2020-2021 Winter League Discussion

andyb 2020-09-25 16:56:12 UTC #1

For instructionals, foreign leagues, and anything random that might happen in this strange year.

Australia looks to be playing baseball this winter.
https://twitter.com/AdelaideGiants/status/1302850334868426752

Kyle Glogoski moves to Adelaide from the New Zealand team (maybe they are not playing?). Rixon Wingrove also re-signs. Josh Gessner to play for Sydney (where I am sure he will get some pointers from player-coach Manny Ramirez!)

https://sydneybluesox.com.au/news/young-aussie-phillies-recruit-signs-with-blue-sox/

Chris Burke with Melbourne. Luke Leftwich also there along with Damek Tomscha and former Phillie Drew Anderson.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/sport/philadelphia-phillies-sign-promising-young-waverley-wildcats-catcher-chris-burke/news-story/fa7d2a8a7f67d1e7bb429a167e48283d

Links from Matt Winkelman. Bad news is it looks to be a short season for about 6 weeks starting December 18th. So our first minor league action of the year will have to be instructional league I guess.

fish 2020-09-28 15:47:52 UTC #2

Half the Australian baseball league is actually playing in Auckland all season, and Adelaide is one of those clubs. The Phils have a partnership with Adelaide, it was probably a decision to keep Glogoski closer to their people.

andyb 2020-10-01 21:28:10 UTC #3

Other teams are posting rosters, but the Phillies Instructional league is supposed to kick off this weekend.

Mexican Winter League might also start on 10/15 though I am not sure MLB has allowed participation like they have in Australia.
https://www.lmp.mx/

Did not see the couple of Mexican Phillies prospects on there (Manuel Urias, Pedro Antonio Reyes) so hopefully they are at instructional league and it is always possible MLB is restricting participation.

FYI on Reyes as it was a minor international signing:

Squire 2020-10-02 17:44:11 UTC #4

Yhoswar Garcia will be unable to go to Instructional League because of COVID travel restrictions per Salisbury article

zambonir 2020-10-02 17:53:25 UTC #5

All four picks from this year.

andyb 2020-10-02 18:11:05 UTC #6

I am definitely starved for prospect news. I do believe it was not a full year of development lost by all these players. I am sure they got their workout routines and got batting or fielding practice when they could. Plus one reason prospects improve is the physical development.

But it will be nice to see 40 or 50 kids get a chance to go out and play for a month.

Squire 2020-10-06 20:20:19 UTC #7

Jim Peyton doing great work here.

andyb 2020-10-06 20:43:22 UTC #8

Only a handful of Latino players which is to be expected. Assume they are trying to do something similar to instructionals there, though who knows if non-Dominican players are at the Dominican complex.

zambonir 2020-10-06 21:46:34 UTC #9

Not surprising, as no one else lost their job, but still notable that Bryan Minnitti is there.

andyb 2020-10-07 13:41:51 UTC #10

Athletic says we are only playing games in our complex and scouts from other teams are not invited (meaning Phillies' scouts stay home too). And a Corey Phelan sighting at the end of the article. He was the 18-year-old LHP we signed out of Long Island in August. It still is odd to me that we signed only 12 pitchers as UDFAs after the draft. I was expecting at least a few position players somewhere. Hopefully we'll see a couple more signings when the full 58-player roster is released.

allentown 2020-10-07 14:39:49 UTC #11

In a professional sports league in which about a third of the players are international, this has to be one of the most inane sentences to begin an article: "The Phillies are not only looking for the next, best talent in the United States for their prospects of the future, but also those outside of the country — even as close as Mexico."

andyb 2020-10-07 19:48:23 UTC #12

The full list is on Matt Winkelman's Winter League page (via Jim Peyton).

One interesting name is Maikel Garrido. 6'4" LHP we signed back in 2018 then barely played in both 2018 or 2019 (and obviously 2020). Guessing he was in Clearwater rehabbing and that is why he is at instructs. I think all but 2 of the UDFAs are there though no additional names unfortunately. Casey Martin and Baron Radcliffe are the only 2 new position players.

Squire 2020-10-12 14:19:16 UTC #13

BA has the Instructional League Roster

If there is a record for number of times attending Phillies Instructional League I'm thinking Bailey Falter might be approaching.

andyb 2020-10-14 15:20:58 UTC #14

Mexican Pacific League starts tomorrow. Rosters are at the LMP link. Not sure any current Phillies are playing.

Previous blog entry notes some positive tests though.

andyb 2020-10-15 20:33:12 UTC #15

Athletic also had a little instructional summary. No real reports here. Just 10 interesting players to watch:

andyb 2020-10-25 20:35:52 UTC #16

Dominican League is practicing and testing. Not sure when they plan to start but undoubtedly a shorter season. Drill down at your own risk as security certificates are out of date. Cristopher Sanchez is on the Toros roster. I am not sure if he ever got on the LHV roster but is potentially a bullpen arm at some point next season, and it has been awhile since he has pitched.

https://lidom.com/

andyb 2020-10-26 16:39:17 UTC #17

Instructional League game report from Jim. Apparently they are playing other teams (the Blue Jays here). Bailey Falter was the pitching standout (though if healthy he is much more experienced than most of the competition here). With pictures.

andyb 2020-10-28 17:16:51 UTC #18

Looks like one of the 4 players we signed from Mexico this year is active in the winter league there. Erubiel Armenta was the 19-year-old we signed, so I imagine he was already the property of a winter league team (where the younger signees were not).

https://www.lmp.mx/ficha-tecnica/692068

Squire 2020-10-30 02:18:20 UTC #19

Requisite annual Salisbury..."the new kids in instructs are really impressing" piece. Says the followimg players stood out more than most: Muzziotti, Simmons, Rojas, Luis Garcia.

Positive comments about the draft picks other than Casey Martin who had an oblique injury during camp. Of the UDFAs they mentioned both Blake Brown and Billy Sullivan hitting 98

andyb 2020-10-30 12:05:57 UTC #20

It will be very interesting to see whether the Phillies jump some players a level next Spring (hoping we return to some sense of normalcy). A Kendall Simmons, for instance, should really be in Clearwater this year but that would be a double jump from Williamsport. I suspect there will be another wave of releases too since they will be clearing out the volume of players to dial back from 9 total teams to 6. Not sure what that will mean for promotions. It might be a mix of more aggressive (clearing out the non prospects and getting HS and Latin American prospects to Lakewood earlier) with slower promotions (as in both Clearwater and Lakewood get crowd with quick promotions of the better prospects that the mid-level guys have fewer opportunities).

I kind of hope they at least try to retain the 2nd GCL team during the transition, and maybe GCL season should start earlier if there is no short season leagues. All the players that would have gone to Williamsport that are not new draftees would start GCL in April or May to see if they could earn promotions to Lakewood. This would be a Kendall Simmons in 2019 who might not have been ready in April for Lakewood, but could have had a shot in July.