De Fratus- One of the Big Boys

In 2009, Justin De Fratus was an all-star with the A-Level Lakewood BlueClaws. He performed well all season long in varied roles and helped Lakewood win the championship of the South Atlantic League. Since then, the 11th round pick in the 2007 draft has earned recognition by being named the Phillies prospect with the best control, by Baseball America, this off-season. Today, he got to run with the big dogs.

For some time, coaches in the Phillies system have felt that Justin has what it takes to climb the ladder to pitch in the Majors. Last April, I spoke with Bob Milacki, who was then the pitching coach for Lakewood. Milacki listed De Fratus on a short list of Phillies A-Level pitchers who had what it takes to pitch at higher levels. Milcakci also reaffirmed his confidence in Justin in late July when I spoke with him about the same topic. Phils coaches this spring have liked Justin's abilities enough to have him dress with the big club on three previous occasions. His fourth opportunity was the one De Fratus had been hoping for.

With his family listening to his spring Major League debut via iPhone connection, De Fratus threw two scoreless innings against the Blue Jays. De Fratus faced nine total batters...giving up, walking a batter and striking out one.

The taste of the bigs will be brief for now, but De Fratus, who is expected to begin the season with High A-level Clearwater, will certainly be striving even harder now that he's donned a Phillies uniform on the hill. After today's game, De Fratus spoke of his experience with the big club, "It was a ton of fun. This will serve as a nice reminder of what I am working toward."

De Fratus, a California native, thought one of the highlights of his outing was facing a guy he once admired. "It was cool facing Jose Molina, because I watched him as an Angel for so many years", De Fratus said.

Here's hoping that, as a Phillie, De Fratus gets more opportunities to shut down some Major League veterans that he grew up watching.

----------------------------------

Be sure follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE. It'll make you feel good.

Share on Facebook

Comments

Phillies look-alikes, Part 1

The Phillies are World Series Champions and, thus, are world wide celebrities. This recognition isn't enough, I tell you. Some of the champs could very well be confused with other major celebrities around the globe...or at least around my house. Let's dig in... Two look-alikes in particular have been widely discussed. Geoff Jenkins even made a sign on the table covering at his autograph station at last year's Phillies Phestival that he is not Brett Favre or phormer Phillie Randy Wolf. ------------------------------------------------------- Jayson Werth may be on his way to Wrestlemania. Jay-Dub is aware that he resembles Heavyweight wrestling champion Adam "Edge" Copeland. Are you? -------------------------------------------- Carlos Ruiz's fame was boosted by TBS during the playoffs, but he might be ready for his own Comedy Central sketch show, as he looks very much like Carlos Mencia. Dee dee dee! -------------------------------------------------- And whi...

PhoulBallz Interview: RHP Prospect Brody Colvin

Recently, right-handed pitcher Brody Colvin was promoted from Class A Advanced Clearwater to Double-A Reading. Prior to the 2012 season, Colvin, who turns 22-years-old on Tuesday, was ranked as PhilliesNation's 6th best prospect . This season, following some ups and downs, it's unclear where Colvin will rank next preseason. Earlier this year, Colvin, a Louisiana native, was removed from Clearwater's starting rotation and moved to the bullpen to relax and improve his mental approach. He did so and returned to starting after a brief time. Through his first two outings with the R-Phils, the 7th round draft choice from 2009 posted a 1-0 record while allowing five earned runs in 11 innings (4.09 ERA). In his last start on Saturday, however, Colvin allowed eight earned runs in 2 2/3 innings pitched in a loss to New Britain. In a recent interview with Brody, he spoke about the transition moving to the Eastern League, his brief bullpen stint, physical concerns from last season...

Rappers in Phillies Caps

Weekend greetings to you phine pholks out there. Today's post features pictures of rappers wearing Phillies caps. Why rappers in Phillies caps, you ask? Because... Any other questions? We will start things off properly by going with a highly recognizable hip hop star. 50 Cent stays constantly relavant by consistantly creating radio friendly material to help sell (G) units, while he "keeps it real" by still rapping about the thug life he lived before becoming the 2nd highest earning black entertainer in America. 50 is seen here in a recent interview rocking a throw-back Phillies cap. Next up we'll use a throw-back screen cap from what may be the very first major appearance by a rapper wearing Phillies gear. Chuck D, of legendary rap group Public Enemy, wore a Phillies cap in the music video for rap anthem Fight The Power in 1989. The song was the lead single from the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing . Next up we'll go with some home grown tal...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog