The Phils made their 2nd non-earth-shattering move of the offseason today, trading once top prospect OF Greg Golson to the Texas Rangers for once top prospect OF John Mayberry Jr.
Golson is a classic example of the Phillies high risk, high reward drafting philosophy. He’s is an incredible athlete who they drafted out of H.S. (2 spots ahead of Phil Hughes) hoping that he would develop his natural skills. Golson was disappointing for the majority of his minor league career (he’s still only 22), but showed some signs of breaking out last year. However, he seems to just not “get” the art of hitting, with 130 strike-outs in 102 games, the same rate as Ryan Howard, last year in double-A. He could still put it all together, but watching his ABs this year at the major league level, I wouldn’t count on it.
Unless you are a Rangers fan, I doubt you’ve heard of the 24-year-old Mayberry before. Here’s what I found on him:
- Appears to have a great deal of talent. He was drafted in the 1st round twice. Once in 2002 by the Mariners, and after not signing and going to Stanford, by the Rangers in 2005.
- Was the Rangers #5 organizational prospect in 2007, but was not in the top-10 in 2008.
- He’s a big kid, listed at 6′ 6”, 230.
- Played pretty well in AAA last year, hitting .263 with 16 HR, 30 2B and 58 RBI. However, his main weakness seems to be walks, as he only had 30 walks in 437 ABs for a sub-par .316 OBP.
- He has the potential to increase his power numbers.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
A good gamble, though at 6!6″ and 230 lbs. I wonder if the outfield is in his future.
Suede….Here’s what the Phils think of him:
“He’s a great athlete, a great kid, with plus power and can be a front-line rightfielder,” Phillies scouting director Marti Wolever said.”
“Power is always at a premium,” Amaro said, “and, frankly, in our system in the upper levels, we have limited amounts of power. It was important to take a chance on this young man.”
Hmmm, a right-handed hitting corner outfielder with power. Sound like anyone we might be losing?
I am a little disappointed about Golston. He looked like a pure athlete and was seemed even quicker than Victorino on the bases. We certainly don’t need another Ryan Howard when it comes to strikeouts though. He gets enough for the whole team.
Read a couple of interesting tidbits this morning:
• Phillies shortstop Jason Donald (.414 AVG, .480 OBP, .759 SLG, 5 HRs in 87 ABs): “Very steady shortstop. Has good at-bats. I don’t know how much power he’ll have down the line, but he’s got some strength. He’s the best infielder in that Phillies system by far.”
I didn’t realize just how good this kid was. All the hoopla around Carrasco and Marson, but this kid may get the call before either of those 2, much more so now with Utleys surgery.
• Despite reports that Pat Burrell turned down $21 million for two years from the Phillies, a source with knowledge of those negotiations says that “never happened.” The two sides did talk contract after the World Series but discussed only “very general parameters,” the source said.
The Phillies indicated they were interested in bringing Burrell back for “as short a term as possible.” But Burrell, obviously, expects there will be more years and dollars out there on the market. So if that’s the case, the Phillies have a tricky decision to make on whether to offer him arbitration.
On one hand, he’s a Type A free agent, so the Phillies would get a premium compensation pick. On the other hand, he made $14 million this year. So if he were to accept arbitration, he’d be in line for a raise after reaching base more times (237) than any NL left fielder except Matt Holliday and thumping more extra-base hits (66) than any NL left fielder except Ryan Braun. Stay tuned.
Never considered the value Burrell has compared to his peers in LF. I guess when you watch a guy for 162 games it tends to cloud your judgement as to whether he is a valuable asset to the team. Maybe we should bring ‘old cement legs back?
For what it’s worth, the Phillies’ coaching staff is now set for 2009.
From phillies.com:
Former Major League manager Pete Mackanin has been named bench coach, replacing Jimy Williams and rounding out manager Charlie Manuel’s coaching staff for the 2009 season.
Mackanin, 57, spent 2008 as a pro scout for the Yankees after replacing Jerry Narron and guiding the Reds for the final three months of the 2007 season as interim manager. The Reds went 41-39 (.513) under Mackanin’s watch, though he was replaced with Dusty Baker.
Mackanin’s hiring moves Sam Perlozzo to the third-base coach position, where he replaces Steve Smith.
Mackanin also served as interim manager for the Pirates after Lloyd McClendon was dismissed with 26 games remaining in 2005. Mackanin has also coached with the Expos and Pirates. As a player, Mackanin appeared in 18 games for the Phillies in 1978-79.
Manuel’s 2009 staff:
Bench coach: Mackanin
Pitching coach: Rich Dubee
Hitting coach: Milt Thompson
First-base coach: Davey Lopes
Third-base coach: Perlozzo
Bullpen coach: Mick Billmeyer
J Dubbz…Donald may prove to be more valuable to us than we thought after all. We might be very glad that we didn’t move him in a trade.
Regarding Burrell, there doesn’t appear to be a long line of suitors banging down his door, does there? I’m guessing the interested teams are sitting back and waiting to see if the Phillies offer him arbitration. I think they should. If he leaves, we get a draft pick. If he accepts arbitration, then we are only committed to him for one more year. I would rather see the Phils pay him more for one year than to be on the hook for let’s say three years at less money per year. Plus, one more year of Burrell will allow us time to see what we’ve got in this Mayberry and if he can be an every day outfielder for us.
bski…I am in complete agreement. With the talent pool out there for a right handed LFer, Burrell seems to be within the top tier (exclding Manny).
jjg...Here’s a very good article from dugoutcentral.com about an ex-Phil we’ve talked about this past summer.
Thanks, bski! Excellent article in tribute of #15. Being reminded specifically of his exploits and trials was a deep adventure. Good to see Richie/Dick Allen get such deserved, staunch and, sadly, rare support for HOF. His tape-measure HRs were awe-inspiring. I’m in Cooperstown, NY the day he’s enshrined (if it ever arrives). A
tremendous, unforgettable player.
Manager Gene Mauch, when asked by a reporter what he was gonna do about a rebellious, missing Richie: “I find him, I fine ‘em and I play him.”
Nice of you to pass the cogent piece along.
jjg.…No problem. I saw the article, remembered our previous conversation, and knew you would appreciate it. I took a lot from it as well. That site, dugoutcentral.com, has a lot of interesting articles and analyses. I try to remember to check it out every few days.
(P.S. In case you were wondering, I steered you down here to this topic because, in order to avoid a breech of etiquette, I did not want to have a baseball discussion under a football topic.)
I really wonder about the Phillies. They take these behemoths, and stick them in the outfield. Sorry folks, we aren’t talking about someone Harmon Killibrew like. They might be as big, they might be as slow. But, Harmon made a big difference with the bat. And it was a slower game then. I would like a new first baseman. As Howard’s demands for salary are almost as large as his strikeouts. I now live in SC. So, I go to Atlanta, or when I am in the neighborhood, LA or Baltimore, to catch my baseball. My brother has season tickets in Philly (Go Judge). Anyway, I catch the phillies live or on MLB. I have aseason ticket. Howard is a disgrace in Atlanta and LA, the fans were he can’t run, field or throw. And rarely hits. They havea point. But, furthermore he has no baseball instincts. Several times he fielded the ball and didn’t know where to throw it. Give me a ballplayer over the best athlete, anyday.
That said if we can hit in ‘09. We could ( do I dare say) repeat. And if a couple of the prospects come through. How about Myers as setup for Lidge. And I would like to see Jason Donald at third. And anyone other than Ruiz as catcher. Or pinch hit for him after the 5th inning.