Using their 7th pick in the Rule 5 draft Philadelphia took Desi Perez from the Louisville Derbies. Since Perez is a Rule 5 draftee he must be put on the ML roster, but since the Fish have no room for him on their roster he is likely to be offered back to the Derbies for 25k. Should Louisville not want him back Philly will waive him and hope he doesn't get picked up, so they can send him to their AAA squad to show what he can do. Perez has not played at a level any higher than AA, making the front office alittle more hesitant to make room for him on the ML roster. Desi Perez was pretty good in AA last season for Louisville when he started 29 games going 10-9 while pitching 172.1 innings with a 3.24 ERA.
-Kelly Denner
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The Sullivan Era Begins!
John Sullivan has been promoted to the ML for the start of the season. Spring training will help the Fish decide if he will begin the season as a SP or a LRP. The Fish have high expectations for Sullivan, although they are prepared for any possible bumps in the road, and are looking for him to help them get back to the playoffs. He is probably the most highly anticipated player to reach the ML in the history of the Fish and we can only hope that he goes down as the greatest also.
Jason Hayes is back in a Philadelphia uniform this season. "I went into the offseason unsure about what I was going to do (about his mutual option), but when matthewm3 expressed how much he wanted me back and explained his plans for me and this team, I felt very comfortable coming back and hopefully I'll get an opportunity to be here for the rest of my career", Hayes said. Fish fans are glad to have Hayes back on a team that looks to be more competitive in 2009 than in recent years. It is rumored that the Fish are currently in talks to sign Hayes to a long term contract that would keep him in Philadelphia through atleast 2012, if not longer.
Brook Palmer (RP), Patrick Gordon (IF/OF), and Trevor Phillips (IF/OF) are the new faces on this team. All are looking to make an impact on a team looking to get back to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. Gordon and Phillips are both solid guys that could be starting most anywhere in the league but will be coming off the bench as pinch hitters and defensive replacements. They will also be filling in throughout the season for guys that are being given a day off or just used to mix up the lineup. It should be interesting as both guys have solid gloves.
Sam Hall has also been brought back up to share the catching duties with Ray Painter. Hall was last seen in the majors in 2006 when he batted a poor .198 in 106 at bats with 4 HR's and 15 RBI's. He looks to make the most of his second chance opportunity in the big leagues. Starting pitcher Robert Weston also gets a shot to prove himself in the Show. The 24 year old won 13 games in AAA last season but had a 6.07 ERA, his worst in the minors to date. Management feels that he can perform well enough to bring that winning record into the majors.
Let's get ready Philadelphia Flying Fish fans! Spring Training is here in 2 HBD days!
-Kelly Denner
Jason Hayes is back in a Philadelphia uniform this season. "I went into the offseason unsure about what I was going to do (about his mutual option), but when matthewm3 expressed how much he wanted me back and explained his plans for me and this team, I felt very comfortable coming back and hopefully I'll get an opportunity to be here for the rest of my career", Hayes said. Fish fans are glad to have Hayes back on a team that looks to be more competitive in 2009 than in recent years. It is rumored that the Fish are currently in talks to sign Hayes to a long term contract that would keep him in Philadelphia through atleast 2012, if not longer.
Brook Palmer (RP), Patrick Gordon (IF/OF), and Trevor Phillips (IF/OF) are the new faces on this team. All are looking to make an impact on a team looking to get back to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. Gordon and Phillips are both solid guys that could be starting most anywhere in the league but will be coming off the bench as pinch hitters and defensive replacements. They will also be filling in throughout the season for guys that are being given a day off or just used to mix up the lineup. It should be interesting as both guys have solid gloves.
Sam Hall has also been brought back up to share the catching duties with Ray Painter. Hall was last seen in the majors in 2006 when he batted a poor .198 in 106 at bats with 4 HR's and 15 RBI's. He looks to make the most of his second chance opportunity in the big leagues. Starting pitcher Robert Weston also gets a shot to prove himself in the Show. The 24 year old won 13 games in AAA last season but had a 6.07 ERA, his worst in the minors to date. Management feels that he can perform well enough to bring that winning record into the majors.
Let's get ready Philadelphia Flying Fish fans! Spring Training is here in 2 HBD days!
-Kelly Denner
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The Pitching Staff
Today we are going to take a look at which pitchers will be with us next season, who may be here, who may be gone and who might be a new face. The pitching staff, as you all know, has been a major weakness for the Fish the past two seasons and matthewm3 is looking to change that this offseason if he can. He is looking to hopefully find a solid starter in free agency or possibly bring someone in with a trade. Matthewm3 has been known to be 'trigger-shy' when it comes to 'pulling-the-trigger' on a deal, so don't get your hopes up on seeing a blockbuster trade over the winter.
First I would like to take a look at the pitchers we know will be returning next season. (Unless our GM does something stupid, which has happened before...)
STARTING PITCHERS
Cory Brooks - Did not perform as well has he did his rookie season but has shown some promise at times. Look for him to finally end a season with more wins than losses.
Kirk Cooper - Pitched in more games and innings than his rookie season, but did not progress in the way management thought he would. He has the stuff to be a good pitcher in this league, but will he make that transition?
Rodrigo Unamuno - Here is a guy who is great to have around. He doesn't have the skills of an ace, but he can keep you in a game. He has struggled at times but should continue to be a strong middle of the rotation pitcher for a few more seasons.
Willie Tatis - Came to Philly via a trade and underperformed. He went 4-4 in 12 games to end the season 15-9 overall. With a fresh start next year, he should reproduce those numbers all for Philadelphia this time.
RELIEF PITCHERS
Brian McDonald - Did an excellent job in relief work. Expect him to be the number one long relief pitcher next season.
Francis Murray - Played good enough baseball to win himself a roster sport next season. He was acquired in a trade with Cleveland and actually performed better than expected.
Now that we know who is coming back for sure, let's take a look the guys who may or may not be returning next season.
THE MAYBE'S
Tony Byrne - Philadelphia management would love to have him back and they just might depending on how arbitration goes.
Lucas Banks - Another arbitration guy who Philly wouldn't mind keeping around.
Reggie Rapp - The teams closer and also another guy in arbitration. Management will do what they can but there are no guarantee's he'll be back.
Benji Slaughter - This guy is going to be released. Everyone in Philadelphia should be happy when he is gone. In his 3 seasons here he has gone 4-15 with a 6.95 ERA and has lost 15 of his 41 save opportunities.
Glenn Gibbons - Management loves this guy but his injuries kill his production. The team has an option for this season. It is unknown whether they will take it or not.
Bryan Jennings - Has a team option also, which can be bought out for 1.2 million.
Brooks Kingman - Mutual option. You can say goodbye to Kingman as the team is going to pay the 1.4 million to let him go.
Turk Hillenbrand - He is a 39 yr old soon to be Free Agent and you can expect it to stay that way. He is reportedly asking for 1.6 million for next season.
Finally we will look at the Minor Leaguers who are hoping to get their shot in 2009.
John Sullivan - Great kid, great pitcher. Hello to the future of the Flying Fish. Don't get to excited just yet, he may be spending some of next season in AAA, but it is very likely he will be in the ML next season.
Kennie Moss - A fantastic prospect who will continue his career in AAA this season. He will be a Major Leaguer though so keep your eye on him.
Robert Weston - He might just make the move to the ML before the first pitch.
Jesse Holliday - This kid is good and looks to bring his nasty knuckleball to the Fish bullpen in the very near future.
Louis Stoddard - Will spend atleast one more season in AAA.
Jamey Stieb - This kid can be brought up but probably won't be unless he is needed. Don't be surprised though if you do see this kid in a ML uniform sometime next year.
Thats it for the Pitching Staff report. Look for my Position Player outlook soon! Later Fish fans!
-Kelly Denner
First I would like to take a look at the pitchers we know will be returning next season. (Unless our GM does something stupid, which has happened before...)
STARTING PITCHERS
Cory Brooks - Did not perform as well has he did his rookie season but has shown some promise at times. Look for him to finally end a season with more wins than losses.
Kirk Cooper - Pitched in more games and innings than his rookie season, but did not progress in the way management thought he would. He has the stuff to be a good pitcher in this league, but will he make that transition?
Rodrigo Unamuno - Here is a guy who is great to have around. He doesn't have the skills of an ace, but he can keep you in a game. He has struggled at times but should continue to be a strong middle of the rotation pitcher for a few more seasons.
Willie Tatis - Came to Philly via a trade and underperformed. He went 4-4 in 12 games to end the season 15-9 overall. With a fresh start next year, he should reproduce those numbers all for Philadelphia this time.
RELIEF PITCHERS
Brian McDonald - Did an excellent job in relief work. Expect him to be the number one long relief pitcher next season.
Francis Murray - Played good enough baseball to win himself a roster sport next season. He was acquired in a trade with Cleveland and actually performed better than expected.
Now that we know who is coming back for sure, let's take a look the guys who may or may not be returning next season.
THE MAYBE'S
Tony Byrne - Philadelphia management would love to have him back and they just might depending on how arbitration goes.
Lucas Banks - Another arbitration guy who Philly wouldn't mind keeping around.
Reggie Rapp - The teams closer and also another guy in arbitration. Management will do what they can but there are no guarantee's he'll be back.
Benji Slaughter - This guy is going to be released. Everyone in Philadelphia should be happy when he is gone. In his 3 seasons here he has gone 4-15 with a 6.95 ERA and has lost 15 of his 41 save opportunities.
Glenn Gibbons - Management loves this guy but his injuries kill his production. The team has an option for this season. It is unknown whether they will take it or not.
Bryan Jennings - Has a team option also, which can be bought out for 1.2 million.
Brooks Kingman - Mutual option. You can say goodbye to Kingman as the team is going to pay the 1.4 million to let him go.
Turk Hillenbrand - He is a 39 yr old soon to be Free Agent and you can expect it to stay that way. He is reportedly asking for 1.6 million for next season.
Finally we will look at the Minor Leaguers who are hoping to get their shot in 2009.
John Sullivan - Great kid, great pitcher. Hello to the future of the Flying Fish. Don't get to excited just yet, he may be spending some of next season in AAA, but it is very likely he will be in the ML next season.
Kennie Moss - A fantastic prospect who will continue his career in AAA this season. He will be a Major Leaguer though so keep your eye on him.
Robert Weston - He might just make the move to the ML before the first pitch.
Jesse Holliday - This kid is good and looks to bring his nasty knuckleball to the Fish bullpen in the very near future.
Louis Stoddard - Will spend atleast one more season in AAA.
Jamey Stieb - This kid can be brought up but probably won't be unless he is needed. Don't be surprised though if you do see this kid in a ML uniform sometime next year.
Thats it for the Pitching Staff report. Look for my Position Player outlook soon! Later Fish fans!
-Kelly Denner
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