Aumont becomes first Cliff Lee Kid to arrive in Show

Right-hander Phillippe Aumont, who was part of the 2009 Cliff Lee bounty, will replace reliever Jeremy Horst, who was placed on paternity leave.

Beerleaguer: Aumont got knocked around in his last appearance. He walked one, hit one and gave up three hits and four runs, which skews his numbers a bit. That's fairly typical of Aumont it seems; a handful of meltdown innings peppered among unhittable ones. Opponents are hitting just .209 against him on the year with 59 strikeouts in 44 1-3 innings. Walks and wildness continue to be an issue, with 34 free passes allowed.

Aumont, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2007 draft, rates as the fifth-best prospect in the chain by Baseball America and seventh best by MLB.com's standards. Baseball America calls his fastball-curveball offering the best two-pitch combination in the Phillies' system, a fastball that can hit 98 mph and a late-breaking curveball. At 6-7, he's an intimidating presence with a closer's mentality. His command, rooted in an unorthodox delivery, will always be his Achilles heel.

He's a prospect for sure, at at 23, it's time to see what he's got for next season. It's possible we see all three Cliff Lee kids - Aumont, Tyson Gillies and J.C. Ramirez - when rosters expand next month.

Comments

[jbird]

This makes it all worth it. /s

[Iceman]

For some reason, this is really exciting to me. We've already seen everyone else try and fail. Why not give an actual prospect a shot?

Also irrationally exciting to me: catching the Mets for third place. Ugh.

[king myno]

Phillippe "Boom Boom" Aumont!

[J. Weitzel]

Aumont can bring the cheese. The Phils' bullpen needs that. Can he command it? It's going to be a struggle for sure. Totally different talent level in the Show. Big league hitters generally won't offer at crap.

[RK]

As nicely as Howard seems to be doing of late if and when he cools off can we get to see that "organizational filler" Ruf too, just to show how bad he is. Wasn't Kratz an organization filler?

[Little Ollie]

Maybe we'll get to see Aumont coming in to relieve Lee tonight! Something the baseball gods must be orchestrating.

[Edmundo]

Aumont relieving Lee to pitch to Brandon Phillips, to go one step farther.

[RK]

That's very funny Ollie and you may be right there.

[MG]

Comps - Canadian Ricky Vaughn or Poor Man's Wayne Gomes.

I'm going with Poor Man's Wayne Gomes.

[MG]

Surprised that Aumont got called up before De Fratus too. Either way, the Phils desperately need one of these two guys to come through in order to have a shot at having a half-decent bullpen next year.

[lorecore]

Edmundo - ha that would be pretty sweet.

Good for Aumont, am excited to see his stuff.

To get ahead of clout before his schtick arrives, no one is saying Velocity is everything, blah blah blah. And remember that it was clout who praised JC Ramirez as the prospect most likely to make a big league impact from the Lee3.

[Bill]

On a related note, I'm upset my perverse desire to see Horst pitch to Valdez (GIDP) will go unfulfilled...

[Not Cliff Lee]

"Also irrationally exciting to me: catching the Mets for third place."

Hey, I'm always up to seeing the Mets dissed...

[MG]

Does this mean that Aumont is likely to stay on the roster until Sept 1st callups or is this only a temporary move?

[Joe D]

He better stay on the roster from now until 9/1. It's sink or swim time for him too.

[Stocky VAnce]

I hope he's more consistent then this past weekend.. He was lights out on Saturday, and uncontrollable on Sunday.. wish him well.. He is a lot like Diekman that way, great capability , potential but his share of wildness.

Imagine if these 2 youngsters get their control issues resolved, they along with Pap will be some backbone in a future Phila BP!

[Jr.]

He can stay when JH returns if MIni goes.

[Stocky VAnce]

Love to see Gillies come up and be successful in Sept playing CF...

Guess only time will tell.. IMagine 2/3 home grown OF Brown and Gillies in the future..

[Bedrosian's Beard]

I hope you can imagine Mickey Mantle or Hank Aaron as the 3rd OFer.

[stocky vance]

BB - Would be nice, : )

Imagination is a great thing.. Reality is the kicker

[Mini Mart]

"He can stay when JH returns if MIni goes."

Whoa, what??? I just jacked one the other night! Cholly kept playing me even when my BA was like .042 or whatever, so why would he pull me now that I've found my power stroke???

[Mike G]

Horst went on paternity leave, MG. That's only 3 days, so another move would have to be made.

[Willard Preacher]

Doesn't this move start his proverbial clock? If so, I'd be surprised if it's just for the duration of the Horst leave (which is only, what, like a week?). I'm thinking here's here for the rest of the season, and DeFratus will be a Sept call-up, no doubt.

Also, I suppose there no real point in making the obvious comment about how he should fit right in, based on this JW quip alone: "That's fairly typical of Aumont it seems; a handful of meltdown innings peppered among unhittable ones."

[Willard Preacher]

I know that this is "see what you got" time, but I do have to say that watching entertaining baseball is a nice change of pace, albeit at the probably expense of a draft pick during the FA period.

Dom is doing just fine (meeting my expectations, anyway), and Howard seems to be coming around a bit which is definitely encouraging (admittedly, I've been naively in the "shut him down" camp). Still not thrilled by the bullpen but moves like this, coupled with a DeFratus call up could provide some glimmer of hope from within (otherwise, it's all hinging on Rube in FA market - yikes). All in all, as much as I'd love another tool shed draft pick, I'm good with watching good baseball right now.

[Joe D]

I'm with WP. I was also in the shut Howard down camp. I'm still currently residing in the shut Worley down camp too. But yes this form of baseball lately has been much more palatable.

[Dickie Thong]

I'll bet he rides the pine for 3 days and gets sent back down.

[donc]

Saw Aumont once last year at a Pigs game. Came in and threw a blistering fastball everywhere but over the plate. Then he went almost exclusively to a very nasty breaking ball that he, inexplicably, did have command of. It was a weird outing but one that left me encouraged at his natural stuff, but he's no babe in the woods. He's been around a while and pitched a lot. Expecting him to develop command at this point may be setting ourselves up for disappointment. If he can improve his command a bit he could be a useful piece. If he can improve it a lot, he could be terrific.
BTW, saw Rube on DNL last night. Flat out admitted that he, and he alone, screwed up the bullpen. Not breaking news to be sure, but I was surprised he was that candid.

[Iceman]

"BTW, saw Rube on DNL last night. Flat out admitted that he, and he alone, screwed up the bullpen. Not breaking news to be sure, but I was surprised he was that candid."

This is impossible. Everyone knows he's a smug POS that is too stubborn to ever admit mistakes. Stanford sucks, etc.

He's right, though.

[Sil Campusano]

Those in the know, please entertain someone less familiar with how the MLB draft works. Was Papelbon not a "Type A" free agent? Meaning, would not any possible draft pick we might earn by sucking this year belong to Boston? Or am I not understanding how the whole Type A free agent thing works?

[The Truth Injection]

Aumont clearly has the stuff to be an effective reliever. His problem, and the problem for many young arms, is can he control that stuff. If he can then he is a solid back end of the bullpen guy based off his ability to miss bats. If not, it could be a long trial.

I can concur with donc on one thing. Every time I saw Aumont in the minors- he seemed to have control of his breaking stuff far moreso than his fastball. I wonder if they will tweak his mechanics or have him look to drop some velocity in exchange for control until he gets that fixed.

[stocky vance]

i believed they 'paid' for the Pap signing by losing their 1st round this yrs June 2012 draft..

That happened because raj ran out and signed Pap right before the new CBA was signed. The new altered the rules and compensation teams got when they lost a player in FA.

I think the Phillies wouldn't have lost their 1st rounder in the June 12 draft if RAJ waited after the new CBA was signed.

Feel free to correct me -- if I have my facts wrong here

[Dickie Thong]

Sil: The Phils already lost their 1st round pick (#31 overall) for the June 2012 draft to the Red Sox due to signing Papelbon (who was a Type A free agent).

[stocky vance]

CORRECTED AND REPOSTED

i believed they 'paid' for the Pap signing by losing their 1st round this yrs June 2012 draft..

That happened because raj ran out and signed Pap right before the new CBA was signed. The new [CBA] altered the rules and compensation teams got when they lost a player in FA.

I think the Phillies wouldn't have lost their 1st rounder in the June 12 draft if RAJ waited after the new CBA was signed.

Feel free to correct me -- if I have my facts wrong here

Posted by: stocky vance | Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 01:00 PM

[donc]

The other thing I remember that impressed me about Aumont was how easy his motion was. He was rushing the fastball up there pretty good without too much effort. It looked to me like he could throw even harder if he wanted too. I suppose that maximum effort would further diminish his ability to throw strikes but maybe Doobs can wave his magic wand and do something about that. Yeah right.

[DPatrone]

"BTW, saw Rube on DNL last night. Flat out admitted that he, and he alone, screwed up the bullpen. Not breaking news to be sure, but I was surprised he was that candid."

This is impossible. Everyone knows he's a smug POS that is too stubborn to ever admit mistakes. Stanford sucks, etc.

He's right, though.

We all know also that that's not all he screwed up. The good news he can fix things in the off-season. Also we're finally starting to see some good things from Brown and Mayberry. Kratz too, who is definitely an offensive upgrade over Schneider.

[Iceman]

I'm with WP on enjoying the winning. I've been admonished in the past week or so for enjoying it because apparently we should all hope they lose enough to get a protected pick, but I just don't care at this point. I care that they play better. If they finish .500, that will be a pretty nice comeback from where they were at the AS Break and pretty telling that we can expect better things next year with a FA signing or two.

Watching them tee off on the best team in the NL last night was nice. Watching them take 3 of 4 would be even nicer. (I do like the Reds though, and want them to win the NL)

[Unikruk]

Hasn't it been argued that a team's second-half results correlate strongly with the next year's results? I.e., if they're playing the kids, we should want them to win?

[Iceman]

Unikruk- actually, when I used that argument, it was pretty much struck down unilaterally. What we see now has nothing to do with next year.

[donc]

I REALLY don't see the point of tanking for a better draft pick in baseball. I can kind of see it in other sports though I hate to see it. The stud we get next summer may or may not help us in 3 to 5 years. In fact has a 1 in 5 or less chance of helping us down the road. That's not enough of a payoff to watch boring/hideous baseball for a month all the while forgoing a chance to develop and evaluate the youngins.

[donc]

I also look forward to the opportunity to play spoiler. Beating up on the Braves and Gonats would be sweet. I just want to make sure the loser of those two doesn't get a WC spot. I love how hateful our division is.

[MG]

dickie - That's that pretty safe bet with Cholly. He HATES using rookie relievers.

[lorecore]

re: Sept callups/giving young guys a chance

I understand we're all looking of the next good player, but i do not like how people think that Ruf, Gillies, or some others are going to come up in September and play well enough to be given jobs out of 2013 ST.

Ruf is in his first year of AA ever, and Gillies has a total of 80 Games played in AA. Let them play in the minors and develop, theres no reason to clamor for these guys to audition in the show already. Sure let them play in Sept, and hope they do well - but these aren't phenoms who are going to just fly past a half year at AA and become MLB'ers.

[lorecore]

Joe D: "Its sink or swim time for (Aumont)."

Please explain how a 23 year old with 60 IP in AAA making his MLB debut has reached "sink or swim" status.

[R.Billingsly]

I'm excited to see what Aumont has (assuming he gets into a game in the next three). I haven't seen him pitch, so it'll be nice to see what he's got.

[bay_area_phan]

If a reliever has great stuff, he can get by walking 4 to 4.5 batters per 9 innings (i.e., Brad Lidge, Joel Hanrahan, Tyler Clippard). But a walk rate of 4.5 seems to be a threshold for non-LOOGYs. Aumont's walk rate this year is 6.9 and his career walk rate is 5.0. Even with great stuff, he will have to considerably improve his command to be a viable major league reliever -- let alone a good one. It's the exact same issue for Jake Diekman. The threshold for LOOGYs is a bit more liberal but, even under those more liberal standards, he's far too wild to trust in anything except a blowout situation.

[Willard Preacher]

Speaking of Diekman, wouldn't he have been the call-up if it was only for a three day paternity leave replacement? He's already been at the MLB level.

Not sure how the whole "clock" dynamic works, particularly this late in the season, but doesn't starting Aumont's clock, rather than calling up someone with big league experience already, suggest that he'll stick around longer than just a few days?

[Willard Preacher]

Frandsen at 3B, Pierre in LF. All else the same tonight.

I guess Polly's not quite ready to play two in a row?

[Cyclic]

I've really enjoyed watching Juan Pierre this year.

[bay_area_phan]

WP: My recollection is that, if you call a guy up after a particular date, it doesn't start his clock. I don't remember what the date is, and I believe it may actually vary from year to year. But I remember that this subject was discussed on Beerleaguer a couple years ago with regard to both Dom & Jason Heyward. And I vaguely recall that the operative date usually falls somewhere around June or July.

[Edmundo]

Joe D: "Its sink or swim time for (Aumont)."

Please explain how a 23 year old with 60 IP in AAA making his MLB debut has reached "sink or swim" status.

Joe D thinks Aumont is a witch?

[Mick O]

Charlie Manuel said before Polly's start yesterday that Frandsen would be getting today's start. It's not a matter of him not being able to go, it's just the plan to ease him back in.

[Edmundo]

Cyclic, agree. Maybe he has some Victorino in his routes and is mildly over-aggressive on the base paths, but he has been a joy. I was a member of the cacophony violently opposed to his signing. I hearby accept my dose of humble pie.

[NEPP]

Does Phillippe Aumont weigh the same as a duck?

[Not Cliff Lee]

"Does Phillippe Aumont weigh the same as a duck?"

That explains why some BLers think he is not all he is quacked up to be.

[lorecore]

Pierre's 31 of 36 SB numbers are the most amazing thing to me, he's been notoriously over aggressive on the bases, but now all of a sudden as he becomes "past his prime" he's only been thrown out 5 times? Unreal.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Feels like all 5 of those were in the first 2 weeks of the season.

[Willard Preacher]

Pence bobblehead night tonight!

[R.Billingsly]

Pierre has been a big surprise for me, too. I can't believe he had anything left in the tank, let alone the ability to steal 30+ bases this year in limited playing time. He has been one of the bright spots of the season.

[Chris in VT]

I think "starting the clock" is only really a concern for legitimate prospects who expect to have a long, productive career and make a lot of money in their arbitration years.

In other words, I doubt it was much of a concern for the Phils with regards to Aumont.

[bullit]

WMATA-tude. extra inning Nats game leaves fans without a ride home.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/post/baseball-fans-stranded-after-nats-game-runs-late-and-metro-closes/2012/08/21/949229a0-ebb3-11e1-a80b-9f898562d010_blog.html

[Bedrosian's Beard]

great part of town too.

[Willard Preacher]

"I think "starting the clock" is only really a concern for legitimate prospects who expect to have a long, productive career and make a lot of money in their arbitration years.

In other words, I doubt it was much of a concern for the Phils with regards to Aumont."

Oh, good?

[R.Billingsly]

I really hope that the Phils think Aumont is a legitimate prospect who they expect to have a long, productive career. Otherwise, what's the point in bringing him up? It's not like they don't have other arms to use in the 'pen.

I think you're off-base there, Chris in VT.

[Steve]

Phillippe Aumont turned Joe D into a newt

[clout]

Phillippe Aumont recalled?

Sacre bleu!

[clout]

MG: Good point. I wonder what the logic is behind recalling Aumont ahead of DeFratus. Injury concern?

[EastFallowfield]

Oy, new thread

[abercrombie france]

Pour ne pas être à l'intérieur du comprendre le plus souvent, je suis enclin à n'aimez pas les messages concernant ce sujet progressivement supplémentaires considérez que vous êtes à l'écrire à la mode outre vos moyens personnels, nous avons obtenu de dire, c'est vraiment, vraiment une belle publier de ceux à retenir.