Skip to main content

Herndon Has Good Shot at Roster Spot

By
In David Herndon's favor is his excellent sinker which has helped him make a solid impression in spring training thus far. Also in Herndon's favor is the fact that he's a Rule 5 pick that must either be on the 25-man Major League roster all season or be offered back to the Angels, the organization he pitched for prior to the Phillies making him a Rule 5 draft pick over the off-season. Additionally in Herndon's favor are delays in the recovery schedules of the injured Brad Lidge and JC Romero. All those factors combined could land Herndon a spot in a big league bullpen.

A talented righty reliever, Herndon had not pitched above the Double A level through his 2009 season, but stands a good chance at facing Major League hitters very soon. Herndon, who stands 6-feet 5-inches tall and is 24 years old, has thrown 5 scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play thus far with the Phillies. With Double A level Arkansas in 2009, Herndon had a 5-6 record with 11 saves and a 3.03 ERA in 50 games.

Phillies catcher Brian Schneider has been impressed with Herndon's sinker. If Herndon can make a similar impact with his fastball and his slider, he could very well end up being a sparkling addition to the Phillies' bullpen.

In the Dominican Winter League Herndon worked with Gulf Coast League Phillies pitching coach Carlos Arroyo to improve the slider, which had previously not been much of a plus in Herndon's repertoire. The additional work helped and the slider not features a sharper break.

The Phils are taking full notice of Herndon, who has outperformed the likes of phan favorite right-hander Scott Mathieson, and the collection of lefties vying to fill JC Romero's spot. Don't call Herndon a long shot anymore. He could be close to locking up a roster spot for himself.


**UPDATE** Herndon threw against the Yankees on Monday afternoon. In his first inning of work, Herndon retired the Yankees hitters 1-2-3 on 7 pitches. Herndon followed that up by retiring the first two batters he faced in his second inning of work, before surrendering back to back singles to Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira. Herndon then retired Nick Swisher to complete two shut out innings.

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

You can follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE.

BallHype: hype it up!
Share on Facebook

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diekman a Late Addition to Mesa AFL Roster

By
On Wednesday, Phillies lefty pitching prospect Jacob Diekman made his Arizona Fall League debut. Diekman, who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2007 amateur draft, was assigned to Mesa late, in order to increase his 2010 innings total, according to Mesa hitting coach Mark Parent, who managed Diekman in Lakewood this past season. Diekman, 23, posted a 2-0 record with 1.90 ERA in 21 games with Class A Lakewood before being promoted to High-A Clearwater on June 24th. In 24 games with the Threshers, Diekman went 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Combined, Diekman tossed 55 2/3 innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average against at two levels in 2010. However, after not pitching in an official game since he threw a shutout inning to wrap up the Clearwater season on September 5th, Diekman was unable to record an out as all seven batters he faced reached base, six with hits, one on an error. Diekman was charged with 5 earned runs in the outing. Diekman had spent time at instructional ball from
Post a Comment
Read more

2022 Phillies Top Prospects Countdown: #24 RHP Cristian Hernandez

By
Venezuelan born right-hander Cristian Hernandez has begun to earn recognition as one of the Phillies most promising pitching prospects. Signed as a 16-year-old in 2017 for a reported $120,000, Hernandez got his professional career started the following summer as a starter for the Phillies' Red Dominican Summer League club.  There, in 13 starts, Hernandez tallied a 2-3 record with 2.57 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP as well as a 7.0 K/9 mark. An injury sidelined Hernandez in 2019 and the 2020 season was cancelled due to the global pandemic. In 2021, Hernandez saw his first regular season action in the United States, starting his season in Florida Complex League.  After two appearances there, the six-foot-three 185-pounder was promoted to the Class A Clearwater Threshers.  In 20 combined outings (17 starts), Hernandez notched a 2-7 record with a 3.57 ERA, a .228 batting average against and an 11.2 K/9 mark. Projectability is something that baseball folks like about Hernandez.  His size, consistent
Post a Comment
Read more

Who is Your Favorite Willie 'Mays' Hayes?

By
PhoulBallz.com is wondering which individual who has portrayed Willie "Mays" Hayes is the favorite of the public. Hayes, of course, is the character made famous in the Major League motion picture series. In Major League , Willie "Mays" Hayes was portrayed by budding Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes, who would go on to action movie superstardom. Snipes has starred in major motion pictures like the Blade trilogy, Passenger 57 , Undisputed and many more. Snipes remains an impact Hollywood actor, despite legal troubles related to income tax evasion. Snipes was replaced for the sequel, Major League II when his busy career, and possibly the film's budget, would not allow him to return, by Omar Epps. Another budding actor, Epps had previously worked with director David S. Ward, on the film The Program , and landed the role of Hayes, who had become a Hollywood action star over the off-season that occured between the two films. Epps' career portraying athletes rolle
1 comment
Read more