You know the drill by now: updates on "The Big Three" followed by different prospects. We're lucky it's not a couple of years ago -- there's actually the depth in the system to not just do the same ten guys every week.
And speaking of depth in the system... today is deadline day for signing 2009 draft picks. There is another "Big Three" at play here: RHP Brody Colvin (7th round), OF Jake Stewart (14th round), and C Andrew Susac (17th round). The latest vibes have both Colvin and Susac heading to college, with Stewart leaning that way as well. Failing to sign any of the above would make 2009 a fairly disappointing draft haul, so we'll certainly want to stay tuned on this front. For discussion on this, and for more frequent updates, be sure to check out Phuture Phillies.
Now, back to the prospects the organization already has. Check below the jump for updates on Mike Stutes, Yohan Flande, Jarred Cosart, and more.
Domonic Brown, OF-L, Reading: Brown went 7-for-25 on the week with 2 doubles, lowering his triple slash line to a still impressive .309/.377/.600. I don't think I can stress how impressive (and important) the power surge has been this year; a guy with a career .112 ISO heading into the year has posted a .235 ISO in 2009, including a .291 mark in Double-A. Oh, and he also swiped two more bags this week to make it 5 without being caught in Reading. Yup, he's the real deal.
Michael Taylor, OF-R, Lehigh Valley: Speaking of the real deal... as phuturephillies said, Taylor's cycle on Wednesday may just prove that "the adjustment period is over." Going 5-for-5 with 2 doubles, a triple, and a mammoth game-tying home run in the 9th inning is certainly a way to grab attention. Now at .282/.359/.491 in 123 Triple-A at bats, the only question that really remains is whether the Phils have room on the 40-man roster to get Taylor a taste of the majors in September.
Kyle Drabek, RHP, Reading: Drabek piled up 7 strikeouts against the B-Mets on Friday night, but didn't get out of the 5th inning, surrendering 2 runs but only going 4.2 innings and getting a no decision for his efforts. Not a whole lot more to say here: he's at 145 IP on the year, he's improved his strikeout rate in Double-A over his last 5 starts (28 K in 30.2 IP), and he's still the organization's best pitching prospect.
Mike Stutes, RHP, Reading: Like Vance Worley, Stutes was a 2008 draft choice double-jumped to Reading to start the season. Just like Worley, Stutes has struggled at times. Still, the year on the whole has to be considered a success for Stutes, who somehow took 2 no decisions this week while tossing 13 IP, surrendering just 1 ER on 9 H and 3 BB, and notching 15 K. He's posted a 4.30 FIP on the season with 6.94 K/9 and 3.68 BB/9, and looks like either a back-end starter or hard-throwing bullpen arm -- great value for an 11th round draft choice.
Travis d'Arnaud, C-R, Lakewood: As I said a couple of weeks ago, d'Arnaud has struggled at times this year, as his .245/.312/.410 line indicates. A lot of that is down to a .268 BABIP, however, and Travis is still seeing the ball well. Despite going just 4-for-18 this week, he walked 4 times, and his post-All Star break numbers are impressive: .297/.369/.474 with 9.8% BB and 18.3% K. He's still a Top 5 prospect in the system in my mind.
Jonathan Singleton, 1B-L, GCL Phillies: Sure, it's only 70 plate appearances in the Gulf Coast League, but there's great reason to be excited about this kid. .339/.408/.500 isn't too shabby, especially with the plate discipline he's showed from the get-go (11.4% BB, 14.5% K). Oh, and the power has come around lately: all 5 of his hits this week were doubles. Patience, power, still just 17 years old -- yup, there's a lot to like here.
Yohan Flande, LHP, Reading: Flande burst onto the prospect scene this year, jumping from the GCL Phils to Clearwater and having enough success (2.83 FIP, 67:24 K:BB in 82 IP) to warrant a spot in the 2009 Futures Game. He struggled upon promotion to Reading, and at 23 years old, some wondered if Flande had merely been dominating younger competition. 4 quality starts in his last 4 turns make it look like that wasn't the case, and Thursday's outing (despite the loss) was typical: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 5 K. He's probably a bullpen arm in the end, but what a year he's had to get on the prospect radar.
Sebastian Valle, C-R, Williamsport: While d'Arnaud has struggled a bit with the bat but gotten solid reviews defensively, Valle has hit well lately while scouts continue to question his ability to stay behind the plate. Demoted from Lakewood after he struggled there, the 19-year old Valle has hit the ball hard in the NYPL, posting a .316/.341/.544 line with 15 2B, 5 3B, and 4 HR in 166 PA. The troubling bit, besides the glovework, has been the plate discipline: just 4.8% BB with 22.2% K for the Crosscutters.
Adam Buschini, 2B- R, Williamsport: The organization's 4th round pick this year out of Cal Poly, Buschini struggled mightily for his first month plus of pro ball, hitting only .163/.272/.250 in 92 PA through the end of July. Since then, he's been on a tear: he's hit .419/.500/.581 in August, including 11-for-18 over the past week. On the year, Buschini's swiped 13 bags and been caught only once, and he's starting to flash a little pop (.162 ISO in August) and plate discipline (5:5 K:BB this month). At 22 years old, he'll have to move quickly, but he's at least got a shot.
Jarred Cosart, RHP, GCL Phillies: Cosart was the deadline day prize of the 2008 draft class, signing for $550K out of a Texas high school. He didn't make his debut until July 31 this year, and Friday's outing was his best as a pro: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K. He's pure arm strength at this point, but he's yet another high ceiling armin the system, and the more of them you have, the better shot that some of them make it.