Report: Phillies reacquire former farmhand Mazone

Lefty Brian Mazone, 32, was 0-1 with a 8.44 ERA in 13 injury-shortened appearances with Triple-A Albuquerque (Dodgers), all in relief. He had spent the previous three seasons with the Phillies, nearly earning a call-up in 2006 after going 13-3 with an International League best 2.03 ERA. Over 232 games, including 181 starts, the junkballer is 81-56 with a 3.67 ERA. Mazone figures to round out the Phillies’ Triple-A rotation or pen, which is bracing for the promotion of one of their starters to Philadelphia. The Phillies, in turn, have promised future considerations.

Comments

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Mazone's claim to fame will be that he got his own BL thread. Enjoy it Brian and welcome back!

[J. Weitzel]

Not just one thread, about a half a dozen. Along with no less than 2,000 comments. A true Beerleaguer favorite.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

0-1 with a 8.44 ERA in 13 injury-shortened appearances with Triple-A Albuquerque (Dodgers), all in relief.

I hope those "future considerations" don't include a living player.

[R.Billingsly]

And people thought Rube wouldn't acquire any pitching before the break.

[mike cunningham]

"13 injury-shortened appearances"... so all 13 appearances were shortened by an injury... lol?

jk.

This will keep the BL'ers busy today.

[NEPP]

Rube comes through!!!

Future Considerations is said to be Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor.

[J. Weitzel]

And by future considerations, they mean the undershirt of former screen actor Anthony Quinn. (Seinfeld)

[donc]

Yawn. Of all the names mentioned in JW's previous piece, the one I find the most puzzling is Chen Mieng Wang. The guy can barely make it through 5 innings these days. That is categorically the last thing this team needs. I am expecting to see half the bullpen arms in slings some time shortly after the AS break as it is. I am loathe to quote Chris Wheeler and his electric hair piece, but we need an inning eater. Oh yeah, preferably one that can pitch.

[MyersAtTheBat]

i guess this means Thursday's starter is most assuredly coming from AAA and not via trade... this is truly a bizarro-season when that news is welcomed as good news, at least until we get closer to the deadline.

[king myno]

JW - Sometimes, I spell Brian with an 'e'....and a 'y'!

[Eric Hellman]

Stories like this are what make Beerleaguer subscriptions such a bargain.

[MPN]

JW: Let's hope that it isn't the mailbag of David Berkowitz... I'm hoping we hold that out to send along with Kyle Kendrick in the Gil Meche trade...

[Jimmie J.]

--And by future considerations, they mean the undershirt of former screen actor Anthony Quinn. (Seinfeld)--

Just don't deal away the Puffy shirt.

[Mac Tonight]

Oh happy day! Mazone has returned!

For some reason, I'm reminded of those smallpox infected blankets given to the Native Americans in exchange for future consideration of land ownership.

I'm guessing that Mazone will plug a hole in the Pigs rotation that will soon be vacated by Carasco until Drabek bumps him to the pen.

As for potential trades, Gil Meche has Phillies mid-season pickup written all over him (Loche, Blanton). Considering his salary, his history of injury, his "dead arm" and the few number of teams that would willingly take on his salary, I wouldn't give up much more than Kendrick for him. If he costs more than that, I'd just as soon suffer through plugging some combination of Carasco, Kendrick, Lopez and/or Bastardo at #5. With the state of the division, we probably could limp into the playoffs without trading for a starter, at which point, I'm confident that Hamels, Happ and Blanton can get the job done.

[CJ]

Interest in Wang is obvious. He was 46-15 from 2006 until he was injured in 2008. He's an extreme ground ball pitcher who keeps the ball in the park. That's why there's interest.

However, Wang has obviously struggled this year and struggled badly. He's been better in his last three starts, but he still has a long way to go to get back where he needs to be.

(Funny point on Wang: In his 8th start this year, he went just 2.2 innings and gave up 3 earned runs... and his ERA went DOWN!!!!)

[clout]

Meche has a FNTC. I realize this is considered meaningless by most posters, but it isn't.

[CJ]

Saw someone write (Heyman?) that if the Indians want to deal Cliff Lee, the Phils have the pitching prospects to get the deal done, but the Mets do not. Can anyone tell me the last time they saw anything like that written?

I'm amazingly optimistic about the depth of pitching prospects this team seems to have right now. Drabek is our highest ceiling... and then Carrasco behind him... but we also see to have a least a handful of young starters who can fill out rotations. They may not be Cy Young candidates, but they are as important to cost control as any other position on a team.

[CJ]

clout: FNTCs are irrelevant. You saw how the Phils dealt Pat Burrell and the Padres dealt Jake Peavy. Clearly, these FNTCs aren't worth the paper they're written on!

[donc]

CJ: I always liked Wang a lot too. But at this point he seems very risky. If you plugged him in today I think he would really exacerbate an already serious problem. Another 5 inning pitcher would be disastrous for this season. If he can be the Wang of old (unfortunate turn of a phrase)he would be a great addition. When right he's a damn good pitcher. But whether it's a physical or mental thing, right now he would inspire no confidence.

[Mac Tonight]

CJ: If we could get Wang for Mayberry and Kendrick, I'd make that deal in a minute. He's a reclamation project to be sure, but the upside is tremendous, particularly at CBP.

Clout: I didn't know that. Still, it's hard to believe that any player would block a trade to the defending World Champions for the privilege of pitching for Kansas City.

[MPN]

clout: Well, there is that and the $29.5 million to deal with, so I'd say the chances of him coming here are < 10% and I am fine with that.

[baxter]

Why do the (historically) big spending Mets bring up their top prospects while they're in their early 20s(Wright, Reyes, Pelfrey, F-Mart, Purnell, Niese, Daniel Murphy, even going back to Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Greg Jeffries, Howard Johnson)while the Phils let their prospects linger in purgatory until their mid 20s. I know arbitration plays a large role, but you'd think the influx of cash might've diminished those concerns. I know we employ a different philosophy, but doesn't anyone else feel like the Phils could use a youthful boost of enthusiasm & energy? For example, Marson instead of Coste or Donald instead of Bruntlett...I have a feeling when Donald gets off the DL, Rube will be looking at him a little more closely in light of J-Roll's struggles. It wouldn't take much to outhit Gnome and J-Roll, considering they're currently among the worst hitters in baseball. Likewise, I wouldn't look for a 4th outfielder with Mayberry's success and Taylor's dominance of the Eastern League.

[clout]

baxter: Please tell me which Phillies prospects are as good as Strawberry, Gooden, HoJo, Wright, Reyes and Jeffries and thus warrant a callup at age 21 or 22. Thanks.

[Jack]

Baxter: What success of Mayberry's are we speaking of, per se? He's hitting .216 (OBP of .256) and was hitting .257 (OBP of .338) in the minors. If you can find a 4th OF better than that, and I think you can, it's a position that's worth improving.

As GMs always say, they are always trying to improve the team in any way they can.

[clout]

Jack: Are you suggesting that mvptommy might be wrong is saying that Mayberry is a better prospect than Taylor?

[MG]

As much as JRoll as struggled offensively (and had a bit off a failoff defensively too) he still is much better than any option the Phils have on the bench on or in the minor leagues. Donald is a clear defensive downgrade over JRoll and he has been terrible this year at AAA offensively. There isn't anybody else at AA/AAA either worth calling up.

Only real issue with JRoll is whether Cholly continues to insist on him batting leadoff or hitting him at No. 6 spot. Either way, JRoll should be out on the field everyday for sheer lack of a better offensive or defensive replacement.

Plus, JRoll has always been a 2nd half player. I bet that he actually does respond the benching and puts up some better numbers from here on out.

Still not going to finish the year north of .250 at this point but I bet he hits enough (say .260 or so the rest of the way) that people will begin to really focus on what the problem is on this team - pitching. They need at least one more veteran starter, have huge questions about Lidge still, and have a pretty shaky middle relief corp this year.

[clout]

Mac: "Still, it's hard to believe that any player would block a trade to the defending World Champions for the privilege of pitching for Kansas City."

If you were talking about a fan, as opposed to a pro athlete, you'd be right.

[Jack]

Clout: I think there's not a single person in the world, besides maybe John Mayberry's family and some confused Albanian children, who would agree with MVP Tommy's assesment that Mayberry is a better prospect than Taylor.

[clout]

MG: Rollins is "Still not going to finish the year north of .250"

Really? You can say that for sure?

[baxter]

The real distinction is the "he needs to play everyday" mentality vs "break him in on the bench". The Mets look to their prospects to provide depth.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Chris Wheeler's electric hairpiece - I love that description. I don't listen to the guy much so he's irrelevant to me. But, I used to have trouble deciding whether I hated him or Andy Musser more and, usually, it was the guy with the rug.

Pitching, pitching, pitching. that's it. And, NEPP (regarding comments some time back), trading Rollins is a non-starter. Who would take him and give you back some frontline MLB talent? That's serious gambling and, if the team that owns his contract is looking ot deal him, that's the surest way to ward off hte market. Someone would have to come ot PHilly with a deal before that has any possible life. And, who the hell plays SS? Do we snag Jack Wilson off Pittsburgh? He's practically free to a good home - just pay his contract. I can't see him being resigned.

[CJ]

baxter: How many top prospects did the Phillies really block? I'll give you Ryan Howard, but he happened to be blocked by a future Hall of Famer who was signed as the face of the franchise before it was clear Howard would be who he is today. Then we dealt Thome for pennies on the dollar while also paying his salary so that we could keep Howard at first.

Utley got a pretty good look in 2003 with the big club in 2003 starting in August. 2003 was really his break out year in the minors. He came back up in 2004 and stayed for good.

[slappy]

for what it's worth, ESPN lists Carrasco as Thursday's starter on their Phillies schedule:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/teams/schedule?team=phi

[bay_area_phan]

I threw this prediction out there a few weeks ago, but I'll repeat it. When the season ends, Rollins' batting average will be higher than Pedro Feliz's.

I'd guess Rollins ends up around .265 or .270, and Feliz right around his .254 career average.

[Reverend]

BAP if you want to make that prediction into a bet i will gladly take it.

[clout]

Jimmy Rollins BABIP for June is .157. Anyone think this won't go up?

[hiki]

Rollin's final average should be a board pool or something. Everyone send in their prediction to JW and whoever wins get next year's bragging rights to make the most outrageous claims and never have them questioned.

[CJ]

Pirates-Nats trade:

Pirates get Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan

Nats get Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett

[Alex]

Like that trade for the Pirates. Sell high on Morgan, buy low on Milledge.

[clout]

CJ: Morgan has more speed and is better defensively than Milledge, but I'd say the Bucs got the better end of that deal.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Milledge is a good buy low.

[MG]

clout - "Really? You can say that for sure?"

It is a pretty safe bet. If JRoll finishes with 650 ABs (he is at 299) now, he needs to hit at a .289 the rest of way starting tonight to just finish at season at .251.

So no, I don't think JRoll will finish the season higher than .250. The real issue is that he starting hitting enough so that he isn't a near automatic out and ups his % BB to help out meagre OBP.

I do think he can do both of those things yet this season.

[CJ]

Jimmy Rollins has finished a full season with a batting average below .263 just once in his 8 full major league seasons.

He has 89 games remaining and let's say he plays 85 of them averaging about 4.25 at bats per game (roughly his career average). That gives him 362 at bats for the rest of the season and a total of 661 for the season.

To bat .275, he'll need 182 hits, or 119 more, for a batting average of .329 the rest of the way.

To bat .265, he'll need 176 hits, or 113 more, for a batting average of .312 the rest of the way.

To bat .255, he'll need 169 hits, or 106 more, for a batting average of .293 the rest of the way.

to bat .245, he'll need 162 hits, or 99 more, for a batting average of .273 the rest of the way.

These numbers are rough and represent a significant number of assumptions. So take it for what it's worth.

[MG]

Frankly I could really care less if JRoll finishes north of .250 or north really. Water under the bridge. The Phils just need a guy who hits at least .260-.270 and enough walks to get on base so that is in a position to steal some more bags (only 10 so far) and get knocked in more.

[Jack]

Milledge has also now been "sold low" by two different teams. Maybe there's something more there?

[bay_area_phan]

hiki: I think that's a great idea. In fact, I'll go on record right now with, not only my Rollins prediction, but also with my outrageous claim for next year that no one will be allowed to question after I win the Rollins pool:

Rollins' Final 2009 Batting Average: .268

Outrageous Claim for 2010: Eric Bruntlett signs with the Rockies and wins the National League batting crown.

[CJ]

If Rollins finishes the season at about .245, that means he will have had a fairly solid second half right around his career average. I'd be satisfied with that.

[PhilsGal]

What would Rollins have to hit over the remainder of the season to end up at .268?

[CJ]

PhilsGal: Between .315 and .320 the rest of the way.

[MG]

Milledge and Hanrahan for Burnett and Morgan? Definitely a dink deal. Basically, the Pirates are taking on two secondary guys who have underachieved to some degree for what amounts to a 4th OF at best and a backend bullpen guy.

I still don't understand what the Pirates are doing. They made a bunch of deals last year at the trading deadline that netted them largely a bunch of second-tier prospects and then this year they are supposedly looking at moving younger guys like Maholm or Capps potentially which makes no sense as did the McLouth trade didn't.

[MG]

Speaking of awesome:

Saw the highlights last night of the Lincecum start vs. Cards on MLB Network and man he was impressive. 3 of his 4 games have been complete games and 2 of them have been shutouts.

If you take out his first two starts of the season where he was clearly still hurt a bit and finding his way back from an injury that cost him most of spring training:

14 GS
7-1
105 2/3 IP
1.96 ERA
.208 BAA
.528 OPS
10.4 K/9
1.9 BB/9
0.25 HR/9

Plus he has an awesome mullet. Clearly the best pitcher in baseball right now and a guy I would love to see pitch.

[EastFallowfield]

Howard Johnson played for the Tigers for parts of three seasons before he came to the Mets...

As for those other Mets who came up early...a lot of disappointing careers, a few current guys who aren't doing what the hype would have you expecting. Maybe it's smarter to let guys mature before being called up.

[EastFallowfield]

Yo, new thread