Commentary: It’s Time To Promote Carrasco
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Tue, June 24, 2008 11:48 AM | Comments: 20
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With all this talk about searching for a starting pitcher, the most important move the Phillies could make is to bring up Carlos Carrasco. Team officials are saying the 21-year-old righty is almost ready to hit the Major Leagues.
I say bring him up now.
Carrasco has evened out with a 3.46 ERA in his 94 innings at AA Reading. His 89/35 K/BB ratio is impressive, and in his last 10 starts he’s thrown at least six innings nine times. While he hasn’t been dominant in Reading, he’s been stable and solid enough to show he’s mastered that level. There’s no need to waste him in AAA Lehigh Valley.
Between now and the All-Star break, it could be a good opportunity to slide Carrasco into the starting rotation. The Phils could go with a six-man rotation, with 19 games in the next 20 days leading to the break. Giving Carrasco three starts would be a nice test, and could be a good tryout for potential teams in the trading market.
If the Phils would rather go with a five-man rotation, it’s possible they could move Brett Myers back to the bullpen as a setup man. But there’s no real great scenario otherwise — Adam Eaton hasn’t been bad enough to send him to the bullpen, nor has Kyle Kendrick.
My biggest reason for bringing up Carrasco now is to get him running for a stretch run opportunity. It’s very possible he could run off a bunch of big starts, as no Major League team has seen him yet. He could be the kind of back-end rotation cog that would get the wheel rolling. I’m reminded of his dominant performance against the Yankees in Spring Training. While July and August baseball is nowhere near the ho-humedry of Clearwater, it’s possible Carrasco would be the type of baffling pitcher the Phils could really hang their hats on toward the finish.
It’s worth it now to bring Carrasco up to the Majors. Let him show us what he’s got.
Posts: 0 MS
good idea. seems like it could help us in a few ways – learn how good this kid could be, show him to other teams if they choose to use him as bait, and give the current 5 an extra day or 2. i think you need to give Cole a few extra days between starts throughout the season or he’ll surely be on the DL come September.
Posted: 12:02 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 Adam Eaton
I don’t think he’s ready yet.
Posted: 12:03 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 Jim
I completely agree with you. Bring him up now, let him get his feet wet and see how he does. It worked for Kendrick, so why not try it with him. Like you also said, if he fits in, maybe Myers can go set up Lidge, there’s a ton of possiblity here.
Posted: 12:04 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 Jeremy
The worst thing you can do with a top trade prospect is to bring him up mid-season for an “audition.” He’s most valuable at AA. If he flounders in a couple starts with the Phils, then his value goes down. If he has success the Phils will be less likely to let him go. Then they’re relying on a 21 year old during the stretch run. His value will not be any higher than it is this season. If he’s ever going to be the bait to get a Sabathia or a Sheets, now is the time
Posted: 12:09 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 MS
fair point jeremy.
Posted: 12:21 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 Phil
I’d really like to see what the kid can do, but he’s not our answer. Our answer is trading for another top notch starter.
Posted: 12:22 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 Bruce
Has anyone consider the consequences of putting Myers back into the bullpen? Myers’ season long struggles may in part be due to the transition from bullpen to starter again. If he goes back to the bullpen, he will need to STAY there for the remainder of the season. Manual and Dubee knows they can’t manipulate Myers like a yoyo on a string and not have an effect on his arm and mental state.
Posted: 12:26 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
It’s quite the gamble because Jeremey is right, if he gets bombed, his trade value decreases. If he pitches well, the Phillies will feel that they don’t need to acquire another pitcher b/c they improved from within. So if they call up Carrasco, you can forget about Sabathia, Harden etc.
Posted: 12:36 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 PSU Fan
Why worry about bringing him up now when the team can’t score enough runs to give our current starters wins? Unless they plan on demoting Myers to insert Corrasco, I say give the guy a few more weeks in the minors.
Posted: 12:36 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 1650 Tim Malcolm
I don’t think two or three audition starts would decrease his trade value. Look at Gavin Floyd for that.
Also, Myers in the pen isn’t the best idea, but it’s their option.
Posted: 01:04 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 jay
I agree also. If it does go well, instead of having Myers as set up…use him as a trade bait. I’m about sick of his moping around because he isn’t a closer deal anyway.
Posted: 02:08 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 OZ
F*** this trade value crap. We’re not getting Sabitha, etc. and Myers is a trainwreck.
bring him up. if he bombs, he bombs. if he does well, then it bought us a young guy to rally around, and a few wins…
Posted: 02:14 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 Chris.I
I agree with Oz (Not the fact that we don’t have the right tools to get Sabathia) But bring him up, and if he bombs, he bombs, and if he does well than we have a talented prospect to work around. Atleast let us take a look at this kid. He could be the answer to our prayers here. It doesn’t make sense flushing our top Prospect down the toilet just yet to rent Sabathia for ONLY 3 months of service. Besides I read an an interview Article a few months ago in ESPN Magazine, and Sabathia said he prefers to go to the west coast…So if we trade for him, he’s walking at the end of the year…bottom line.
Posted: 02:52 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 philspan
I wouldn’t bring up Carrasco yet, but I would bring him up later this season. I also wouldn’t trade him for anyone.
I would bring up JA Happ instead. Happ pitched 6 shutout innings and only gave up 1 hit and 2 BB. He had 9 Ks. Happ leads the international league in strikeouts with 99 in 94 innings pitched. He is 5-6, but that is because LV was awful in the beginning of the season, his ERA is 3.73. I think that he is worth a shot, give him a few starts, he can’t be worse than Myers. If he does well then you have the option of keeping him or using him as trade bait.
Posted: 04:18 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 Phil
Not a bad idea phispan
Posted: 04:22 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 PhillyFriar
I agree with philspan. Happ is, for all intents and purposes, done his development at this point (he’s 25). Carrasco, on the other hand, is still developing (he’s 21), and for a kid like that, I wouldn’t rush him to the majors unless it was absolutely necessary.
Carrasco’s time will come… I just don’t think that time is now. Not quite yet at least.
Posted: 04:36 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 1650 Tim Malcolm
I too would like to see Happ upstairs.
Posted: 04:40 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
It’s lose lose if you bring Carrasco up. Right now he’s a prospect with a limitless ceiling, but if you bring him up and he get’s shelled your stuck with him unless you want to trade him for a lesser pitcher such as Arroyo. Happ has developed almost 100% so he should be next in line should injury strike.
Posted: 05:07 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 Bruce
Obviously the Phillies have Carrasco on a fast track to the majors. However, at age 21 and a work in progress in double AA (only 11 starts and a 3.91 ERA in 73.2 innings this season), he needs time for further development. He has not face triple A hitters let alone the majors. The idea of a immediate call-up and throw him into the fire of a pressure cooker division race (even for a limited number of starts) is a risk to his confidence in his ability. If Carrasco’s performance in AA warrants it, he could be call up on September 1st when the roster expands to 40 (provided he has not been traded).
Philspan got it right in suggesting JA Happ as the logical choice for the call up. His stats in triple A seems to justify a move for him to the Phillies.
Posted: 05:27 PM on June 24, 2008
Posts: 0 Pete
Gillick better be figuring out a way to trade for Rich Harden as we speak.
Posted: 06:06 PM on June 24, 2008