Amaro's thoughts on Cespedes, arb-eligibles, bench, more
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Amaro's thoughts on Cespedes, arb-eligibles, bench, more
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
The general managers just wrapped up their media availability, and while Ruben Amaro Jr. did not break any news, he did provide some insight on how he expects the rest of the offseason to unfold.
The key points, which will be detailed tomorrow in the Daily News:
1) The Phillies are actively scouting Cuban outfielder Yoennis Cespedes, who is expected to become a free agent at some point before spring training. In fact, the team had a contingent in the Dominican Republic today to watch a private workout. Cespedes is a 26-year-old right-handed bat who has a combination of power and speed that has resulted in tremendous interest around the game. The question is, can he hit big league pitching, and at what price are you willing to find out? The Phillies continue to try to find the answer.
2) Up until this point, I have not included Kyle Kendrick, Ben Francisco and Wilson Valdez in any roster/payroll projections. That will change starting today, since Amaro said he anticipates offering all three players arbitration.
"Right now, they are on our club -- there's no reason to think that they're not," Amaro said. "They were all valuable pieces for us last year. They did a good job in their own regard. Frankly, Kendrick's been durable, he's been effective, he's gotten better, he can play a variety of roles. We don't have a whole lot of pitching depth as it is, so as far as I'm concerned, right now, he's a part of our club.
"As far as Valdez and Francisco are concerned, they are committments that we are going to have to have on them and arbitration numbers are not going to preclude us from keeping them on the club. Valdez was outstanding. He was our MVP two years ago, probably. He did another nice job for us this year. We've had so many issues and injuries in our infield, it behooves us probably to keep him. And then as far as Francisco is concerned, we looked long and hard to find a right-handed bat with some power. He wasn't utilized a lot last year, but when he got opportunities, as you saw in the playoffs, he can still do some things."
3) The Phillies continue to view short stop as their top priority. Amaro said Polanco is his starting third baseman and he thinks he has enough depth there with Valdez in the fold.
FYI- Yoenis Cespedes bats right handed not left.— jollyrancherk3- The mere fact that those other management guys had seen him was enough for me....but to ask Pat Gillick to go and look and give us his two cents....well, that just seals it. If Pat gives the thumbs up on this dude, I believe Ruben and this ownership group will go all in and get him. But that's a big "if"....would love to be a fly on the wall when Gillick files his report......oh mammy!
— Mark1npt - The mere fact that those other management guys had seen him was enough for me....but to ask Pat Gillick to go and look and give us his two cents....well, that just seals it. If Pat gives the thumbs up on this dude, I believe Ruben and this ownership group will go all in and get him. But that's a big "if"....would love to be a fly on the wall when Gillick files his report......oh mammy! (HTML deleted)— Mark1npt
- Victorino's a free agent after this upcoming season. Gillies is hitting .179 as the Arizona Fall league comes to an end. Brownie has been a bust so far. So the "Help Wanted" sign is out for future outfield jobs at CBP.— Dull
- He is a pig in a poke. No concrete way to judge his skills. Based on prior Cuban and Japanese signings I am going to guess that the price will be high. Not worth the risk.— johnny eagle
- I saw the promo video of him. All they seem to be touting is his homerun power and running a 60 yard dash in 6.3 seconds. I don't see where that is revelant to being a base stealer - they did'nt show that. Speed is just one of the attributes of base stealing. Looks like an atlete but so do a lot of players that never amount to much. Pig in a poke. Private workouts to introduce himself. Tread lightly, Ruben !— candidly
- Joe Reyes— Bobphxville
- don't spend a dime on Reyes as he has yet to find an injury he doesn't like and is a cancer in the club house. would rather have Larry Bowa manning that position that that POS Reyes— mdg625553
Comment removed.- Thompson: You are nuts. I could agree on Francisco, as Mayberry and some others could replace. But Valdez is a stud defensive infielder and KK is vastly underrated by Philly fans. Remember how many post-ers pre-2011 were touting Joe (perennial 4.50 ERA or higher) Blanton as the "best fifth starter in baseball?" All Kendrick did was excel in a really, really tough spot of starting and doing long relief in the same season. The Red Sox used Tim (perennial 5.00 ERA or higher) Wakefield in that role. We got great value from KK.— eman
- It seems the Cuban pitchers share most to almost all of the success at the MLB level.— escapedcamden4monterey
- i agree with amaro's comments about kendrick. kendrick has been great in long relief and spot starts. it is about time we give this guy a chance to be a permanent part of the rotation. that would mean taking fat joe out of the rotation and putting fat joe into the bullpen for the last year of fat joe's ridiculously fat contract. do it ruben— zwarte piet
- If all you are going on is the promotional video, then you can't make a judgment about anything he can do besides hit HR and leg press people. That's the reason scouts go see him and there have been various scouting reports that have popped up about him.
— TeamAwesome - The guy hit almost .500, with 3 triples and 2 HRs in the 2009 World Baseball Classic at age 23 against pretty good pitching and has been a star in the Cuban baseball league and International play for the last 4 or 5 years. He's a baseball player. Think about Bo Jackson with more baseball knowledge and pedigree. His mom was a Cuban softball star, member of the very good Cuban National Team, and he's been a star himself in the Cuban leagues since he was a youngster.— EL Zorro
- He's 26 not 23, so your worded analysis is voided — aldawg
