News of Phormer Phillies 2017

[allentown]

I do think they have some worry that the future health effects of steroid use will lead to the same sort of legal problems that the NFL has with concussions. The concern about Adderall does seem quaint given that our public schools practically force the parents of so many boys to obtain prescriptions. As we worry about the problems of recent generations of American men, we need to acknowledge the role of the schools and physicians in ensuring that a very large portion of public school students are going through their formative teen years (and beginning younger) permanently doped up on drugs like Adderall. Is it helping boys to learn or simply making them more manageable, while stunting their emotional and intellectual growth and how confident are we that we know when these drugs become addictive?

[Lucky_Beagle]

Do you believe private schools do the same?

[allentown]

I really have no idea what the private schools do.

[gmwannabe]

not really a former phil, but could have been. kyle freeland 35th rounder in '11 draft made his major league debut for the rockies and pitched very well. another showing of the prowess of the phils scouts to find the talent, but lack of giving up the money. i was screaming for the phils to give their first round money (of Greene's) to freeland instead of Greene. What a waist. well, in all honesty, i wasn't really screaming to give the bonus to another player. just another flyer i was following and hoping the phils would sign. look how things worked out.
gm

[Lucky_Beagle]

I believe I saw a statement that Alec Asher is being recalled and making a start for the Orioles this weekend.

[andyb]

Darin Ruf is having a rough start in Korea. 4-40 so far with 2 HRs. This should be a good opportunity for him though I can imagine there is some adjustment to mid-80s junk fastballs and in-game cigarette breaks.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=77b2b3d8

[Lucky_Beagle]

per mlbtraderumors.....The Orioles will turn to Alec Asher to start versus Toronto on Saturday, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. His selection to face a heavily right-handed lineup suggests that Baltimore plans to utilize its upper-level pitching depth on a case-by-case basis to fill Chris Tillman’s spot in the rotation while Tillman is out, Encina adds.

[Purduke]

Freeland wasn't a money thing. He was in the papers saying the Phils had offered a very generous number but my impression is he lacked some confidence and decided the Evansville (?) route was his best course. Remember, be wasn't even offered by any serious Div 1 program until late in his senior year after he had committed downstream.

[allentown]

Curt Schilling. I put it here rather than the politics thread.

[allentown]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/curt-schilling-right-wing-politics_us_58e7e71be4b05413bfe2e232?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

[Philsmania]

Craft beer aficionados will find this one interesting. Tony Gwynn, Jr. is now retired and, in addition, to being a Padres broadcaster, is also a brewer...and not the Milwaukee variety! Apparently, his late great father was also a craft beer convert.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/04/23/tony-gwynn-jr-follows-dad-in-brewing-as-well-as-baseball/100813770/

[andyb]

I still have no problem including him in the Hellickson deal and he is repeating Low A, but Sam McWilliams may be figuring some stuff out and he is still only 21.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mcwill000sam

[Philsmania]

Doug Glanville and Raul Ibañez are counted among the carnage of ESPN's mass layoffs.

[mdougherty12]

An article from Fangraphs on some poor statistical indicators for Cole Hamels so far in 2017:

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/is-cole-hamels-primed-for-a-fall/

[zambonir]

It will be interesting to see if Cole's contract vests, he'd need to match last season's 200 IPs this year and next year (while also finishing 2018 with no shoulder or elbow injury). If he is in any kind of trouble he'd just be following the same age pattern as Lee and Halladay (and Oswalt) really.

[BostonRoss]

Red Sox will start Kyle Kendrick on Thursday.

[mdougherty12]

Hamels was scratched from his start Tuesday night with an oblique injury:

http://m.rangers.mlb.com/news/article/227883322/rangers-cole-hamels-scratched-with-injury/

[EastFallowfield]

And Hamels is out for eight weeks, they say.

[EastFallowfield]

Have been thinking about Hamels some of late, what with a 2007 nostalgia thread and seeing the Mets pitchers drop like flies the last few years. Kinda amazing that Cole started 30 or more games every year since 2007*, when he 'only' started 28 regular season games and one playoff game, yet you'll still here people call him 'soft'.

*With 16 additional postseason starts mixed in

[allentown]

It's interesting that Hamels had put up very good numbers this year, except his K-rate dropped by more than half.