Minor League Games - Monday, April 16, 2018

[kikutaro]

Norfolk Tides (4-5) @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs (6-4) 7:05 pm | Gameday
Jimmy Yacabonis (0-0, 7.20) vs. Jake Thompson (0-0, 2.84)

Notable

Jesmuel Valentin 1-4, R, 2B, BB
Dean Anna 3-4, R, BB
Dylan Cozens 1-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB, 2 K
Mitch Walding 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR, K
Andrew Pullin 1-3, R, 2B, BB, K
Matt McBride 1-3, BB, K
Alexi Amarista 0-4, R, 2 K

Jake Thompson 3.0 IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 2K, game score: 34
Tyler Viza (W, 1-1), 2.2 IP, 5H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 3K
Austin Davis (H, 3), 2.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K

Reading Fightin Phils (4-7) @ Harrisburg Senators (4-5) 6:30 pm | Gameday
Ranger Suárez (1-1, 4.76) vs. N/A

Notable

Zach Coppola 3-5, 2 R, SB
Malquin Canelo 0-2, R, 2 BB, 2 K, SB
Damek Tomscha 2-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB
Kyle Martin 1-4, R, 4 RBI, HR, K
Jiandido Tromp 1-4, 2 K
Austin Bossart 0-4, 2 K
Ranger Suarez 1-3, R, 2 K

Ranger Suarez (W, 1-1), 8.0 IP, 6H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 10K, game score: 86

Clearwater Threshers - Off

Greensboro Grasshoppers (6-4) @ Lakewood BlueClaws (5-6) 6:35 pm | Gameday
Edward Cabrera (0-1, 0.82) vs. Connor Brogdon (0-1, 7.11)

Notable

Jhailyn Ortiz 0-3, 2 K
Rodolfo Duran 0-3, 2 K

Connor Brogdon 5.0 IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 6K, game score: 72
Zach Warren (L, 0-1), 2.1 IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 3K

(click on the start time for box scores)

[phillychuck]

Very wet fields in the NE tonight, at least.

[California_Dreamin]

Is it just me, or has this been one of the worst starts to a Phillies minor league system since I can recall? Of course, it is more than balanced out by the fact that the major league team is doing so well with guys we followed in the minors but....it sure seems like a lot of guys we are counting on in the future aren't just struggling, they are floundering.

I get that the weather is bad but sheesh, its bad for other teams also and they are doing fine when they play the Phils. Clearwater was supposed to have a really strong team and right now they are pathetic.

[xogfog]

It's not just you. Most of the excellent talent has matriculated to the big team. The recently drafted and signed hitters are almost all under-performing, and the pitchers are all adjusting to new levels. It doesn't help that our best pitching prospect is basically still in extended spring training, having just started his first game.

[teabag259]

Clearwater was reputed to be an offensive juggernaut before the season started. Safe to say that the experts missed on that prediction thus far.

[phillychuck]

Moniak was expected to bounce back; Haseley had an exceptional spring training and might just be in a bit of a lull right now.

[Squire]

Mr. Three True Outcomes Dylan Cozens has them all tonight. 2ks, 1BB, Homer. Walding with a homer and an RBI single too.

Ranger Suarez brilliant tonight with 8 shutout innings, 6H, 10K

[phillychuck]

Lakewood gets one-hit, loses 1-0. Greensboro pulled their starter after 6 innings carrying a no-hitter. Brogdon pitched 5 shutout innings himself and was removed.

[schooldoc]

I didn't expect Jhailyn Ortiz to tear up the league....but I didn't expect this, either.

[nycphils]

.225, .175, .194

That’s what we are getting out of 3 most recent Top 10 picks, including a 1.1

SSS, but it’s getting late early

[bigegypt0417]

.SSS, but it’s getting late early

huh?

they haven't even gotten to 50 AB's?

That quote seems like it was stolen from yogi berra although he might have said "huh" too...

[phillychuck]

Randolph, Moniak, Ortiz, and Haseley are the four most recent high-dollar signings of position players made by this organization and our scouts. I think it's fair to point out that our return on this ~$25M expenditure is pretty awful right now. We've either been really unlucky, or we need to take a hard look at the scouts that are making these decisions, or we need to modify how we're developing hitters in the minors, or we could ignore the SSS so far this season. I'd lean toward the SSS choice, except that with Moniak and Randolph the sample really isn't that small.

I am worried; not to the point of despair, but it's approaching.

[bigegypt0417]

Randolph, Moniak, Ortiz, and Haseley are the four most recent high-dollar signings of position players made by this organization and our scouts. I think it's fair to point out that our return on this ~$25M expenditure is pretty awful right now. We've either been really unlucky, or we need to take a hard look at the scouts that are making these decisions, or we need to modify how we're developing hitters in the minors, or we could ignore the SSS so far this season. I'd lean toward the SSS choice, except that with Moniak and Randolph the sample really isn't that small.

I am worried; not to the point of despair, but it's approaching.

I definitely am worried...more about Randolph as he's got the most time in and is not really showing any consistency. With moniak and haseley I'm about 150 AB's away from being worried. I just have trouble with the use of SSS and then basing a decision on it anyway.

[Philsmania]

Randolph, Moniak, Ortiz, and Haseley are the four most recent high-dollar signings of position players made by this organization and our scouts. I think it's fair to point out that our return on this ~$25M expenditure is pretty awful right now. We've either been really unlucky, or we need to take a hard look at the scouts that are making these decisions, or we need to modify how we're developing hitters in the minors, or we could ignore the SSS so far this season. I'd lean toward the SSS choice, except that with Moniak and Randolph the sample really isn't that small.

I am worried; not to the point of despair, but it's approaching.

I definitely am worried...more about Randolph as he's got the most time in and is not really showing any consistency. With moniak and haseley I'm about 150 AB's away from being worried. I just have trouble with the use of SSS and then basing a decision on it anyway.

Not to use this as an excuse but, in the case of Randolph playing at Reading and Ortiz at Lakewood, spring has been slow in arriving here in the Northeast. Let's see how they do when the weather finally warms up. But, in the case of Randolph, if he doesn't hit when the weather warms up, we can probably shift him over to the suspect list from the prospect list.

Haseley may just be off to a slow start. The way Moniak's 2017 woes have carried over into 2018, however, is alarming.

Yeah, the first round is really beginning to look like Almaraz's blind spot with the way Randolph, Moniak and Hasely have turned out.

[SerAdonisKingery]

The only skill I've seen from Randolph since he was drafted is getting promoted.

[zambonir]

I'm not defending Almaraz but the first-round pick is probably where he has the least input, at least inasmuch as his bosses are no less accountable. We know Amaro personally scouted Randolph and Kingery, and Gillick was all over Moniak (I assume Klentak and MacPhail saw him as well).

I'd be more interested to know how many scouts from those two years (Almaraz's first, and then Klentak's first) are still here, and how the scouting process/apparatus has changed. Still, by keeping Almaraz, whom he did not hire, Klentak now has ownership of his entire body of work (ditto Joe Jordan who is also part of the O's family tree).