Ruben Amaro almost runs out of baseball cliches while describing prospect

The Phillies saw part of their return for trading Roberto Hernandez to the Dodgers in the form of second baseman Jesmuel Valentin, a 2012 first-round draft pick who is having a more promising sophomore effort at the Single A level.

The Phillies were "happy" to receive Valentin, as opposed to all those deals in the past in which they've been "furious," "inconsolable," or "confused" to receive a player via trade. Ruben Amaro was asked to give his thoughts on the infielder, and did so, activating his Baseball Question Responder.

"We like the kid," Amaro said. "He's got baseball acumen. He's advanced pretty quickly. He plays short and second; we'll probably have him play second base for us. Switch-hitter. Plays the game well..."

"We're not sure if he's better from the right or from the left side. He doesn't have a whole lot of Minor League at-bats yet. But he's all right. He's someone who handles the bat pretty well."

"He has a little bit of pop. He's not a big guy, but has a little pop. He can run. He plays the game right. He plays hard."

There you have it, folks, straight from the GM's mouth - The Phillies have acquired an "all right" prospect with "a little bit of pop" who "plays the game right" and "can run." The Phillies "like" him.

Amaro seamlessly enters the home stretch with classics like "plays the game right" and "plays hard," but no word from him yet on whether or not Valentin is a "tough out," due to his mostly to his "grit." Will he even gel well with our blue collar, lunch pail city? Doesn't sound like it. But we can assume since he plays the game "right" that he knows which end of the bat to hold.

Another astute move for the Phillies!