Minor League Games - Monday, July 24, 2017

[andyb]

Back to the minor league topic....

Jose Pujols is listed in the GCL transactions as being assigned there today for rehab. So they are not trying him out at pitcher quite yet. I imagine they would do that over the winter with him anyway if they did it.

[allentown]

Who cares what a definition of elite is? Generally you can't have championships teams without elite performances unless you get really lucky.

I agree that it takes elite performance, typically by more than one player, to get to WS. I hope you realize how silly it reads to say you need elite performances, while at the same time the definition of elite doesn't matter. That's like saying you need two gobbledegook players to be a championship team. If elite has no meaning, then your championship requirement also has no meaning.

[schooldoc]

Tidbits from Tom Housenick, covering the IronPigs. (comments in parentheses are mine)

*Roman Quinn (elbow) has a check-up with the team doc in Philly this week

(no indication on his timetable--his 4 to 6 weeks from mid-June is just about up)

*Tom Eshelman (hip) will miss another start.

*Mark Appel (shoulder) has begun a throwing program in Clearwater

(this is just me speculating, but I think this is just as much a mental break as a physical one.)

[allentown]

I hardly think it matters. It's almost August, Appel isn't pitching. After starting to pitch better, he regressed nd then reported shoulder woes. He has never pitched well enough to hold his 40-man spot nd now his arm health is suspect. He may already have pitched his last inning in the Phillies' organization. If he does get another start in August, it is of zilch importance -- he's gone.

[andyb]

Does Appel have the option of free agency if he gets outrighted yet? Only his 5th overall season. Not sure any other organization would use a 40-man spot on him at this point or even in the offseason prior to the rule 5 draft.

Would love 1 year to try a bullpen experiment if it could be done off the 40-man roster.

[allentown]

Okay, we outright him and perhaps he passes through Rule 5. As a whole, this season is worse in every way than last season and now a sore shoulder. There are others who are more interesting reliever tries. A guy who can't pitch from the stretch seems a poor candidate to relieve. Bring him in at start of inning to pitch an inning and hope it's a clean inning.

[zambonir]

I bet he'll get traded, a la Asher or Jesse Biddle (who got traded, DFA'ed, claimed, and then protected in the last Rule V. Of course Biddle is better than Appel, oops).

[fish]

Randolph with 2 hits tonight, now hitting .259 with an ops just north of .750. If he gets up to .275 and .800 by the end of the year he will somehow have snuck in a pretty good season at high A as a 20 year old.

I was starting to hope Carrasco could be this years pop-up Latin arm, and I guess he is, but at 22 that puts him more in the Seranthony Dominguez side of prospects.

[andyb]

Sanchez with the rain shortened shutout and Ortiz with his 5th.

[California_Dreamin]

Thank you fish....I was beginning to wonder if this was a minor league thread or a walk down memory lane of the 2008 Phillies. By the way, Sanchez with a 5 inning, rain shortened shutout win. Once again, runs are scarce at the upper levels, it has become almost a nightly occurrence and while I understand its more about the prospects than the winning, I still find winning to be satisfying and last nights 0-5 was very disappointing.

Right now, tonight may not end up much better, though Lakewood and Williamsport will end up on the winning ledger.

[julio]

Thank you fish....I was beginning to wonder if this was a minor league thread or a walk down memory lane of the 2008 Phillies.

A fascinating, if not a little ironic comment, CD!

[schooldoc]

Another week or so like this from Austin Listi, and I think it'd be time to get him to Lakewood and his buddy from Dallas Baptist, Darick Hall, on to Clearwater for the last month or so of the season.

[phillychuck]

Hoskins with #23. LV losing big. Only winners look like Lakewood (rain shortened shutout for Sixto) and WMPT (pounding the ball; 12 more runs tonight).

[Austinfan]

One of the tricky things about focusing on players with good plate discipline is they're harder to judge in the low minors where most pitchers lack command so they can work counts and get pitches they can handle.
Probably won't get a good read on Listi until at least Clearwater, maybe Reading - if he can't handle a good FB he'll be exposed.

[bkox]

Hoskins, Kingery, Cozens and Walding all with 23 HRs now this year..

Williamsport contributing the doubles for the org.

Mitch Rupert (Mitch_Rupert)

[phillychuck]

One of the tricky things about focusing on players with good plate discipline is they're harder to judge in the low minors where most pitchers lack command so they can work counts and get pitches they can handle.
Probably won't get a good read on Listi until at least Clearwater, maybe Reading - if he can't handle a good FB he'll be exposed.

This is the first time I've heard this anywhere...are you postulating this based on rational deduction, or is this something you've read or heard somewhere? Just wondering....

[bkox]

MLBs mid season top lists are out tonight now too.

Moniak #33
Sanchez #52
Kingery #56
Crawford #64
Alfaro #73
Hoskins #74

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2017?list=prospects

[bkeich]

What does Hoskins have to do to get some respect? There are not 73 better minor league prospects. He is crushing AAA pitching.

[bkox]

MLBs mid season Top 30:

Moniak
Sanchez
Kingery
Crawford
Alfaro
Hoskins
Haseley
Williams
KIlome
Medina
Cozens
Quinn
Gowdy
Randolph
Stobbe
Suarez
Pinto
JoJo Romero
Brito
EInery Garcia
Ortiz
Howard
Anderson
Tocci
Luis Garcia
Lively
Arano
Edgar Garcia
Eshelman
Fanti.

[bkox]

What does Hoskins have to do to get some respect? There are not 73 better minor league prospects. He is crushing AAA pitching.

MLB ranks him as the #4 1st baseman behind Brendan McKay, Dominic Smith and Ryan McMahon.