Phillies September call-up predictions

Next week the Phillies roster will make like my post-BBQ waistline and expand. There are a few obvious additions and several longshots. Let's talk through them and the likelihood they have of getting a call..

Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez - MAG was looking pretty bust-esque a few months ago, but rest did wonders for him and he seems to be in great form in August. The Phillies have stated they'll shut him down at season's end, but you have to think that it would be really tempting to bring him up for a few weeks and let him show what he can do. If he comes up and throws another 10 innings it can't be far off their plans for him and it would be good for fans to perhaps see that he's not a bust and get a bit excited about what he might do next year. Odds: 40%

Ethan Martin - Martin still has struggles getting baseballs to go where he wants, but he's on the 40-man and they've seen him before. Bullpen depth is almost always one of the big areas added to when rosters expand, so I'd be hard pressed to see this not happen. Odds: 90%

Luis Garcia - See Martin above. I don't know what they plan on doing with Garcia who did quite well in Allentown and never moved up. Still, it's hard to see him not getting the good soldier call-up in September. He'd be a good Righty option in a Lefty heavy pen. Odds: 90%

Hector Neris - Another Righty reliever already on the 40 man roster. Perhaps a little less likely to get the call, but he's already been up for a stint. Odds: 70%

Cameron Rupp - Has he earned it? He's been pretty bad this season, honestly, but the team always adds a third Catcher and he's the one on the 40-man roster. I suppose they could cut someone loose and add RayWilly or Valle or Koyie Hill (if healthy), but I doubt it. Odds: 95%

Cesar Hernandez - For: He's on the 40 man. He can play multiple positions. He's fast and could be a nice pinch runner in games where we're trying to screw up our draft position. Against: He can't hit for power, He can play multiple positions, but he's only really good defensively at Second. Tie breaker: He's out of options, so the Phillies need to decide whether to keep him and Freddy in the Majors, cut oneof them, expose one of them to waivers(i.e. give him away), trade one, etc. So better see both as much as you can so you can make the best call by next season. Odds: 95%

Aaron Altherr - He's been up twice, he's on the 40-man roster. He'll be a good defensive replacement and pinch runner. All that said  you already have 5 Outfielders up and Cesar can play some OF. Altherr hasn't exactly been on fire this season you don't need to make any decisions on him right now. Odds: 50%

B.J. Rosenberg - Yes, rosters expand and relievers often account for most of the call-ups, but B.J. is a known commodity and not necessarily the future. He could get the call, but it's equally likely he doesn't. Odds: 40%

Phillippe Aumont - Perhaps Aumont can still be an effective MLB Reliever, I'm not entirely sure I care anymore. He's on the 40 Man, he's out of options, I believe, so he'll need to get cut or kept at some point before next season. I'm not sure he'll suddenly show he's figured it out in 30 days, and I frankly doubt he will. His mechanics are a mess and he's not athletic enough to fix them consistently. I'd like to write "who cares" behind odds, but I won't. Odds: 50%

Maikel Franco - A popular thought, but Franco has struggled most of the year, and while he's heated up recently he still has too deep of a load in his swing and, as Phillies Minor Thoughts writer, and occasional TGP contributor, Mattwinks noted he still guesses a lot and swings early, leading to frequent weak contact. All players guess to an extent. With a Pitcher throwing a baseball close to 100 mph from 60 feet away, it's physically impossible to decide whether to swing from a still position as the ball travels towards you. For most players that guess is made at the release point of the Pitcher's arm. Because Franco has such long swing mechanics his starts more mid-windup, well before he can make any educated guess on pitch based on the release point. Excellent bat speed and control have allowed him to compensate in the minors, but that ability has decreased a little at each subsequent rung of the ladder. Franco's young and by many accounts a smart, hard working hitter. He still has time to figure it out. I'm not sure he'll do that at the MLB level, but ultimately a few weeks with the big club won't hurt him any. Additionally he needs to be added to the 40-man in a few months anyway. Odds: 60%