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On episode 56 of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, Tug and Jay chat about the minor league promotions that stand out for the coming season, plus several Phillies transactions including the team moving on from Bobby Abreu , Mike Stutes and Kevin Frandsen . Also news related to former Phils Seth Rosin , Vance Worley and Carlos Carrasco is discussed. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes . 

On the 51st edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, Jay and Tug discuss the return of Bobby Abreu to the Phillies as well as the team's off-season of aging. Other topics include the Phillies' TV broadcast changes, WWE's WrestleMania season kicking off with the Royal Rumble this Sunday and Daniel Bryan's insane popularity. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes . 

The Phillies announced this past week that the manager of the short-season Class A level Williamsport Crosscutters will be 36-year-old Nelson Prada.  As a catcher, Prada played four seasons in the Minnesota organization from 1995 through 1998. Prada, a Venezuela native, went on to manage in the minors for the Twins and was skipper in the rookie level Gulf Coast League as well as in the Class A Midwest league over the past eight seasons, compiling a .511 winning percentage over that stretch. The presence of Prada at the helm of the Cutters gives the Phillies a manager fluent in Spanish at each of the two lowest levels of their developmental ranks in the United States, as Roly deArmas enters his tenth season as manager of the Gulf Coast League Phillies.  The pair will help the club's collection of strong young Latin talent, including names like Carlos Tocci , Francisco Herrera and Wilson Garcia , adapt more quickly to baseball and life in America, with a leader they can ...

Fresh off a series loss to division rival Miami, the Phillies (28-27) will host the team with the best record in the National League when the Dodgers (33-21) visit to start a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies were hit with another blow to their active roster over the weekend, as reliever Jose Contreras suffered a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament and a flexor pronator tear during his most recent outing.  Contreras, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season, joins a lengthy disabled list for the Phils that includes Chase Utley , Ryan Howard , Mike Stutes and Roy Halladay .  The Phillies look forward to some aid, however, as righty starting pitcher Vance Worley will be activated to start the series opener on Monday. Last season the Phillies took five of six meetings with the Dodgers.  Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other statistical notes on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM.  Clayton Kershaw...

In order to calm some folks down after a losing series and 2 blown saves in Pittsburgh, let's take a look back in time. Exactly 10 years ago today, the Phillies visited Colorado for a double header and began a stretch where they would lose 18 of their next 19 games. Prior to the slump, the Phillies had a 67-59 record. By the end of it, they were 68-77. The bump in the road that was the Pirates this week isn't so bad. We all knew the back end of the bullpen was a problem. It's not something to be okay with, but there is still time to try some alternatives. If that outlook doesn't improve your mood, let me show you that pitiful Phillies starting lineup for game 1 of a decade ago. Doug Glanville CF Ron Gant LF Bobby Abreu RF Kevin Jordan 3B Rico Brogna 1B Gary Bennett C Marlon Anderson 2B Domingo Cedeno SS Chad Ogea P Kevin Jordan was the clean up hitter. Game 2's line up was worse. Switch in Kevin Sefcik for Glanville, Mike Lieberthal for Bennett, Alex Arias for Cede...

It is no secret that, right now, Raul Ibanez is making the Phillies look very smart. The Phils ' phormer left fielder, Pat Burrell , is struggling in Tampa with a .238 batting average, 1 homer and 8 RBI, 6 runs scored with a .681 OPS. The new left fielder, Ibanez , is GD wrecking opposing pitchers with a .355 batting average, 7 homers, 17 RBI, 20 runs scores and a 1.142 OPS. Furthermore, Burrell's new club, the Rays, are 3-4 when Burrell drives in at least one run. Our Phillies are 9-2 when Ibanez has at least 1 RBI. Also, Burrell has hit safely in 12 of the Rays' 19 games, while Raul has hit in 16 of the Phillies 19 games. There's no debate, at this stage, that the Phillies made the right call when they let Burrell go, and signed Ibanez to man left field. Hopefully, this will hold true throughout the rest of the season, all the way into the post season. Trends would perhaps suggest that Ibanez will cool off soon, as his career batting average in May is 45 ...

According to recent reports, the Phillies are confident that they can avoid arbitration with Ryan Howard. There is no confirmation whether the agreement would be a one-year or a multi-year deal. If an agreement can not be reached in the coming days, a panel of 3 arbitrators will hear arguments from both the team and the player, next week, and decide on either the Phillies' offer of $14 million, or Howard's requested $18 million. Two local BC Sports Collectibles will be hosting Phillies player autograph signings this week. BC Sports in the King of Prussia Mall will have Chris Coste signing autographs this Wednesday night, 2/4 at 6:30pm. And on Saturday, 2/7, Jamie Moyer will be at the Oxford Valley Mall starting at noon. There are 11 days till the 63rd year of spring training baseball begins in Clearwater, Florida. Jamie Moyer is 46 years old. Ryan Madson has changed his jersey number from 63 to 46. I have no idea if those numbers are all related, but this is a nice little parag...

So many top level talents are still free agents this offseason. Andy Pettitte finally signed an incentive laden deal with the Yankees yesterday, which can be worth as much as $12 million, but as little as $5.5 million. With under 3 weeks until pitchers and catchers report for spring training, have a look at the big names who are still available. Catchers- Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez- an eventual Hall of Famer Jason Varitek, a mainstay with the Red Sox for, well, ever...still remains unsigned Outfielders- Bobby Abreu, a steady numbers guy and former all star Adam Dunn, 40 or more homers for 4 straight years Ken Griffey Jr, more HoF names on the list Manny Ramirez, another Hall of Famer with a monster bat Garret Anderson, .296 career avg. and 84 RBI last year Jim Edmonds, 20 homers last season is worth consideration Starting pitchers- Livan Hernandez, former world champ & all star racks up innings Tom Glavine, surely another HoF lock Ben Sheets, has talent but is an injury conce...

Did you know...that, even with the $423.5 million that the Yankees just promised to CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and AJ Burnett, that their 2009 payroll is slated to be lower than it was in 2008? With several big contracts (Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano) coming off their books, the Yankees had loads of money to spend. Speaking of phormer Phillie Bobby Abreu, the latest rumors state that Abreu is being targeted by two California teams...the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manny Ramirez remains the Dodgers' first choice to play left field, but they can't wait around while other options that appeal to the Dodgers, like Abreu and Adam Dunn, are available. According to the LA Times, Manny's agent Scott Boras has been out of touch with the Dodgers since Mark Teixeira, another Boras client, signed with the Yankees before Christmas. Those hefty commission checks take some time to deposit, I suppose. Among some mild chatte...