Restocked System Shows Potential

PHILS PHACTS:

Phillies Master Farmville – The objective of all Major League franchises is to compete for a World Series title. The reality, of course, is that it can't happen for every team every season. When a team isn't competing, it usually means it's rebuilding time, or they become "sellers," especially during the Trade Deadline and the offseason. Depending on the state of the organization, the hope may be for a quick turnaround, or there could be a long-range plan in place. As the calendar is about to flip to 2016, a bit of retrospection is in order. In the past year, some teams have improved their farm systems more than others. The following list of the five most improved farm systems in 2015 was compiled considering all methods of player acquisition: trade, Draft, international signing, even the Rule 5 Draft. This isn't a ranking of the top farm systems; that's something that will come in the New Year after the new prospects rankings come out. Atlanta Braves: When John Hart was hired by the Braves as the president of baseball operations, after he served the team as a consultant for the 2014 season, one of his first orders of business was to rebuild a once-proud farm system. Atlanta used to thrive annually because of homegrown players, and it was seen as essential to get back to the "Braves way" of doing things. John Coppolella, now the team's general manager, worked in step with Hart to do just that, and no team has done more to restock the prospect shelves. Starting with the trade that brought Manny Baneulos from the Yankees on Jan. 1 and ending with the blockbuster Shelby Miller deal that netted them Dansby Swanson and Aaron Blair, the Braves added no fewer than 12 players to their current Top 30 list via the trade market. And that doesn't include the Jason Heyward or Justin Upton trades completed last December, nor does it include graduated prospect Mike Foltynewicz from the January Evan Gattis trade. And Hector Olivera doesn't count as a prospect according to MLBPipeline.com guidelines (we use the same rules that govern the international spending pool). The big deals from this offseason brought in three sure-fire Top 100 caliber players in Swanson and Blair from the Miller deal and lefty Sean Newcomb in the Andrelton Simmons trade. Had that been it, the Braves would still make this list. But then their 2015 Draft haul has to be considered. Not only did the Braves go bold by taking Kolby Allard, an injured high school lefty who had top of the round potential, in the first round, they also added young high school talent (the old Braves way again) with Mike Soroka, Austin Riley and Lucas Herbert. Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies made most of their noise at the Trade Deadline and during this offseason, breathing some much needed life into a weak system. Two trades -- the Cole Hamels deal in July and the Ken Giles one this winter -- brought in six players in their current Top 30, including four of the top five. When Hamels was sent to the Texas Rangers, the Phillies were able to add Jake Thompson, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro, all in the current Top 100 list, along with Alec Asher, who made his big league debut in 2015. The bounty for Giles was Mark Appel (Top 100) and Thomas Eshelman (2015 draftee), both in the current Phillies' Top 30. Vincent Velasquez graduated off prospect lists late this past season, so he technically doesn't count, but he was a top 100 prospect prior to his big league time with Houston. Other trades brought in more talent: Ben Revere netted Alberto Tirado and Jimmy Cordero; Chase Utley's return was Darnell Sweeney and John Richy; Jonathan Papelbon brought in Nick Pavetta. That's 10 Top 30 players (Cordero isn't in the Top 30) via trades. Throw in Cornelius Randolph and Scott Kingery from the Draft, Tyler Goeddel from the Rule 5 Draft and Jhailyn Ortiz, MLBPipeline.com's No. 8 international prospect whom the Phillies signed for north of $4 million, and the Phillies aren't far behind the Braves in terms of restocking success. Milwaukee Brewers: The best deal for the Brewers may have been the one they didn't make at the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. When the reported trade sending Carlos Gomez to the Mets fell through, they ended up making an even better deal, at least in terms of rebuilding their farm system, with the Astros. It brought in four prospects that landed in their Top 30, including Top 100 prospects Domingo Santana (since graduated) and Brett Phillips. Josh Hader should join them after a strong season and even stronger Arizona Fall League campaign. Adrian Houser threw well following the trade, too. Zach Davies came in a Deadline deal as well, from Baltimore in return for Gerardo Parra, and he made six starts in the big leagues at the end of the year. That gave the Brewers immediate return in both deals, with Davies and Santana both looking like members of the 2016 Opening Day roster, along with some future star-caliber prospects. Smaller deals at the start of the year (Yovani Gallardo) and at the very end (Jason Rogers) also netted Top 30-caliber prospects, but aside from the Gomez deal, it was the 2015 Draft that has helped restock the prospect shelves the most. The successful haul brought in four Top 30 players, with the Brewers getting high-ceiling talent like Trent Clark and Demi Orimoloye as well as intriguing college arms like Nathan Kirby (a first-round talent who had injury issues) and Cody Ponce. Add in the advancement of homegrown players like Orlando Arcia and Jorge Lopez and the Brewers have turned around their pipeline as quickly as any team. Cincinnati Reds: The trading of Aroldis Chapman was the icing on the Reds' rebuilding cake. From the Trade Deadline through the Chapman deal, Cincinnati dealt four players to bring in a dozen new young players. Some have already seen time on the Reds' Major League roster (Brandon Finnegan and John Lamb from the Johnny Cueto deal; Adam Duvall from the Mike Leake trade). Some should help out at the start of the 2016 season (Jose Peraza and Scott Schebler from the Todd Frazier deal). Coming soon might be the best player netted in any of the Reds' trades, lefty Cody Reed, who was in the Cueto deal and is coming off a breakout 2015 campaign. The Chapman trade gave the Reds a potential replacement for Frazier at third eventually in Eric Jagielo and an intriguing arm in Rookie Davis among the quartet of young players received. In addition to all of the trades, the Reds had a very strong Draft haul in June, adding five players to their current Top 30 list, headlined by high school catcher Tyler Stephenson. Cincy even used the Rule 5 Draft to bring in an intriguing player, outfielder Jake Cave, and the club is also considered the favorites to land Cuban infielder Alfredo Rodriguez. Considering the success the organization has had in that market (See Chapman, Aroldis and Iglesias, Raisel), that should be seen as a major addition if and when it occurs. Colorado Rockies: Any time you trade a cornerstone player like Troy Tulowitzki, the hope is to bring in an infusion of young talent to help rebuild. The Rockies did just that in bringing in three arms with big-league futures. Jeff Hoffman is the best of the trio and the one who has the chance to be a true frontline starter. Miguel Castro has Major League time, and as a closer at that. Jesus Tinoco is the farthest away, but he had a very impressive full-season debut. Besides the Tulo trade, the 2015 Draft helped the Rockies turn the farm system in the right direction. Five members of the team's current Top 30 came from last year's Draft after Colorado used its bonus pool -- the second-highest of any team -- aggressively. It started, of course, with getting Brendan Rodgers, who was No. 1 on the Draft Top 200 at the time of the Draft. The other four -- Mike Nikorak, Tyler Nevin, Peter Lambert and David Hill -- all were in the Top 100. That wasn't the only way the organization brought in high-end amateur talent. The Rockies gave Daniel Montano, who was ranked No. 14 on the International Top 30, $2 million in July, and they handed out several other six-figure bonuses to Latin American talent.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Will An Utley Trade Come To Fruition?

GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday

Phillies enjoy the day off after a rough stop in Arizona.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Keep an eye on Phillies second baseman Chase Utley this weekend. The Phils are looking to trade him, and he has been tied to the Giants, Cubs, Angels and Yankees.
• Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco did not play Wednesday after getting hit with a pitch on his left wrist Tuesday. Franco said Wednesday he is day to day, but it is unclear if he will play Friday.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies will cap a three-city, nine-game road trip with a series against the Brewers beginning on Friday at Miller Park, with Adam Morgan and Jimmy Nelson squaring off in the opener. The Phillies had been playing well since the All-Star break, posting a Major League-best 16-5 mark before dropping a rough series vs. the D-backs at Chase Field. Phils starters struggled in the series, with Aaron Harang giving up eight runs Monday and David Buchanan falling victim to an 11-run inning on Tuesday. The Phillies will hope for better pitching from Morgan (3-3, 4.06 ERA), Jerome Williams (4-8, 5.73 ERA) and Harang (5-13, 4.52 ERA) in Milwaukee. The Brewers, who swept the Phillies in a four-game series in Philadelphia in late June and early July, have tabbed Peralta, who's 2-7 with a 4.48 ERA and has just one win in his past six outings despite three quality starts. Nelson (9-9, 3.65 ERA) will pitch on Saturday and Taylor Jungmann (6-4, 2.42 ERA) will get the ball on Sunday.

PHILS PHACTS:

Trade Talks Heating Up – Trade talks for second baseman Chase Utley are hotter than ever. Sources told MLB.com on Thursday night that several teams have made offers for Utley, although no deal is imminent. The Giants are just one of those teams. San Francisco general manager Bobby Evans confirmed to MLB.com that his team has made an offer. The Angels, Cubs, Astros, Yankees and Dodgers are in the mix. The Angels have been interested in Utley for more than a month, and are worth watching. One source made one thing clear on Thursday: Everything is in Utley's hands. He has 10-and-5 no-trade rights, so he can be traded only if he wants to be. If he prefers a particular team, he can steer the Phillies toward that team. If he does not like what he sees or hears, he can say no. ESPN.com reported earlier Thursday that Utley wants a guarantee of playing time before he goes anywhere. He does not want to ride the bench, because he plans to play next season. That makes the Giants' situation interesting. Utley spends his offseasons in the San Francisco area, and the Giants certainly are World Series contenders. But although Giants second baseman Joe Panik is on the disabled list with inflammation in his lower back, he would expect to play once he is healthy. Two sources agreed that Utley wants to play regularly, which make the Giants far from a certainty, despite their aggressiveness. It is a small sample size, but in five games since returning from the DL with a sprained right ankle, Utley is hitting .412 with three doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored. He is hitting .196 with a .564 OPS in 70 games overall, which makes compensation an interesting point of discussion. Teams believe Utley can help them, but based on his performance in the first half, they seem unlikely to give up a top prospect for him. But those who know his thinking say Utley still believes he can play at a high level, and the poor numbers before the All-Star break were the results of his ankle injury and a mechanical flaw in his swing. Utley has a $15 million club option for 2016 that no longer will vest automatically based on plate appearances. His club option would then drop to $11 million, but the Phillies would be expected to take the $2 million buyout instead. That would make Utley a free agent, and the Phillies are unlikely to re-sign him, because they plan to make Cesar Hernandez their second baseman in 2016. Utley could be going over his options at this moment. If not, it seems only a matter of time before he does, and these things can move quickly. Asked on Sunday in San Diego if he expects to be with the Phillies by the end of the season, Utley said, "Who knows?" That question could be asked a bit differently at this point: Does he expect to be with the team by next week?

Rich With Pitching Prospects – Chase Utley could be traded at any moment, which means the Phillies could add at least one more prospect to their system before the end of the month. The Phillies have thus far acquired 12 prospects, including 10 pitchers, in exchange for Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, Jonathan Papelbon, Ben Revere, Marlon Byrd, Jake Diekman and Antonio Bastardo. And while it is foolish to think each one will make significant contributions in the big leagues, the Phils hope at least a few are part of their future core. The Phillies need pitching. They just optioned David Buchanan to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday after he allowed 11 runs in 1 2/3 innings the day before. Aaron Harang, Jerome Williams and Chad Billingsley can be free agents after the season. Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez might never pitch again for the Phils. So there will be holes to fill in the 2016 rotation, which makes this a good time to look at how those 10 new pitching prospects have fared since their arrival. From the Hamels/Diekman deal: RHP Jake Thompson, 21. The No. 59 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com, is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts with Double-A Reading. "His upside is very good," Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan said. "He's left a very good impression." RHP Jerad Eickhoff, 25. He is a top candidate to replace Buchanan. The right-hander, who is ranked No. 14 in the Phils' farm system, is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. "He's a big guy with pretty good weapons," Jordan said. "He's just a strike thrower. I thought he had a great presence in his first outing. Just pounded the zone." RHP Alec Asher, 23. He is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA in two starts at Triple-A. "He's a strong, physical strike thrower," Jordan said. "His changeup needs to develop. The more he uses it, the better he'll get. Both [Eickhoff and Asher] have ability and have a chance to help us sooner than later." From the Papelbon deal: RHP Nick Pivetta, 22. He has struggled since his promotion from Class A to Double-A, including three starts he made with Harrisburg before the trade. Pivetta has gone 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA in 10 innings with Reading. "I watched his last start," Jordan said. "He walked four in the first inning and struck out the side. [He has] a great arm. Just really easy velocity, up to 97. He's just not as refined as Thompson, Eickhoff and Asher, but he's got as good of an arm as any of them." From the Revere deal: RHP Jimmy Cordero, 23. His fastball has hit 102 mph, but he has a 5.40 ERA in five appearances with Reading. "There's an argument that he's the best arm we have in our system," Jordan said. "I saw a breaking ball that will play. He just needs to learn how to pitch to the plate a little bit. Hitters need to be a little more uncomfortable. We can help him with that." RHP Alberto Tirado, 20. He hits 99 mph on the gun. Tirado could return to the rotation next season, but at the moment, he has a 2.25 ERA in three relief appearances with Class A Clearwater. "He's got ability," Jordan said. From the Rollins deal: RHP Zach Eflin, 21. Some think Eflin, the club's No. 9-ranked prospect, has a higher ceiling than current Phillies starter Aaron Nola. Eflin is 6-6 with a 3.67 ERA in 18 starts with Reading. "If he reaches his potential, he has an opportunity to be every bit as good, if not better, [than Nola], because his weapons are better," Jordan said. "Zach has pitchability. He's just a younger guy and doesn't quite know how to use his weapons to the degree that Nola or Eickhoff do at this time. But he can pitch." LHP Tom Windle, 23. The Phils moved him to the bullpen because they think his stuff will play better there. Windle is 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA in 12 relief appearances with Reading. He is likely to pitch in the Arizona Fall League. "The spike in his stuff has been a little sporadic," Jordan said. "There are nights you see exactly what you want to see from him in that role. There are nights it doesn't really play up. But he will show you two above-average Major League pitches out of the bullpen. He's going to be a tough look for a good left-handed hitter when all is said and done." From the Byrd deal: RHP Ben Lively, 23. He was 8-7 with a 4.17 ERA in 22 starts with Reading before he went on the DL with a strained right shoulder. "Ben had a good year, not a great year," said Jordan, who discussed Lively before the injury was announced. "He likes to pitch with his fastball, but the secondary pitches have to be developed as you move up. I think that's kind of the resistance he's run into. We've got to sharpen up the breaking ball, slider and changeup. I like Ben. He's an aggressive, confident competitor." From the Bastardo deal: RHP Joely Rodriguez, 23. He is 6-8 with a 5.88 ERA with Reading and Lehigh Valley. "He's set himself up to finish the season very strong," Jordan said. "In his last start, he resembled the guy we saw in the Fall League. I really liked what I saw. He just lost his way a little bit. He got out of his delivery. That's why we put him in the 'pen. He's back in the rotation, and that's where we want him to finish the season."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies season has taken an unexpected turn for the better as they have officially climbed out of the bottom of the NL East with a record of 46-69. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this could still end up being the worst team in franchise history! All time, the Phillies are 57-55-0 on this day.