Saturday quickies: Brown and (another) Dubee
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Saturday quickies: Brown and (another) Dubee
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
A few notes/thoughts before you and I go our separate ways for a weekend of football...
Domonic Brown joined Escogido of the Dominican winter league on Monday. He has yet to appear in a game.
A Phillies official said Brown is still getting back into playing shape after not swinging a bat for three weeks. So keep an eye this week on how (if) Brown is used. The Phillies certainly didn't send him there to sit on the bench.
Of course, there is still time for Brown to get some at-bats. He plans to spend about a month in the Dominican Republic and Escogido has 26 games remaining in its regular-season schedule that ends Dec. 21. That is around the time Brown will return to the states.
Escogido was picked by the Phillies and Brown's agent, Scott Boras, for specific reasons -- so one would think regular playing time is a possibility. The team's manager is Ken Oberkfell, who managed at the Mets' triple-A Buffalo affiliate in 2010, and the general manager is former major leaguer Moises Alou.
The Phillies wanted Brown to go play winter ball to make up for some of the lost development time he had sitting on the bench for most of August and September. He needs some work on his defensive skills, too.
Here's one name to remember come Rule 5 time -- and it's a familiar one to Phillies fans: Michael Dubee.
Yes, Michael is the son of Phillies pitching coach Rich. He was an 18th-round pick in 2006 by the Phillies and then traded to the White Sox at the 2007 trade deadline for Tad Iguchi.
After an impressive season at double-A Altoona in 2010, the Pirates left Michael unprotected.
In 76 1/3 innings, he had a 2.24 ERA. He allowed 62 hits, struck out 68 and walked only 19. He's also pitching well in the Dominican winter league with 13 strikeouts in 14 innings.
The righthander turns 25 in January. The Phillies have a need for young and cheap bullpen arms. The younger Dubee could be worth another look in spring training. Then again, it could be complicated with his father making some of the decisions.
But he was also left off the 40-man roster of the pitching-starved Pirates and that has to make you wonder too.
Another player left off Pittsburgh's 40-man roster was former ace Zach Duke. As a 22-year-old rookie in 2005, Duke showed tons of promise.
Since then, he hasn't done much. In 2010, he had a 5.72 ERA with a scary 1.65 WHIP.
But he's still young (turns 28 in April), lefthanded, and the kind of established pitcher the Phillies could look at for competition at the back end of the starting rotation in spring training.
Right now, Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley will compete for the fifth starter's job. (That is assuming Kendrick, who could be non-tendered, returns.) You can bet the Phillies will bring in an older pitcher on a non-guaranteed deal to add competition.
The question is, would Duke take that kind of offer? He was due a raise in arbitration after making $4.3 million in 2010.
From what I can tell, two of the prospects acquired in the Cliff Lee trade are both eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft. Tyson Gillies and Phillippe Aumont were both left unprotected -- perhaps the best commentary on the results of the trade to date.
OK, scratch that. Both Gillies and Aumont are not eligible for the Rule 5 draft. My bad. Carry on.
Leaving Gillies and Aumont unprotected is safe enough-neither is close to major league ready. A team would have to keep them on 25 man roster all year or offer them back to Phillies anyway.- I don't think either of them needed to be protected. I think they are both young enough to be left unprotected.— Nicknm
- I think they are both bad enough to not be cared about.— xMikelaw19
- Zach Duke is fool's gold; he has been dreadful for quite some time now and will probably expect to be paid more than the Phillies should offer, the reason the Pirates let him go unprotected.— chuckw
- Victorino was a Rule V guy and he turned out ok. Gillies and Aumont may need a little more time to blossom, the talent is there, so protecting them is a wise move.— The Reddgie
- Zach Duke is an answer to the Phillies starting rotation prayer, and possibly a bullpen prayer as well. He's a young lefty who the Phils have never been able to figure out and a former all-star who was never given any run support in Pittsburgh. I've seen him pitch up close and personal, and he's the real deal. The days of pretending that the Phils are comfortable with Blanton and Kendrick at the back of their rotation vanished when the Phils didn't return to the world series this year. Duke would add another lefty to the rotation and be a dominant number 4 pitcher and Vance Worley would move up to become one of the best number 5 pitchers in the game. Blanton could become a useful middle reliever and emergency spot starter. His inability to pitch more than 5 predictable innings on a regular basis makes him more useful in the bullpen than in the starting rotation. Kendrick has trade value and would be looked at by some teams as another potential Gavin Floyd who needs a fresh start in a different environment to reach his potential. Adding the lefty Takahashi would dramatically improve the bullpen and give the Phils yet another spot starter. The Phils don't have to spend a lot of money to improve. Duke and Takahashi would cost pocket change and Blanton's exhorbitant contract might start to finally pay off in a way not originally imagined.
- Domonic Brown is an important part of the Phils future but he still needs time to develop. When Werth turned down the Phils initial offers, I stopped believing he would return. A team that won't give Davey Lopes a few hundred thousand dollar bonus for all he's done for the Phils and the game of baseball is unlikely to add another $10 or $20 million to Werth's offer. That being said, I truly believe the Phils should make an attempt to trade for Ichiro Suzuki who Seattle may be willing to trade. Although such a trade would cost the Phils legitimate prospects, as well as a possible major leaguer or two, it would provide the Phils with a 200 hit per year, gold glove outfielder who can lead off at a cost of $17 million a year which is less than Werth is currently seeking. What's more, Seattle would probably pick up a sizeable part of his salary. If the idea of acquiring Ichiro is too much for Phils management to fathom, the Phils should wait for Matt Diaz to be non-tendered and then platoon Diaz and Ibanez in left, and Francisco and Brown in right this year. If the Phils can't land Diaz, Jeff Francoeur is probably the best available right-handed hitting outfielder currently available. The Pirates just non-tendered Delwyn Young a switch-hitting infielder/outfielder. That would also be another consideration. Jermaine Dye is getting old and has been away from the game for a year and Carlos Quentin adds nothing the Phils don't already have in Francisco. Given the current state of the bullpen, I doubt if the Phils would attempt to acquire Michael Dubee as a Rule 5 player and be forced to keep him in the bigs for an entire season. Such an acquisition would probably be unfair to him as well as his father. If young Dubee has the tools, he'll be able to make it on his own.
- would luv to see the Phils offer Ibanez (and 7 mil) plus Rizotti and a player to be named later to Arizona for Justin Upton,....that, to me would make some sense;...fiscal sense as well— SyddBarrett
- Thank goodness onthebucks isn't running the team. If you think Duke is any better than Blanton you're insane.
#1. Duke is a left handed version of Kendrick. If you think a dominant #4 is someone who can't strike anyone out and consistently has a high 4, low 5 ERA, you must be a mets fan
#2. Kendrick only has trade value in that he's a young pitcher. He has nowhere near the inherent talent Gavin Floyd has. And NOBODY in their right mind would ever even consider the two in the same stratosphere.
#3. How in the world do you justify Blanton's "exorbitant contract" by turning him into a middle reliever. How many middle relievers in the league do you think have $8mm/yr contracts?— bsizzle - Sydd - LOL, if you think Ibanez (at any price) and Rizzotti get that done, expect the D-backs GM to die of laughter in your midst.— Steveo31
- after further investigation, that probably wouldn't be enough to get it done which means you'd have to throw in Worley or Kendrick or swap out rizotti for Dom Brown which means you'd be trading the very one commodity that made Werth expendable so that would certainly defy all logic,......wait a minute, there is no logic in this game anymore— SyddBarrett
- bsizzle, your comments make you sound like a fan who has never coached or scouted baseball. If you had, you would probably realize that Duke is the farthest thing from a left-handed version of Kendrick. His numbers are deceptive because he has been playing for a team that has been unable to back up his performances offensively. When that happens over a few seasons, a player doesn't bring his "A- Game" to the park. Despite his poor numbers, he was an all-star in 2009, after which his manager, Charlie Manuel, sang his praises. Kendrick still has trade value because of his youth, and regardless if he has more or less inherent talent than Gavin Floyd, his early succesess with the Phils were greater than those of Floyd and his future with another team is no more certain or uncertain than Floyd's were when he was still with the Phils. Based on performance, no one can justify Blanton's exhorbitant contract. Unfortunately, the Phils are stuck with a big contract and a starting pitcher that cannot give more than 5 predictable innings on a regular basis. What's more, the Phils probably cannot unload Blanton's contract on another team for any kind of satisfactory return. The best the Phils can do is try to salvage something from the contract by allowing Blanton to contribute extended innings out of the bullpen. By not having to pay millions to another reliever to do the same thing, the Phils may be able to glean some value out of Blanton's contract, and in doing so, allow Blanton to find a new niche in which he may prove more successful. bsizzle, we do agree on one thing. It's probably better that I'm not running the Phils. If I were, Lee and Werth would have already been extended to long contracts with the Phils and people like you wouldn't have things to complain about.
- This just in: Domonic Brown not playing yet in winter ball; his agent Scott Boras asks for 10-year $300 million deal for him!
Phillies should follow the lead of onthebucks: overpay for a a lefthanded stiff, Zach Duke, who made $4.3 million last season, trade the entire team for Ichiro Suzuki who the Mariners would certainly trade, as he is the ONLY fan favorite in that city, a future Hall of Famer, is 37 years old, and has never played in the National League, and bring in Jeff Francoeur as a platoon player for the $5 million he made last year,a human strikeout machine with 545 whiffs in the last five seasons, and was traded by the woeful Mets after being benched last season. Phils will not be getting any of the following, in my humble opinion: Justin Upton, Zach Duke, Ichiro Suzuki, Jeff Francoeur, Michael Dubee, Cliff Lee. Look for Jermaine Dye or Magglio Ordonez (represented, however, by Scott Boras)and possibly Takahashi. Nor will we see any trade value for Kyle Kendrick, except to Lehigh Valley and Joe Blanton at $8 million per will NEVER BE A MIDDLE RELIEVER.— chuckw - Ah: onthebucks pulls out that old chestnut: anyone who criticizes him never coached or scouted baseball. Tell us more about yourself, O great seer and we will never dare question your brilliance again.— chuckw
- There are many ways the Phils can improve this season through free agent acquisitions and trades. Unfortunately, many current Phils have contracts or tenure that would require their consent before they could be traded. What also complicates matters are the many good contracts Phils management failed to write over the past few years and the even greater number of bad contracts Phils management has written over a longer period of time. This has not only taken potentially available contract money out of the Phils hands but it has also burdened the Phils with players whose expensive, long-term contracts have created a logjam of sorts and restricted the free flow of players who could have potentiall helped the Phils.
