Phils prospect Gilles charged with drug possession

From CSNPhilly.com - Phillies minor league prospect Tyson Gillies was arrested Friday morning in Pinellas County, Fla. and charged with drug possession. According to the St. Petersburg Times, Gillies was charged with a felony for cocaine possession. The Phillies released a statement Friday afternoon confirming the arrest and asserting that it resulted from an incident that “was alleged to have occurred in June.” The team had no further comment. Acquired from the Mariners last offseason in the Cliff Lee deal, Gillies, a 21-year-old outfielder, is hitting .238 this season for Double-A Reading but has missed the last two months with a hamstring injury. He played in two games last week in Clearwater, Fla. for the Gulf Coast League Phillies. Site note: Typepad is experiencing some technical difficulties today, so light posting.

Comments

[Dan in Philly]

Guess we now know why he would sprint to first after a walk...

[NEPP]

Done in one.

[ZT]

Cliff Lee

[Lead Pencil]

An incident that occurred in June, but he was arrested two months later?

[MG]

- Not going to take pot shots at Gillies although he almost certainly destoryed his career.

- Phils have known about this for a while but no reason to comment.

- What I do wonder is if this was a problem that Gillies had before he game to Florida where coke is likely more readily available.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

-Has he tested/failed a drug test?

-How was this under the radar for so long?

-Anything to do with Phils minor leaguer Kevin Angelle's abrupt dismissal a little white back. Apparently, he was a bad dude.

[Bay Slugga]

If you go to Baseball Reference, it compares Gilles to Darryl Strawberry.

Zing.

[ftljohn]

Looks like 28 grams is considered trafficking and a 1st degree felony. 2nd degree is sale. 3rd degree, I would assume, would fall under 28 grams.

That's alotta blow.

[NEPP]

That strawberry comp is pretty funny.

[king myno]

First one to bring up how we could have had Michael Saunders instead wins a signed 8x10 glossy of clout.

[curt]

"What I do wonder is if this was a problem that Gillies had before he game to Florida where coke is likely more readily available."

Um, yeah, it's probably Florida's fault. Seattle wisely kept him stashed in drug-free High Desert, California, near the Mexican border.

[GTown_Dave]

I guess he didn't hear coke was illegal.

Seriously, though: Excellent trade, r00b. I'm sure having served hard time will make Tyson even more intimidating to opposing pitchers. In 2025.

[Sophist]

In better prospect news, hittracker.com says the Brown HR went 441 ft. 2nd longest at CBP this year behind Thome's.

Also say Rollins' HR would have been out in 19 MLB parks.

http://www.hittrackeronline.com/detail.php?id=2010_3406&type=ballpark&sortm=true_dist&sort=desc

[MG]

So it was a third-class felony? Personally, think that is a failed and misguided policy to give users felony chargers for drug possession but that's just me.

[bay_area_phan]

It's highly unusual that he'd be arrested on a simple drug possession charge two months after the fact. If the police find you with dope, they would normally arrest you immediately. The only time they might not is if they're conducting some sort of ongoing multi-suspect sting. In that case, they might delay the arrest until they've figured out who all the relevant players are.

There are clearly some details about this story that we don't yet know.

[dlhunter]

BAP-

But the Phils apparently knew about this for a couple months (as, I assume, Gillies did). I have trouble believing the Po-Rock say "kid, hang around and we'll get back to you in a bit."

[dlhunter]

In fact, the smart thing the Phillies could've done would have been to send Gillies to rehab in France as soon as they heard about this, to wait out the statue of limitations.

[CJ]

A third-class felony is just the kind of charge that gets busted down to a misdemeanor once all of the legal maneuvering is over, particularly if this is a first offense.

[Alex]

Just because the incident occurred in June doesn't mean the Phils and/or Gillies knew anything about in June.

[bay_area_phan]

dlhunter: Maybe, maybe not. It really depends on how the June scearnio went down.

[Alex]

knew anything about "it" in June.

[dlhunter]

BAP & Alex- Fair enough.

[Bubba]

There's more than one way to have a prospect turn out to be a bad idea as compensation in a trade.
Restock the farm , Rube....nice work.

[Rex]

Oh this should be a "fun" few days of posting. Sigh.

[dlhunter]

Tasteless and hilarious:

[Bay Slugga]

Here is something interesting to consider - has Gilles failed any drug tests? If he hasn't, it is possible he just had poor judgment by associating himself with someone who is using.

We don't know all the details of the case yet, and it could turn out it was the people around him who got Gilles caught up in this. Either way you have to be disappointed in his judgment, but I wouldn't go as far to say his career is finished.

Just think, Josh Hamilton!

[Alex]

Josh Hamilton was also a #1 pick and thus given every chance in the world.

[CJ]

It's possible that Gillies was flipping other people... maybe that's why the announcement of the arrest was delayed.

[FO]

Gives new meaning to the words "rehab assignment". Phils covered up for as long as they could so "the trade" wouldn't look even worse. I knew something was wrong-- what player stays out all season with a hamstring strain. Even world class sprinters are back from that in a month!

[Bay Slugga]

FO: Jose Reyes

[Mike]

This is the only reason Josh Hamilton and Tyson Gilles names will ever be used in the same sentence.

[RJK]

great trade.

[Ted]

Only Beerleaguer posters would want stats like the amount of ounces he had and the statistical average of jail terms for these offenses. The Mariners sure sold us some lemons.

[Ted]

Yeah, if Jose Reyes can milk an injury for a year that justifies it. I would never suspect him of being on anything either...

[Bay Slugga]

When the Mariners give you lemons, do cocaine!

[Jbird]

The trade that just keeps giving...

[NEPP]

CJ makes an excellent point abpout it being plea bargained down...it almost certainly will be...even with his immigration staus....USCIS will be watching him now though...they're quite stingy about this type of stuff.

[Old Phan]

The Phils didn't announce it because they were hoping the whole thing would blow over. (Sorry)

Of course, it's impossible that he may be innocent, right?

MG, I'm with you re: drug policy. It's insane.

[Jbird]

So if Tad Iguchi was the make good for Freddie Garcia, was Sweeny the make good for Aumont, Gillies, and Ramirez? I don't think it's enough. Maybe throw in a LOOGY and we'll call it even.. . . well, even-ish

[R.Billingsly]

Derrick Lee's first AB as a Brave, back in Wrigley. Is anyone watching? How is the reception?

[curt]

Whoever convinced Rube that he needed to trade for Gilles is probably wondering why his new office has no windows and no phones.

[?]

I've heard of a number of minor leaguers that have been arrested for drugs without a failed drug test. Do they even test for things like coke, or is it all PED's now?

[Joe Cowley]

Was he caught with the same junk that Phillies management was using when they traded Lee in the first place?

[Jbird]

They test for recreational drugs I believe. There's a Brewers prospect who keeps getting suspended for smoking pot and failing drug tests.

[Phil Smiles]

Plead ignorance, Tyson. George Costanza: "Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? I tell you, I gotta plead ignorence on this thing, because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing is frowned upon... you know, cause I've worked in a lot of offices, and I tell you, people do that all the time."

[bay_area_phan]

There might not be any misdemeanor offense to which it can be reduced; there isn't in California. But the words "felony" and "misdemeanor" are just nomenclature. Either way, I doubt he'll serve any jail time on a first-time offense. On the other hand, he could possibly have immigration issues, even if it's a misdemeanor. He could also get a 50-game suspension to start next season.

It goes without saying, of course, that these charges might prove baseless.

[Bay Slugga]

It's always snowing in Philadelphia

[Phil Smiles]

I suppose the R-Phils are going to pull the ad that features young Tyson.

[Joe Cowley]

They may also pull the Tyson garden gnome Christmas Elf Bobble Head promotion.....

[Kutztown fan]

Was anyone on BL even thinking that Gilles would amount to anything? As a baseball player, that is.

[NEPP]

Bap it matters to =mmigration whethter or not its ga felony...trust me, its where I happen to work.

[phillyinnyc]

maybe we can get part of cliff lee back ( like his left arm)

[Joe Cowley]

Several fans have offered their right ***, so I've heard....

[Bruce Ruffin]

Phan -- AhCHOOO! (sorry; once again, too punny!). BTW, I've never subscribed to "Insider". Anything calling itself "Insider" can't be.

I will read Stark for free on ESPN.com. Regardless, I get most of my baseball stuff from this site and the subject references which clearly, I'm still learning.

[bay_area_phan]

NEPP: It does but, if it's a crime of moral turpitude (which drug possession is considered to be), I believe Homeland Security takes a dim view. In theory, I think they can also deport you merely for being a drug user, even if you've never actually been convicted of anything. In practice, I don't know if they'd actually do that for someone who hasn't been convicted.

[NEPP]

They won't deport him unless he's convicted. Honesty it will be borderline with any drug charge conviction. A really dumb move by Gillies.

[CJ]

If anyone's following... Braves-Cubs tied at 1 after an Infante home run.

[bay_area_phan]

Omar Infante with a game-tying homerun. The guy is hitting .347. Now that he's playing everyday, he may get enough ABs to sneak up and make the NL batting race a moot point.

[Sophist]

Wind blowing out at Wrigley. Could be an interesting game.

[aksmith]

Gotta wonder if this charge was only finalized because he wouldn't flip on someone else. The cops will often hold charges in abeyance while sorting out who is going to roll on whom. Sometimes just being in the room with others who are using is enough to get you charged in hopes you will be the one to talk. I hope it's a situation like that because even a mediocre attorney can often get that kind of thing tossed.

And, yes Kutztown, I was thinking Gillies may have amounted to something as a ballplayer. Still might.

[GTown_Dave]

"Was anyone on BL even thinking that Gillies would amount to anything? As a baseball player, that is."

I can't speak for everyone, but I do not believe any of the Single-A Three will ever Aumont to anything.

[phanatic's brother]

So Gilles time on the DL was the pause that refreshes.

[Sophist]

BAP - think he'll need 4-5 PA every game from here on out to do it. Or what they can do is make him 0 for the difference. He'd of course need to keep up that BA for 200-300 more PA as well. His BAbip is a bit inflated to say the least.

[Joe Cowley]

It explains the hyperextended nostril he suffered a few weeks back.....

[Bedrosian's Beard]

"I can't speak for everyone..."
Thankfully.

[aksmith]

If you look back, you will find that Richard Nixon created the war on drugs to pander to his lagging base on the Christian Right (Moral Majority.) This is simply a side effect of his actions. Richard Nixon, moral majority. I have to go look up irony in the dictionary now.

[R.Billingsly]

Aramis Ramirez HR. Tied at 2.

[bay_area_phan]

Sophist: He needs 184 more PAs over the last 41 games to get to 502. So he would have to average 4.49 PAs per game for the rest of the year. I don't expect him to make it but, if he plays every day, he'll come close enough that they could make him zero for the difference & he might still win (I recall Andres Galarraga won a batting title that way).

Of course, I don't expect Omar Infante to hit .347 for the rest of the year. But he's a good hitter. It wouldn't shock me if he hit .310 the rest of the way, which might be good enough to win if none of the other contenders gets hot.

[Bay Slugga]

Gilles won't even sniff the majors now.

[Slocs]

details are here. he was wondering around shirtless, drunk on a highway in june. a cop gave him a courtesy ride to his hotel. when gilles got out, a bag of coke on the floor. the tests came back yesterday. http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20100820_Phils_prospect_Gillies_arrested_for__cocaine_possession.html

[Old Phan]

" I have to go look up irony in the dictionary now."

It will say, "See Also Nixon, Richard"

[Kutztown fan]

Okay, I have opposing views from GTown Dave and aksmith. Anyone else? I don't remember reading much on BL about Gilles, but that may be because he was injured.

[GTown_Dave]

Details emerge: Phils’ Prospect Gillies Arrested For Cocaine Possession

Sounds like a sharp kid.

And while Nixon was the first sitting U.S. president to use the term "War On Drugs", both the characterization & policies stretch back to the (Franklin) Roosevelt administration, & before.

Roosevelt Asks Narcotic War Aid

[Slocs]

Kutztown - Beerleaguer has been HIGH on Gilles all freaking night

[aksmith]

Some of the policies date back to the turn of the last century and anti-Black and anti-Chinese bigotry. But the "War On Drugs"TM was all Nixon. A cynical stunt from the man who also gave us HMOs. There are so many reasons Nixon should be in hell, including his "secret plan" to end the war, which never existed. It's too bad I don't believe in hell.

Sounds pretty bad for Gillies. I hope he can straighten his life out. His baseball career? In the hands of Bud Selig, probably a Nixon acolyte.

[Old Phan]

Thank Harry Anslinger as well for his anti marijuana campaign.

[Bay Slugga]

Slocs: Good one.

[Kutztown fan]

Rim shot for Slocs.

[HammRadio]

I'm wondering if Gillies has a good lawyer? since the drugs weren't found on his person or in his vehicle. Unless he admitted to the officer it was his bag. While his guilt is probable here, there seems to be a ton of questions here. Who else has that officer transported? What is the chain of custody of the vehicle?

Still, it's suprising that the officer gave the kid a ride home, given the obvious public drunkeness he was showing? You would have thought he would have at least cited him for that? Perhaps there was sympathy because he was deaf or the fact that he was a baseball player.

More likely the officer was someone who really hates Ruben Amaro. Perhaps Heather's spouse? :)

[phanatic's brother]

Elevator goin UP !

[Bedrosian's Beard]

He took a courtesy ride from the police, and still didn't have the good sense to be careful with the bag of illegal drugs in his pocket.

[brother]

There was apparently another suspect that was wandering in the streets with Gillies--a wet, naked white man carrying a six pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon. The police have been unable to locate him.

[timr]

How is one bust on coke posession going to destroy his chance at a majhor league career. In the 80s plenty of players were getting busted for coke and if I recall correctly most of them got at least a second chance.

[Bay Slugga]

Derek Lee is getting a standing ovation btw

[GTown_Dave]

timr: Yeah, but weren't most of those guys good?

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Maybe it was stuck to his shoe when he got in the patrol car. That story is bizarre but, people do pretty stupid things when they're loaded. What did he fish around in his pockets for a fin to tip the cabby?

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Tim Raines had the good sense to slide in to 2nd head first, thus protecting his stash in his back pocket.

[aksmith]

Jurrjens - Five innings. 53 pitches.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Cocaine in teh 80s - that Phillies clubhouse guy had the bad sense to think he could deal dope to visiting players and that they wouldn't drop dime on him when things got hot.

[Sophist]

BAP - Infante is a career .274 hitter. It wouldn't surprise me either but I wouldn't say he's an especially good hitter.

[Sophist]

Although to be more fair to Infante, he's been a .300 hitter since comic o Atlanta.

[CJ]

Marlon Byrd with a 1-out triple. How big has he been this year?

[CJ]

Yes! A-Ram knocks in Byrd with a double. Cubs lead 3-2.

[bay_area_phan]

All I know is that, if I were ever to find myself sitting in the back of a police car with a baggie of cocaine in my pocket, I'm thinking that the single most important priority in my life at that time would be to make sure the baggie doesn't fall out onto the floor of the police car. What a moron. If he's that careless when his personal liberty is at stake, imagine how careless he must be when he's running the bases.

[bay_area_phan]

Sophist: That career figure includes some very bad seasons early in his career. He has been a .290-.300 hitter in each of the last two seasons.

[GTown_Dave]

Matt Gelb (via Twitter): "Rollins 6, Polanco 5, Utley 4, Werth 9, Ibañez 7, Victorino 8, Sweeney 3, Ruiz 2, Halladay 1"

Oh good. Werth's back at cleanup. Either Charlie is going w/ the "Even a moody, drunken squirrel finds an RBI w/ RISP every once in awhile" theory, or he's determined to prove folksy, MLB managers can be even dumber than a coked up minor leaguer of dubious value.

[Sophist]

Noted, BAP, check my typo-riddled post a bit above.

[bay_area_phan]

Right . . . I saw only your first post, for some reason. You already said what I just said.

[CJ]

GTown Dave: Or he's going really crazy and putting the player with the highest OPS in cleanup. Just plain wacky!!!

[HammRadio]

@bap -- he was probably extremely drunk/high so i doubt being careful was very easy. And if he was that drunk/high still don't know why the cop acted as taxi. Which would make me question whether it was his in the first place.