Outman, Carrasco, and Carpenter to start '08 in Double-A?

The Allentown Morning Call is getting ready for the start of Lehigh Valley Ironpigs baseball with a look at who might be on their roster as they open up Coca-Cola Park.

In the story, they get a quote (below) from Steve Noworyta that indicates where former Threshers Josh Outman, Carlos Carrasco, Andrew Carpenter, Joe Bisenius, and J.A. Happ will likely start the 2008 season.

"The Outmans, the Carrascos, the Carpenters, those types of player are still going to be in Double-A. This club is more the [Jason] Jaramillos and the [Joe] Biseniuses and the J.A.] Happs, those types of guys sprinkled in with the free agents that we've signed."

Other former Threshers mentioned in the article as potential Ironpigs are Mike Spidale and Scott Mathieson. Mathieson, who is getting married later this afternoon, missed most of the 2007 season after Tommy John surgery.

Read the whole Allentown Morning Call Story

Former Threshers re-sign with Phillies as Minor League Free Agents

The Phillies announced the signing of 13 minor league free agents over the weekend and several of the names should look familiar to Clearwater Threshers' fans.

Returning to the Phillies organization are: RJ Swindle, Jake Blalock, Branden Florence, Mike Spidale, Orlando Guevera, and John Suomi.

RJ Swindle | He was 0-1 with a 4.80 ERA in 12 games for the Threshers in 2007. Swindle also saved three games.

Jake Blalock | He hit .264 in 42 games with the Threshers in 2007. Blalock also had six homer and 26 RBIs. He also spent the entire 2005 season with the Threshers.

Branden Florence | He hit .327 with seven homers and 86 RBIs for the Threshers in 2006.

Mike Spidale | He hit .275 in 58 games with the Threshers in 2007.

Orlando Guevera | He has spent at least part of the last four seasons with the Threshers.

John Suomi | He hit .258 in 20 games with the Threshers in 2007.

2007 Clearwater Threshers – First Half in Review

The first half of the 2007 Clearwater Threshers season is officially in the books.

Record and Attendance
The Threshers finished the first half with a 39-31 (.557) record which was good for third place just four games behind the division-winning Sarasota Reds.

At home the Threshers were 20-14 (.588). The Threshers road record was 19-17 (.528).

The Threshers had 32 openings at Bright House Networks Field and announced a total of 79,525 guests which works out to an average of 2,485 which puts us slightly behind the Daytona Cubs.

Hitting
Greg Golson led the team in games (69), at-bats (292), runs (45), hits (77), doubles (19), total bases (121), and stolen bases (20). These stats also put him near the top of the FSL in the all of those categories.

Jeremy Slayden led the team in home runs (8), RBIs (42), walks (43), and on-base percentage (.398). Those stats also put him near the top of the FSL in all of those categories. He also has the longest hitting streak of any Threshers player this season. He was 20 for 42 for a .476 batting average during a twelve game period between April 28 and May 9. He also hit three home runs during that span. He made it on-base at least once 24 games in a row between April 23 and May 17.

Mike Spidale led the team in triples with four. That puts him in eighth place in the FSL. He also had the best batting average on the team with runners on base (.312) and with runners in scoring position and two outs (.323).

Clay Harris was the best hitter with the bases loaded. He hit .333 and had eight RBIs in those situations.

Lou Marson was the best hitter (.328) with runners in scoring position. Marson also had the fourth-best caught stealing/stolen bases efficiency stats in the FSL (.333).

Matt Thayer was the best hitter at home (.321).

Welinson Baez was the best hitter on the road (.286).

Threshers batters combined to put Clearwater in the top half of the FSL in runs (314), doubles (116), triples (19), RBIs (293), walks (226), and stolen bases (56).

Pitching
Andrew Carpenter led the FSL in wins with seven.

Josh Outman led the team in ERA (2.79), Innings Pitched (80.2), and Strikeouts (78). Those stats put him near the top of the FSL in all of those categories. His opponents batting avereage of .143 led Threshers pitchers when facing a situation with runners in scoring position.

Brett Harker led the team in saves with 11.

Carlos Carrasco led the team in WHIP (1.02). He was the best pitcher on the mound with runners on base on allowing them to hit .195 against him in those situations.

Threshers pitching was in the top half of the FSL in ERA (3.69), hits allowed (555), runs allowed (285), earned runs (250), strikeouts (520), and WHIP (1.31). The Threshers led the league or were tied for the league lead in shutouts (8) and saves (26).

All-Stars
Carlos Carrasco, Andrew Carpenter, Patrick Overholt, Lou Marson, and Jeremy Slayden were named to the 2007 FSL West Division All-Star Team. Patrick Overholt did not make the trip due to his promotion to Reading, and Greg Golson was added to the team later as an injury replacement. Slayden won the Home Run Derby.

Award Winners
FSL Pitcher of the Week - Josh Outman

Phillies Minor Leauge Pitcher of the Week - Daniel Brauer, Patrick Overholt, Zac Stott, Carlos Carrasco (twice)

Phillies Minor League Player of the Week- Clay Harris

Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Month - Patrick Overholt (April), Zac Stott (May)

Phillies Minor League Player of the Month - Greg Golson (April)

Fun Facts
The Threshers were undefeated (33-0) when leading after eight innings.

The Threshers were 33-11 when scoring first.

The most runs that the Threshers scored in a game was 11. This happened April 26 at Lakeland and June 14 at Dunedin.

The most hits that the Threshers recorded in a game was 15.

The Threshers best month in the win-loss column was April. Their record was 16-8 (.667).

Threshers batters were hottest in the month of May with a .266 combined batting average.

Threshers pitchers were hottest in the month of April with a combined 2.29 ERA.

Sorting out the roster

Just looked back into the blog archives and it appears that I haven't updated the transaction list since the end of May.

Here's what's happened since then, sorted by player (alphabetical by last name) rather than date.

Dominic Brown was promoted from Extended Spring on June 13 and then returned on June 15.

Brian Burgamy was added from Reading on June 19.

Carlos Carrasco was promoted to Reading today (June 20).

Jason Donald was promoted from Lakewood on June 4.

Sergio Escalona was added from Extended Spring on June 13 and then returned on June 14.

Orlando Guevara was placed on the DL on June 14.

Brett Harker began serving 3 game suspension on June 12.

Fidel Hernandez was sent to Lakewood on June 8.

Kevin Howard was added from Lakewood on June 18.

Tim Kennelly was added from Extended Spring on June 14. He was returned on June 15, and then sent back to us on June 18.

Hector Made was activated from the suspended list on June 8.

Patrick Overholt was promoted to Reading on June 14.

Carlos Pena was added from Extended Spring on June 14 and then returned on June 15.

Pete Shier was released on June 4.

Michael Spidale was promoted to Reading on June 13.

Matt Thayer was placed on the DL on June 18.

Luis Villarreal signed as a minor league free agent on June 18.

Charlie Weatherby promoted to Ottawa on June 4.

To recap from last update:
Currently on the Threshers roster: Brian Burgamy, Jason Donald, Kevin Howard, Tim Kennelly, Hector Made, and Luis Villarreal.

No longer on the Threshers roster: Carlos Carrasco, Fidel Hernandez, Patrick Overholt, Pete Shier, Mike Spidale, and Charlie Weatherby.

Some background on our new players:

Brian Burgamy - Burgamy is a 5'10" 190lb outfielder from Oklahoma. He played his college ball at Wichita State before being selected by the Padres in the ninth round of the 2002 draft. He came to the Phillies via the Rule 5 Draft in 2005. He will be celebrating his 26th birthday one week from today. He should look familiar to Threshers fans as he did spend most of the 2006 season with us in Clearwater before being called up to Reading to finish the year.

Jason Donald - Donald is a 6'1" 190lb shortstop from California. He was drafted by the Angels in the 20th round of the 2003 draft but decided to go to school instead. He played his college ball at Arizona before being selected by the Phillies in the third round of the 2006 draft. He was batting .310 for Lakewood through 51 games which helped him earn South Atlantic League Player of the Week and Phillies Minor League Player of the Week honors before his promotion. He was an All-Star for Batavia in the New York-Penn League in 2006.

Kevin Howard - Howard is 6'2" 190lb infielder from California. He was drafted by the Padres in the 22nd round of the 1999 draft, but decided to go to school instead. The Reds selected him in the fifth round of the 2002 draft after he played several years for Miami. He was traded to the Yankees prior to the 2006 season. He signed with the Phillies as a minor league free agent in 2007. He has been honored with numerous awards throughout his career in high school, college, and the minors including Baseball America's Freshman of the Year award in 2000. He has also seen time with major league clubs during Spring Training. He was batting .317 for Lakewood prior to the promotion.

Tim Kennelly - Kennelly is a 6'0" 180lb catcher from Australia. He was signed as an a free agent by the Phillies near the end of the 2003 season. He started his professional career with the Phillies as part of the GCL Phillies in 2005 and since then has moved his way up through Batavia and Lakewood. He will turn 21 in December.

Hector Made - Made is a 6'1" 155lb infielder from the Dominican. He came to the Phillies in the Sal Fasano trade with the Yankees nearly 11 months ago. He was immediately assigned to the Threshers stayed with us through the rest of the season.

Luis Villarreal - Villarreal is a 6'1" 215lb left-handed pitcher from Texas. He was originally selected out of Northwood University by the Red Sox in the 20th round of the 2002 draft. He was released by the Red Sox just after Spring Training in 2004 after just two seasons in the system. He spent the next three seasons playing Independent ball in the Frontier and Northern Leagues before being signed by the Brewers prior to the 2007 season. He split the season between their Triple-A and Double-A affiliates before being released.

Update: Former Threshers in Reading

Eleven former Threshers are currently on the Reading Phillies (Double-A) roster.

Here is an update of how they are doing with Reading so far this year.

Allen Davis - Given up zero hits in five out of his 10 relief appearances

Julio De La Cruz - Strictly a reliever this year. In 25 appearances he's got a 1-1 record with a 3.78 ERA. He also has three saves. Hitters are batting .224 against him and he's got a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.2 to 1.

Chris Key - 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 24 appearances out of the bullpen. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 4 to 1.

Patrick Overholt - Scattered eight hits over five innings in his debut with Reading on Saturday.

Chris Coste - Joined Reading after a month with Ottawa (Triple-A). He is hitting .288 in his 19 games with Reading. Against lefties he is 7 for 17 (.412) with three home runs.

Mike Costanzo - Batting .325 in his last ten games. In five of those games he has gotten two hits. His 13 home runs lead the Eastern League. He has 29 extra-base hits which ranks him tied for fourth in the Eastern League. Leads Reading in walks with 27.

Michael Garciaparra - He is 12 for 36 (.333) with runners in scoring position.

Jesus Merchan - Leading the Eastern League in hitting with a .356 batting average in 48 games. Only struck out eight times in 163 at-bats. Hitting .410 on the road. His on-base percentage of .422 is third best in the Eastern League.

Peeter Ramos - Was three for five with two runs scored in a game on June 7 against Harrisburg. Has nine hits in 22 at-bats (.409) with runners in scoring position.

Branden Florence - Still on the disabled list. Injured in April and missed the entire month of May. Close to missing the whole month of June as well.

Mike Spidale - Was two for four with a stolen base in his second game with Reading (vs. Trenton) on June 15.

Huge series starts tonight

The top two teams in the FSL West are set to meet for a three-game series that starts tonight at 7:00pm at Bright House Networks Field. The Sarasota Reds currently lead the Threshers in the standings by one game.

The Threshers and Reds have met up six times already this season, with the Reds leading the series four games to two.

Threshers starters Patrick Overholt and Carlos Carrasco picked up both of the wins. Former closer Michael Zagurski picked up both saves.

Mike Spidale is probably the happiest Threshers' batter to see Sarasota pitching. In his five games against the Reds this season, he's batting .350.

Keep your eye on Jay Bruce of the Reds. He's batting .455 with 4 home runs in six games against Threshers pitching. Threshers batters have struggled against Johnny Cueto and Carlos Fisher. Between the two, they've struck out 19 Threshers. More importantly, the Threshers haven't scored a run against either Cueto or Fisher. There is good news though, Fisher was promoted to Chattanooga (AA) a week or so ago, and he pitched yesterday, so the chances of him taking the mound this weekend at Bright House Networks Field are very slim.

Been a busy morning so far...

This is the busiest the phone and window have been this early in the morning on the day of a game since Opening Day two weeks ago.

Guests have been purchasing the most tickets for the game Saturday night with post-game Fireworks. Also, interest has picked up for the Mike Alstott Softball Challenge that is ONE week away.

Tonight is yet another Thirsty Thursday which gives you 2 for 1 drinks all over the ballpark. It is also Silver Sharks Night where Seniors (55 and over) receive 2 for 1 Senior Field Box tickets. That's 2 tickets for only $4.

We've got a few groups in the ballpark tonight, including try # 2 for the PODS Championship Volunteers. The last attempt for that group was rained out.

Just a reminder, the Jimmy Rollins bobblehead is tomorrow (Friday 4/20) and we are also giving out mugs from LoJack.

Updated at 4:55pm: Lineups are in.

For Sarasota:

1. # 9 Mike Griffin (3B)
2. # 39 Jeff Keppinger (2B)
3. # 32 Jay Bruce (CF)
4. # 50 Jeremiah Piepkorn (1B)
5. # 22 Danny Dorn (LF)
6. # 23 Adam Rosales (DH)
7. # 27 Craig Tatum (C)
8. # 28 Eric Eymann (SS)
9. # 29 BJ Szymanski (RF)

Starting for the Reds is # 33 Richie Gardner

For Clearwater:

1. # 3 Victor Hall (RF)
2. # 2 Greg Golson (CF)
3. # 10 Michael Spidale (LF)
4. # 21 Jeremy Slayden (DH)
5. # 27 Welinson Baez (3B)
6. # 55 Ryan Budde (C)
7. # 12 Brad Harman (SS)
8. # 25 Clay Harris (1B)
9. # 15 Kevin Howard (2B)

Starting for the Threshers is # 16 Dan Brauer.

Updated at 5:15pm: Catcher Ryan Budde is on our roster on a Major League rehab assignment. He was selected by Angels in 12th round of the 2001 draft. This will be his third game here with the Threshers. He hit a double in yesterday's game at Tampa.

Updated at 5:45pm: Leftfielder Michael Spidale is batting third in the order for the fifth time this season. He's also seen time in the leadoff slot (six games) and also batted eighth in one game.

Updated at 6:00pm: Rightfielder Victor Hall is 7 for 13 (.538) with runners on base this season.

Updated at 6:30pm: Designated hitter Jeremy Slayden is 9 for 25 (.360) at home.

Updated at 9:30pm: Kevin Howard flys out to end the ballgame. Threshers lose 4-3.

Quite a game in Tampa last night

In case you missed it, the game over in Tampa lasted five hours and 14 minutes yesterday. Clearwater scored three runs in the top of the 20th inning to break the 1-1 tie. The Threshers and Yankees meet up again in about a half hour (11:30am) for a morning game. The game last night did not end until 12:15am and the Threshers team bus left the ballpark this morning at 9:30am.

Mike Spidale and Greg Golson both had 10 official at-bats in the game. Brad Harman scored the winning run from third after Golson was forced out at first.

The Threshers used seven pitchers in the game. Derek Griffith (2-0) ended up with the win, while Michael Zagurski picked up his first save of the year.

Updated at 11:35am: ATM: He said, She said has a post about the game last night. You can find it here. According to the post, this is the third time that the Clearwater team has played in a 20 inning game, and it was the longest game (hours, minutes) ever for a Clearwater team.