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In recent seasons, the Phillies have parted ways with a considerable collection of well-regarded prospects in efforts to acquire established big league players. As time passes, those young players get closer to contributing for their new organization at the highest level and some are already doing so. As this year's trade deadline approaches, here’s a glance at how many of those former Phils’ farm hands have performed throughout the pros thus far in 2012. Jonathan Singleton , 1B, traded to Houston in the 2011 Hunter Pence deal- In 82 games with the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, the 20-year-old has posted a .271 batting average with 18 doubles, 3 triples, 12 HR and 49 RBI. Jarred Cosart , RHP, also dealt in the Pence trade- In 13 starts for Corpus Christi, the righty hurler is sporting a 4-5 record with a 3.91 ERA and a .273 batting average against. Cosart, 22, made 1 start for Triple-A Oklahoma City in May, allowing 4 earned runs in 6 innings of work. Overall in 79 2/3 innin...

Michael Taylor has been gone from the Phillies organization since December, 2009, when he was included in a package of players that was sent to Toronto for ace hurler Roy Halladay . Taylor was quickly flipped to Oakland in a separate trade and has had a tough time reaching and staying in the big leagues ever since. The 6-foot-5-inch 255-pound outfielder has been mashing opposing pitching in the early going this season, to the tune of a .452 batting average, through 7 games with Triple-A Sacramento. With 6 doubles, a homerun and a league leading 11 RBI, Taylor has helped lead the River Cats to a 6-1 record. Taylor, a Stanford graduate who spent this past off-season interning at a radio station in San Francisco, was the Phillies 5th round draft choice in 2007. Over the past two seasons in the Pacific Coast League, Taylor has batted .272 with 22 homers and 142 RBI in 220 games. The righty batting Taylor also sported a .200 average with 1 homerun and 1 RBI in 11 games with the Athle...

In recent seasons, plenty of well-regarded prospects have been traded by the Phillies to acquire established MLB talent and other key contributors. Many of those minor leaguers have been spending time with their respective clubs' big league teams this spring training. Here's a glance at how many of those former Phils' farm hands have done thus far in the exhibition season. Jonathan Singleton , 1B, traded to Houston in 2011 as part of the Hunter Pence deal- 9 games, 4-for-10 (.400 avg.), 1 double, 3 runs scored. Jonathan Villar , SS, traded to Houston in 2010 as part of the Roy Oswalt deal- 4 games, 0-for-2, with 2 walks. Anthony Gose , OF, traded to Houston in 2010 as part of the Roy Oswalt deal (subsequently flipped to Toronto)- 11 games, 4-for-15 (.267 avg), 1 double, 1 RBI. Travis d'Arnaud , traded to Toronto in 2009 as part of the Roy Halladay deal- 7 games, 3-for-15 (.200 avg), 2 doubles, 1 HR, 4 RBI. Kyle Drabek , traded to Toronto in the 2009 Roy Halladay deal...

Recently, we took a look at the return the Phillies acquired when they traded Cliff Lee to Seattle in December 2009. So why not take an updated look at the talent the Phillies traded away to obtain Roy Halladay? The biggest key to the deal with Toronto was righty hurler Kyle Drabek , who made the Blue Jays' opening day roster this season. The Phillies' first-round draft selection from 2006, Drabek was a force in the minors after bouncing back from Tommy John surgery in 2008, posting a 13-6 record and a 3.03 ERA in 33 outings from 2008-2009 at four levels of the Phillies' developmental system. After joining the Toronto organization, Drabek had a strong 2010 with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, leading the team to the post-season with a 14-9 record and a 2.94 ERA. The 6-foot-1-righty rode that string of success right into a September call-up, making three starts for Toronto, all of which he lost. In an exclusive interview last August, Drabek stated that...

Pat Burrell is congratulated by manager Bruce Bochy following Burrell's HR on Friday vs. Oakland Pat Burrell in 7 games with his new club, the San Francisco Giants, has contributed with a .333 batting average. Burrell, who could never quite excel with his previous team the Tampa Bay Rays, has driven in 4 runs and slugged two doubles and a homerun in his short time thus far with San Francisco. Burrell smashed his first homerun as a Giant on Friday, against former Phillies prospect Gio Gonzalez, of the Athletics. The Giants won the contest 6-2. Gonzalez suffered his 4th loss to San Francisco on Friday, but he also has 6 wins and a 3.79 ERA through 13 starts thus far in 2010. Burrell's teammate Aaron Rowand is struggling on offense, as he's posted a .223 batting average and .654 OPS this season. Rowand is a .278 career batter and has a career OPS of .782, so surely his 2010 output is far below his typical level of contributions. Oakland has more players than Gonzalez with Phil...

Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly bring to you the inaugural edition of THE BALLZIES...PhoulBallz.com's annual awards given out for the finest achievements in the Phillies organization as well as related things and stuff. Without any additional delay, let's get this thing rollin'. Major League Player of the Year- Ryan Howard Howard is one of the most consistent hitters in baseball today. He's had four straight seasons with 45 or more homers and over 135 RBI. Howard also won the most valuable player award of the NLCS in 2009. He is one of the greatest Phillies hitters of all time. There's not much else to say. Minor League Player of the Year- Domonic Brown The Phils' #1 prospect hit for a .299 batting average in 106 games while smashing 14 homers, 64 RBI and swiping 23 bags. When watching Brown play it is easy to tell he's got the right tools and he is a pure athlete. Speed on the bases, range in the outfield, an excellent arm, a solid bat...it's all t...

In one side of a blockbuster tri-fold deal, the Phillies acquired pitching ace Roy Halladay in a long rumored trade with Toronto on Wednesday. The deal sent prospects Michael Taylor, Kyle Drabek and Travis D'Arnaud to the Blue Jays. Money was a key factor in the Phillies side of the swap, as the Blue Jays also sent $6 million to the Phillies. Halladay has agreed to sign a contract extension with the Phillies. It is a 3-year $60 million deal with a vesting 4th year option. The $20 million option for 2014 becomes guaranteed if Halladay meets all 3 of the following criteria: he pitches 225 innings in 2013, he pitches 415 combined innings in 2012 and 2013 and is not on the disabled list at the end of the 2013 season. “This is where (my family and I) wanted to be,” Halladay said at an introductory press conference at Citizens Bank Park. “It was an easy decision for me. Once the opportunity came up for me to be part of this, it was something I couldn’t pass up.” It's quite a tu...

As the projected Roy Halladay trade continues to draw closer to finality, I wanted to offer some input on the minor leaguers that the Phillies are set to ship to Toronto. In all, the Phillies will have sent away 7 total prospects for Halladay and other pieces. Add the four prospects (Jason Knapp, Lou Marson, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald) it took to acquire Cliff Lee from the Indians in July, to the group currently being discussed, Travis D'Arnaud, Michael Taylor and Kyle Drabek, and the Phillies will have given up 7 of their 10 best prospects, as ranked by Baseball America in January 2009. Of those seven, I had the chance to watch 4 of them play quite a bit this year, and got to know them a bit through interviews and off the record conversations. The two biggest days in this site's history, traffic-wise, have been on days that Phillies/Cliff Lee trade news has erupted on the baseball world. As baseball fans everywhere search for the big Phillies prospects' names onl...

The Phillies are just about ready to wrap things up at this year's Winter Meetings in Indianapolis. Wednesday was the third day of the meetings, and, while the team was involved in many rumors, the Phillies didn't make any moves. The Ross Gload deal is technically pending until Gload passes a physical. Brandon Lyon agreed to terms on a 3 yr/$15 million deal with Ed Wade's Astros. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro stated that the Phillies were involved deeply in negotiations with Lyon but that Wade stole him away. Rumors surfaced that the Phillies were in the mix again for a trade with Toronto involving ace pitcher Roy Halladay. Talks mainly had names like Domonic Brown and Michael Taylor attached, but GM Ruben Amaro stated Thursday morning that a big trade like that getting done is not likely. On Wednesday, Brown was named to the 22 player Arizona Fall League top prospect team. PhoulBallz interviewed both big OF prospects during their '09 minor league campaigns...here are links i...

The Phillies made a move by signing free agent Ross Gload late Tuesday night. Gload, who will turn 34 years old on opening day next year, is a career .283 hitter in 608 Major League games. The lefty hitter, who led the National League in pinch hits this past season, will add depth to the outfield and can play first base. Leading up to the announcement of the signing, rumors had surfaced stating that Gload had 2-year offers on the table from the Braves, Marlins and Phillies. Gload decided to go with the National League champs. While this deal adds depth to the team, it was not a necessary signing. Outfield was likely the area at which the Phillies were best stocked, going into next season. Their three starting positions are filled by a trio of all stars (Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez), while Ben Francisco and his low salary are locked into a back up role. The Phillies have John Mayberry Jr., who played 39 games with the big league Phillies in 2009 and hot prospect ...

Last week PhoulBallz updated you on some final numbers from the land of the Arizona Fall League. There's another offseason hot spot for baseball and it's known as the Mexican Pacific League. Phillies minor leaguers John Mayberry Jr., BJ Rosenberg, Michael Taylor and Neil Sellers are playing there for the Yaquis de Obregon. Right now, the Yaquis are 20-18, in 4th place. Sebastian Valle is also playing in the league. In 32 games in the Mexican "Winter" League, Mayberry Jr. is batting .314 with 7 homers, 23 RBI and a .910 OPS. Against lefties, Mayberry Jr. is batting .500 (14-for-28) with a 1.319 OPS. Mayberry Jr., a former first round draft pick of the Rangers, batted .211 with 4 homers in 39 Major League games with the Phillies this season. Sellers, who played third base for double A Reading this year, batted .371 with 3 homeruns, 18 RBI and a .953 OPS in 23 games with Obregon. Taylor, the Phillies' 3rd best prospect (as ranked by Baseball America), batted .308 wit...

Baseball America released its list of top 10 Phillies prospects today. The article, found by clicking here , includes a projected future lineup for the Phillies, salary bonus information, a breakdown of best tools throughout the system and a review of the organization's turnaround over the past decade. The author, John Manuel, states that, " No organization transformed its image in the 2000s more than the Phillies," and it was surely for the better. Pitching prospect Justin De Fratus, on the honor of "Best Control" on Baseball America's Phillies prospect tools list, said, "That's pretty cool to be recognized for that. To be considered the best in a certain area, in such an elite organization, is great. Especially because control and command is something I take a lot of pride in." De Fratus always credits his father Terry as being key in helping with his success with location. A while back, Justin told me, "(My dad is) the reason why I thro...

It's been a brief offseason so far. But in the two short days since the Phillies' race to repeat ended, there have been a lot of happenings with the team. It was a sure thing that after the Yankees recorded the final out to win their 27th World Series Championship that the 25 men representing the Phillies at that time would never play together again, but as the days pass, the truth in that statement is increasingly clear. Brett Myers was informed on Friday that he will not return to the Phillies. Myers' was not surprised by the news, and looked forward to returning to Philadelphia as an opponent. Myers filed for free agency after being notified. Myers, a former first round draft pick, should draw plenty of interest around baseball. His future is most likely as a reliever. Also filing for free agency on Friday were Miguel Cairo and Pedro Martinez. The official free agency period begins 15 days after the end of the World Series. Two players had contracts who were finished unl...

There's a whole lot going on in Phillies land today! Pedro Martinez got his first win as a Phillie last night, over the Cubs. Pedro looked solid through his first 4 innings, but gave up 2 earned runs in the 5th inning. Pedro's complete line, after 99 pitches- 5 innings, 7 hits, 3 runs all earned, 1 walk, 5 k's. TheFightins has a review of the Victorino/Cubs fan/beer incident. NQTC offers some thoughts on Wrigley bleacher fans, last night's mishap and if the Cubs had anything to do with it. TricoSuave has a look at Shane's beer shower fun as well. The double A Reading Phillies' locker room reaction to the beer tossed into Shane's face: "Nice timing." Cubs manager Lou Piniella was disappointed that it happened, stating, "It’s not good sportsmanship. … We apologize to Victorino and the Phillies for that." Brett Myers threw two more simulated innings yesterday in Clearwater, FL. Myers is hoping to pitch a rehab assignment soon. Phillies o...

The Double A Eastern League All Star Game took place Wednesday night in Trenton. The evening included a homerun derby that pitted prospects like the Twins' Rene Tosoni, Boston's Lars Anderson and the Phillies' own Michael Taylor against the likes of two local high schoolers. Mike Fassl, a New Egypt High School senior, won the contest by besting Toronto's Brian Dopirak (19 homers so far in the regular season) 1-0 in the final round. And yes they got 10 outs. The entire Derby was difficult to watch. Futures Game MVP Rene Tosoni put up a goose egg (zero) in the first round. Michael Taylor laid on some drama, going 9 outs into his session before blasting one out to left-center. He ended his round with 1 total homerun. The Indians' Carlos Santana put down his guitar to participate in the derby as well, and slugged just a single shot also. Fassl's father, Mike Sr., was his pitcher for the event. In the game itself, the Southern Division won the game, led by Miguel Ab...

The Eastern League All Star Game takes place tonight in Trenton at Waterfront Park. Five Reading Phillies are on the Southern Division team. 3B Neil Sellers, CF Quintin Berry, RHP Vance Worley, OF Michael Taylor and LHP Joe Savery all hope to help their team win. Michael Taylor, New Britian's Brian Dopirak and the Futures Game MVP, Twins prospect Rene Tosoni, will headline the Homerun Derby that takes place prior to the game. Also competing in the Derby will be two local high school players, who are allowed to use aluminum bats. Plans to have former Major Leaguer and current Trenton Thunder hitting coach Frank Menechino participate in the HR Derby have been nixed. The starting lineup for the Southern Division team is as follows... Miguel Abreu, 2B, Bowie Deik Scram, CF, Erie Michael Taylor, RF, Reading Carlos Santana, C, Akron Marvin Lowrance, LF, Harrisburg Neil Sellers, 3B, Reading Jason Delaney, DH, Altoona Beau Mills, 1B, Akron Brian Friday, SS, Altoona Joe Savery, SP, Reading ...

Could future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez be on his way to the Phillies' pitching rotation? Yes, he could be. He could be the annual mid-level addition to the pitching staff that the team, and its phans, have grown accustomed to. Cory Lidle, Kyle Lohse, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton...those are the sorts of acquisitions the Phillies make each year, in July, to make a run at the playoffs. Pedro Martinez is no longer an all star...no longer a Cy Young Award contender...and no longer a staff ace. Toronto's Roy Halladay, who the Phillies were tied to with trade rumors this week, is that #1 pitcher the Phillies always miss out on. The Phillies don't do what it takes to add a top level, front of the rotation, all star, Cy Young Award winning sort of hurler. The team lets money and the risk of trading away prospects get in the way. John Kruk tells a story about how the 1993 Phillies could have added Randy Johnson in a mid-season trade, but the front office was held up on pitching prosp...

The Phillies followed up their 22 run explosion on Monday night with a Will-Ferrell-TV-adaptation-like dud in game 2 of the series against the Reds. Plenty of hits in the game, by our Phils, but failure to hit with runners in scoring position left the team short in the end, and they lost 4-3. The Phillies were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-5 with a runner on 3rd base with less than 2 outs, and they left 12 runners on base. Brad Lidge continued to resemble the exact opposite of the 2008 version of himself. His 7.12 ERA has him sitting as the second worst reliever in MLB this season. Only former National and current Pirate Joel Hanrahan has pitched over 20 relief innings and has worse statistics than Lidge. Hanrahan's ERA is 7.97. Oh, and hey...Michael Taylor, what do you think of Eric Bruntlett's contributions this season (.141 batting avg. in 45 games played)? ----- Don't forget that Fox Sports 1310AM's web feed is active world wide. You sho...

Michael Taylor is currently leading the Reading Phillies' offense and is near the top of the Eastern League in most stat categories (3rd in batting avg- .342, 3rd in HR- 14, tied for second in RBI- 55, 2nd in OPS.- .994, tied for 1st in runs scored- 49, tied for 1st in hits...). The 23 year old Taylor is 6 feet 6 inches tall and has quickly grabbed the attention of phans and media alike as a top prospect to watch. I spoke with Mike Taylor over the weekend, and here is that interview. With all the big stats and being among the league leaders in so many categories, do you think you're ready for the next step? It's kind of a difficult question. Do you have anything left to prove here? There's always something to prove. There's stuff to prove every game. I mean that's one thing that's very interesting about this game. It's such a numbers oriented game. You're only as good as your last "whatever statistical category that someone's valuing". ...