Instructional League News & Notes, 10/3/11

According to a source in Clearwater, Phillies 2011 top draft pick (supplemental round), Larry Greene Jr. has missed time at the Florida Instructional League with a groin strain. Greene spent time practicing with the Gulf Coast League Phillies before the end of their season, but the slugging outfielder has yet to see any real game action. The 18-year-old Georgia native received a $1 million signing bonus when he signed his first professional contract in August.

Sources also confirm that lefty hurler Jesse Biddle, who posted excellent numbers (7-8 record, 2.98 ERA, 25 games) in his first full season as a pro with Class A Lakewood, will make his first instructs appearance on Tuesday, working an inning against the Pirates club. Biddle, 19, injured his right knee in his final start of the 2011 season for the BlueClaws, but has recovered well. Biddle, a Philadelphia native, was the Phillies' 1st round draft choice in 2010.

23-year-old infielder Albert Cartwright, acquired in January from Houston for LHP Sergio Escalona, has looked solid both at the plate and on defense. Cartwright missed the entire 2011 regular season after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in spring training. Look for him to make an impact with Double-A Reading next season. Cartwright was a 36th round draft pick of the Astros in 2007.

In other news, 6-foot-7-inch righty relief pitcher Mike McGuire, who struggled this year as he recovered from vascular surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, is now a free agent. McGuire, who grew up in the Philadelphia area, was signed by the Phillies and assigned to Lakewood last summer. Following the off-season surgery, McGuire made one appearance for the Gulf Coast League Phillies and split the rest of his 2011 season with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers and the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. The 25-year-old hopes to pitch this winter under Lakewood pitching coach Steve Schrenk, who manages the Canberra Cavalry in the Australian Baseball League.

______________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE

Comments

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...

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

Drabek Preparing For Next Step

The transition has been easy for Kyle Drabek. In December, he was part of a package of young prospects that was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for ace pitcher Roy Halladay. Now, as though nothing has changed, he's right back where he was last season...the star prospect on the pitching staff of a team in the Double A Eastern League. Drabek has often stated that he wanted to stay in the Philadelphia organization, who drafted him in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft. The 22-year-old thought after the midseason trade rumors, that surrounded him possibly going to Toronto last year, passed with no action that all the turmoil was over and that he could simply relax and focus on getting to the big leagues with the Phillies. That wasn't the case, as the deal eventually came to fruition over the off-season. In the Blue Jays system this season, Drabek doesn't have to worry about being dealt. He only has to concern himself with opposing batters and working on his secondary pit...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog