R-Phils at the quarter mark: Four possibilities for help

With talk that the Phillies are seeking additional pitching, Reading beat writer Mike Drago updates the readiness of four Double-A pitching prospects.

Carlos Carrasco: He's a markedly better pitcher than he was last season at Reading, but he's still yet to take that huge step forward people are waiting for. His K/BB ratio is much improved, though it's still not great (44/19). Not sure why this is, but he's been tougher on lefties this year (.191 vs. .237) but not as effective against righties (.276 vs. .258). I'll have to check on that. Bottom line: He's not ready for the big leagues yet; by the end of July we'll have a better idea. He needs to run off five or six consecutive, consistent starts before he's moved up, and he hasn't come close to doing that.

Josh Outman: Early results from the bullpen are very promising. Last three times out: four innings, two hits, no walks, three strikeouts. Key there is no walks. Velocity on back-to-back nights was still good, 92-93. For the season, lefties are hitting just .160 off him, and he's struck out 10 of 25 lefties he's faced. It's early in the process, but he could become a seventh-inning guy, or situational guy, by midseason.

Fabio Castro:  Was actually better in a starting role than I would have imagined, but he's still walking too many batters (19 in 33 2/3). I can see him in some minor role in the major league bullpen, middle innings, situational type thing, though it's interesting this year that lefties are hitting better (.231) than righties (.202) off him.

Joe Bisenius: He had injuries the past two seasons, lost confidence, and now has control issues, but I still like him. He's got great stuff. He could turn it around quickly and be back in the big leagues by midseason.

Antonio Bastardo (honorable mention): He's better, and throws harder, than people have given him credit for. Still very inexperienced, though.

Comments

[GM-Carson]

Bastardo cruised through Single A, it'll be interesting to monitor his progress against better competition.

RJ Swindle is still mowin' 'em down left and right. His "stuff" may not translate well into MLB, but his success in undeniable in the minors.

[KevinLin]

And the key thing about Swindle is 1 walk so far this year. His stuff can be hittable at times but other times it just seems to baffle the hitters...it might just be the overeager minor league hitters but I think he deserves some type of shot.

[Bob]

clout: From a previous thread, thanks for the feedback on Bowa/range factors/astroturf. Something to learn every day on Beerleaguer. Now if I could only translate the knowledge gained into dollars!

[PhillyFriar]

Agree with GM-Carson that Swindle should get a look at some point. Even if he is a junkballer, you can't ignore his numbers, and you'd have to think he'd be worth a shot as a LOOGY. I'd like to give Outman and Castro some time to transition to the bullpen before I'd think about calling them up.

As for Carrasco: let's give him time. He's barely 21, and he's been rushed at times by an eager Phils front office. I'm a big believer that a disastrous big league stint that comes too early for a prospect can completely screw them up mentally. Look at Homer Bailey.

[J. Weitzel]

I like what I'm reading about Outman. I'd put money on Outman as the prospect most likely to break into the bullpen, and Happ as the pitcher most likely to earn a spot start or replace a starter entirely.

[Andy]

1) Jason - I always come here first. I go to Philly.Com only when it's slow here or a headline in your "Philly News" box looks interesting.

2) Can you imagine being a hitter who's had two ABs against Myers, then having Swindel in the seventh, and then facing Lidge in the ninth? He ought to get, at very least, a September call-up.

Even if the hitters eventually figure him out, he ought to be baffling the first couple times through the league. I saw a lot of games in Oakland when Doug Jones was in the last throes of his career. His 60 mph stuff had guys looking silly.

OTOH - L like the report on Outman. We might have "found" our LOOGY.

[MG]

JW - Nice update. Really liked the move of Castro and Outman to the pen a few weeks ago and looks like Outman has adjusted well.

My bet is that Outman gets a shot in the bullpen this year before Sept. callups even. There is no one at Allentown right now in the pen worth giving a callup and there is bound to be a few pitchers who go on the DL. Even if there aren't injuries, I don't know how Seanez is going to hold up as the innings begin to mount on his arm and if Condrey will pitch well enough to keep a spot in the pen.

[dajafi]

The stories about Swindle remind me of what Michael Lewis wrote on Chad Bradford in "Moneyball." Who cares how it looks, so long as it works?

In any event, it's nice to have some options as far as internal reinforcements. I just wonder if we might wind up seeing Carrasco and/or Outman traded off for another veteran starter who might represent an upgrade on Eaton/Kendrick/Moyer. I like Happ, and of course I really like CC, but I wouldn't have much confidence in either of them getting thrown into the middle of a playoff race.

[dajafi]

The stories about Swindle remind me of what Michael Lewis wrote on Chad Bradford in "Moneyball." Who cares how it looks, so long as it works?

In any event, it's nice to have some options as far as internal reinforcements. I just wonder if we might wind up seeing Carrasco and/or Outman traded off for another veteran starter who might represent an upgrade on Eaton/Kendrick/Moyer. I like Happ, and of course I really like Carrasco, but I wouldn't have much confidence in either of them getting thrown into the middle of a playoff race.

[Bob]

Jason: For what it's worth, Beerleaguer is my first stop. If I miss a game or significant parts of it, I typically scroll through the game comments which give me a far better tone or flavor of what was going on than anywhere else.

Just about the only time I go to the other news sources is when Beerleaguer hasn't put up anything new for the day yet and there aren't fresh topics.

[NEPhilliesPhan]

Outman is better than people are giving him credit for. He's a lefty who throw's with good velocity (low 90's) and he has decent secondary stuff. We will almost certainly see him in a Phillies uniform at some point in the second half. Some scouts have him ahead of Carrasco as a prospect plus he's a lefty.

[philsphan]

I would like to see Swindle given the first shot at the second lefty spot in the bullpen. Happ should be the first called up when the Phillies need a starter, he has performed very well in a do or die year. He deserves a better offense to back him up than the junk in Lehigh Valley and I am sure he could pitch as well as if not better than Eaton or Moyer (or Kendrick for that matter) if one of them really struggles.