Skip to main content

Prospect Nation 2015: #5 LHP Jesse Biddle

JesseBiddle1
Jesse Biddle, image- Jay Floyd
Lefty pitching prospect Jesse Biddle had a difficult season last year, but injuries and shaky stats aside, he's still a prospect the Phillies will count on to take strides toward helping the big club in the near future.

Selected in the opening round of the 2010 draft, Biddle, who grew up as a Phillies fan, quickly made his minor league debut, beginning his journey toward donning the uniform of the team he cheered on from the seats of Citizens Bank Park all throughout his childhood and teenage years. The graduate of Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia combined to post a 4-1 record with a 3.92 ERA and a .241 batting average against in 12 starts with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies and short-season A level Williamsport in 2010.

The following season, Biddle became an All-Star in the Class A South Atlantic League as a member of the Lakewood BlueClaws. As the team’s most dependable starter through much of the year, Biddle posted a 7-8 record with a 2.98 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) and notched 124 strike outs in 133 innings pitched while sporting a.219 batting average against.

In 2012, the young hurler had quite a solid season, representing the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers in the Florida State League All-Star Game. That year he tallied a 10-6 record with a 3.22 ERA, a 9.53 K/9 mark and a .237 batting average against.


He followed that up with another All-Star campaign in 2013 for Reading in the Double-A Eastern League. In 27 starts, Biddle would sport a 5-14 record with a 3.64 ERA, a 10.02 K/9 mark and a .210 batting average against.

Biddle also represented the Phillies in the MLB All-Star Futures Game in 2013, earning the win for Team USA at New York’s Citi Field.

The 2014 campaign was one that Biddle would likely wish to forget, as he dealt with an odd injury and minimal success.  After leaving the FirstEnergy Stadium clubhouse, in Reading, during a hailstorm in May and being hit in the head with ice, Biddle was diagnosed with a concussion.

Time off and physical therapy were required for Biddle, who cited to me in August that the concussion had a lasting impact that affected him on the field as well as in his personal life.  He would not return to 100-percent for much of the season.

Overall in 19 minor league starts, he posted a 5-10 record with a 4.58 ERA and a .234 batting average against while striking out 92 and walking 51 in 94 1/3 innings.

This off-season, Biddle attempted to make up for lost time by pitching for Mayaguez in Puerto Rico, but, after two starts in which he allowed nine earned runs in 5 1/3 total innings, the youngster was shut down with elbow soreness.

Control is the major area where Biddle needs to refine his game. With a 4.48 BB/9 mark for his career, cutting down on the free passes will help the youngster immensely.

The 23-year-old’s pitch repertoire includes a four-seam fastball that typically clocks in the 92-93 MPH range, but can register a bit higher. He also features a dominating curve ball that often leaves opposing batters looking foolish as well as a solid change up, which he has built confidence in to throw in any count.

Biddle's standout quality has long been his never-satisfied attitude. With a dip in production along with time on the shelf as well as fans growing impatient with his progress of late, look for Biddle to have an extra chip on his shoulder that can help drive him toward making the necessary improvements to climb to the highest level of the sport.

Expect him to open the season in Double-A Reading with time at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on the horizon this year.

To follow along with this year's full countdown, click HERE.

ProspectNation

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Justin De Fratus Interview Excerpts- May, 2011

Armed with a 2-0 record, 3 saves and a 2.95 ERA in 15 games this season for the Double A Reading Phillies, Justin De Fratus continues to make strides toward his goal of reaching the Major Leagues. Ranked as a top 10 prospect within the Phillies system last off-season, the 23-year-old De Fratus was in camp with the Phillies during big league spring training. In 3 games with the Phils during the Grapefruit League season, De Fratus allowed 4 earned runs in 4 innings and took a loss. He did strike out an impressive 5 batters in those 4 frames, however. Drafted in the 11th round of the 2007 amateur draft, De Fratus stood out as a force in relief last year for both the High A Clearwater Threshers and the R-Phils. In 49 combined games at the two levels, De Fratus posted a 3-0 record with 21 saves and a 1.94 ERA. De Fratus continued his excellent 2011 by pitching for Team USA in the Pan-American qualifiers held in Puerto Rico, helping the Americans finish with a 9-1 record. He also posted out...

Bubby Rossman's long awaited MLB debut

Eight years after he initially signed a professional contract with the Dodgers and a five-year stretch playing away from affiliated ball, Bubby Rossman became a major leaguer on Wednesday. Added as a substitute for pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is restricted from travel to Canada for the Phillies' series in Toronto, due to his medical inability to be vaccinated from COVID-19, Rossman took the mound for the first time in the majors. Rossman, who was a 22nd round draft selection in 2014 had pitched in 200 professional games before his one-inning outing in the Phillies' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In 27 appearances with Double-A Reading this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has performed well, tallying a 2-2 record with a save, a 3.32 ERA and a .200 batting average against.   The embedded video below features a media session with Rossman from prior to opening day this year, in which the California native discusses his journey through independent baseball and back to affiliated ball w...

Series Preview: Braves at Phillies, August 6-8

The Braves (62-46) travel to Philadelphia to begin a three-game series with the Phillies (49-59) on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. In the past month, the two clubs have faced each other in two separate series, with the Braves winning all six of the contests. Atlanta’s recent dominance over the Phils is the opposite of how things went last season, when the Phillies handed the Braves six losses toward the end of the 2011 season. Those defeats shut the door on Atlanta’s postseason hopes. Read ahead for notes on the pitching the match ups and additional statistical information on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Ben Sheets (3-1, 1.46 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-6, 3.63 ERA). In 9 career starts against the Phillies, Sheets has a 3-4 record with a 4.50 ERA. Ty Wigginton is 12-for-36 (.333 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Sheets. The righty Sheets was the Brewers' 1st round draft pick in 1999. In his last 5 starts, Worley has a 2-1 record with a 4.06 ERA. In 9 home s...