Phillies purchase contract of extreme junkball lefty

R.J. Swindle, a 23-year-old who had been pitching for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League, throws a curveball that falls off the table at 53 mph. He will report to Low-A Lakewood. [Link]

More proof the Phillies are reading Beerleaguer. The team took the advice of "hit-and-run" poster, TPH, and reached out and grabbed the indy league junkballer with the incredible K/BB ratio, but few believers among scouts who think his garbage won't fool hitters above Single-A. It was TPH’s first of two posts about Swindle, dropped liked orphaned children in the comments section of long-dead threads. They were his first and only comments. Must have been his agent.

The Yankees looked at the 6-3 junkballer in spring training, but didn’t think he could retire advanced hitters and released him. He caught on with Newark and made nine relief appearances, going 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA, striking out nine in 9 1-3 innings.

The Vancouver, Canada product pitched collegiate ball at Charleston Southern, shattering the school record for strikeouts. The Red Sox drafted him in the 14th round of the 2004 draft and he pitched his first season in Low-A Lowell, striking out 56 in 51 innings, walking only four. In 2005, he appeared in 18 games with Schaumburg of the independent Northern League and eventually found his way to the Yankees in 2006, pitching most of the season in Low-A Charleston, strikeouting out 46 and walking just 8.

He throws a variety of pitches, including a fastball that rarely tops 80, a changeup, curveball, slider and cutter. From an interview earlier in his career:

"I have a bunch of pitches that I like to throw," the 22 year old explained. "I really have to throw a lot of different stuff because I don’t throw all that hard. I picked up a curveball about two or three years ago. I was throwing it in the low 60s to mid 60s. I honestly have had about a million people ask me how I throw it, but I can’t really explain it to anyone or teach it to anyone. It’s just a weird arm angle and a weird release point and I’m able to fool some guys. I got to have that to make up for the speed that I lack with the fastball."

Comments

[J. Weitzel]

Clout ... we await your response.

[big]

Great comments jason this morning on the radio, good summary of where this team probably is heading, just like last year getting close to the wild-card but coming up short, and also remarks about chollys managing and use or over use of myers,also saw a stat. today with hamels now avg. 107 pitches per outing, that stat has to make you wonder too,but i know he doesn't have much choice with the shape of the BP, but hamels does have some injusy risk in the past, lets keep our fingers crossed with him.Bet the yankees are thinking they could use swindle now, if this guy even comes close to pitching in the show, think how many hr's he could give up at CBP. not good! ,just the name sounds like something monty and the ownership came up with!!!......2 MORE WILD CARD TEAMS!!!, say what?, sorry couldn't resist!

[GM-Carson]

Junk-balling lefty...worth a shot. Watch him ascend through our system this year.

[Lake Fred]

Interesting stats. Can speed be taught? Can a player using strength training and coaching be taught to throw faster, or is it a God given talent? Let's assign this kid to Dubee and see his career do nothing!

[joe]

pitching velocity is *not* about arm strength, its about form and transfer of power.

unfortunately, i think that you can teach just about anybod to hit low 80's. hitting 90+ is a sign of mutant genetics.

[joe]

pitching velocity is *not* about arm strength, its about form and transfer of power.

unfortunately, i think that you can teach just about anybod to hit low 80's. hitting 90+ is a sign of mutant genetics.

[Angus]

Teach this guy a knuckleball!

[joe]

a lefty knuckleballer? is there sUch a thing?

i'm sure that we'll develop him fully and see him reach potential, just like germano.

[phanatics brother]

and Joe Roa

[GM-Carson]

You know what I hated most about Joe "Elfkin" Roa...he took his hat off between every pitch and shook his hair as if he were a hot chick emerging from a pool, but he wasn't hot and wasn't a chick.

[JZ]

You know what I hated most about Joe Roa?

Every pitch in his start for the last season opener at the Vet ever.

Damn that Joe Roa. He's forever a punchline between me and the ol' college frat buddies.

[Krub]

uh oh another independent leaguer

[RSB]

Is Gillick determined to find someone who will have his made-for-TV life story aired on the Disney Channel with a Phillies uniform?

He's left-handed, so no doubt they'll sic Moyer on him...

In any case, R. J. Swindle is simply a great name. Sounds like a villain in a 1920s children's book. Or someone in the Phillies' marketing department.

[bathtubhippo]

RSB, if gillick wanted that or the phils actually had even the slightest PR sense, they wouldn't have last year's disney story toiling in the minors.

[GM-Carson]

Disney said the "Chris Coste" story was heart-warming and corny enough yet. That's why the Phils have him stowed away in Double A making him fight back...now that's Disney baby!

[Shackamxon Sage]

Knuckball Lefty?

Wilbur Wood was a pretty good one. Almost won the Cy Young one year.

Other than that I only recall Tommy Lasorda saying he threw a knuckler. Tommy wasn't much of a pitcher.

[Dick Richards]

First reaction to this post -- OK, this is another one of those George Plimpton Sidd Thrift hoaxes. And to top it off, the guy's name is "swindle." So I'm asking myself, is it April Fool's Day?

But...I say...Jason wouldn't do that.

Or would he?

[Dick Richards]

oooops! Not Sidd Thrift but Sidd Finch!