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Art Charles - photo by Joe Wombough With a surplus of righty relievers and one in particular that has been on the outs in recent months, the Phillies made a trade on Saturday, to acquire a power hitting minor league first baseman Art Charles from the Toronto Blue Jays. In the deal, the Phils sent 27-year-old pitcher Michael Schwimer to Toronto.  Schwimer, a 14th round draft choice by the Phillies in 2008 out of the University of Virginia, has a 3-2 record with a 4.62 ERA in 47 big league contests while striking out 52 and walking 23 in 48 2/3 innings pitched. Charles, a 6-foot-6 225-pounder, was a 20th round draft choice by Toronto out of Bakersfield College in 2010.  Last season, splitting time between the Class A Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League and the Rookie level Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League, the California native batted .236 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI in 64 games. The 22-year-old is likely to begin the 2013 season with Class A ...

With the Phillies not participating in the MLB post-season for the first time in six years, regional baseball fans are confused about what to do with their time, how much playoff action they can enjoy and who they might root for. Rest assured, fans, it is perfectly okay to cheer for and have been happy when former Phillie Raul Ibanez single-handedly downed the Orioles in game three of the American League Division Series, giving the hated New York Yankees a 2-1 series lead. On Wednesday night, the 40-year-old outfielder/designated hitter pinch hit for superstar Alex Rodriguez in the 9th inning and launched a solo homerun that tied the game at two runs apiece and sent the contest into extra frames. In the bottom of the 12th inning, Ibanez smacked another blast that gave his team a 3-2 victory. Philadelphia fan reaction on Twitter was mixed. Some Philly faithful were happy that the veteran, who has never won a World Series, could help his team in such a tremendous fashion. O...

Phillies' up-again-down-again reliever Michael Schwimer posted a congratulatory message on Twitter to three Lehigh Valley IronPigs teammates on Thursday afternoon in relation to their promotions to the big league club.  The three players mentioned were lefty hurlers Jake Diekman (pictured) and Raul Valdes as well as mulit-positional veteran Hector Luna .   Diekman, 25, has posted sparkling numbers dating back to last year.  Over 16 combined relief outings in the Arizona Fall League and in Major League spring training this year, Diekman posted a 0.55 ERA with 23 strike outs and 7 walks.  The Nebraska native followed that up by allowing just 1 earned run through 12 relief innings, while striking out 22 and walking just 3 batters with the IronPigs. Diekman, a 30th round pick of the Phillies in the 2007 amateur draft, sports a fastball that reaches 95 MPH, a solid slider and a deceiving change up. He was ranked 18th on the 2012 PhilliesNation top prospects...

The Phillies (9-10) return from a season-long ten-game road trip to begin a four-game series against the Cubs (6-13).  While the five-time defending National League East division champion Phillies have not lived up to expectations thus far this season, the remedy could be a series against a Cubs team that has won just 1 game on the road this season. Thus far in 2012, the Phils have struggled offensively, ranking near the bottom of the list, as a team, in nearly every offensive category.  The Cubs, who rank dead last in the Major Leagues with just 7 homeruns this season, have done just as poorly, if not worse. In the series opener, the Phillies will send their ace Roy Halladay, who got just 1 run of support and took his first loss of the season in his last outing, to the mound.  The Cubs will counter with lefty Paul Maholm, who is considerably hot and cold when facing Philadelphia.  In his career against the Phils, Maholm has made 4 starts in which he has ...

The big league Phillies weren't the only ball players kicking off their 2012 campaign on Thursday. Here's a glance how the Phillies' minor league clubs and their players did on opening day... In a rain-shortened 8 inning affair, the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws dropped their South Atlantic League season opener by a score of 4-2 against the Red Sox affiliate Greenville Drive. Lefty hurler Lino Martinez got the start on the mound and allowed 1 earned run in 5 2/3 innings while striking out 4 and walking none. Righty reliever Gabriel Arias took the loss, allowing 3 earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. On the offensive side, Kelly Dugan , the Phillies' top draft pick from 2009, notched 2 hits in his full season Class A debut. Third baseman Maikel Franco (pictured, right) went hitless in 4 at bats, lowering his batting average in the SAL to .116 in 19 games, including time spent with Lakewood last year. The Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers fell to Dunedin (Toronto af...

On Tuesday, the Phillies reassigned right-handed hurlers Phillippe Aumont and Michael Schwimer to minor league camp. Aumont was recently ranked 4th on the PhilliesNation.com Top 25 Prospects Countdown , while Schwimer came in at number 13. Aumont, who sports a high-90's fastball, struggled a bit with his command this spring and notched a 4.50 ERA with no decisions while walking 4 and striking out 4 in 4 innings of work in Grapefruit League play. Aumont is 23-year-old. In 4 exhibition appearances, the 26-year-old Schwimer posted a 1-0 record with a 3.86 ERA while walking 5 and striking out 1 in 4 2/3 innings. It is very likely that these two promising relievers will be back with the big club in the near future. While the opening day roster is likely to include 12 pitchers, it's very common for teams to utilize up to about 10 more hurlers as injuries arise throughout a season. Both men would be expected to begin the regular season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Additiona...

Righty hurler Michael Schwimer had another great minor league season in 2011 and earned a spot on the big league roster. With nothing left to prove in the developmental ranks, Schwimer will get a considerable look in spring training with the Phillies this year. Selected in the 14th round of the 2008 draft, Schwimer signed quickly and made his pro debut with short-season Williamsport, posting a 1.96 ERA in 22 relief outings. A year later, Schwimer skipped Class A Lakewood and began his 2009 season at Class A Advanced Clearwater, where he went 2-1 with 20 saves and a 2.85 ERA in 48 games. He earned a promotion to Reading, of the Double A Eastern League, by season's end. The Virginia native, who will turn 26-years-old next week, began the 2010 season back with Reading where he posted a 5-3 record with 11 saves, a 3.60 ERA and a .225 batting average against in 32 appearances. After a July promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Schwimer continued posting remarkable numbers, going 2-2 wit...

Obviously, this was a bit easier to do after the Phillies defeated the Metropolitans by a score of 9-4 on Sunday to end their 8-game losing streak. As the Phillies traveled from New York to Atlanta, for the final series of the regular season, the annual rookie hazing costumes returned. The image was brought to the world via the glorious Twitter account of Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence. Pictured from left to right- team massage therapist Ichiro Kitano, catcher Erik Kratz, Justin De Fratus (kneeling), Joe Savery, Vance Worley, Michael Martinez, Michael Schwimer, Mike Stutes and Domonic Brown. ________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE

It is not often that a player will reach out publicly to fans and take the full burden for his team's loss. Many times, players will deliver an overly used athlete quote like, "Gotta let that go and get 'em tomorrow," which isn't bad, but it gets quite routine after hearing it dozens upon dozens of times over the years. Considering that, in the past, quotes from team personnel would normally be delivered to the masses via sports reporters, who could edit out any expletives that might have been uttered, hearing genuine, unedited thoughts from a sports figure is rather uncommon. These days, however, things are considerably different. With the current state of technology, players are able to bypass the middle man and connect with thousands of people almost instantly. For instance, during Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins' recent trip to the disabled list, the veteran ballplayer was able to scoop reporters by delivering updates on his status directly to the publ...

The Phillies have acquired left-handed batting outfielder John Bowker from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Details released on Wednesday state that the Phillies will send a player to be named or cash considerations to complete the deal at a later date. The 28-year-old Bowker had gone 4-for-17 (.235 avg) in 19 games this year for the Pirates. In 106 games with Triple A Indianapolis this season, Bowker batted .306 with 15 homeruns and 76 RBI. Bowker, who has played in parts of five Major League seasons, is a former 3rd round draft pick by the San Francisco Giants. Bowker's career Major League batting line (.237/.289/.390) is not an improvement over the numbers produced by current Phils lefty hitting reserve outfielder Ross Gload (.280/.325/.408). In an effort to clear a 25-man roster spot, the Phillies optioned Michael Schwimer to Triple A Lehigh Valley following Tuesday night's victory over Cincinnati. The 25-year-old Schwimer is expected to return to the big league roster...

This month Mike Drago of The Reading Eagle conducted a survey of a dozen experts, made up of writers and other media members, designed to rank the top prospects in the Philadelphia developmental system. The participating individuals, who are all close to the Phillies minor league system, were asked to rank their personal top 15, which were tabulated to determine the paper's published list of top ten prospects. Those that offered their insight for the ratings included Bob Brookover, Joe Berkery, Tony Graham, Jeff Schuler, Brian Seltzer, Mike Drago himself and yours truly, Jay Floyd. Last year's survey landed two keys to the trade that brought Hunter Pence to the Phillies at the top of the rankings. Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart were numbers 1 and 2, respectively, based on voting done last year. Additionally, this year's top Phillies rookie, Vance Worley , landed at number 3. The two players that followed those youngsters on the 2010 list now find t...

Right-handed reliever Michael Schwimer is set to join the Phillies on Wednesday. The 14th round selection out of the 2008 amateur draft, has been called up by the big club to fill the void left when Placido Polanco was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with a sports hernia. Through 46 games with the Triple A Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season, the University of Virginia graduate posted a 9-1 record with 10 saves and a 1.88 ERA while 86 striking out in 67 innings pitched. Schwimer, a 6-foot-8-inch 250-pounder, has been ready for the step upward for a lengthy stretch. An All-star this season, Schwimer has out-shined many of his IronPigs teammates, only to see those players get called up time and time again. Now, Schwimer's chance has finally arrived and, if you ask the man himself, he's been ready for this opportunity for quite a while. In a recent exclusive interview, Schwimer spoke of his hopes of earning a spot with the big club. "I absolutely fe...

Righty reliever Michael Schwimer has been one of the biggest contributors out of the bullpen for the Triple A Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season. Named an International League all-star this week, Schwimer has posted a 4-0 record and a 2.01 ERA while striking out 56 batters in 44 2/3 innings this season. The Virginia native was drafted in the 14th round in 2008 by the Phillies. Since then, he's moved up the developmental ranks swiftly. After making his professional debut with the short season Williamsport Crosscutters and posting a 1.96 ERA in 22 relief outings in 2008, Schwimer skipped Class A Lakewood and began the 2009 season with High A Level Clearwater. As a member of the Threshers' bullpen, Schwimer continued to look sharp, producing a 2-1 record, 20 saves and a 2.85 ERA in 48 games while striking out 82 batters in 60 innings. Schwimer moved up to Double A Reading late in the season and struggled, posting a 7.71 ERA in 5 relief outings. The following season, in 2010, the 6...

We've reached the mid-season point on the Major League schedule, as the Phillies played their 81st game of the season last night. Since the minor league regular season schedules typically only go through Labor Day, we're slightly past that halfway point for developmental levels. That doesn't mean we can't take a midpoint glance around the farm to get familiar with the status of each full season team and the progress of some key contributors for each club, through games played on Wednesday. In the Triple A International League, Ryne Sandberg's Lehigh Valley IronPigs lead the North division with a 46-33 record. All season long, the 'Pigs roster has served as the on deck circle for the Major League Phillies, but somehow the team has managed to hold things together and stand out as a strong club in the tough division that includes the Yankees and Red Sox affiliates. Second baseman Josh Barfield, who has Major League experience with the Indians, has posted solid nu...

Phillies right-handed pitching prospect Michael Schwimer had a tremendous season at two levels of the system in 2010 and is on the list of talented young relievers that the Phillies have at the higher levels of their farm system. After making his pro debut with short season Williamsport and posting a 1.96 ERA in 22 relief outings in 2008, Schwimer skipped Class A Lakewood and began his 2009 season at High-A Clearwater, where he went 2-1 with 20 saves and a 2.85 ERA in 48 games. He earned a promotion to Reading of the Double A Eastern League by season's end. The Virginia native began the 2010 season back with Reading where he posted a 5-3 record with 11 saves and a 3.60 ERA in 32 games. As a member of the R-Phils, Schwimer recorded 58 strike outs and 14 walks in 40 innings. After a July promotion to Triple A Lehigh Valley, Schwimer continued posting remarkable numbers, going 2-2 with a 1.35 ERA while striking out 18 batters and walking 7 in 20 innings. The 24-year-old Schwimer has a...