Diekman Set to Shine Among AFL Stars

The Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars Game is set to be played on Saturday, November 5th at 8 PM EST. The exhibition contest that features many top prospects from all across baseball will be televised nationally on MLB Network.

Left-handed pitcher Jake Diekman, a 30th round draft choice in 2007, will be the Phillies' lone representative, as he will be among the relievers for the East division squad.

Thus far in 7 appearances for the Scottsdale Scorpions, the 6-foot-4-inch 190-pound Diekman has not allowed a run or a hit. In 7 1/3 innings, Diekman has struck out 9 opponents and walked 5.

Last year, Diekman was summoned to the Arizona Fall League late, to fill a roster void left when John Mayberry Jr. suffered an injury. Diekman's efforts weren't as outstanding during that stint, as he did not expect to compete in the AFL. Diekman had a difficult time adjusting to the surprise, allowing 12 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings over 5 outings.

Diekman discribes that experience as a disappointing one, but feels it was an opportunity to grow.

"That was a downer," Diekman stated. "That was probably the worst month I've ever had, both mentally and physically. But it teaches you how to throw backwards and throw all your pitches for strikes. Like, there might be some lead-off guys (in Double-A) that you know they're gonna swing first pitch, so you just drop a slider in there and freeze them. It just taught me how to pitch to hitters at a higher level."

The 24-year-old bounced back in the 2011 regular season with the Double-A Reading Phillies as he sported a 0-1 record with 3 saves, a 3.05 ERA and a .199 batting average against.

Diekman, a Nebraska native, sports a pitch repertoire that includes a fastball, a slider and a change up. He added a couple notches of velocity this year after receiving advice from Williamsport pitching coach Lance Carter, in spring training, to lower his arm angle when playing long toss. The increased speed helped Diekman in match ups against opposing batters, as he saw his K/9 rate shoot up from 9.05 in 2010 to 11.49 in 2011.

As the Phillies move forward with several well-regarded righty hurlers like Justin De Fratus, Michael Schwimer, Phillippe Aumont, Trevor May, Austin Hyatt and others, Diekman is on a short list of left-handers that have the potential to reach the highest levels of the organization.

Diekman realizes it's a long road ahead to reach the big leagues. He has a simple mentality moving forward and a solid focus on what he needs to do in order to make his dreams a reality.

"I've just got to keep pitching! I've still got a long ways to go. Every now and then, my arm slot will go up and down, but I've just got to keep it consistent, where it is now."

****
Other players set to see action in autumn's version of The MLB Futures Game include Angels top prospect Mike Trout, 18-year-old Nats phenom Bryce Harper, Blue Jays outfielder and former Phils prospect Anthony Gose as well as Royals hurler Nate Adcock, who pitched in 24 big league games in 2011.
_______________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE

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. ...

Q&A with Tim Gradoville

Tim Gradoville is a career minor league catcher, who once, as a September call up, was up with the big club for the proverbial cup of coffee. Slated to be the Phillies bullpen catcher, at a later date, Gradoville is currently assigned as a special instructor with the Lakewood BlueClaws. I had the opportunity to speak with Tim and here's how that went down... What's the atmosphere with the BlueClaws like so far this season? Well, I think we have a good mix of players. We have some veteran guys, and some young guys too, so it makes for an interesting mix. I think the guys like to have a good time, and they're pretty loose and that translates into winning games. They have a good time. With a young team, you never know what you're gonna get, sometimes, but they seem to gel pretty well together, so that helps to build team unity, helps guys get along. They're having fun, they're enjoying baseball. This game can be a grind sometimes, if you're not having fun. What...

Mike McGuire Living a Dream With Favorite Team

LAKEWOOD, NJ- Every young ballplayer grows up wishing he could play for his favorite team. Mike McGuire has an opportunity to do just that after signing with the Phillies organization in July. McGuire was a 43rd round draft pick taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 2008 amateur draft out of the University of Delaware. Early scouting reports liked McGuire's abilities, despite some arm trouble. He advanced as far as High A Level Kinston last season. While there, he posted an 0-3 record with a 5.46 ERA in 9 games, 8 of which were starts. The Indians weren't happy with McGuire's efforts this spring and released him. McGuire caught on with the Sussex Skyhawks of the independent Can-Am League, where he stayed in shape and pitched against other formerly affiliated minor leaguers. As a starter with the Skyhawks, McGuire went 3-4 with a 5.29 ERA in 8 outings. From there, just as all players in those independent leagues hope for, the 24-year-old McGuire got noticed. The Phillies wer...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog