PHILLIES: Adios Amigos

To start this post, for those who cannot translate simple spanish dialect, the topic of my post means “goodbye friends”.

At this point, the translation could mean a number of things.

For instance, I could be referring to the utterly depressing end to the Philadelphia Eagles season.

But, I’m not.

Maybe I could be talking about how your favorite Philly Phour writer is leaving for three months on a study abroad program to Spain tomorrow.

Again, I’m not.

Now, could I be talking about how three more members of the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff have left the City of Brotherly Love to either sign contracts to play for other teams or hang up the cleats and part ways with the game of baseball.

You know me too well..

In any events, throughout the last week, Brett Myers, Scott Eyre, and Clay Condrey have determined that their future will follow a path that will not include being in a Phillies uniform.

I will start with Myers. As a former top prospect and opening day starter, the decision to let Myers go at the end of the season was a bit odd to me. Now, I know he may have not been the most level-headed competitor you have ever seen, but hey, at least we can acknowledge that he competed.

In 2010, Myers will be in a Houston Astros uniform

While Myers’s career produced mixed results, he undoubtably showed a certain amount of versatility, and he had a certain amount of success in four different roles (starter, long reliever, set-up man, closer) while pitching for the Phillies. Not many players in the Phillies organization, or all of baseball for that matter, have had experience and success like that, which is one reason why I thought Ruben Amaro Jr. would change his mind and offer Myers a contract at some point in the offseason.

Now, Amaro can just forget about that option.  In their first big addition of the new year, the Houston Astros signed Myers to a 1 year-5 million dollar deal that will allow him to compete for a job as middle of the rotation starter behind Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez. If Myers does not make the starting rotation, he will most likely have an opportunity to fulfill the Astros set-up man vacancy or even close if  free-agent incumbent closer Jose Valverde decides to go elsewhere.

While I do believe the loss of Brett Myers will hurt the Phillies, I do not feel the same way about Clay Condrey. I don’t think the Phillies felt that way either, as it appeared that he did not figure into their future plans when they did not tender his contract in December. While off-season surgeries to J.C Romero and Brad Lidge may have given the Phillies a reason to bring back Condrey, that just wasn’t meant to be, as he signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins after a month of being considered a free agent.

Lastly, you can say the ultimate “adios” to Scott Eyre, as the 37-year old reliever announced his retirement after 13 MLB seasons. This was expected, especially after the Phillies only offered Eyre a minor-league deal in the off-season. That’s seemed to be a little bit of a low-ball offer, considering Eyre had a career ERA around 2.00 in 42 games with the Phillies as their most effective reliever in that 1 1/2 season time span. However, I think that offer was a test. Eyre has been recovering from off-season elbow surgery, and has been hinting at retirement for the last two off-seasons. Obviously, Eyre was not comfortable with entering spring training without a guaranteed contract, which after 600+ MLB appearances of wear-and-tear on the arm, I don’t blame him.

So, with that, I say ADIOS to all of you readers.

I will be posting while I am in Spain, in which the frequency of those post are TBD.

On a final note, just over a month until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training.

PHILLIES: News and Notes..

It’s been about three weeks since the Roy Halladay deal went down, and finally it seems that the seas have settled in regards to the Phillies off-season moves. 

As of the start of the new year, the Phillies lineup and pitching rotation (except the fifth and final spot) are all but solidified. While it’s pretty standard for a team to return the majority of their nucleus when they were two wins short of back-to-back World Series titles, the Phillies did that, added some depth with Brian Schneider and DeWayne Wise , and made two small upgrades (Halladay over Cliff Lee and Placido Polanco over Pedro Feliz) in terms of talent in my opinion to their player personnel. 

Can’t complain about that.

The only part of the team in a bit of a state of flux right now is the bullpen. Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson will be back, keeping the enigmatic set-up man/closer combination that produced the most blown saves (17) in the National League last year. As for the middle relievers, they may look a little different come opening day. Brett Myers was casted away by GM Ruben Amaro as he cleaned out his locker after the World Series, and it looks like Chan Ho Park will be joining him out the door as well. 

Baez is the newest addition to the current powerhouse of the National League

 

Last week, the Phillies agreed to terms with former Baltimore Orioles reliever Danys Baez on a 2-year deal, as his signing will give the Phillies a replacement for Park as a right-handed long reliever. In regards to replacing Myers, the Phillies will probably look internally within the organization, as a lot depends on what they decide to do with filling the fifth starter role. If Jamie Moyer is good to go health wise, they will probably enter Spring Trainer with him occupying that role on the depth chart, with Kyle Kendrick the candidate to take the place of Myers alongside Chad Durbin as middle inning men. 

In terms of left-handed relievers, Antonio Bastardo will be in line to take over J.C Romero’s job for the first month of the season, as Romero will still be recovering from off-season surgery. However, the real x-factor in this category is Scott Eyre.

Eyre is still unsure about deciding to return to the Phillies next season, as he’s reportedly leaning towards retirement. If Eyre stays, all is well, and the Phillies will most likely go into the regular season with two left-handed relievers on the opening day roster. If he chooses to hang up the cleats, look out for a free-agent signing or two in the future. 

Lastly, if you think the Phillies are going to try to make a move to counter the Mets signing of Jason Bay, you are mistaken. Bay is just another example of a powerful right-handed hitters that are known for existing in the NL East (David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, Hanley Ramirez are just examples), and the Phillies, with the addition Halladay and Baez, have already the necessary moves.

PHILLIES: 2009 Winter Meetings Recap

For the first year in my young life, I was able to attend the baseball winter meetings.

Sure, I may not have had press credentials, but walking through the lobby of the Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis and seeing Peter Gammons, Ken Rosenthal, and Buster Olney huddled in a corner exchanging information while across the hall Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox, Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, and Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta were at a table eating breakfast together, you can imagine what a prospective sports journalist like myself was feeling.

In the three days I was there, while looking for jobs, I got to talk to some members of the Philadelphia media regarding the moves of the Phillies at the Winter Meetings. Thanks to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Paul Hagen and Andy Martino, and MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, I was able to find out that this was the most boring Winter Meetings for the Phillies in recent memory.

Great.

However, there is still some news regarding past, present, and possibly future members of the Phillies organization.

: Phillies have agreed to terms with Ross Gload, who led the MLB in pinch-hits in 2009 with the Kansas City Royals. In a strange coincidence, the Phillies also have Greg Dobbs on their roster, who led the league in pinch-hits in 2008.

: Former Philles 3B Pedro Feliz has agreed in principle to a 1 year, 4 million dollar deal with the Houston Astros.

: Soon-to-be former Phillies P Brett Myers has been in contact with both the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds. Both Martino and Zolecki hinted that Myers could find a job with couple NL teams that would at least give him the chance to compete for a spot in the starting rotation.

: After getting in touch with the agents of both RP Latroy Hawkins and RP Brandon Lyon, both players signed with different teams. With them off the market, look for the Phillies to contact Jose Contreras.

: Phillies, as expected,  have been in contact with the Toronto Blue Jays in regards to trading for SP Roy Halladay. However, the Angels have emerged as the front-runner to obtain the rights of the former Cy Young Award winner.

: Phillies have been in contact with agents of both RP Chan Ho Park and SP Pedro Martinez in talks to bring them back to Philadelphia next season.

: If the Phillies cannot reach a deal with Martinez, they will fill the role of 5th starter in the rotation internally (Jamie Moyer or Kyle Kendrick) or sign someone else to a 1-year deal, in which John Smoltz is the name that keeps on getting brought up.

: Nothing new to report on the statuses of RP Chad Durbin and RP Scott Eyre. Both are free agents and are seeking 1-year deals with exclusively the Phillies.

As people come and go, updates will be given on this blog.

PHILLIES: 2009 NL East Champs

I wanted to wait and write this once the regular season concluded, but the lack of passion the Phillies have showed during their final series of the year against the Marlins has started to give me a warped perception of the Phillies possible playoff success. So, to provide a more positive, honest post, I am writing as the Phillies are on the field playing their regular season finale with Matt Stairs, Eric Bruntlett and company.

If you didn’t already know before, or forgot to read title of this post, for the third year in a row, the Phillies will represent the NL East in the playoffs as the division champs. 

Wow, what a shocker.

First off, you got to give credit to everyone in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Three division titles in a row is a pretty big accomplishment, and for that you have to give the Phillies players, coaches, and management a round of applause. This team, with a nucleus of players who are in or are just reaching the prime of their careers (Rollins, Utley, Howard, Hamels, Victorino, Werth), truly has a chance to become a dynasty with another historic run through October to the Fall Classic.

Secondly, you have to give credit to those who are not directly related to those with the PHILADELPHIA Phillies. Yes, it is minor league affiliateso of the Phillies that I am talking about. After being an employee for one of these teams (Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs) this summer, it is very clear that while these minor league teams don’t nearly get as much publicity as those in the bigs, they are just as responsible for their organizations’ success.

Just look at the Phillies current roster.

Raul Ibanez, Carlos Ruiz, Greg Dobbs, Pedro Martinez, Kyle Kendrick, Brett Myers, Brad Lidge, J.C Romero (out for the season due to injury), Clay Condrey, Scott Eyre, John Mayberry Jr., Paul Hoover,  Miguel Cairo, and Andy Tracy have all spent time in the Phillies minor league system for either rehabilitation purposes, or as an everyday player. The minor league teams set the foundation for an organization, and if the Phillies have any success in October, those involved the Williamsport Crosscutters, Clearwater Threshers, Lakewood Blue Claws, Reading Phillies, and the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs should give themselves a pat on the back.

Lastly, a moment of clarity.

As much as I have analyzed the Phillies flaws in almost every aspect, they have been the class of the NL East since they stepped onto the field as defending World Series champs in April. Despite a couple tenuous weeks when the Braves and Marlins would run off a sequence of games in a row and pull to within a handful of games of the Phillies, it really wasn’t even close. Without the Mets at full health for pretty much the entire season, the Phillies were by far the most talented team in the NL East, and for the most part, they proved it, capping off with their third straight divisional title.

Now, the show must go on.

(A Phillies-Rockies NLDS preview will be posted in the next day or two.)

PHILLIES: J.C Romero and Chad Durbin to the D.L

On Thursday, the Phillies sent not one, but two relief pitchers to the 15-day D.L with various injuries. Both Chad Durbin and J.C Romero will be out of action for the next two weeks, something that can’t be good news for the Phillies bullpen.

While Durbin has been inconsistent for the better part of the 2009 season and Romero hasn’t been as good as years past after missing the first 50 games of season due to his suspension for allegedly taking performance-enhancing drugs, both are still a big part of the Phillies success over the past 2 1/2 seasons. Down the stretch, if the injuries linger on, it will most certainly be a problem, but it doesn’t seem like that’s the case here. Both injuries are considered minor, and Durbin and Romero are expected to return after their short D.L stints.

Tyler Walker and Andrew Carpenter have been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill the bullpen roles voided by Romero and Durbin.  Walker was an easy call for the organization because he was very affective when he was up with the club during Clay Condrey’s stint on the D.L in early July, so he will hopefully pick up where he left off. For me, though, the decision to bring up Carpenter is a bit confusing.  With Romero being a lefty, I would have expected the Phillies to recall left-handed reliever Sergio Escalona (something they have already done five times this season) instead of a right-handed starter in Carpenter to fill that role.

That obviously didn’t happen.

Due to the Romero injury, Scott Eyre is now the sole left-handed relief pitcher in the bullpen. 

Other Notes: Antonio Bastardo has been on the D.L for almost a month with mild shoulder strain. If he is progressing, don’t be surprised if the Phillies activate him as a reliever, not at starter. It will give the Phillies another valuable long reliever, and an extra left-handed arm.  In fact, some scouts find him better suited as a reliever rather than a starter.

PHILLIES: Rehab for Ibanez and Eyre, All-Jewish Team

Phillies have an off-day, so nothing really much to report. Raul Ibanez and Scott Eyre are right now in Reading, aiming to play in a couple games for the start of their respective rehab assignments. No decision has been made on who will be the replacement for Antonio Bastardo, although the Phillies did add LHP Brian Mazone in a trade with with Los Angeles Dodgers. Although Mazone will go right to Lehigh Valley, his addition will speed up the process of promoting someone, in which case, we should probably hear in the next 12-24 hours. Since there is not much to talk about right now, here’s a story that I wrote for my other blog about a week ago.

(The following was written on June 22nd)

As a member of the Jewish Community, and an avid baseball fan, it was very interested seeing an article last week featuring Texas Rangers All-Star 2b Ian Kinsler. The article focused on Kinsler embracing his Jewish faith, and using the lack of history regarding Jewish Athletes as motivation. Very interesting stuff. After reading the Kinsler article, I did a little research and came up with the MLB All-Jewish Team. The selection processes for the team,which is compiled of 8 starting position players (NO DH), 1 starting pitcher, 1 main relief pitcher, and 5 other subs (two pitchers, and three position bench players) was quite simple. Annual and overall statistics and exemplary play (all-star games, gold gloves, MVP) was the main criteria, however personal views towards the players was definitely a part of the selection process.

So, now, without further ado, the MLB All-Jewish Team.

Catcher: Mike Lieberthal (1993-2007)
Lieberthal, a personal favorite of mine, was with the Phillies for 13 of his 14 years in baseball. Needless to say, as I was growing up a catcher in Little League, Leiberthal is who I looked up to, making him an easy choice. Even with the personal flair, Leiberthal has the best career statistics of any Jewish catcher. His career .274 BA, 150 HR, 610 RBI’s are all tops among MLB Jewish Catchers, with ex-Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager and current Astros catcher Brad Ausmus second and third respectively in almost all offensive categories. While Lieberthal gets the starting nod, catcher is probably the most injury-prone position on the baseball diamond just because of the wear and tear digging 95 MPH fastballs and knee-breaking curveballs takes on the body, so a backup catcher is needed. I have to give that to Ausmus, with his defensive statistics are far better than both Yeager and Lieberthal.
Backup: Brad Ausmus (1994-Present)

First Base: Hank Greenberg (1933-1947)
Hammerin’ Hank, one of two Jewish players elected to the HOF, was a pretty easy selection here. The only roadblock in his way was the emergence of current Red Sox First Basemen Kevin Youkilis (about to be voted to his second all-star game this year). However, since Youkilis has played over a season in the Major League’s an another position (3B), he has accepted the position change and embraced it, giving 1b to the former Tiger. In a carrer including a three year break due to involvement in WW2, Greenberg’s 331 HR’s, 1276 RBI’s, and a .313 batting average in 11 seasons makes him an easy pick.

Second Base: Ian Kinsler (2006-Present)
Since Kinsler is the basis of this entire post, it’s pretty obvious he is the pick here. In three seasons prior to 2009, his averages of .290, 18 HR, 62 RBI’s are pretty good, but not spectacular. His 2008 season was cut off by a sports hernia, but he was good enough in the first half of the season to be elected to his first all star game at age 26. In 2009, he is picking up right where he left off, in which he is currently third in the AL in all star votes behind Mark Teixeira, and our third baseman on this list. Kinsler, is probably the third best 2b in baseball right now behind 2008 AL MVP Dustin Pedroia and Philadelphia’s Chase Utley, but he is far and away the best Jewish 2b of all time.
Backup: David Newhan (1999-Present)
Most of you readers may not know this name, but he’s had a pretty decent major league career. The son of a Los Angeles based journalist has bounced in and out of the majors, and has just over 5 years of MLB experience. Newhan’s best year was in 2004, when the utility man hit .311 with 8 HR’s and 54 RBI’s with the Baltimore Orioles. Due to the fact that Newhan is Jewish, has played every infield position in his career besides pitcher and catcher, and is currently playing for the team that I am currently interning for (Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs), Newhan makes this team as a backup.

Shortstop: Lou Boudreau (1938-1952)
Sadly, there are no present-day Jewish SS to speak of, so here’s a blast from the past. Never really heard of this guy, but looked at his career stats, and they are decent. Oh yea, he’s also Jewish, and his 106 RBI’s in 1945 combined with his .355 average gave him star-worthy notoriety. His career numbers of .295, 68 HR, 795 RBI’s, and 1776 hits rank favorably among shortstops at that time period of baseball, and are definitely worthy of giving him the starting nod here.

Third Base: Kevin Youkilis (2004-Present)
Youkilis came up in the Red Sox organization as a third baseman, and didn’t start playing 1B full time until 2008, so he has enough experience playing the hot corner to mark this territory for the Jews. After 2005-2007 gave him decent years in Boston, 2008 was truly an Elton John-like coming out party for Youk, as he hit .312 with 29 HR and 115 RBI’s, good enough to get him him first all-star bid, and enough of a reputation to rank in the top five in the 2008 MVP vote. Now, Youkilis is about to be a two-time all-star, in which he ranks second in the AL in votes behind Mark Teixeira, and is one of the most complete players in the game of baseball.

Outfield: Ryan Braun (2007-Present), Shawn Green (1993-2007), Gabe Kapler (1998-Present)
Although this outfield creates a glaring defensive liability, you have to play with what you got.

LF: Ryan Braun
First will start with Braun, one of best young players in the MLB today. A converted OF after starting his career at 3B, he is still getting used to shagging fly balls. However, what he loses in bad routes to the ball he makes up with a strong-arm, ranking in the top-5 in outfield assists in 2008. All this, and we forgot to talk about his hitting, meaning his reputation as one of the most feared hitters in MLB. In his first two full seasons as a big league ball-player, Braun’s .301 BA, and averages of 35 HR’s and 102 RBI’s in those two years has won him a ROY (rookie of the year) trophy, and given him a chance to participate in the 2008 All-star game in his second year. Besides Greenberg and Kinsler and a certain pitcher that we haven’t named yet, Braun was the easiest one to pick.
CF: Gabe Kapler
Kapler has been the ultimate OF utility man. However, Kapler has played all three OF positions in his career, something Green and Braun have not done. Therefore, Kapler is this team’s CF. Although he may be a little past his prime defensively, Kapler is currently resurrecting his career as an OF/DH in Tampa Bay after bouncing around the pro’s, playing for six teams, experiencing his best three years in 1999-2001, where he averaged 15 HR’s and 62 RBI’s for the Orioles and the Rangers.
RF: Shawn Green
Green, a 15 year veteran, was a everyday starter in RF for the Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks for over a decade. While the fielding was adequate at best, boy could this guys hit. And by hit, I mean 328 HR’s in his storied career (especially offensively), with 40+ homeruns in three of those seasons, making him one of the best power hitters of his generation. While that generation makes the stats somewhat skeptical, by which I mean inflated or at least affected by the steroid era, there is no knowledge of Green taking performance-enhancing drugs. Green is a sure-fire starter on this team.
Backup: Ruben Amaro Jr. (1991-1998)
Amaro never was a starter in the bigs, but team’s need someone who provides a source for team chemistry. And who better than Amaro, the current GM for the Philadelphia Phillies, to make his presence felt on a team in that manner. Amaro has experience, and knows alot about the game of baseball, or at least enough to sign soon-to-be all-star OF Raul Ibanez to the best Free Agent contract of the 2009 signing period. That alone gets him on this team.

Starting Pitcher: Sandy Koufax (1955-1966)
Might be the most famous Jewish professional athlete in any of the four major sports. While his demeanor can be questions, his statistical accomplishments are undeniable. His 165-87 career record was highlighted by three 25+ win seasons, three 300+ strikeout seasons, making him a three-time Cy Young Award winner. What could be even more impressive is Koufax’s sub 1.00 E.R.A in 7 World Series games, in which his obvious penchant for big-game situations makes it easy to give him the ball to take the mound.

Relief Pitcher: Scott Schoeneweis (1999-Present)
While Schoeneweis doesn’t have attractive stats to the eyes of most baseball fans, which include a career 45-55 record 4.91 ERA, there has got to be a reason by he has pitched in 517 games in his career, which ranks him in the top-10 among active pitchers in 2009. Even if that reason is hard to find, the fact that the guy is still coming to the park to pitch after the tragic death of his wife in May 2009 means he deserves a spot on this team.
Backup: Jason Marquis (2000-Present), Jose Bautista (1988-1997)
Yes, I know what you are thinking. While it may be surprising, and believe me, I have more than double-checked this, but Jose Bautista does in fact have a Jewish mother, making him a candidate to make this team. While his stats aren’t eye-popping either, Bautista enjoyed a couple good years in the mid-90′s (10-3 in 1993) as a long reliever with the Cubs and the Giants, a perfect component of a good baseball team. Marquis on the other hand has pretty decent stats, with a 79-70 career record, and has been a formidable mid-level starter since 2005, where he went 15-7 for the Cardinals.

So, that’s the team. Here is the starting lineup (NO DH) and the rest of the roster.

1. SS Lou Bourdeau
2. 2B Ian Kinsler
3. LF Ryan Braun
4. 1B Hank Greenberg
5. 3B Kevin Youkilis
6. RF Shawn Green
7. C Mike Lieberthal
8. CF Gabe Kapler
9. P Sandy Koufax
Bench: C Brad Ausmus
Bench: INF David Newhan
Bench: OF Ruben Amaro
Bench: P Scott Schoeneweis
Bench: P Jason Marquis
Bench: P Jose Bautista

Looking at the roster, there is one player who is missing. Yes, that is 14-time all-star Rod Carew. Carew is Jewish, but only because he converted to the religion late into his adulthood. Carew would make the cut on any other team, and I respect his decision to convert to Judiasm, but he is last cut on this team. Now he knows how I feel in regards to my basketball career.

In regards the players that are actually on the team, obvious weakness is the bench. Amaro and Ausmus are career .230 hitters, and Newhan can’t maintain a roster spot in the bigs for a consistent period of time. Let’s just say if this team ever plays a game, injuries to the starting lineup would be very detrimental to the team’s production. Another glaring weakness is the closer position, as Schoeneweis is an effective reliever, but has never had closer stuff.

As for strengths, Koufax could be considered on of the best pitchers ever in the game of baseball. He is the definition of what you call an “ace”.The starting lineup, especially 1-6 in the batting order, is deadly, with all six hitters hitting around .300 for their careers. Placing Kapler and Lieberthal in the lineup was honestly a toss-up, with Lieberthal’s one 30+ HR season in 2001 a testament to his power, and his .274 career average just enough to give him an edge over Kapler.

Readers, check out the list of Jewish Baseball players at http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/Jewish_baseball_players.shtml.

PHILLIES: Q&A With Assistant GM Benny Looper

Sitting in the home dugout early Monday night at Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, Phillies Assistant GM of Player Personnel Benny Looper did a press conference with about 6 reporters, and two television networks. Dave Montogomery, Ruben Amaro, and Chuck Lamar are the names fans normally hear in regards to the front office, but Looper plays an extremely important role in the organization. Here are some of the important soundbites regarding the Phillies from a interview that lasted a little over 18 minutes.

 

It seems like Michael Taylor has proven all that he needs to in Reading, is there serious talk about moving him along at some point?                                       

 Looper:  ”An important decision for us to make with players like Michael (Taylor), Freddy (Galvis), and Dominic (Brown) is what’s the best place for them, especially at the middle of the season. It’s not just about Michael Taylor here, it’s about all our prospects as a whole.”

 

Does it look like John Mayberry Jr. is going to be up with the Phillies for good?    

                                                                                                                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looper:  ”A couple of things go into that. Do we aquire anybody? Does Raul Ibanez come back the way he is supposed to? So, right now, I can’t really answer that. He’s played really good defense, and he’s hit a couple homeruns for us. Didn’t really play particularly good in the series against Toronto, but I watched Sunday’s game, and while he went hitless, he had one or two at-bats where he hit the ball hard. That, and he’s playing good defense in the outfield, and that’s good to see.”

 

Have you heard anything about the progression of Jason Donald?                        

Looper: “He’s progressing very well. It’ll still be a couple weeks, but we have three kids down in Florida, Freddie (Galvis), Dominic (Brown), and Jason (Donald), and they are all progressing well.”

 

Is there any chance Raul Ibanez comes up to here (Lehigh Valley) for a rehab assignment?

       

Looper: ” He’s been out long enough that he’s going to need some at-bats to get back into things. He will go somewhere to get those at-bats, but it depends on which team is playing against someone who has the DH in effect, so I can’t tell you where that will be, but he will be going somewhere.”

 

What’s the status on Brett Myers and his rehab?                                                              

Looper: “He’s progressing (pause). He’s in Jacksonville right now with a rehab guy down there. It’s still too early to tell on his status for later in the season.”

 

What is the timetable for Scott Eyre and Clay Condrey to come off the D.L.?    

Looper: ” Scott (Eyre) has been working really hard. He’s been down there at are complex in Florida rehabbing, getting fairly close. With Clay (Condrey) though, it’s going to be a little longer.”

 

Looper was surprisingly forthcoming with the media, as he answered most of the questions to the best of his knowledge. With that said, the one subject that he did avoid was the Carlos Carrasco vs. the rest debate on who will replace Antonio Bastardo’s spot in the rotation. ” While his answer was along the lines of ” You are just going to have to wait and see,”  he raved about Carrasco for a solid minute, while complementing Andrew Carpenter and Rodrigo Lopez for their impressive pitching over the past month. I think the organization still hasn’t made a decision yet, other than a starter will be promoted for Thursday’s game against Atlanta.

In regards to Ibanez, it seemed that Looper was hinting that he will be out longer than his 15-day DL stint, as he is at the 11 days  now and has not had one rehab stint. With that said, it appears that Ibanez will get a chance, to at least hit, sometime very soon, my guess in the next 2 or 3 days.

Donald’s progress coming from Benny’s mouth is surprisingly important. Looper statement about Mayberry hinted that the Phillies are still looking to make a deal for a right-handed hitter off the bench, most likely a veteran outfielder. For that to happen, and to have a possible bargaining chip to inquire about a starting pitcher, Donald is the guy in the Phillies organization that could be dangled to teams, and eventually, could be a huge piece of the trade.  He’s the Phillies top middle-infield prospect, that sadly has minimal use in Philadelphia because of guys such as Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins (Yes, Jimmy Rollins), who are going to be turning double-plays together at Citizens Bank Park together for a long, long time. However for Donald, who is the Phillies 4th ranked prospect overall, will have some worth to teams who are potential playoff contenders like the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, and the St. Louis Cardinals, who all have something in common. They all need added depth in the infield, or in some cases, a starter.  Donald could be that guy, especially if he shows that he’s healthy around the time of the MLB all-star break, which is 2 1/2 weeks before the July 31st trade deadline.