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LAKEWOOD, NJ- For Zach Collier, a year away from baseball served as a lesson for what is important to him. The 20-year-old outfielder missed the entire 2010 season with various injuries and is back attempting to climb the ladder in the Phillies' developmental system this year with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. After being selected out of high school in the supplementary round (34th overall) of the 2008 amateur draft, making his pro debut with the Gulf Coast League Phillies that year and a shaky campaign in 2009, in which he spent time with Lakewood and the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters, while batting .221 in 116 games combined at the two levels, Collier experienced repeated injuries in 2010 that began prior to spring training and kept him from competing for the entire season. Heading into spring training in 2010, the 6-foot-2-inch 185-pound Collier was dealing with a break of the hamate bone in his right hand that required surgery. In the process of doing rehab work fo...

Phillies minor league mainstay Jeremy Slayden has gotten off the pot and retired. In 84 games between two levels, with Reading & Lehigh Valley, this season, Slayden was hitting .256 (66-for-257) with 13 homers and 42 RBI. Slayden was a 2008 Eastern League all star. PhoulBallz wishes him well. -------------------------- Saturday links... WSBGM's talks Marlins and Ryan Howard, with some K-Rod fun tossed in. Rich Baxter's Phillies webcast is worthy of a listen. Macho Row talks about the SI cover curse and Johnny Callison. Swing and a Long Drive has a review of Wall of Fame Induction Night. The IronPigPen seems to have bumped heads with the actual IronPigs. Not good. Not good at all. Best of luck with anything and everything, Rolf. ---------------------- Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE !

With the World Baseball Classic less than 24 hours away, here is a little something to get you in a patriotic mood. USA! USA! USA! ***** Colbert Hamels made his 2009 spring debut today. He pitched 2 scoreless innings against Team Canada, allowing 2 hits and a walk. John Mayberry Jr., Jeremy Slayden and Raul Ibanez led the offense, as our Phils won 9-2, scoring runs off all 5 Canadian pitchers faced.

The Phillies made the first roster alteration at the winter meetings on Wednesday, by trading minor league catcher Jason Jaramillo to the Pirates for Ronny Paulino. This trade deepens the Phillies at the catching position and could have other effects on the 2009 team. The move could unofficially end Chris Coste's run as a Phillie. It could also make Carlos Ruiz or even Lou Marson trade bait. Another move that happened on Wednesday that could effect the Phillies down the road is the Yankees signing CC Sabathia. $161 million?! Wow. Now let's look forward to the day when Cole Hamels wants that top free agent pitcher money. Enjoy young Colbert while you can, Phillies phans. New reports about the Phillies' interest in Minnesota's Delmon Young and Chan Ho Park are the buzz today. Park, who was with the Dodgers in 2008, is not the LA pitcher most Phillies phans were hoping for (eh-hem, Derek Lowe!). Park, however, was fairly solid this year posting a 3.40 ERA in over 95 inning...