 353 116 13 1 9 43 32 5 .329 .402 .448 .310 109 65 1993 PHI 640 197 40 4 18 127 39 12 .308 .422 .467 .315 202 127 1994 PHI 316 89 22 4 5 68 17 4 .282 .409 .424 .300 95 57 1995 PHI 251 65 10 1 2 32 10 5 .259 .343 .331 .244 61 28 1996 PRJ 366 104 19 2 6 78 18 2 .284 .410 .396 .297 109 63Even before this year's usual injuries he had begun to slip in center, especially his arm. Fregosi noticed. That set in motion the chain of events that led to the Hollins trade, moving Jefferies back to first, and the dive out of contention. The injuries made the slump deeper, but essentially replacing Dave Hollins with Andy Van Slyke made things worse on both offense and defense. Dykstra's bad performance when he was available can't really be blamed on injuries, but he does usually finish with a hot second half, which he wasn't around to do in '95. Some scouts are speculating that Nails has gotten too caught up in hitting for power after '93, and tries to uppercut everything at the plate.
JIM EISENREICH 1959 RF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 KCR 377 120 20 3 2 19 7 3 .318 .351 .403 .270 102 49 1992 KCR 354 100 12 4 2 23 12 6 .282 .326 .356 .245 87 39 1993 PHI 362 116 13 3 7 26 5 0 .320 .366 .431 .285 103 53 1994 PHI 290 90 12 3 4 33 7 2 .310 .381 .414 .285 83 44 1995 PHI 372 116 18 2 8 36 10 0 .312 .373 .435 .290 108 58 1996 PRJ 519 150 28 4 6 38 9 2 .289 .338 .393 .262 136 65There was talk this winter about the German's retirement, which disappeared after he re-signed for '96. He's a perfect Fregosi player: useful platooner, good baserunner, disciplined hitter (.304 with two strikes), and a great defender. His hitting stroke is a lot of fun to watch: short, vicious, downward hacking, as he uncoils into his swing from an upright stance. He's about as good as an outfielder can get without being a star.
DAVID FISHER 1970 2B/SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BAT 83 22 1 1 1 3 1 1 .265 .291 .337 .221 18 7 1993 CLR 434 88 13 1 7 41 8 8 .203 .272 .286 .192 83 28 1994 REA 413 88 14 1 5 45 4 3 .213 .290 .288 .202 84 30 1995 REA 204 41 11 1 1 10 3 3 .201 .238 .279 .173 35 10His power and walks, such as they were, disappeared as he played his way into being a minor-league utility infielder. AA version of Kevin Elster.
SHAWN GILBERT 1965 SS/OF/2B/3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ORL 541 127 10 3 4 39 31 12 .235 .286 .287 .210 113 43 1992 POR 442 102 14 1 4 27 24 6 .231 .275 .294 .209 92 35 1993 NAS 276 59 10 2 0 11 7 2 .214 .244 .264 .176 49 14 1994 SWB 548 127 20 2 6 56 18 11 .232 .303 .308 .218 119 48 1995 SWB 537 128 17 1 2 58 15 8 .238 .313 .285 .215 116 45Along with Bieser, another multipositional supersub at Scranton. He's best at short or second, and worst in the outfield. He could catch on as a 25th man somewhere, since he can take a walk, bunt, pinch-run, and move around. Still, with eleven pitchers on most teams, there isn't much call for new crummy Bill Almon knockoffs.
ROB GRABLE 1970 OF/3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 NIA 258 61 8 1 4 28 1 2 .236 .311 .322 .222 57 23 1992 FAY 80 18 3 1 0 9 2 1 .225 .303 .287 .211 17 6 1992 SPA 290 60 8 1 3 34 3 3 .207 .290 .272 .195 57 20 1993 CLR 353 97 18 2 6 39 11 5 .275 .347 .388 .262 93 46 1993 REA 120 24 2 1 1 15 1 1 .200 .289 .258 .189 23 8 1994 REA 160 36 3 1 2 10 5 2 .225 .271 .294 .201 32 11 1995 REA 352 94 11 1 13 55 13 8 .267 .366 .415 .274 96 52 1995 SWB 83 18 3 0 2 6 3 0 .217 .270 .325 .216 18 7Injured in '94, he recovered nicely this year. Despite only playing 34 games at the hot corner, he wound up as the Eastern League's All-Star; moved back to the outfield late in the season, mostly to accommodate Scott Rolen.
DAVE HAYDEN 1970 3B/SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAT 162 26 1 0 0 6 1 0 .160 .190 .167 **** -7 0 1992 SPA 404 73 8 2 0 23 3 1 .181 .225 .210 .128 52 10 1993 CLR 292 76 9 1 1 30 5 4 .260 .329 .308 .228 67 27 1994 REA 234 50 4 1 3 21 2 1 .214 .278 .278 .193 45 15 1995 REA 193 39 2 0 3 20 0 2 .202 .277 .259 .180 35 11 1995 SWB 41 11 2 0 1 6 0 1 .268 .362 .390 .259 11 5Really can't play anywhere but third, so his future as a utility infielder is limited.
RICK HOLIFIELD 1970 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MYR 334 57 10 2 1 20 6 6 .171 .218 .222 .130 43 9 1992 MYR 288 50 6 1 6 15 3 2 .174 .215 .264 .153 44 11 1993 DUN 401 91 7 3 17 42 19 7 .227 .300 .387 .244 98 46 1994 KNX 241 57 7 5 4 21 16 4 .237 .298 .357 .240 58 26 1994 REA 155 39 5 1 5 14 16 5 .252 .314 .394 .258 40 20 1994 SWB 55 6 1 0 0 3 0 1 .109 .155 .127 **** -7 -2 1995 REA 93 20 0 1 1 19 4 2 .215 .348 .269 .227 21 9 1995 SWB 224 43 5 2 2 21 18 4 .192 .261 .259 .195 44 16How bad is the Phillies' farm system? Holifield was ranked as its fifth-best prospect prior to '95. Another ex-Blue Jay "prospect," snarfed via Rule V for whatever puny vengeance the Phillies hope to achieve for George Bell. He put up big numbers in Dunedin's community college bandbox ballpark, and has been a flop since. He's a "tools guy," looks good in a uniform, and must be charming in the clubhouse, so he gets kept around.
PETE INCAVIGLIA 1964 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DET 337 75 12 1 11 35 2 3 .223 .296 .362 .228 77 33 1992 HOU 357 106 21 1 15 28 2 2 .297 .348 .487 .287 102 56 1993 PHI 367 102 13 3 22 22 1 1 .278 .319 .510 .281 103 56 1994 PHI 244 59 10 1 12 16 1 0 .242 .288 .439 .251 61 29Inky has returned from a disastrous season in Japan, hopefully with his braggadocio intact. If he remembers to keep his head down on his swing, he'll do well, but that's been the constant battle in Inky's career, as he keeps pulling out of his stance trying to yank everything into left. I'm assuming the Japanese didn't teach him how to play defense, so be prepared for more adventures afield.
GREGG JEFFERIES 1968 1B/LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 NYM 493 142 18 2 10 47 24 4 .288 .350 .394 .271 134 68 1992 KCR 606 180 35 4 11 41 21 8 .297 .342 .422 .271 164 83 1993 STL 551 195 21 3 15 63 50 10 .354 .420 .485 .325 179 110 1994 STL 394 129 20 1 11 45 14 5 .327 .396 .467 .304 120 69 1995 PHI 474 143 25 2 9 34 9 5 .302 .348 .420 .271 129 64 1996 PRJ 609 191 35 2 19 68 17 6 .314 .383 .471 .300 183 104The Phillies gave up on the left field experiment quickly, but that was more out of disappointment with Hollins at first, and with the expectation that Jefferies would bust out of a hitting slump when he was back at first. Jefferies did hit .344/.380/.498 when he played first, but for first base, that's still not that great. He's a defensive hole wherever he plays (he's particularly gun-shy about throwing the ball), and at first he's not a good player if he isn't having season like his '93. The left field experiment should have been given more time.
KEVIN JORDAN 1970 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 FTL 463 120 20 2 7 26 8 2 .259 .299 .356 .234 108 46 1992 PRW 448 125 16 4 6 19 4 3 .279 .308 .373 .241 108 46 1993 ABY 515 135 21 2 13 32 6 3 .262 .305 .386 .244 125 56 1994 SWB 313 85 14 1 9 25 0 2 .272 .325 .409 .256 80 38 1995 SWB 409 118 23 2 4 25 2 0 .289 .329 .384 .254 104 47 1995 PHI 54 10 0 0 2 2 0 0 .185 .214 .296 .167 9 3A fairly rare commodity, a second baseman with some pop, he could be the ideal platoon-mate for Mickey Morandini. Jordan's a high batting average, line-drive hitter. He's criticized for his glovework, particularly on the deuce, but he's shown very good range and turned a fair number of doubleplays this year in AAA. He's gotten a few looks at third, so he may have a future as a utility infielder.
BRIAN KOELLING 1969 2B/SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CDR 151 34 4 0 1 8 11 4 .225 .264 .272 .198 30 11 1992 CDR 474 106 9 3 5 31 23 9 .224 .271 .287 .202 96 34 1993 CHT 428 102 11 4 3 25 24 8 .238 .280 .304 .214 92 35 1994 CHT 346 86 8 3 3 22 19 10 .249 .293 .315 .220 76 31 1994 IND 53 7 0 0 0 2 3 1 .132 .164 .132 **** -4 0 1995 CHT 436 120 17 5 2 33 23 8 .275 .326 .351 .247 108 49 1995 SWB 53 13 1 0 0 1 3 1 .245 .259 .264 .192 10 3He's error-prone, and plays the little man's offensive game with the bunt and steal. He was once considered a prospect in the Reds organization, but you can see what he did with that status.
MIKE LIEBERTHAL 1972 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SPA 249 60 6 1 1 13 0 1 .241 .279 .285 .195 49 16 1991 CLR 53 14 2 0 0 2 0 0 .264 .291 .302 .210 11 4 1992 REA 311 80 13 1 2 16 3 1 .257 .294 .325 .220 68 26 1992 SWB 45 8 0 0 0 2 0 0 .178 .213 .178 .081 4 0 1993 SWB 383 94 7 1 6 21 2 0 .245 .285 .316 .212 81 30 1994 SWB 296 63 6 0 2 17 1 1 .213 .256 .253 .170 50 14 1994 PHI 79 22 2 1 1 3 0 0 .278 .305 .367 .238 19 8 1995 SWB 279 72 14 1 5 40 2 3 .258 .351 .369 .254 71 34 1995 PHI 46 11 2 0 0 5 0 0 .239 .314 .283 .212 10 4There are doubts about his glovework and his ability to stop the running game, but he's not worthless with the bat, he's young, and there are worse choices as a backup catcher. Injuries made his '94 worse than it should have been; he should stick as Santiago's caddy this year.
TONY LONGMIRE 1969 LF/PH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 REA 323 82 13 1 8 21 6 4 .254 .299 .375 .237 77 33 1991 SWB 110 26 3 1 0 6 4 3 .236 .276 .282 .196 22 7 1993 SWB 448 129 24 2 5 38 12 3 .288 .344 .384 .262 117 57 1994 PHI 139 34 10 0 0 10 2 1 .245 .295 .317 .217 30 12 1995 PHI 102 36 4 0 3 11 1 1 .353 .416 .480 .313 32 18One of the waiver-wire triumphs scored over the Pirates (along with Wes Chamberlain). He's suffered several leg injuries, which have reduced him to being a bad defensive outfielder, and best suited for pinch-hitting. May be out for the year.
WENDELL MAGEE 1973 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 BAT 231 49 7 1 2 10 5 1 .212 .245 .277 .182 42 13 1995 CLR 391 120 16 3 6 25 6 6 .307 .349 .409 .266 104 51 1995 REA 136 35 6 1 2 16 3 3 .257 .336 .360 .245 33 15 1996 PRJ 599 162 29 5 17 58 3 2 .270 .335 .421 .265 159 79Considered a solid prospect as a hitter, he's got a weak throwing arm and will probably wind up in left. The media likes him, since he's a "story" (cut thrice by his high school baseball team, a college running back), he's probably got a future as Tony Longmire's replacement on the bench. He had a solid, if unspectacular, AFL experience.
TONY MANAHAN 1969 3B/2B/SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 JAX 421 101 17 1 7 42 8 3 .240 .309 .335 .230 97 41 1992 JAX 511 122 17 3 8 34 19 7 .239 .286 .331 .222 113 46 1993 CLG 433 106 19 2 2 30 13 3 .245 .294 .312 .219 95 37 1994 CLG 282 65 12 1 2 20 6 2 .230 .281 .301 .207 58 21 1995 SWB 299 79 8 1 2 25 5 1 .264 .321 .318 .231 69 28Another utility man, and like most of the rest, best suited for second.
TOM MARSH 1966 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 REA 236 56 6 2 7 5 5 3 .237 .253 .369 .217 51 20 1992 SWB 158 35 4 1 7 8 5 3 .222 .259 .392 .226 36 15 1992 PHI 126 27 2 2 3 3 0 1 .214 .233 .333 .191 24 8 1993 SWB 125 23 2 1 2 2 0 1 .184 .197 .264 .138 17 4 1994 SWB 446 111 21 3 7 9 5 5 .249 .264 .357 .216 96 37 1995 SWB 294 85 15 2 9 12 9 2 .289 .317 .446 .269 79 40 1995 PHI 108 31 4 1 2 4 0 1 .287 .312 .398 .248 27 12He's a hacker and a hustler, and Fregosi always has a weakness for this kind of player. Marsh is easily injured, constantly diving into things or sliding badly, but he could be a good platoon-mate for Eisenreich, hitting .424 vs. LHPs in Scranton in '95.
CHAD MCCONNELL 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 CLR 304 64 9 1 7 41 6 3 .211 .304 .316 .220 67 28 1994 CLR 103 31 3 1 4 13 1 1 .301 .379 .466 .293 30 17 1994 REA 267 53 6 1 4 19 5 3 .199 .252 .273 .179 48 15 1995 REA 318 79 7 1 8 20 6 2 .248 .293 .352 .229 73 30Top draft pick from 1992, he hasn't been much to get excited about, since he's always injured.
FRED MCNAIR 1970 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BLN 257 63 3 1 4 11 5 4 .245 .276 .311 .206 53 19 1993 RIV 398 89 9 1 9 23 4 4 .224 .266 .319 .203 81 29 1994 APP 220 57 7 1 6 7 4 0 .259 .282 .382 .237 52 22 1994 JAX 200 39 5 0 4 11 2 1 .195 .237 .280 .174 35 10 1995 REA 394 98 11 1 18 29 3 2 .249 .300 .419 .249 98 46Although he led the Eastern League in homers, he doesn't come off looking very good because Reading was the best home run park in the league.
CHARLIE MONTOYO 1966 INF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DEN 391 83 6 1 10 57 13 3 .212 .312 .309 .225 88 38 1992 DEN 251 70 4 2 2 41 3 3 .279 .380 .335 .259 65 31 1993 OTT 322 81 10 1 1 64 2 6 .252 .376 .298 .242 78 36 1994 SWB 388 101 15 1 7 64 3 2 .260 .365 .358 .259 101 49 1995 SWB 290 64 10 1 2 45 2 2 .221 .325 .283 .216 63 25Has played all four infield positions, and was decent at short in '94, can walk and bunt; when he was in the Brewers organization, he had some tremendous walk totals, but now he's pushing thirty, and has no big future. Why teams don't look at utility infielders who have something to contribute, like Charlie, instead of giving jobs to players with no offensive skills at all, is a mystery.
MICKEY MORANDINI 1966 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SWB 46 11 3 0 1 3 2 0 .239 .286 .370 .239 11 5 1991 PHI 330 89 11 4 1 30 12 2 .270 .331 .336 .245 81 36 1992 PHI 428 124 8 8 5 28 8 3 .290 .333 .381 .256 109 51 1993 PHI 425 106 18 7 3 34 14 2 .249 .305 .346 .236 100 43 1994 PHI 274 83 13 4 2 34 12 5 .303 .380 .401 .280 77 41 1995 PHI 488 136 27 6 5 41 9 6 .279 .335 .389 .256 125 59 1996 PRJ 526 141 23 7 5 48 13 7 .268 .329 .367 .249 131 61His "drop" in '95 was mostly due to playing against LHPs, who he can't hit (.211/.274/.286 over the last five years). Mickey was handed the leadoff job after Dykstra crashed, and did what he could. With some pop and some speed, he's a fun hitter to watch, but he's got an inflated defensive reputation: good hands, but little range and consistently poor turning the deuce. Platooning with Jordan will inflate his numbers while cutting into his playing time, probably a necessary evil.
RICKY OTERO 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 CMB 362 94 12 1 7 25 19 7 .260 .307 .356 .240 87 39 1992 SLU 155 44 6 2 1 8 7 3 .284 .319 .368 .248 38 17 1993 BIN 503 117 15 6 2 29 19 9 .233 .274 .298 .205 103 37 1994 BIN 534 139 20 5 5 39 26 10 .260 .311 .345 .238 127 56 1995 NOR 298 75 6 4 1 25 16 9 .252 .310 .309 .224 67 27 1995 NYM 51 8 1 0 0 3 2 1 .157 .204 .176 .097 5 1He's young, he's tiny (between 5'5" and 5'7"), and he's a basepath commando. Because he switch-hits without flopping against RHPs or LHPs, runs until he's tagged, and has a strong throwing arm, he's got a good chance of winning the fifth outfielder slot.
SCOTT ROLEN 1975 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 SPA 524 132 18 2 9 41 4 4 .252 .306 .345 .230 120 50 1995 CLR 243 64 8 1 8 29 3 0 .263 .342 .403 .265 64 32 1995 REA 76 20 2 0 2 5 1 0 .263 .309 .368 .242 18 8 1996 PRJ 477 133 29 1 14 46 2 1 .279 .342 .432 .271 129 66The touted top prospect in the organization, on defense he's strong-armed and particularly good going to his left. Offensively, he's got pop in a quick-wristed swing, and some patience. Although he missed the first months of the season with a broken bone in his hand, his late-season addition to Reading helped fuel a late-season charge to the EL championship.
GENE SCHALL 1970 1B/OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAT 44 11 1 0 1 2 0 0 .250 .283 .341 .219 10 4 1992 SPA 284 65 5 1 6 19 2 1 .229 .277 .317 .208 59 22 1992 CLR 137 31 1 1 4 12 1 1 .226 .289 .336 .218 30 12 1993 REA 283 84 7 1 12 18 1 1 .297 .339 .456 .276 78 40 1993 SWB 140 32 3 1 3 17 4 2 .229 .312 .329 .229 32 14 1994 SWB 462 124 24 2 12 43 8 1 .268 .331 .407 .262 121 59 1995 SWB 321 95 17 2 10 44 3 2 .296 .381 .455 .292 94 52 1995 PHI 64 14 2 0 0 6 0 0 .219 .286 .250 .185 12 4 1996 PRJ 545 156 29 3 15 53 4 3 .286 .349 .433 .274 150 77Anticipating a limited future at first, the Phillies returned him to his college position in the outfield at AAA to see if he could handle the job, and he wasn't completely awful. If he can do it again, he can probably fit in on a major league bench; he's patient, and hits both RHPs and LHPs well. Local guy from Villanova.
KEVIN SEFCIK 1971 SS/3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 BAT 286 64 9 1 2 18 9 4 .224 .270 .283 .196 56 19 1994 CLR 522 136 22 5 4 39 21 8 .261 .312 .345 .237 124 54 1995 REA 507 120 11 2 4 27 11 7 .237 .275 .290 .199 101 35Line-drive hitter, poor bunter and sure-handed shortstop. If Stocker continues to fade, he'll get a shot at the major league job.
STEVE SOLOMON 1970 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 SPA 312 72 9 2 1 26 7 2 .231 .290 .282 .205 64 23 1994 CLR 503 140 18 2 11 41 16 7 .278 .333 .388 .257 129 62 1995 REA 357 72 14 4 2 38 13 3 .202 .278 .280 .201 72 26The one tool in his belt is a strong arm. That and a buck will buy a copy of Baseball Weekly, which is as close as either of us is going to get to the majors.
KEVIN STOCKER 1970 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 CLR 252 63 12 3 1 23 9 5 .250 .313 .333 .231 58 25 1992 REA 243 55 8 2 1 18 12 3 .226 .280 .288 .208 51 19 1993 SWB 314 68 8 1 2 27 16 5 .217 .279 .268 .199 63 22 1993 PHI 259 84 12 3 1 30 5 0 .324 .394 .405 .291 75 40 1994 PHI 271 77 10 2 1 44 2 2 .284 .384 .347 .264 72 35 1995 PHI 408 87 10 2 1 42 6 1 .213 .287 .255 .191 78 26 1996 PRJ 404 108 13 1 1 44 5 2 .267 .339 .312 .237 96 41He's gone from being extremely error-prone to average defensively. On offense, he'd made a living in previous seasons of being just dangerous enough and just patient enough to be a genuine pest in the #8 slot; this year, pitchers seemed to stop being careful and just went after him, busting him inside. As a result he had a season more in keeping with his minor league "success." If he doesn't adjust, he won't snap back.
DAVE TOKHEIM 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BAT 159 40 5 1 2 3 3 1 .252 .265 .333 .213 34 12 1992 CLR 405 83 7 3 5 26 7 6 .205 .253 .274 .179 72 22 1993 CLR 155 43 6 1 1 11 4 2 .277 .325 .348 .242 38 16 1993 REA 255 65 8 3 2 9 5 4 .255 .280 .333 .216 55 21 1994 REA 434 112 9 3 9 20 10 6 .258 .291 .355 .229 99 41 1995 SWB 448 112 12 5 9 17 6 5 .250 .277 .359 .223 100 40Strong-armed corner outfielder, but just a career minor leaguer who can't take a walk, doesn't run well, and doesn't have enough power to get away with those weaknesses to get a look for the 25th roster spot.
ANDY VAN SLYKE 1961 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PIT 505 148 25 6 20 72 10 3 .293 .381 .485 .300 152 89 1992 PIT 629 222 48 10 20 63 13 3 .353 .412 .556 .332 209 130 1993 PIT 323 101 10 3 8 24 12 2 .313 .360 .437 .285 92 49 1994 PIT 373 94 14 3 5 51 8 0 .252 .342 .346 .250 93 44 1995 BAL 63 10 1 0 3 4 0 0 .159 .209 .317 .172 11 3 1995 PHI 212 50 9 2 2 27 7 0 .236 .322 .325 .238 50 22Probably deserves to be considered the major scapegoat for the Phillies' second-half collapse. Has nothing left to contribute on offense, has been overrated defensively for years, and despite his popularity with the press, has earned a reputation as a clubhouse gabber who talks about his teammates behind their backs. His bat speed is shot, he doesn't hit well enough to move to one of the corners, can't stay healthy, and should be considered washed up.
GARY VARSHO 1961 PH/OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PIT 192 58 13 2 4 19 9 2 .302 .365 .453 .291 56 31 1992 PIT 164 40 7 3 5 11 5 2 .244 .291 .415 .247 41 19 1993 IND 119 32 5 1 2 14 2 2 .269 .346 .378 .255 30 15 1993 CIN 95 22 5 0 2 9 1 0 .232 .298 .347 .229 22 9 1994 BUF 57 19 0 1 2 1 1 0 .333 .345 .474 .289 16 9 1994 PIT 82 21 7 2 0 4 0 1 .256 .291 .390 .234 19 8 1995 PHI 102 25 0 1 0 7 2 0 .245 .294 .265 .202 21 7Since Harry Caray's amazing prediction of Varsho's potential to win a triple crown back in 1989, it's all been downhill. Still, he's had a nice career as a spare part; as a pinch-hitter, his weakness hitting breaking pitches isn't overexposed.
JIM VATCHER 1966 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 LVG 383 84 15 2 13 40 4 8 .219 .293 .371 .227 87 38 1992 LVG 272 65 7 1 8 31 6 3 .239 .317 .360 .240 65 30 1993 LVG 278 70 7 1 5 27 2 2 .252 .318 .338 .232 65 27 1994 NOR 322 76 14 1 8 31 2 3 .236 .303 .360 .231 74 32 1995 LVG 342 85 17 2 6 28 3 3 .249 .305 .363 .234 80 35
LENNY WEBSTER 1965 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 POR 321 72 7 0 7 18 1 3 .224 .265 .312 .198 63 22 1991 MIN 34 10 2 0 3 6 0 0 .294 .400 .618 .334 11 8 1992 MIN 119 35 11 1 1 8 0 2 .294 .339 .429 .264 31 15 1993 MIN 105 21 1 0 1 11 1 0 .200 .276 .238 .177 19 6 1994 MON 142 39 7 0 5 16 0 0 .275 .348 .430 .272 39 20 1995 PHI 148 39 5 0 4 16 0 0 .264 .335 .378 .253 37 17A useful backup catcher for his ability to hit LHPs. Webster is almost completely helpless against opposing basestealers (48 for 55 last year) because of poor footwork, and shouldn't see a full-time role.
MARK WHITEN 1967 RF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CLE 260 71 13 4 8 19 5 2 .273 .323 .446 .268 70 35 1991 TOR 149 34 4 3 2 10 0 1 .228 .277 .336 .211 31 12 1992 CLE 506 131 18 5 9 70 18 11 .259 .349 .368 .255 129 63 1993 STL 567 149 13 4 23 59 16 8 .263 .332 .422 .264 150 76 1994 STL 332 98 16 2 12 37 12 5 .295 .366 .464 .289 96 54 1995 PAW 102 26 1 1 3 17 4 1 .255 .361 .373 .266 27 14 1995 BOS 108 21 1 0 1 7 1 0 .194 .243 .231 .155 17 4 1995 PHI 209 55 10 1 9 30 7 0 .263 .356 .450 .285 60 33 1996 PRJ 363 98 15 2 16 33 11 3 .270 .331 .455 .275 100 53A disappointment since he was touted coming up through the Blue Jays' chain. Whiten has some power, but not a lot, draws some walks, but not enough, and has a strong throwing arm. He'd be an excellent spare part or fourth outfielder, but people think back on that four-home run day and think he could still turn into something more than he is. Still chasing the low and outside pitch.
TODD ZEILE 1966 3B/1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STL 581 179 39 3 12 63 17 9 .308 .376 .448 .289 168 92 1992 STL 448 126 20 4 9 71 8 9 .281 .380 .404 .275 123 66 1993 STL 577 166 27 1 18 71 6 4 .288 .366 .432 .280 161 86 1994 STL 412 112 18 1 18 52 1 3 .272 .353 .451 .277 114 61 1995 CHC 298 69 12 1 8 16 0 0 .232 .271 .359 .219 65 26 1995 STL 127 38 6 0 4 17 1 0 .299 .382 .441 .291 37 20 1996 PRJ 564 152 21 1 24 70 0 0 .270 .350 .438 .275 155 82Signed a one-year contract with the Phillies, probably for two reasons (from Lee Thomas' perspective): one, so that the organization buys another year for Scott Rolen and two, so that Greg Jefferies has someone to talk to (he did not blend in with the other Phillies). Zeile's precipitous decline in Chicago last summer was caused by a wrist injury he tried to play through. It was particularly debilitating against lefties, because Zeile really couldn't bring the top hand over on his swing and pull the ball. His obvious lust for sending balls towards Waveland Avenue also got him into bad habits at the plate. His defense will be error-prone, with poor range, but to his credit, Zeile is at least a heady defender, usually starting a decent number of doubleplays.
JON ZUBER 1970 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 BAT 92 26 3 1 1 6 0 1 .283 .327 .370 .244 22 10 1992 SPA 214 53 7 1 2 23 1 1 .248 .321 .318 .227 49 20 1993 CLR 495 133 24 2 7 38 4 3 .269 .321 .368 .244 121 54 1994 REA 497 125 17 3 6 57 2 2 .252 .329 .334 .236 117 50 1995 SWB 419 111 13 3 3 44 1 1 .265 .335 .332 .238 100 43Mediocre first baseman, the organization's major strength in the minors; Zuber is best described as a pale imitation of the immortal Mike Twardoski. He has a very good defensive reputation.
Organizational Pitching Report
OPR Points: 28 Rank in MLB: 12th Rank in NL East: 3rd
Name Lvl Age IP Work H/G K/BB K/G ERA Adj Ttl Grade Wimberley, L. 0 5 6 0 7 6 8 4 -1 35 A- Hunter, Rich 1 4 9 -1 5 9 3 4 -1 33 B Grace, Mike 6 -1 8 0 3 7 4 3 0 30 C+ Beech, Matt 4 1 8 0 3 5 6 2 -1 28 C Gomes, Wayne 6 3 4 0 5 1 7 2 0 28 C Karp, Ryan 7 0 6 0 3 4 5 2 0 27 C- Manning, Len 0 -1 8 0 5 5 7 4 -1 27 C- Nye, Ryan 3 1 8 0 2 8 2 3 -2 25 D Loewer, Carlton 4 3 8 0 2 2 2 4 -1 24 D Censale, Silvio 0 -1 5 0 6 4 8 3 -1 24 D Best Prospect in 1994: Matt Beech (C) Best Rookie Starters in 1995: Mark Mimbs & Tyler Green (NR)
The situation is much better than you might think, given how poor the reputation of the Phillies' farm system has been since the Mike Schmidt years. The organization is generally well-regarded for its instruction of pitchers, as everyone on the mound gets a lengthy introduction to the uses of the changeup. Unfortunately, the draft record isn't always the greatest (remember Pat Combs?), and most of the major league-level talent has been acquired in crafty swaps by Lee Thomas.
Karp, Grace, and Gomes are the prospects at the higher levels. Grace was a low round pick, and Karp an add-on to the Mulholland trade; both have excellent shots at making the rotation this year, especially competing against the porcelain arms at the major league level. Sadly, both have histories of arm tenderness. Gomes, though a top draft pick, has been ridiculously wild and has failed in every role created for him.
Moving up quickly are Beech, Hunter (the organization's minor league player of the year) and Loewer. All three scaled the ladder to AA in '95, and all three will be at AA or AAA this season. Whichever one is going good will probably get a call during the season when injuries begin to strike the major league rotation. Hunter is the youngest and probably the best, and with careful use to avoid injury could wind up being an ace. Loewer and Beech are lefties, and Loewer has been given the benefit of an AFL assignment for further evaluation, where he was not especially impressive. Beech was promoted rapidly, and probably needs to get a longer look at AA hitters.
At the bottom are Wimberley, Manning, and Censale from Piedmont, and Nye a rung above at Clearwater. Nye endured a heavy workload in the FSL. Manning and Censale were both old for their league, and dominated at their level; they're actually older than Hunter, Beech, and Loewer, as well as behind them, so their futures within the organization aren't as good. Wimberley is a gem. He was rated the seventh-best prospect in the Sally League, and the league all-star LHP, all of this with careful use at age 20. He could end up rocketing past almost everyone on this list, although a '97 arrival in the majors is the expectation. His lone weakness is concern that he has poor "makeup," like losing his cool on the field after an error or something; that won't be the kind of thing that will keep him from progressing rapidly.
KYLE ABBOTT 1968 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 EDM 170.7 172 76 30 43 115 4.01 9 10 9.07 2.27 6.06 1991 CAL 19.3 25 11 1 13 14 5.12 1 1 11.64 6.05 6.52 1992 SWB 33.3 25 8 0 18 31 2.16 3 1 6.75 4.86 8.37 1992 PHI 133.3 155 79 26 49 99 5.33 5 10 10.46 3.31 6.68 1993 SWB 164.0 188 93 25 71 98 5.10 7 11 10.32 3.90 5.38 1995 PHI 27.7 30 13 2 17 21 4.23 1 2 9.76 5.53 6.83Made a brief, unsuccessful visit to Japan in '94, and returned to the Phillies. I've always thought he could pitch a little, and he was doing a respectable job spotted in the middle innings and mopping up before missing the rest of the season to injury.
WILLIE BANKS 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 POR 134.3 173 86 10 79 62 5.76 5 10 11.59 5.29 4.15 1991 MIN 17.0 24 15 1 12 19 7.94 0 2 12.71 6.35 10.06 1992 POR 70.0 68 22 3 33 42 2.83 5 3 8.74 4.24 5.40 1992 MIN 69.3 88 44 6 37 45 5.71 3 5 11.42 4.80 5.84 1993 MIN 168.0 177 68 15 72 154 3.64 10 9 9.48 3.86 8.25 1994 CHC 137.7 138 76 17 58 93 4.97 6 9 9.02 3.79 6.08 1995 CHC 11.7 27 20 5 12 9 15.43 0 1 20.83 9.26 6.94 1995 FLA 49.7 42 22 7 30 29 3.99 3 3 7.61 5.44 5.26 1995 LAD 28.7 38 20 2 17 23 6.28 1 2 11.93 5.34 7.22He could wind up being a major surprise this year. His '94 season with the Cubs went down the tubes when he tried to pitch through an injury. His time as a Cub was probably over when Andy MacPhail was named president, since MacPhail ran him out of Minnesota. Banks was brought back this season without the benefit of a real rehab assignment, and the Cubs only used him in blowouts which he usually made worse. He finally began to come around with the Dodgers, who then dumped him on Florida during the stretch, and he was effective there. The Phillies picked him up on waivers, and he's having a fairly good season in winter ball. He's in love with his curve and that gets him in trouble, but he also has a good fastball. If he picks up the patented Podres changeup this spring, he could surprise the league.
MATT BEECH 1972 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 BAT 16.7 11 7 0 16 17 3.78 1 1 5.94 8.64 9.18 1994 SPA 64.3 63 31 13 28 54 4.34 3 4 8.81 3.92 7.55 1995 CLR 78.7 101 52 13 34 66 5.95 3 6 11.56 3.89 7.55 1995 REA 74.0 78 36 11 34 59 4.38 4 4 9.49 4.14 7.18Although he didn't even make it to lists of the Phillies' Top Ten Prospects, he's progressing quickly. LHPs with this kind of strikeout rate bear watching.
RONALD BLAZIER 1972 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BAT 64.0 112 61 24 12 48 8.58 1 6 15.75 1.69 6.75 1992 SPA 143.7 187 80 25 32 98 5.01 6 10 11.71 2.00 6.14 1993 CLR 140.7 188 88 22 44 73 5.63 5 11 12.03 2.82 4.67 1994 CLR 159.0 221 94 26 39 103 5.32 6 12 12.51 2.21 5.83 1995 REA 100.7 108 48 17 31 87 4.29 5 6 9.66 2.77 7.78The Phillies love drafting big, storky pitchers, and Blazier's one of them. As you can see, he was a flop as a starter, very hittable and homer-prone; moved into middle relief last year, he cut down on the taters while being a useful spare part in Reading's strong bullpen of Blake Doolan, tiny lefthander Mike Juhl, and Eric Hill. Had a good AFL in middle relief.
TOBY BORLAND 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 REA 68.3 83 38 4 59 61 5.00 3 5 10.93 7.77 8.03 1992 REA 38.3 43 24 5 36 38 5.63 1 3 10.10 8.45 8.92 1992 SWB 25.7 29 25 5 29 23 8.77 1 2 10.17 10.17 8.06 1993 REA 50.7 44 20 3 22 62 3.55 3 3 7.82 3.91 11.01 1993 SWB 28.0 35 21 5 23 24 6.75 1 2 11.25 7.39 7.71 1994 SWB 51.3 39 13 3 22 56 2.28 5 1 6.84 3.86 9.82 1994 PHI 34.0 31 9 1 15 27 2.38 3 1 8.21 3.97 7.15 1995 SWB 10.7 6 1 0 6 14 .84 1 0 5.06 5.06 11.81 1995 PHI 73.3 86 34 3 38 59 4.17 4 4 10.55 4.66 7.24He's a big sidearmer, and unlike the most of the breed, very wild. He's essentially a fastballer, although he also sidearms the split-fingered fastball as well. Everything I saw him throw looked like it had lots of movement, so he can be frightening for opposing hitters and Jim Fregosi.
RICKY BOTTALICO 1970 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 SPA 105.0 124 59 14 67 78 5.06 5 7 10.63 5.74 6.69 1993 REA 67.0 74 27 5 28 55 3.63 4 3 9.94 3.76 7.39 1994 REA 41.0 32 15 9 11 41 3.29 3 2 7.02 2.41 9.00 1994 SWB 20.3 32 23 4 23 20 10.18 0 2 14.16 10.18 8.85 1995 PHI 87.0 53 23 7 43 86 2.38 7 3 5.48 4.45 8.90He'd been touted for two years, and in '95 he arrived, even more fearsome than advertised. Bottalico's a flamethrower, mixing in the slider in classic Gossage style. Although Podres has tried teaching him a change, you won't see much of it.
JIM DESHAIES 1960 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 HOU 160.0 164 84 24 75 106 4.72 8 10 9.23 4.22 5.96 1992 LVG 55.0 59 24 9 15 46 3.93 3 3 9.65 2.45 7.53 1992 SDP 96.0 92 36 9 35 51 3.38 6 5 8.62 3.28 4.78 1993 MIN 165.0 153 64 22 46 89 3.49 10 8 8.35 2.51 4.85 1993 SFG 17.0 27 11 2 6 5 5.82 1 1 14.29 3.18 2.65 1994 MIN 128.0 158 74 23 46 82 5.20 5 9 11.11 3.23 5.77 1995 SWB 111.3 117 54 12 30 74 4.37 5 7 9.46 2.43 5.98Signed as an insurance policy in case the entire rotation died in a plane crash. He's still what he was: a flyball pitcher who makes mistakes and fools very few batters these days.
BLAKE DOOLAN 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BAT 74.7 104 53 17 33 35 6.39 2 6 12.54 3.98 4.22 1993 SPA 52.7 66 23 6 8 22 3.93 3 3 11.28 1.37 3.76 1993 REA 100.7 154 74 19 39 51 6.62 3 8 13.77 3.49 4.56 1994 CLR 10.0 4 0 0 0 10 .00 1 0 3.60 .00 9.00 1994 REA 62.3 76 45 8 31 33 6.50 2 5 10.97 4.48 4.76 1995 REA 68.0 75 26 3 27 42 3.44 5 3 9.93 3.57 5.56Reading's closer last season, he's known for being cool-headed on the field. Not really a prospect, but he's gotten good marks from the organization for his attitude.
BRIAN DUBOIS 1967 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 FRD 52.7 64 27 4 17 39 4.61 3 3 10.94 2.91 6.66 1993 BOW 69.7 81 39 4 32 31 5.04 3 5 10.46 4.13 4.00 1993 ROC 12.0 22 13 4 4 9 9.75 0 1 16.50 3.00 6.75 1994 REA 24.0 25 9 2 2 13 3.38 2 1 9.38 .75 4.88 1994 ROC 25.3 52 21 2 5 18 7.46 1 2 18.47 1.78 6.39 1994 SWB 35.7 30 10 3 12 23 2.52 3 1 7.57 3.03 5.80 1995 SWB 47.7 65 32 5 28 45 6.04 2 3 12.27 5.29 8.50Has survived two Tommy John surgeries on his left arm, but he was a junkballer before going under the knife. DuBois has earned his shot at the majors several times over, but still doesn't get it. Baseball organizations and scouts are notorious for their preference for tall players, and DuBois is listed at 5'8". He's consistently gotten lefties out, fools hitters frequently, and still doesn't get a real chance. Why force LHPs in the minors into these short middle relief roles, facing one or two left-handed batters, and then not promote them when they succeed at that role? What about letting them simply pitch to anyone, and then seeing if you can use him?
DONNIE ELLIOTT 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SPA 45.3 52 46 7 43 50 9.13 1 4 10.32 8.54 9.93 1991 CLR 97.0 100 47 6 57 80 4.36 5 6 9.28 5.29 7.42 1992 CLR 16.3 16 10 3 11 10 5.51 1 1 8.82 6.06 5.51 1992 GRN 96.3 105 45 12 43 87 4.20 5 6 9.81 4.02 8.13 1992 REA 33.0 42 17 3 12 20 4.64 2 2 11.45 3.27 5.45 1993 LVG 38.0 41 24 7 25 37 5.68 1 3 9.71 5.92 8.76 1993 RIC 98.0 111 59 19 43 87 5.42 4 7 10.19 3.95 7.99 1994 LVG 12.3 10 7 3 11 11 5.11 0 1 7.30 8.03 8.03 1994 SDP 33.0 30 12 2 21 24 3.27 2 2 8.18 5.73 6.55Signed as a minor league FA, Elliott is an old-fashioned Thomas gamble: he's injury-prone, but when he's healthy, he can pitch. I've felt he can pitch since watching him as a Rule V draftee with the Mariners in spring of '92, when he was the second-best pitcher on the staff after Randy Johnson. But Lou Piniella really wanted to keep people like Calvin Jones around, and he's the professional. Unlikely to wind up in the rotation, Elliott can definitely help in long relief, especially since the Phillies have traded Heathcliff Slocumb.
SID FERNANDEZ 1963 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TID 15.0 11 3 0 5 21 1.80 2 0 6.60 3.00 12.60 1991 NYM 43.7 36 15 5 9 33 3.09 3 2 7.42 1.85 6.80 1992 NYM 214.3 160 60 17 72 213 2.52 17 7 6.72 3.02 8.94 1993 BIN 9.7 7 2 0 3 9 1.86 1 0 6.52 2.79 8.38 1993 NYM 118.3 82 38 19 39 86 2.89 9 4 6.24 2.97 6.54 1994 BAL 113.3 119 59 24 42 105 4.69 5 8 9.45 3.34 8.34 1995 BOW 11.7 5 1 1 3 9 .77 1 0 3.86 2.31 6.94 1995 BAL 27.7 41 25 8 16 35 8.13 1 2 13.34 5.20 11.39 1995 PHI 64.0 50 23 12 22 79 3.23 4 3 7.03 3.09 11.11El Blobbo had to retreat back to the NL where he belongs. As a flyballing lefty, signing into a bandbox like Camden was a mistake. He can't handle a heavy workload, but that's exactly what Oates gave him in '94. Podres had him trash his slider for a changeup, and it worked. Nevertheless, there will always be the weight concern, the health concern, the age concern, and the "he doesn't throw hard enough to be a strikeout pitcher" concern. He can pitch in the right circumstances, with intelligent use and a center fielder who can run down anything.
STEVE FREY 1964 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 IND 34.0 30 9 1 14 43 2.38 3 1 7.94 3.71 11.38 1991 MON 39.7 49 33 5 24 23 7.49 1 3 11.12 5.45 5.22 1992 CAL 44.3 40 17 5 22 29 3.45 3 2 8.12 4.47 5.89 1993 CAL 47.3 43 17 1 25 25 3.23 3 2 8.18 4.75 4.75 1994 SFG 31.0 40 19 5 16 21 5.52 1 2 11.61 4.65 6.10 1995 PHI 10.0 3 0 1 2 2 .00 1 0 2.70 1.80 1.80 1995 SEA 11.0 14 5 0 6 7 4.09 0 1 11.45 4.91 5.73He's a walks-prone nibbler who doesn't fool many people, but he's left-handed, so he has more lives than a cat.
BOB GADDY 1967 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CLR 46.7 61 25 1 24 26 4.82 2 3 11.76 4.63 5.01 1991 REA 18.7 24 14 4 15 14 6.75 1 1 11.57 7.23 6.75 1992 CLR 58.3 76 47 10 29 43 7.25 1 5 11.73 4.47 6.63 1992 REA 23.0 17 10 4 15 16 3.91 2 1 6.65 5.87 6.26 1993 REA 69.7 76 27 3 31 46 3.49 5 3 9.82 4.00 5.94 1993 SWB 45.3 62 37 5 33 36 7.35 1 4 12.31 6.55 7.15 1994 SWB 156.3 168 79 9 78 106 4.55 7 10 9.67 4.49 6.10 1995 SWB 80.3 108 72 10 63 39 8.07 2 7 12.10 7.06 4.37Scranton's Randy Lerch. He's dabbling with the split-fingered fastball, and it isn't working: he's hurting himself throwing it, while not getting anybody out.
WAYNE GOMES 1973 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 CLR 96.0 102 78 13 95 88 7.31 3 8 9.56 8.91 8.25 1995 REA 97.3 102 56 12 75 86 5.18 4 7 9.43 6.93 7.95He's the organization's hardest thrower and a first-rounder, so he makes all of the prospect lists. He's also not very good. The Phillies claim to be grooming him for a relief role, but extended pitching has exposed his obvious lack of control. He was sent to the AFL to work on being a closer, and he was a complete disaster (no saves, 58 baserunners in 34 ip).
MIKE GRACE 1970 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BAT 29.0 29 16 6 16 23 4.97 1 2 9.00 4.97 7.14 1991 SPA 29.7 35 13 2 9 14 3.94 2 1 10.62 2.73 4.25 1992 SPA 25.3 30 22 8 8 14 7.82 1 2 10.66 2.84 4.97 1994 SPA 73.3 100 59 12 24 29 7.24 2 6 12.27 2.95 3.56 1995 REA 139.3 159 70 20 33 100 4.52 7 8 10.27 2.13 6.46 1995 SWB 16.0 19 5 0 3 12 2.81 1 1 10.69 1.69 6.75 1995 PHI 11.0 11 4 0 4 7 3.27 1 0 9.00 3.27 5.73As opposed to the organization's touted first-rounders, Grace was an unheralded tenth-rounder with a history of injury problems. He mixes the fastball, slider, and change, and scouts say his velocity improved during last summer's healthy streak. He was Reading's ace this season.
TYLER GREEN 1970 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BAT 13.7 11 5 0 6 12 3.29 1 1 7.24 3.95 7.90 1991 CLR 12.3 4 2 1 9 15 1.46 1 0 2.92 6.57 10.95 1992 REA 58.7 53 19 5 23 57 2.91 5 2 8.13 3.53 8.74 1992 SWB 9.7 8 8 2 14 14 7.45 0 1 7.45 13.03 13.03 1993 SWB 113.0 116 68 12 50 79 5.42 5 8 9.24 3.98 6.29 1994 SWB 153.0 185 98 28 80 86 5.76 6 11 10.88 4.71 5.06 1995 PHI 139.3 166 80 15 68 85 5.17 6 9 10.72 4.39 5.49Lousy mechanics undermined his early success last year. Earlier, he was setting up the infamous knuckle-curve well with fastballs; when he lost confidence in the fastball, the knuckle-curve became the only pitch he'd rely on, and without the element of surprise, he got hammered. Has a combative relationship with the rabid Philly media.
TOMMY GREENE 1967 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PHI 206.0 194 85 24 70 167 3.71 12 11 8.48 3.06 7.30 1992 SWB 21.0 18 9 4 4 19 3.86 1 1 7.71 1.71 8.14 1992 PHI 64.3 80 39 7 36 44 5.46 2 5 11.19 5.04 6.16 1993 PHI 197.7 176 76 14 67 177 3.46 13 9 8.01 3.05 8.06 1994 REA 9.3 13 5 1 4 10 4.82 0 1 12.54 3.86 9.64 1994 PHI 35.3 37 17 5 23 29 4.33 2 2 9.42 5.86 7.39 1995 CLR 18.7 14 9 5 8 16 4.34 1 1 6.75 3.86 7.71 1995 SWB 27.3 20 9 2 7 18 2.96 2 1 6.59 2.30 5.93 1995 PHI 33.0 48 30 6 20 24 8.18 1 3 13.09 5.45 6.55He's lost his heater, so he can't blaze his way out of corners like he used to. The Philly coaching staff has griped a lot about Greene's work ethic, so he may never get back to where he was.
ERIC HILL 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SPA 127.7 170 91 34 51 89 6.42 4 10 11.98 3.60 6.27 1992 CLR 25.3 34 20 8 10 14 7.11 1 2 12.08 3.55 4.97 1992 REA 91.7 123 65 21 27 52 6.38 3 7 12.08 2.65 5.11 1993 REA 63.7 81 47 15 33 31 6.64 2 5 11.45 4.66 4.38 1994 REA 83.0 104 53 17 36 61 5.75 3 6 11.28 3.90 6.61 1995 REA 54.7 65 25 3 28 44 4.12 3 3 10.70 4.61 7.24He probably has a section in the rightfield bleachers in Reading named after him by now.
BLAISE ILSLEY 1964 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TUC 80.7 97 40 9 25 48 4.46 4 5 10.82 2.79 5.36 1992 LOU 93.3 120 53 16 24 57 5.11 4 6 11.57 2.31 5.50 1993 IOW 128.3 154 55 9 34 78 3.86 7 7 10.80 2.38 5.47 1994 IOW 111.3 128 63 13 22 50 5.09 5 7 10.35 1.78 4.04 1994 CHC 15.0 25 12 2 9 9 7.20 0 2 15.00 5.40 5.40 1995 SWB 174.3 234 99 23 40 95 5.11 7 12 12.08 2.07 4.90He's an old soft-tosser, but with all of Philly's health problems last year, if he was going to get an extended shot, last year may have been it. I'm curious why a team sinking as badly as the Phillies did wouldn't take a chance on seeing if Ilsley could pitch a little; everyone but the front office could see the fork sticking out of Jim Deshaies' left arm, and Tommy Greene did nothing promising.
RICK JORDAN 1970 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MYR 130.0 119 75 11 92 92 5.19 5 9 8.24 6.37 6.37 1992 DUN 42.0 54 35 9 36 38 7.50 1 4 11.57 7.71 8.14 1993 DUN 22.7 22 16 1 18 21 6.35 1 2 8.74 7.15 8.34 1993 KNX 34.0 35 17 4 20 28 4.50 2 2 9.26 5.29 7.41 1994 KNX 60.0 59 27 4 28 60 4.05 3 4 8.85 4.20 9.00 1995 SYR 11.3 15 8 2 8 16 6.35 0 1 11.91 6.35 12.71 1995 TOR 14.7 18 9 2 12 11 5.52 1 1 11.05 7.36 6.75What did he do wrong to get moved into the pen? He was probably at his best as a starter four years ago. He's wild as all hell, and the short, sudden, nasty aspects of relieving just don't suit someone who's still learning how to pitch.
RYAN KARP 1970 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 ONE 61.0 84 49 7 40 33 7.23 2 5 12.39 5.90 4.87 1993 GRB 98.3 100 42 7 46 86 3.84 6 5 9.15 4.21 7.87 1993 PRW 45.7 39 21 7 16 23 4.14 2 3 7.69 3.15 4.53 1993 ABY 11.7 15 8 1 10 8 6.17 0 1 11.57 7.71 6.17 1994 REA 111.7 136 69 18 60 77 5.56 4 8 10.96 4.84 6.21 1995 REA 44.0 51 20 4 15 31 4.09 2 3 10.43 3.07 6.34 1995 SWB 76.3 90 45 8 36 68 5.31 3 5 10.61 4.24 8.02Health has been a concern, because Karp's slider is excellent but damaging with heavy use. He'll deserve a shot at the rotation this spring; whether he can survive any workload is the question.
DAVE LEIPER 1962 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 CAR 28.3 30 9 2 6 13 2.86 2 1 9.53 1.91 4.13 1994 TAC 24.7 27 9 0 9 23 3.28 2 1 9.85 3.28 8.39 1994 OAK 18.3 14 4 0 6 15 1.96 2 0 6.87 2.95 7.36 1995 MON 21.7 16 7 2 7 12 2.91 1 1 6.65 2.91 4.98 1995 OAK 21.7 23 9 2 12 11 3.74 1 1 9.55 4.98 4.57Why Oakland dumped him is a mystery. He was doing his job and for whatever reason, Tony LaRussa suddenly gave up on him. Felipe Alou put him to good use, and he continued to do well. He probably couldn't dent bread on his best days, but he knows how to pitch. Unlike many left-handed relievers, he's a groundball pitcher. He should be an excellent setup man for Bottalico.
CARLTON LOEWER 1974 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1995 CLR 103.7 146 68 15 41 65 5.90 4 8 12.68 3.56 5.64 1995 REA 46.3 49 22 3 33 30 4.27 2 3 9.52 6.41 5.83The Phillies' top draft choice in '94, he's big (6'6") and mixes his fastball with a curve and a changeup. There are varied reports about his fastball; BA says he's got poor velocity, while STATS Inc. says he throws 90. In his AFL stint, he didn't strike many people out, and he was not a success. With or without a heater, in this organization he's on the fast track.
MICHAEL MIMBS 1969 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 VRO 127.3 150 68 15 78 101 4.81 6 8 10.60 5.51 7.14 1992 SAN 117.7 157 78 16 88 69 5.97 4 9 12.01 6.73 5.28 1994 HAR 142.7 162 88 17 69 119 5.55 5 11 10.22 4.35 7.51 1995 PHI 135.3 135 65 10 77 93 4.32 7 8 8.98 5.12 6.18One of the celebrated Rule V Draft successes during last season, Mimbs definitely showed major league ability, especially getting left-handed batters out. Mixes the curve and change with a penny fastball, changing speeds and location to induce grounders. He faltered in the rotation in July, then rebounded in long relief and spot starts down the stretch.
LARRY MITCHELL 1972 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BAT 57.3 85 40 13 14 33 6.28 2 4 13.34 2.20 5.18 1993 SPA 101.0 142 68 9 63 73 6.06 3 8 12.65 5.61 6.50 1993 CLR 51.7 55 27 2 24 38 4.70 3 3 9.58 4.18 6.62 1994 REA 152.3 156 94 9 115 102 5.55 6 11 9.22 6.79 6.03 1995 REA 119.0 154 86 21 76 90 6.50 4 9 11.65 5.75 6.81Supposed to have an above-average fastball, but he's had two straight seasons of getting knocked around at Reading, so it isn't doing him much good. He may be better suited to relief, where he can survive on gas alone.
BOBBY MUNOZ 1968 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 FTL 98.0 123 68 15 45 42 6.24 3 8 11.30 4.13 3.86 1992 ALB 97.3 121 73 7 85 43 6.75 3 8 11.19 7.86 3.98 1993 COH 29.7 27 7 0 10 14 2.12 2 1 8.19 3.03 4.25 1993 NYY 44.7 51 24 1 25 38 4.84 2 3 10.28 5.04 7.66 1994 SWB 32.3 29 10 2 14 22 2.78 3 1 8.07 3.90 6.12 1994 PHI 103.7 102 36 8 36 61 3.13 7 5 8.86 3.13 5.30 1995 REA 14.0 31 18 6 2 7 11.57 0 2 19.93 1.29 4.50 1995 SWB 15.3 9 3 0 4 9 1.76 2 0 5.28 2.35 5.28 1995 PHI 15.0 16 11 2 9 6 6.60 1 1 9.60 5.40 3.60Injuries, the bread and butter of Phillies pitching. Munoz has a good, but straight, fastball, which he mixed in well with a tight slider and (surprise) the changeup. The slider might be the source of the injuries, or it could be Munoz' good-natured addiction to large quantities of food. His big turnaround last year was the product of tinkering with his release point, and in many ways Munoz is an untapped talent requiring more fine tuning.
CURT SCHILLING 1967 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TUC 22.7 14 7 0 12 20 2.78 2 1 5.56 4.76 7.94 1991 HOU 75.0 84 33 4 40 77 3.96 4 4 10.08 4.80 9.24 1992 PHI 225.3 174 66 16 64 164 2.64 17 8 6.95 2.56 6.55 1993 PHI 232.0 236 103 27 63 197 4.00 13 13 9.16 2.44 7.64 1994 SWB 9.7 6 2 0 5 5 1.86 1 0 5.59 4.66 4.66 1994 PHI 81.7 88 37 10 29 60 4.08 4 5 9.70 3.20 6.61 1995 PHI 115.7 101 48 14 26 113 3.73 7 6 7.86 2.02 8.79If he's healthy, he'll win. He can move his fastball at will, cutting or sinking, with excellent control. Although there's no shortage of reasons, losing Schilling probably ruined the Phillies' season. A good indication of how Jim Fregosi uses his pitchers: occasionally Schilling will run up some high pitch counts, but he hasn't worked on three days' rest in over five years. Another Phillies disappointment: Schilling usually has a great second half, with an ERA more than a run lower over the last five years. The injury put the kibosh on that happening again.
HEATHCLIFF SLOCUMB 1966 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 IOW 12.7 11 7 0 6 9 4.97 0 1 7.82 4.26 6.39 1991 CHC 62.3 56 27 4 31 37 3.90 4 3 8.09 4.48 5.34 1992 IOW 39.7 36 12 1 17 47 2.72 3 1 8.17 3.86 10.66 1992 CHC 36.0 60 31 5 24 32 7.75 1 3 15.00 6.00 8.00 1993 CHR 29.0 29 16 3 12 23 4.97 1 2 9.00 3.72 7.14 1993 IOW 11.7 7 2 0 8 10 1.54 1 0 5.40 6.17 7.71 1993 CHC 10.7 7 3 1 4 4 2.53 1 0 5.91 3.38 3.38 1993 CLE 27.0 26 10 2 15 20 3.33 2 1 8.67 5.00 6.67 1994 PHI 72.0 76 28 1 29 60 3.50 5 3 9.50 3.62 7.50 1995 PHI 64.7 68 24 2 36 63 3.34 4 3 9.46 5.01 8.77Its hard not to like a pitcher with a power-groundball assortment, especially when he's colorfully monikered. Nevertheless, he doesn't have the greatest control. The closer in Boston after the trade.
RUSS SPRINGER 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 FTL 141.0 155 103 31 71 110 6.57 4 12 9.89 4.53 7.02 1991 ABY 14.0 11 5 0 6 14 3.21 1 1 7.07 3.86 9.00 1992 COH 117.7 115 63 16 61 89 4.82 5 8 8.80 4.67 6.81 1992 NYY 15.7 19 10 0 10 14 5.74 1 1 10.91 5.74 8.04 1993 VAN 54.7 57 34 8 35 35 5.60 2 4 9.38 5.76 5.76 1993 CAL 58.7 75 41 11 31 35 6.29 2 5 11.51 4.76 5.37 1994 VAN 79.0 82 35 8 20 56 3.99 5 4 9.34 2.28 6.38 1994 CAL 45.3 51 20 6 12 30 3.97 3 2 10.12 2.38 5.96 1995 VAN 32.3 26 17 4 25 24 4.73 2 2 7.24 6.96 6.68 1995 CAL 50.7 62 30 9 22 42 5.33 2 4 11.01 3.91 7.46 1995 PHI 26.3 23 10 5 10 32 3.42 2 1 7.86 3.42 10.94He's beginning to look like he's better suited for relief; after high expectations with the Yankees and Angels, he could end up taking a cue from teammate David West and resurrecting his career as a reliever with the Phillies.
MARK TRANBERG 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BAT 17.0 27 24 10 20 14 12.71 0 2 14.29 10.59 7.41 1993 SPA 76.3 67 35 14 23 54 4.13 4 4 7.90 2.71 6.37 1993 CLR 68.0 89 31 4 20 50 4.10 4 4 11.78 2.65 6.62 1994 CLR 60.3 42 11 2 12 35 1.64 6 1 6.27 1.79 5.22 1994 REA 86.0 133 74 21 40 48 7.74 2 8 13.92 4.19 5.02 1995 REA 104.0 128 53 11 29 53 4.59 5 7 11.08 2.51 4.59 1995 SWB 22.0 35 19 4 7 14 7.77 0 2 14.32 2.86 5.73Good control, but usually working against younger competition, he's progressed slowly.
JOHN TRISLER 1970 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BLT 80.7 102 58 11 47 42 6.47 2 7 11.38 5.24 4.69 1993 CLR 104.3 149 79 16 55 60 6.81 3 9 12.85 4.74 5.18 1994 CLR 145.3 182 88 26 40 62 5.45 6 10 11.27 2.48 3.84 1995 REA 76.3 110 52 10 25 42 6.13 2 6 12.97 2.95 4.95Already came up short as a starter, and didn't resurrect his career as a long reliever last year.
MIKE WALKER 1965 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 JAX 58.7 71 43 11 21 33 6.60 2 5 10.89 3.22 5.06 1992 CLG 38.0 48 22 6 18 24 5.21 1 3 11.37 4.26 5.68 1992 SEA 14.3 21 12 4 9 6 7.53 0 2 13.19 5.65 3.77 1993 CLG 157.7 197 81 15 48 115 4.62 8 10 11.25 2.74 6.56 1994 OKL 50.7 66 42 10 29 31 7.46 1 5 11.72 5.15 5.51 1994 PHX 33.0 55 26 6 15 21 7.09 1 3 15.00 4.09 5.73 1995 IOW 25.0 25 14 4 21 13 5.04 1 2 9.00 7.56 4.68 1995 CHC 44.0 47 20 3 25 20 4.09 2 3 9.61 5.11 4.09Caught on with the Cubs as a beneficiary of the extended rosters at the beginning of the season. Signed as a minor league FA by the Phillies in January.
DAVID WEST 1965 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 POR 14.7 12 11 5 13 15 6.75 1 1 7.36 7.98 9.20 1991 MIN 70.3 74 36 14 28 61 4.61 3 5 9.47 3.58 7.81 1992 POR 95.0 93 51 10 65 88 4.83 4 7 8.81 6.16 8.34 1992 MIN 27.7 35 23 4 20 23 7.48 1 2 11.39 6.51 7.48 1993 PHI 85.0 60 34 7 54 92 3.60 5 4 6.35 5.72 9.74 1994 PHI 98.3 75 39 7 62 85 3.57 6 5 6.86 5.67 7.78 1995 PHI 37.7 36 16 5 20 25 3.82 2 2 8.60 4.78 5.97Definitely a Johnny Podres success story, West still has the good fastball that had the Mets talking him up years ago. With the change and the occasional curve, he can dominate. However, even if his shoulder is healthy, he's huge and heavy, so he could break down with extensive use. He has a career-long habit of wearing down in the second half, which contributed to World Series performances that would frighten George Frazier, Jeff Lahti or Pete Ladd.
SCOTT WIEGANDT 1968 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CLR 9.3 17 8 1 3 8 7.71 0 1 16.39 2.89 7.71 1991 REA 73.3 82 34 7 40 43 4.17 4 4 10.06 4.91 5.28 1992 REA 75.3 75 35 7 55 55 4.18 4 4 8.96 6.57 6.57 1993 REA 67.0 86 44 5 48 50 5.91 2 5 11.55 6.45 6.72 1994 REA 48.3 55 25 6 21 28 4.66 2 3 10.24 3.91 5.21 1995 SWB 50.3 62 22 0 31 38 3.93 3 3 11.09 5.54 6.79Lefties who don't out-and-out fail usually get a shot sooner or later, although having to spend four straight years in Reading may wear out anyone's patience.
MIKE WILLIAMS 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CLR 88.3 81 33 15 13 59 3.36 6 4 8.25 1.32 6.01 1991 REA 92.3 110 52 4 32 43 5.07 4 6 10.72 3.12 4.19 1992 REA 14.7 19 11 3 8 10 6.75 1 1 11.66 4.91 6.14 1992 SWB 87.0 103 35 4 33 55 3.62 5 5 10.66 3.41 5.69 1992 PHI 29.0 30 20 6 8 6 6.21 1 2 9.31 2.48 1.86 1993 SWB 92.0 109 39 8 19 48 3.82 5 5 10.66 1.86 4.70 1993 PHI 50.3 50 29 6 23 35 5.19 2 4 8.94 4.11 6.26 1994 PHI 50.0 62 27 7 20 30 4.86 2 4 11.16 3.60 5.40 1995 PHI 86.7 82 34 10 30 57 3.53 6 4 8.52 3.12 5.92The organization has been in love with his loyalty and workmanlike attitude for a while. He's earned a reputation as a five-inning starter in the minors, losing both velocity and control late in games, which means he's only really suited for the fifth starter/swing role on a major league team.