Philadelphia Phillies Top-15 Prospects of 2010, No’s 6 – 15

ALSO SEE – Phillies Top Prospects, No’s 1 – 5

Grades are based on a prospect’s projected value over the course of his career and how likely it is that prospect will fulfill his projected value. Various factors are accounted for including upside, red flags, actual performance, and closeness to the majors. See the 2010 Prospect Primer for more information as it relates to prospect grading and philosophy.

Hitters must have 100 or fewer Major League ABs to qualify for this list. Starting pitchers must have 50 or fewer Major League innings to qualify for this list. Relief pitchers must have 25 or fewer Major League innings to qualify for this list. Ages are listed as of May 1st, 2010. Levels are based on the highest level in which a prospect played in 2009. All grades are subject to change based on any new information I receive before the season starts.

If you need to reach me in any way, please contact me via e-mail or post a comment at the bottom of the page and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. The first two prospects are available for everybody to read.

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Player Grades
Contact – 30 Now | 50/55 Future
Power – 40 | 65
Discipline – 35/40 | 55
Speed – 50 | 40
Defense – 45 | 55/50
Arm – 60 | 60
Instincts – 40 | 60
ETA – 2015
Final Grade – C+

Body Type – A physical specimen at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds with room to grow

Scouting Report

Physically, Domingo Santana is something to behold. Despite his size, Santana is an impressive athlete with average speed and a plus arm in right field. At 16 years old, he was the second youngest player in the Gulf Coast League, but was also one of the league’s most productive players.

Santana has huge power potential. In the GCL, he posted a .222 ISO-power, hit both line drives and fly balls on a regular basis, and as mentioned earlier, still has plenty of room to fill out. All are excellent signs for future power development.

Observers noted that the ball jumped off Santana’s bat with a different sound than your typical GCL hitter. His .412 BABIP was an indicator of the hard contact made by Santana.

Santana surprised many with better patience than expected as he walked in just under 11% of his plate appearances.

Still, a big red flag in Santana’s game is his propensity to strike out. More specifically, he struck out in 31.4% of his plate appearances and that doesn’t translate well to higher levels. One problem was his lack of pitch recognition, which is something he can improve. But the other big problem is something that he’s going to have to try to work around because he can’t change it. At his size, Domingo has a pair of really long arms, which is naturally going to add some length to his swing and make it difficult for him to get to pitches on the inner portion of the plate.

As Domingo fills out, he’s likely to lose some of his speed and athleticism even as he adds strength. It’s also worth mentioning that we still don’t have a lot of information on Santana. I haven’t seen his swing to determine how well it translates to higher levels. And there are plenty of young players that have put up big time numbers in the GCL and then fizzled out not too long after.

But at least for now, the reports on Santana are very positive and should he post big numbers next year, you’ll see him rocket up prospect lists in no time.

Best Case Outcome – All Star corner outfielder

More Likely Outcome – Too soon to say

Player Grades
Fastball – 55 Now | 65 Future
Curveball – 50 | 60
Change-Up – 40 | 50
Control – 40 | 55
Command – 40 | 60
Pitchability – 45 | 55
ETA – 2014
Final Grade – C+

Body Type – Tall, athletic, and projectable

Stuff

Fastball – Low 90′s pitch for now, but with the potential for more…the pitch has terrific life and both sink and lateral movement. The velocity he generates is very easy. The ball jumps out of his hand and hitters are often late to react to it. Command of the pitch can be inconsistent in part because of how much life it possesses.

Curveball – Inconsistent offering can be plus at one point and come out flat with a soft break the next

Change-Up – He’s shown some feel for the pitch, but it’s a below average pitch at the moment

Scouting Report

Brody Colvin might be the highest upside pitcher in the Phillies’ system. He’s blessed with tremendous arm speed and strength.

Colvin’s command can come and go. I mentioned part of the problem is that he’s learning to control the movement on his pitches. But his mechanics are another part of the problem.

Colvin does a lot of things well mechanically, but there are some issues he needs to clean up. Right now, I actually see a mix of Justin Verlander and Phillippe Aumont…remember this is from a mechanical standpoint.

Colvin’s lower body action where the front leg drops in a linear fashion rather than a rotational one and then kicks out at stride’s end before planting…that’s what I see as similar to Verlander though there are a couple other similar aspects as well. You can compare the two players yourself in the clips below…Verlander’s draft video is on the left and Colvin’s draft video is on the right:

*Credit to the MLB Scouting Bureau

You’ll notice some clear differences between the two as well. As Verlander strides, his front leg becomes fully extended before it rotates into foot plant, while Colvin’s leg doesn’t really get all the way around and plants a little earlier in a more closed position, which forces him to throw across his body.

There are also no pauses in Verlander’s delivery. Everything basically comes in one motion and this is a factor in him being able to generate excellent velocity because he’s built up so much energy and momentum from the start by the time he releases the ball. Colvin pauses a little as he gets ready to stride forward.

And then notice the front side mechanics. That’s the big difference here…Verlander maintains a firm glove out in front of the chest and brings his chest to the glove. Colvin does firm up, but the glove is positioned to his side down by his knee and as a result, Colvin’s front shoulder is at risk for flying open. This is where I’m reminded a bit of Aumont. It’s also a mechanical attribute that hurts his command.

I wasn’t aware of any make-up issues with Colvin, but there was news that Colvin was arrested recently. I’m not quick to judge and won’t act like I know all the circumstances. I also won’t act like I know what this says about Colvin the person. These things happen and hopefully the incident remains an isolated incident.

Best Case Outcome – Front of the rotation starter

More Likely Outcome – Too soon to say

Brief Rundown on Prospects 8 – 15

8. Jarred Cosart | RHP | Grade – C+ – Projectable right hander with tremendous arm strength and promising breaking ball…has some mechanical, health, and make-up issues to work out but he’s a sleeper to watch out for next year

9. Tyson Gillies | CF | Grade – C+ – Lightning fast center fielder with good discipline…might not have the bat for an everyday job

10. Anthony Gose | CF | Grade – C+ – Similar to Gillies, but he doesn’t have the plate discipline…his swing is more conducive to power though his approach and pitch recognition will be major factors in what his power will ultimately become

11. Antonio Bastardo | LHP | Grade – C+ – MLB-ready lefty with a good fastball that he commands well…back of the rotation starter or set up man material

12. Jon Singleton | 1b | Grade – C+ – Young lefty showed advanced approach at the plate…power is a question mark and you really got to hit to be a first baseman, but he’s another sleeper to watch for next year

13. Jiwan James | CF | Grade – C+ – Another toolsy, extremely athletic outfielder in the Phillies system…showed some signs of solid plate discipline

14. Leandro Castro | OF | Grade – C – Nice season in Williamsport after being overmatched in Lakewood…overall, an athletic outfielder with average power potential

15. Jon Pettibone | RHP | Grade – C – Young starter doesn’t get much hype, but he’s young, projectable, and a sleeper for next year

*Scott Mathieson does not qualify for this list because of the 37 innings he pitched in 2006, which is over the cutoff mark for relievers.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) – Kyrell Hudson (CF) | Justin De Fratus (RHP) | Jeremy Barnes (SS/2b) | Austin Hyatt (RHP) | Mike Schwimer (RHP) | John Mayberry (OF) | Van Worley (RHP) | Anthony Hewitt (3b/OF) | Heitor Correa (RHP) | Jonathan Villar (SS) | Mike Stutes (RHP) | Stephen Susdorf (OF) | Drew Naylor (RHP) | Colby Shreve (RHP) | Zach Collier (OF) | Kelly Dugan (1b/OF) | Drew Carpenter (RHP) | Joe Savery (LHP) | Yohan Flande (LHP) | Sergio Escalona (LHP) | Aaron Altherr (OF) | Mike Cisco (RHP)

ALSO SEE – Philadelphia Phillies Top Prospects, No’s 1 – 5

UP NEXT – Washington Nationals Top Prospects, No’s 1 – 5

Other References and Resources Used for This Article – First Inning and Minor League Splits