Rangers scout at Coors Field to watch Hamels
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Rangers scout at Coors Field to watch Hamels
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
DENVER -- The team most linked and perhaps best positioned to acquire Cole Hamels has an interesting representative here at Coors Field to watch the Phillies lefthander pitch against the Colorado Rockies.
The Texas Rangers sent scout Don Welke, a name you might recognize because he used to work under former general manager Pat Gillick with the Phillies. Welke's official title is senior special assistant to Rangers general manager Jon Daniels and when he shows up somewhere it is a definite signal that Texas has a keen interest in a player.
Ruben Amaro Jr. has made it clear more than once that his primary goal is to keep Hamels in Philadelphia, but the Phillies general manager is sure to listen to some interesting offers for the lefty before the July 31 trade deadline.
The Phillies' farm system has been depleted in recent years by trades for Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence and Texas has enough quality players in their system to help compensate for some of those losses.
Perhaps the most interesting Rangers prospect is power-hitting third baseman Mike Olt because that is such a position of need for the Phillies.
Teams will also be looking at Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino as the deadline approaches and he talked about being on the trade block after contributing a double and triple to Saturday night's 8-5 win over the Rockies.
"I can't control what goes on off the field," Victorino said after picking up his first two extra-base hits in more than a month. "I can only control what goes on on the field. I don't even look at that. I don't pay attention to that and I never will pay attention to that. I just collectively stay focused and I'm a Phillie and I want to go out there and win as a Phillie."
Halladay will start Tuesday
The Phillies made it official that Roy Halladay will return from the disabled list and pitch Tuesday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. It will be his first start since May 27 in St. Louis when he left the game with soreness in the back of his right shoulder.
best line of thbe article was Victorino admittng he doesn't pay attention to anything-that's his problem. All skill-no smarts— jeff gross- Don't worry, Stoky. Consumers have every right to evaluate a product. I personally never worked on a dairy farm and made cheese, so I'm not some great cheese-making expert, but I sure know bad cheese when I taste it. Texas Yanker has some sort of an agenda. God only knows what it is.— dasher
- I'm just amazed and impressed at all the cute names y'all use. IN addition to having more baseball savvy than any professional in the game, your writing skills and use of figurative language, be it alliteration, metaphor, or, more often, trailerpark insults quite remarkable. Keep up the impressive work. Go Phillies— tnphil
- Texas also had another scout watching Garza throw 7 scoreless innings. He is more appalling to them because he's under control for another year. The Yankees, the Blue Jays, the Tigers, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pirates all had scouts watching the Garza also.— EL Zorro
- He's not going anywhere— robinlupe
- i'm with you texas yankee! these same dippy's were complaining while they were winning 102 last year. in all honesty though i rip j-bag and manual mor than i'd like to admit! but in my eyes they do deserve it . j-bag for his lack of hustle and cholly for his lack of a brain.— Ryne Duren
- @wo fat....from these pages to God's ears....
@stoky.....ty
#SamCrow.....you are probably right and we can only hope.....
@Q....looks like the Teflon coating has been passed down from ownership to Amaro....he is their designated lifetime employee.
— Mark1npt - Hey Texas Yank...idiot seems awfully harsh for those of us who love the phils but hate the lethargic attitude many of them have. We pay the bills and we are not idiots for wanting to express our opinion.— stoky
- The way things are going it seems like The Grim Reaper is scouting the Phillies.— AvoidSundanceVacations
Keep Cole. He and Carlos are the only two mvp's on the team- I never want to see a top southpaw - in his prime - leave the team. Period. Let alone the 2008 post-season MVP. But the timing is especially bad for a trade, because the return for Hamels at this point will be minimal.
I know this is a fantasy, but the players who signed here to win a World Series should chip in several million each to get the deal done with Cole. Yes, I'm talking to you: Halladay, Lee, and Papelbon.— DPinDC - If the Rangers get Hamels they might as well start sizing the World Series rings for their fingers. It's all over for everyone else with Hamels in a Texas uniform.— F. Harry Stowe
- Here we go again, armchair no nothings ripping the team apart after the great seasons they have given us over the last 5 years. Then we have more no'fans complimenting each other for doom and gloom posts. If you idiots know so much why aren't you playing pro ball right now? Because you don't know squat, shows in the pathetic posts that have nothing to do with the real problems this team faces. Go root for the Mets, doubt they would have you— TexasYankee
- @syddan26 - of course the Rangers would make that deal. The fact they admitted to sending a scout is all you need to know that they're serious. Do you think they envision landing Hamels in a trade WITHOUT Olt being the centerpiece? They understand the Phillies needs just as well as the rest of the baseball community.— Sam Crow
- great posts from the jump, and, Quixote, that was one of your best.
speaking directly to the Poppins signing last offseason and the culture of lethargic play that ALWAYS begins with him, it just puzzles me to no end that the GM didn't realize this before bringing him and that lazy a** attitude back, amd it shows what a true dunce and a** kisser Manuel is that he will continue to treat him as the superstar leadoff hitter Manuel has in his dreams.
Point of reference...Friday, we saw Cliff Lee drop a nice bunt and bust it down the line so much that he was nipped by half a step. Yesterday, we saw Vanimal bust it down the line and then stumble on the barg and fall on his face while beating out an infield hit.
Today, to start the game, we saw Little Jimmy Pop-up hit a grounder and do one of those wonderful pull-up-before-even-reaching-first base moves of his, where the effort of running a while 90 feet is clearly too much to ask from him— advantasux - The Rangers are not going to give up Olt for a two month rental. Texas is trying him at different positions because they know what this kid can do. Unless Ruben gets Hamels signed, this season off the field is going to be as bad as on the field has been.— syddan26
- Hard to believe, Harry.— drunk13
- Full agreement with wo_fat: Phillies woes are indeed related to a culture of lethargy. Team has gone through the motions since day one. Can't blame team attitude on injuries. There is a huge deficit of character. Folks were so focused on who was not playing, that they overlooked the slop on the field. Ruiz alone plays with heart. The rest of the team plays as if they are on life support.— DameB
- Profar and Olt....can we dream!— Romus
- The Rangers look like the could be caught by the Angels. Hamels might be able to revent that.
I still think Hamels' greatest trade value, to the Rangers or any other contending team, is right now.
Get two or three good starts out of Hamels before July 31 and that may push your team over the top.
It would seem like a no brainer if the Phillies could get a prospect like Olt.— candidly - The culture of this team will not change until JStroll is shipped out. Addition by subtraction.— wo_fat
