Phillies Nation

16 Responses to “Prospect Report: JA Happ”

1. Tim Malcolm Says:
   May 13th, 2008 at 11:11 am

   I’m pulling for Happ mainly because we’re both Oct. 19 babies.

2. PhillyFriar Says:
   May 13th, 2008 at 11:21 am

   I hope it works out that when he’s called up, Happ is able to get at least a couple of starts rather than just a spot start. He’ll have an adjustment period, certainly, but there’s no reason he can’t be a solid back of the rotation starter. It’d be a heck of a lot more economical than signing a mediocre free agent for $8 million a year.

3. Mike T. Says:
   May 13th, 2008 at 11:23 am

   Right on, Tim. You’re the only one that has the ability to make me less pessimistic about the Phils.

4. Tim Malcolm Says:
   May 13th, 2008 at 11:30 am

   Obviously Happ will struggle a bit coming to the Majors, but yes, as a No. 5 starter for the rest of the season? I could see it.

5. Lewisauce Says:
   May 13th, 2008 at 11:36 am

   Eaton is terrible. I really think the couple of quality starts he pulled together at the start of the season are his pinnacle. They represent the highest level of his potential. Now that they’re out of the way, he will go back to the type of performance he put on last year.

   All of that is to say: Happ can’t be much worse. Give the kid a shot, and if we’re going to put him in the rotation, let’s try leaving him there and seeing if he can ride out the call-up struggles and start to put together quality starts by August-September.

6. OZ Says:
   May 13th, 2008 at 11:43 am

   good post Tim. let’s get Happ in there - completely agree.

   will Outman get called up anytime soon to bump Condrey from the bullpen?

   is Fabio Castro close to getting the call, if Happ or Outman should struggle?

   also, any word on Bisenius - he’s only pitched 4 innings or so - assuming he’s hurt?

   thanks you’s guys.

7. Geoff Says:
   May 13th, 2008 at 12:09 pm

   You have to get condrey out of there. you need another arm you can actually use regularly and not when the game is out of control. Castro needs to go in there, or someone who can provide some good stuff. what i like about bringing castro up is that castro can start if he absolutely needs to. i like that. i also favor bringing up JA happ right now. maybe you bring down madson for a little while. you give eaton another shot or two WHILE happ is standing right there watching him ready to take his place. if eaton gets shelled then you make the switch and try to trade eaton or something to get him ouit of there. the next guy after eaton who is on the hotseat is kendrick, followed by moyer and myers. (you notice taht 4/5 of the damn rotation is on the hot seat!!!!!) what kind of bull, cheap ass ownership stunt is that????

   go spend money and get some pitchers in here that can be effective. i favor keeping kendrick in the rotation over eaton and even over moyer. kendrick is always going to be a sinkerballer and id rather have that than have someone like moyer who gives up homeruns when he has to put it over the plate. getting ahead of myself here, because moyer has bought himself a few more starts with the way he pitched at arizona. shame about eaton, when he has command of his stuff hes a pretty decent pitcher. but he doesnt have command of his stuff very often.

8. PhillyFriar Says:
   May 13th, 2008 at 1:04 pm

   Re: the bullpen, I agree that Condrey will prove to be the odd man out, but instead of rushing Outman or Castro into roles they’re still transitioning into, why don’t we give a shot to the lefty with lights out numbers…

   R.J. Swindle.

   Yes, he’s a junkballer. But Gillick wants another lefty, and as a LOOGY he’d be worth a shot, right? Check out his lines so far this year.

   Reading: 16.2 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 16:1 K:BB, 0.54 ERA
   Lehigh Valley: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7:0 K:BB, 0.00 ERA

9. Gavin Says:
   May 13th, 2008 at 1:16 pm

   Good call PhillyFriar!!!! RJ Swindle would be a perfect fit. Unfortunately Gillick isnt a numbers guy he’s a stuff guy, so the chances are slim.

   I hope for a Happ and Outman call up. Romero will need a new arm by the break if he’s the only LP in the pen all year.

   They need to tell Eaton that he has one strat to get straight or he’s done. That seems to motivate him….

10. Don M Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 3:58 pm

    The good thing about a guy like Condrey is that you can use him when a game is out of control… which over the course of 162 games will happen more than a few times. Condrey goes in, pitches to contact, a can eat 3 innings if you need him to, which not many bullpen guys can do.

    Of course you’d rather have someone more effective that Condrey for all those times when games aren’t out of control… but the Phillies main problem, in my opinion, is starting pitching… Hamels, Myers, Moyer really don’t cut it as a 1-2-3… match that up against a team like Arizona or Chicago in a short series, and you would lose that serier 90% of the time. Eaton has been alright this year, same thing with Kendrick… you can’t say that they have directly cost you many games this year… but to be a winning team, you need pitchers that can make you win games.. not just keep you in them. Our rotation will look much much different come 2nd half

11. Geoff Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 4:10 pm

    I just argue taht they use a spot in the pen for madson or condrey who are just bodies where you need one more guy in the pen who is strong and can be brought in under high pressure and get people out.

    as far as the rotation..AMEN! myers, hamels, moyer as 1-2-3 is SO weak. because its basically loss or no decision, win, loss or no decision when they roll out there. myers isnt even good enough to be a 3 right now. they need a strong 2 to go in there and they need it at or before the deadline or else theyre going NOWHERE. i think JA Happ and Kris Benson would help to shore up the back end of the rotation mixed in with Kendrick assuming eaton flames out. screw madson. screw condrey. condrey gets replaced by a AAA call up. madson replaced by another starter if it were me in charge. you keep 6 starters on the roster at all times. when one of them gets shelled twice in a row…boom the 6th guy comes in for a start or two. bad starts are UNACCEPTABLE in major league baseball!! youre trying to win a world championship here, not just go out and play hard. you keep durbin who can be a starter and condreys spot is taken by castro or happ or someone who can eat innings when you ask them to.

12. Geoff Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 4:14 pm

    I think the rotation at the end of the year will be hamels - # 2 starter they havent gotten yet - myers (if hes still on the team) - moyer - Benson/Kendrick. Eaton isnt on the team at the end of the year. If he improves they trade him and eat most of the salary or barry zito him, if he tanks they DFA him.

13. Lewisauce Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 4:42 pm

    Geoff, I like the concept you outlined above:

    Hamels
    No. 2 TBA
    Myers (maybe)
    Moyer
    Kendrick/Benson

    The question is, where does that No. 2 come from? Who will it be? What do we give up to get him?

    I hope that is the situation, and I hope Myers straightens it out and matures for the first time in his career. When he’s on, he’s a bona-fide No. 2. So a bona-fide No. 2 to be named later + a Myers operating at optimum potential spells “possible championship,” which is what we’re playing for to begin with.

    Friar: Bring on the Swindle!

14. Geoff Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 5:30 pm

    exactly, i agree. i have no idea where it comes from. burnett vasquez, is blanton really a 2?, dan cabrera is he doesnt come back to earth? have no idea. maybe a prospect or two could net somebody. i dont know if they even think they need to go out and get someone which is dangerous thinking…

15. philsphan Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 10:11 pm

    Gillick did move Swindle from AA to AAA recently and it is at a time we need another lefty in the bullpen, I think if he continues to do well at AAA he will be given a chance before Casto, Outman, the lefty we recently got from Houston, and Kline.

16. Ron C Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 1:18 pm

    Bring him up—-NOW!!!

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