Minor League Games - Wednesday, April 10, 2019

[kikutaro]

Scranton/WB RailRiders (3-3) @ Lehigh Valley IronPigs (4-2) 7:05 pm | Gameday
Nestor Cortes Jr. (1-0, 0.00) vs. Cole Irvin (0-0, 3.60)

Reading Fightin Phils (4-1) @ New Hampshire Fisher Cats (2-3) 6:35 pm | Gameday
Tom Eshelman (0-0, -.--) vs. Patrick Murphy (0-1, 4.50)

Clearwater Threshers (1-5) @ Lakeland Flying Tigers (4-2) 6:30 pm | Gameday
Spencer Howard (0-1, 6.23) vs. Tarik Skubal (0-0, 2.25)

Hagerstown Suns (1-5) @ Lakewood BlueClaws (3-3) 6:35 pm | Gameday
Tim Cate (0-1, 0.00) vs. Tyler McKay (0-0, 9.82)

(click on the start time for box scores)

[Austinfan]

Who is Tyler McKay and why is he starting for Lakewood?
16th rd pick, 6'6 180 at 21, guess he's a "fill out and add velo" gamble?

[julio]

Who is Tyler McKay and why is he starting for Lakewood?

He's apparently somebody you never noticed before.

Tyler McKay Minor Leagues Statistics & History | Baseball-Reference.com

Tyler McKay Stats & Scouting Report - Baseball America

Signed last June, only got into four games for the GCL Phls last summer - presumably shut down for some reason. He's been on the Lakewood roster since it was announced 3/29.

The ERA is unusual. He's given up four runs, on two hits, one BB, and two HBP (one of the two hits was a HR). Sounds like control problems. He's 21; they need to find out about him.

[andyb]

If we are using tandem starters at Lakewood we might effectively have about 10 different starters. Loose roster limits will let them shuffle all the pitchers on and off the roster.

I like it. Keep as many young pitchers starting (or pitching 3-4 inning blocks) as long as possible. Allows them to look at a guy like McKay who would have been in the bullpen or behind some more heralded starters later at Williamsport.

[andyb]

Kapler's mid-range bullpen management was not wonderful here as he entered a game with 3 relievers unavailable because they pitched in 3 of 4 games (Neshek, Robertson, Morgan). This is what happens when you get to the bullpen early and have one set of relievers when you are winning and a different set when you are losing. We overused the winning set of relievers. A guy like Ramos should never have been in the position to close last night when he is essentially our 4th or 5th option there (behind Robertson, Seranthony, Neshek, and Neris).

I would try to groom De Los Santos to be a 2-inning reliever. Or if they move Velasquez it should be with 2 innings in mind. They need more options that do not tax the back end relievers quite as much.

[Philsmania]

Kapler's mid-range bullpen management was not wonderful here as he entered a game with 3 relievers unavailable because they pitched in 3 of 4 games (Neshek, Robertson, Morgan). This is what happens when you get to the bullpen early and have one set of relievers when you are winning and a different set when you are losing. We overused the winning set of relievers. A guy like Ramos should never have been in the position to close last night when he is essentially our 4th or 5th option there (behind Robertson, Seranthony, Neshek, and Neris).

I would try to groom De Los Santos to be a 2-inning reliever. Or if they move Velasquez it should be with 2 innings in mind. They need more options that do not tax the back end relievers quite as much.

Neshek and Morgan--and may Robertson turning the corner--are our only relievers who aren't slop at this point.

[andyb]

Some observations on Lakewood (Bohm, Garcia, Morales, Santos) a couple of nights ago:

Prospect Dispatch: Hickory at Lakewood

Kiley McDaniel also mentioned he was traveling to see Howard tonight in Clearwater.

[nycphils]

Wow, that’s pretty underwhelming. Bohm is a poor athlete and his swing restricts his ability to make contact. Garcia, our hoped-for star shortstop gets an average hit grade ceiling, and is viewed as a high end utility guy or maybe starting IF. Bleh.

[bigegypt0417]

Wow, that’s pretty underwhelming. Bohm is a poor athlete and his swing restricts his ability to make contact. Garcia, our hoped-for star shortstop gets an average hit grade ceiling, and is viewed as a high end utility guy or maybe starting IF. Bleh.

Here's a more practical assessment of Garcia...

Phillies shortstop named top prospect in Gulf Coast League

unless something has substantially changed Garcia was the top prospect in the GCL and is a teenager playing in Lakewood.

[nycphils]

I don’t know who John Towns is. From the site “Fansided”, I’m guessing he’s just a fan. Maybe you will tell me he’s an experienced prospect writer/scout/etc. but I know who wrote this piece:

Editor’s Note: Josh Herzenberg spent three years as an area scout covering North Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas for the Dodgers. He also spent two years coaching, one with the Ogden Raptors and one with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, predominantly working with pitchers and helping to integrate analytics into preparation for minor leaguers. He pitched at Oneonta State and has a Master’s Degree from Georgetown.

I’m not saying he’s correct, and I’m certainly not saying the die is cast and neither can be more than he describes...but any way you cut it that’s a pretty discouraging report from a professional scout.

[Philsmania]

Wow, that’s pretty underwhelming. Bohm is a poor athlete and his swing restricts his ability to make contact. Garcia, our hoped-for star shortstop gets an average hit grade ceiling, and is viewed as a high end utility guy or maybe starting IF. Bleh.

Uh, SSS?

[Philsmania]

I don’t know who John Towns is. From the site “Fansided”, I’m guessing he’s just a fan. Maybe you will tell me he’s an experienced prospect writer/scout/etc. but I know who wrote this piece:

Editor’s Note: Josh Herzenberg spent three years as an area scout covering North Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas for the Dodgers. He also spent two years coaching, one with the Ogden Raptors and one with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, predominantly working with pitchers and helping to integrate analytics into preparation for minor leaguers. He pitched at Oneonta State and has a Master’s Degree from Georgetown.

I’m not saying he’s correct, and I’m certainly not saying the die is cast and neither can be more than he describes...but any way you cut it that’s a pretty discouraging report from a professional scout.

Or former professional scout, meaning he wasn't very good at scouting?

[nycphils]

If all people want is smoke blown up your you know what, fine. I couldn’t be more clear, however, that ALL I am saying is it is a discouraging report by a professional scout, or even a former one. Not sure how you can take issue with that accurate characterization. I’m not attacking the kids, saying he’s right or that we’re doomed.

If you want to say that only the good reports are right, that’s on you. It’s discouraging whether you like it or not.

[phillychuck]

Professional scouts have a hard time projecting teenagers in single A, especially on the basis of just one game. Even older players are difficult to project to higher levels. When Rhys Hoskins was tearing up AA, the majority of scouts said he'd never hit big league pitching. The majority of scouts said Dom Brown was a can't miss all-star in AA and AAA. If we learned anything from reading "Moneyball" beyond the team-building strategy, we should have learned that professional scouts are like professional money managers--they're right about as often as you and I are. Base your opinions on performance and you'll be more likely to be right.

In person scouting is valuable for pitching mph, fastball and breaking ball "life", and maybe a little bit of swing analysis. Ceiling and floor? Just guessing.

[Austinfan]

I'd presume the Phillies scouts noticed the flaws in Bohm's swing, and the organization feels it's correctable.
You draft players on talent and coachability, i.e., does he have power, vision (see pitches), eye to hand coordination and body control - with those unless he's a dunce or unreachable you can work on fundamentals and mechanics - without those he could have perfect form but will be exposed at upper levels.

[teabag259]

Moniak with his second HR of the season tonight

[bigegypt0417]

Strong outing for Spencer howard. 6 shut out innings.

[schooldoc]

Austin Listi is 0 for 17 to start the season and made a costly error at 3B tonight. Addison Russ blows a 3-run lead in the 9th as Fightins fall, 5-4.

[allentown]

Would it truly surprise anybody if Listi was no more able to play 3B than Hoskins was to play LF last season. Listi wouldn't be the first player to have defensive woes at a new position bleed into his hitting.

[phillychuck]

Listi is a very capable AA hitter--he should turn that around.