Phillies Add 4 to 40-Man Roster
Posted by Pat Gallen, Fri, November 18, 2011 12:25 PM | Comments: 12
Analysis, Minor Leagues, News, Opinion, Posts
From the Phillies:
PHOTO: Delcotimes.com
Right-hander Phillippe Aumont, left-hander Jacob Diekman, catcher Sebastian Valle and outfielder Tyson Gillies had their contracts selected to the Phillies’ 40-man roster, the club announced today.
Aumont (right), 22, posted a 2-5 record with seven saves in nine opportunities and a 2.68 ERA in 43 combined games for double-A Reading and triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2011. Between both clubs, the 6-foot-7 reliever recorded 78 strikeouts in 53.2 innings and held opponents to a .216 batting average. The Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week for April 7-17 of this year, Aumont was acquired via trade from the Mariners in 2009. He was a first-round selection (11th overall) of Seattle in the 2007 draft. Following the season, Aumont was named the fifth-best prospect in the Phillies minor league system by Baseball America.
Diekman spent the 2011 season with Reading where he went 0-1 with three saves and a 3.05 ERA in a staff-leading 53 appearances. After allowing 13 earned runs in 18.0 innings over his first 18 appearances, the 23-year-old Diekman posted a 1.72 ERA over his final 35 games of the season. He struck out 83 batters in 65.0 innings and held opponents to a .199 average which included a .099 mark against left-handed hitters. Following the season, Diekman, a 30th round selection by the Phillies in the 2007 draft, pitched for Scottsdale of the Arizona Fall League where he allowed just one earned run over 11.1 innings with 14 strikeouts.
Valle batted .284 with five home runs and 40 RBI in 91 games for single-A Clearwater last season. The 21-year-old had 27 multi-hit games on the season and batted .368 against left-handed pitching. Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 2006, Valle has played for Caneros de los Mochis in the Mexican Pacific League this fall. He was named the third-best prospect in the Phillies minor league system by Baseball America following the season.
Gillies, 23, appeared in only three regular season games for Clearwater in 2011 due to injuries. After the season, he played for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League. Gillies, acquired by the Phillies along with Aumont in a 2009 trade with Seattle, was a 25th round selection of the Mariners in the 2006 draft.
With the additions of Aumont, Diekman, Valle and Gillies, the Phillies now have 39 players on the 40-man roster.
OPINION: Good to see these guys slowly making it to the top. It’s the first crop of youngsters that will eventually have to take over for some of the older players on the roster. Really excited to see if Aumont can make the leap and how far along Valle is as a backstop. Diekman appears to have a live arm and Gillies is still a project that cannot stay healthy, but is only 23.
Bright futures ahead for these guys…hopefully.
Posts: 0 Chris
Aumont and Valle were no brainers. Aumont has filthy stuff and Valle is one of the few position player prospects we have that projects into a starter. Diekman I guess would have gotten selected in the rule 5 but I’m not really sure he’s going to be good eventually in the MLB. His walk rate is still too high. Gillies has done nothing at all because of injuries while he’s been in the Phils system. Hopefully he can stay healthy and rocket through the system if he really is as talented as people think he is.
Posted: 01:35 PM on November 18, 2011
Posts: 1431 Pat Gallen
As for Valle I’ve heard differing opinions. Not sure what to make of him. Doesn’t look like an all-star, but should be starter quality, hopefully in a few years.
Really hoping Aumont makes the Phillies this year – that would be nice.
Gillies has tools, EXCELLENT defender. But yeah, it’s the leg issues. Not good so early in his career. Says that everything was figured out, he was reportedly misdiagnosed which led to more injuries.
Posted: 04:04 PM on November 18, 2011
Posts: 0 Chris
Yeah I’m not sure if Valle will be an all star but he should be a solid starter. The knock on him is plate discipline I guess or at least his lack of walks. It’s still possible for him to improve that skill though considering all the other stuff he’s had to do to be a catcher. I think last year they focused on him learning how to call a game and he had a bunch of good young pitchers to work with. If he can build up a little more strength so that he can be more durable than things would probably go better for him. He broke down towards the end of the year.
Posted: 04:48 PM on November 18, 2011
Posts: 0 BART SHART
Valle impresses me, Aumont looks decent the othre two leave me ;underwhelmed. Maybe I expect too much.
Posted: 01:45 PM on November 18, 2011
Posts: 0 bacardipr05
If Aumont has a a good next year he’ll probably get the call up if any bullpen guy gets injured. This is the way the Phils have been dong it for the last couple of years. I still think he needs more time at the minor levels. Looks like he is close though i would like to see if he can keep it up next year.
Posted: 05:22 PM on November 18, 2011
Posts: 0 phil
I don’t understand why jiwan James wasn’t added to the 40 man roster…
Posted: 08:25 PM on November 18, 2011
Posts: 0 Chris
Because Jiwan James has a very low chance of sticking on a 25 man roster for an entire season. Sub .700 OPS seasons he’ll be 23 at the start of next season as a below average hitter getting his first taste of AA action. Those guys normally are not chosen in the rule 5. There is no way he’d be able to hit at the major league level yet.
Posted: 09:22 PM on November 18, 2011
Posts: 1996 Brooks
We could really use a ‘Diamond in the Rough’ at this point. No chance for Brown to make an appearance? I’m not saying the Phils are desparate yet for some stick action but it sure would feel good to have some young blood on the side lines, pushing our vets to perform.
Posted: 09:45 PM on November 18, 2011
Posts: 0 NJ
I think people (Keith Law for one) underestimate what’s in the Phils farm, it’s an expectation now to have elite everyday ready prospects bursting through and that only works for teams nowhere near contending or with small operating budgets and large draft budgets.
The Phils have good prospects in the places we need especially arms and last season proved you can develop bullpen arms when you have a couple of spots to groom guys, I don’t think Aumont will be up early, think the Phils have big plans for how to find a role for him but it’ll be great to see the other guys up with the big club at some point. There was a time no-one thought Bastardo was more than just a raw prospect with no role going forward and Stutes was a forgotten man with all the young arms having success starting in the minors.
If Valle sticks with the Phils (or provides bluechip trade value) it’s job done, he may not be considered a future all-star but how many young catchers even stick as your primary receiver… Wasn’t JR Towes considered a future all-star? Would you really want to be paying Russell Martin the kind of money he gets as a past young catcher turned all-star…?
The most important thing when it comes to the guys coming through is not to write off Brown.
Posted: 08:40 AM on November 19, 2011
Posts: 0 NJ
Wait have we given up on Hewitt…? I thought we’d be using him as a relief pitcher now since he knows how to pile up the K’s…
Posted: 08:44 AM on November 19, 2011
Posts: 318 Ian Riccaboni
@NJ – good call on Towles and Martin. If expectations for Valle are kept reasonable, he should have no problem fulfilling them.
Side note: anybody got a good scouting report on Diekman? Feels like he shot up the Phils’ internal lists. Wondering if this is an indication they’ll let him and Savery go at it for the 2nd LHP pen spot.
Posted: 11:51 AM on November 19, 2011
Posts: 3567 Lefty
He played very well in AFL this year. Jay’s got info on Phoul ballz
Posted: 01:14 PM on November 19, 2011