Phillies Unlikely To Make Offseason Spending Splash
- Though the Phillies have very little money tied up in future salary commitments beyond this season, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer doubts the club will be significant spenders in free agency this winter. The Phils are still comitted to their youth movement, so it doesn’t make much sense to sign a big-ticket veteran at this stage in the rebuilding process. With another year or two to establish the young core, Gelb figures the Phillies could strike in the 2017-18 free agent market or the star-studded 2018-19 market.
Phillies Claim Phil Klein From Rangers
The Phillies have claimed right-hander Phil Klein off waivers from the Rangers, according to Rangers executive vice president of communications John Blake (Twitter link). Klein will now head to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, per a Phillies announcement.
Klein amassed 12 strikeouts against just two walks in 8 2/3 innings with Texas this year, but he also yielded five earned runs. As a result of those issues with run prevention, the Rangers designated Klein for assignment June 9. The 27-year-old threw 45 frames for the Rangers from 2014 to this season and logged a 4.80 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and 39.5 percent ground-ball rate. Klein has posted similar strikeout and walk ratios (10.5 and 4.5, respectively) across 277 minor league innings, but his 2.24 ERA rates as significantly better than the figure he recorded with Texas.
Klentak On Howard, Draft, Cozens, Quinn
Here’s the latest from Phillies GM Matt Klentak, via Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
- Klentak says he sees Ryan Howard staying with the team for the rest of the season, even after losing his first base job to Tommy Joseph. The team does not plan to release Howard. “Ryan has handled it like a true professional,” Klentak says. “I don’t view it as a distraction at all.” Howard has hit just .148/.248/.352 in the last guaranteed year of his contract, although Klentak notes that Howard’s home-run power makes him a threat off the bench. The slugger has ten blasts this season.
- Klentak was reluctant to divulge details, but noted that the Phillies could complete the signings of key draft picks in the next week. First overall pick Mickey Moniak remains unsigned, as does their second-round pick, California high school righty Kevin Gowdy.
- The team is not yet ready to promote outfield prospect Dylan Cozens to Triple-A, Klentak says. MLB.com currently ranks Cozens as only the 22nd-best prospect in the Phillies system, but he’s having a tremendous season with Double-A Reading, batting .289/.366/.586 with 19 home runs. (The Phillies would probably like to have him cut down his strikeouts, however — he has 85 in 290 plate appearances so far.) “[F]or most of these guys we want to give them, if we can, a full year’s worth of at-bats at certain levels and I think Dylan could stand to have some more time there,” Klentak says.
- Klentak adds that he expects another outfield prospect, Roman Quinn, to miss significant time with an oblique strain. “I don’t want to put a timetable on [his absence],” says Klentak. “But it’s going to be a while.” The 23-year-old Quinn, currently ranked the Phillies’ seventh-best prospect, is batting .288/.361/.420 for Reading.
Phillies Could Dangle Andres Blanco, Freddy Galvis
- The Phillies are obvious sellers, but most of their marketable assets reside on the pitching side of the equation. But the club sees infielder Andres Blanco as a plausible piece, with Freddy Galvis also potentially on the block. Blanco isn’t quite repeating his surprising 2015 season, but is hitting at around the league average rate and could be a useful utility piece.
Phillies’ Alec Asher Receives 80-Game PED Suspension
Phillies right-hander Alec Asher, who has spent most of the season with the club’s Triple-A affiliate, has been suspended 80 games for after testing positive for a testosterone-related performance enhancing drug, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). The specific substance in question, Shaikin adds (Twitter link), is Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone — the same substance for which Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello and Phillies reliever Daniel Stumpf each tested positive earlier this season.
Asher, 24, was acquired by the Phillies alongside Jerad Eickhoff, Jorge Alfaro, Nick Williams and Jake Thompson in exchange for Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman in last July’s blockbuster trade with the Rangers. He made seven starts for the Phillies in 2015 but struggled, allowing 30 runs in 29 innings of work. This season, he’s posted a 2.30 ERA with 5.8 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9 in 54 2/3 innings of work between the team’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, though he’s been on the minor league disabled list since mid-May.
Asher currently rates 26th among Phillies farmhands, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. He didn’t crack Baseball America’s offseason top 30, and ESPN’s Keith Law noted (Insider subscription required) that Asher profiled as a reliever when looking at the Phillies’ top prospects prior to the season. Callis and Mayo note that his ceiling is that of a back-of-the-rotation starter thanks to solid control, a low-90s fastball that can touch 95-96 and a pair of potentially average (but currently inconsistent) secondary offerings.
Knocking Down The Door: Bregman, Healy, De Leon, Renfroe, Lively
This is the debut of my weekly “Knocking Down the Door” series here at MLBTR. The purpose is to identify players in Triple-A or Double-A who are doing everything in their power to earn a big league call-up in the very near future.
For the most part, I’ll try to include players who could make a significant impact soon after arriving to the majors, if not right away. So unless it’s a really slow week for potential impact prospects, I will not be telling you about the pending arrival of the next great middle reliever, spot starter or fourth outfielder.
Here are five players to keep an eye on …
Alex Bregman, 3B, Houston Astros (Double-A Corpus Christi): The Houston Astros might be the most disappointing team in baseball. And while the next Carlos Correa probably isn’t waiting in the wings—check back in another decade or so—it’s possible that Alex Bregman can give them a much-needed spark before their season goes completely down the drain.
Correa did make a quick stop in Triple-A before he was called up to the majors last season, but the fading Astros might not be able to wait much longer on the 22-year-old Bregman if they think he can help them out.
The 2nd overall pick in the 2015 draft, Bregman has been a man among boys in Double-A with a 1.007 OPS to go along with 13 homers and more walks (27) than strikeouts (20), which is a good sign that he can handle himself against big league pitching. He’s only played seven games at third base, although a move from shortstop shouldn’t be a difficult transition.
Ryon Healy, 1B, Oakland Athletics (Triple-A Nashville): The A’s have plenty of incentive to continue giving at-bats to Yonder Alonso, who was acquired in the offseason for All-Star candidate Drew Pomeranz, and Billy Butler, who is in year two of a three-year, $30MM deal.
But at some point very soon, they’ll need to move on from at least one of the two—Alonso does have 13 hits in his last eight games to boost his OPS to .642; Butler is coming off of a three-hit game that increased his OPS to .683—and reward first base prospect Ryon Healy for the damage he’s done to Double-A and Triple-A pitching this season.
The 24-year-old Healy has nine hits, including three homers, in his last 22-at-bats to give him an overall slash line of .343/.404/.615 in 60 games between the two levels.
Jose De Leon, SP/RP, Los Angeles Dodgers (Triple-A Oklahoma City): After a breakout season in 2015, Jose De Leon has fallen a bit off the radar due to multiple injuries that have limited him to only three Triple-A starts this season.
While this makes it unlikely that he’ll be able to make an impact in the Dodgers’ rotation anytime soon—he’s made a pair of three-inning starts since returning from the disabled list earlier this month—the 23-year-old right-hander is an intriguing option for a bullpen that does not have a reliable power arm to bridge the gap to closer Kenley Jansen.
In 11 innings, De Leon has allowed three earned runs on four hits with three walks while striking out 21 batters. Sounds like a power arm to me.
Los Angeles Dodgers Depth Chart
Hunter Renfroe, RF/LF, San Diego Padres (Triple-A El Paso): Top outfield prospect Hunter Renfroe is doing his part to earn a big league promotion with a robust .598 slugging percentage after recently belting his 13th and 14th homers of the season. Now he just needs general manager A.J. Preller to do his part and create a spot for him.
Preller has his work cut out for him as he works the phones and tries to find takers for outfielders Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton Jr. and at least some of the remaining salary due on their contracts. Trading free agent-to-be Jon Jay, who is having a nice bounce back season, shouldn’t be difficult. It should only take one trade, though, for the 24-year-old Renfroe to get the call, where the big league coaching staff will hopefully introduce him to something called “plate discipline.”
Renfroe’s Kemp-esque 7-to-45 walk-to-strikeout ratio is a concern. However, in what should be a rebuilding season, it would be great if a key part of the team’s future can get regular at-bats against big league pitching.
Ben Lively, SP, Philadelphia Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley): It’s Zach Eflin who is getting the call tomorrow to replace the injured Vince Velasquez, but it could’ve easily been Ben Lively or Jake Thompson. All three are pitching well. In fact, it was pretty much a coin toss between Lively and Thompson for this highly-coveted spot on the “Knocking Down the Door” list. With the 24-year-old Lively being nearly two years Thompson’s elder, I’m giving him the nod.
Acquired from the Reds for Marlon Byrd two offseasons ago, Lively has really stepped up his game after not making much of an impression in his debut season with the Phillies. After posting a 4.13 ERA in 25 Double-A starts in 2015, the 6’4″ right-hander has put himself on the prospect map with a 1.94 ERA, 2.6 BB/9 and 7.9 K/9 in 13 starts between Triple-A and Double-A. He’s also 10-0, which is probably meaningless, but impressive, nonetheless. Maybe he’s one of those guys who “just knows how to win.”
Will Venable Opts Out, Becomes Free Agent
- The Rangers have acquired righty reliever Justin De Fratus from the Mariners, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan tweets. The deal completes last month’s Patrick Kivlehan trade, tweets MLB.com’s Greg Johns. The 28-year-old De Fratus was pitching for Triple-A Tacoma, where he’d posted a 3.21 ERA, 5.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 28 innings. He has a 4.08 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in five big-league seasons, all of them spent with the Phillies.
- Veteran outfielder Will Venable is now a free agent after opting out of his minor league deal with the Phillies, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation tweets. Venable has had a disappointing season thus far for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, batting .205/.304/.307 in 149 plate appearances. He hit .244/.320/.350 with the Padres and Rangers in 2015, then was released by the Indians near the end of Spring Training before being picked up by Philadelphia.
Phillies Notes: Eflin, Joseph, Howard, Draft
Starting pitching prospect Zach Eflin will make his MLB debut in a start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury writes. He takes the place of Vincent Velasquez, who’s headed to the DL with a biceps injury that is not expected to be serious. The 22-year-old Eflin was in the midst of a fine season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, with a 2.90 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9. MLB.com lists Eflin as the Phillies’ 13th-best prospect, praising his low-90s sinker and ability to get ground balls. As MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki notes (on Twitter), the timing of Eflin’s promotion coincides with the White Sox’ decision to designate Jimmy Rollins for assignment. The Phillies acquired Eflin from the Dodgers (along with another minor leaguer, Tom Windle) for Rollins in 2014. Here’s more from Philadelphia.
- Tommy Joseph hit two homers in the Phillies’ loss last night to the Nationals, celebrating manager Pete Mackanin’s official decision to make him the team’s first baseman ahead of Ryan Howard, Salisbury writes. “I can’t say enough about Tommy Joseph,” Mackanin said. “I talked to Ryan today and told him, ‘I’ve got to go with Tommy Joseph right now.’ I can’t sit Tommy Joseph. I can’t justify not playing the guy.” Mackanin added that he would look for opportunities for Howard to pinch-hit and spot start. Joseph now has seven home runs in his first 69 plate appearances with the Phillies. Howard’s decline has been amply chronicled, but this season has been his worst ever, with a .150/.213/.346 line in 169 plate appearances. The Phillies still owe him the remainder of his $25MM 2016 salary, plus a $10MM buyout on his 2017 option.
- The Phillies had the best Friday of any team in the draft, MLB.com’s Jim Callis writes. With the first pick of Day Two, they grabbed Cole Stobbe, a Trevor Story-like shortstop who Callis thinks was the best position player who was signable and who made it through Day One. Callis also lists the Giants, Indians, Cardinals and Athletics as teams who did well on Day Two.
Phillies Select Mickey Moniak With First Overall Pick
The Phillies have made it official, taking high school outfielder Mickey Moniak with the first overall selection of the 2016 draft. That makes him the first draft choice of GM Matt Klentak.
Philadelphia had been connected with several other players in recent months, including southpaws Jason Groome and A.J. Puk. But the rebuilding organization ended up going with the youngster out of Carlsbad, California, as had seemed increasingly likely in recent weeks. He is currently committed to play at UCLA.
Moniak doesn’t wow with off-the-charts physical prowess, but ESPN.com’s Keith Law says he “appears to have the best hit tool in the high school class.” Baseball America and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis join Law in rating Moniak the fifth-best overall talent in the draft.
While some question whether he’ll ever develop significant power to match his 6’2 frame, the evaluators agree that Moniak ought to be capable of manning center field in the long run, with his good wheels aiding him both in the field and on the basepaths. The 18-year-old draws universal praise for his instincts on the field as well as his work ethic.
It seems likely that the Phils are angling to preserve some of their spending power with the choice. That’s not to say that Moniak isn’t a top talent — by all accounts he is. Rather, somewhat like the Astros did in going with Carlos Correa over Byron Buxton back in 2012, the idea would be to take a more affordable player with hopes of adding yet more talent later in the draft. (Lance McCullers, Rio Ruiz, Brett Phillips, and Preston Tucker were among the other early-round choices that year by Houston.)
Philadelphia has $9.015MM to put towards signing Moniak, but it can allocate any savings to other selections. The club’s total pool adds up to just over $13.4MM, ranking second to the Reds — who just top their National League foes thanks to landing the first overall competitive balance Round A selection.
NL East Notes: Braves, Draft, Johnson, Mets, Bourjos
Multiple draft outlets have noted the possibility that the Braves could cut a deal with high school right-hander Ian Anderson at No. 3 overall in tonight’s draft with an eye toward over-spending on the No. 40 selection. ESPN’s Keith Law noted as much in this morning’s final mock draft (subscription required and recommended), and Eric Longenhagen or ESPN and Fangraphs tweets that the team could do so with an eye on getting former No. 1 overall candidate Jason Groome at No. 40, though their willingness to do so is dependent on who comes off the board with the first and second selections. D1Baseball.com’s Frankie Piliere tweeted earlier today that Groome’s asking price is extremely high and connected him to the Braves while adding that he’s in a somewhat of a “freefall” as a result of his price tag. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com wrote in today’s draft buzz column wrote that Groome has floated an asking price of $4MM, which could cause some teams to shy away from him. Notably, the MLB.com pair also adds that Groome has now committed to Chipola Junior College in Florida after having previously been committed to Vanderbilt. In doing so, Groome would allow himself to be eligible for next year’s draft if he elects not to sign.
More from the NL East…
- The Mets could have promoted either Dilson Herrera or T.J. Rivera to the Majors instead of swinging yesterday’s trade for utilityman Kelly Johnson, writes Newsday’s Marc Carig, but assistant GM John Ricco explained that the club wasn’t interested in asking a player to make a notable position switch, as it would’ve had to do with either Rivera, Herrera or Neil Walker (who would move off of second base if Herrera were to slide into his natural position at the MLB level). Skipper Terry Collins lauded the front office for bringing back Johnson, whom he described as an excellent clubhouse presence and a veteran that has been through the rigors of a postseason chase before. Ricco added that while the team waited out some injuries last season, New York’s aspirations of winning it all in 2016 prompted earlier action. Johnson and James Loney, the two players acquired recently, aren’t exactly impact players that would push a team over the edge, of course, but adding role players to plug gaps on the roster in June as opposed to July can indeed make a difference in a tight division race.
- The Post’s Ken Davidoff was also on hand to talk to Ricco and Collins about the Mets‘ acquisition of Johnson, with Ricco stating that the enhanced play of the 2016 Nationals (as compared to last season’s squad) didn’t prompt earlier action. Collins, meanwhile, noted that the addition of a player in an early trade is important in sending a message to the clubhouse that the front office is committed to winning in the current season. Per Collins, last season’s acquisition of Johnson and Juan Uribe “completely” changed the clubhouse atmosphere. Davidoff adds that striking early allows the Mets to reassess later in the summer if Johnson isn’t able to right the ship at the plate.
- While the Mets are clearly in the need for infield help, as evidenced by the Johnson trade, Carig checked in with a team source in regards to recently released Dodgers infielder Alex Guerrero and was told that the 29-year-old is not on the Mets’ radar at this time (Twitter link).
- The Phillies have informed Peter Bourjos that he is now a bench player, as Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Manager Pete Mackanin called the situation “unfortunate” and noted that Bourjos “has got to make a drastic change in his approach offensively.” Mackanin stressed that he “loves” Bourjos’ defensive work, but the 29-year-old’s .195/.226/.282 batting line and near-28 percent strikeout rate aren’t cutting it in the lineup. In his place, extra at-bats figure to be given to Rule 5 pick Tyler Goeddel, Cody Asche and Jimmy Paredes, writes Gelb, though he notes that the Phils are also hopeful of seeing names like Nick Williams and Roman Quinn impact the outfield alignment later in the season. For Bourjos, the loss of a starting job with free agency so close around the corner is disheartening, though his defensive prowess should land him an opportunity elsewhere this coming winter.