In our last piece, we examined which prospects left Philly and made their way to Toronto and Oakland.  In this piece, we examine the Cliff Lee return that brought prospects Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, and Juan Ramirez to the City of Brotherly Love.

Phillippe Aumont, RP | Philadelphia Phillies | 6’7” | 220 lbs | Throws: R

Pro: Plus fastball, plus curveball

Con: Only has 2 pitches (working on change), potential health issues.

DobberBaseball Prospect Rank (Last Rank): 54th (46th)

Best Case / Worse Case Comparison: Jonathan Broxton / Brad Lidge

Drafted 11th overall by the Mariners in the 2007 draft, Aumont had the potential to be an ace in the making.  He boasts two filthy pitches - a low to mid 90’s fastball with a lot of movement, and curveball that has a lot of bite.  He also throws a changeup that he’s still working on, but primarily throws only the fastball and curve.  Aumont owned a 4-4 record, 2.75 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with an 8.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 2.6 K/BB in his first year at A ball.  He only started 8 of the 15 games he appeared in, and was transitioned to a reliever at the start of the 2009 season.

Aumont’s 2009 season in High-A ball produced a 1-2 record with a 3.24 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 12 saves, along with a very nice 9.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 3 K/BB.  With that line, Aumont was moved to AA where he had a much more difficult time.  In 17.2 IP, the result was a 1-4 record, 5.09 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 12.2 K/9, 5.6 BB/9 and 2.2 K/BB.  He was extremely hittable (11 H/9), which means that more than likely he was relying on his fastball a little too much.  The troubles continued into the AFL season, where he posted a 1-1 record with a 12.00 ERA, 13.5 K/9, 6 BB/9 and 2.3 K/BB.  The increase in strikeouts was nice, but with it came control problems.  He continued to induce a lot of ground outs which is also a positive sign, but he was also running into trouble with deep pitch counts and was again, extremely hittable (14 H/9).

There were a few reasons for the transition to relief, Aumont’s lack of experience at the pro level being one.  A DL stint further stunted his growth, and even more troubling, the DL stint was because of a sore elbow.  Tacking on the fact that he’s also battled hip problems all his life means Aumont is a definite health risk.  When healthy, Aumont had trouble pitching deep into games as a starter, and had the propensity to throw only the fastball, so the Mariners made the transition to allow him to go all out and throw the heat as a reliever.  Word has leaked out of Philadelphia that the Phillies plan on transitioning Aumont back to starting games.  Aumont is only 21, so he definitely has the potential to succeed as a starter.  In order for those things to happen, he will need to develop the changeup and be able to throw the pitches consistently.  If he can, Aumont becomes the potential ace scouts project him to be.

The big right handed Canadian has the pitching arsenal to succeed as a starter or reliever.   The Phillies have nothing to lose by letting Aumont go as a starter.  If he can locate his pitches with consistency, his value skyrockets.  He won’t contribute to your team this year, but is someone to hold onto in keeper leagues.

Tyson Gillies, OF | Philadelphia Phillies | 6’1” | 200 lbs | Bats: L | Throws: R

Pro: Quick hands, very speedy outfielder

Con: Needs to learn how to steal bases better, a relative unknown before last year.

DobberBaseball Prospect Rank (Last Rank): Not Ranked (NR)

Best Case / Worse Case Comparison: Juan Pierre / Carlos Gomez

Fellow Canadian Tyson Gillies increased his prospect stock last year after posting a .341 avg with 9 HR, 42 RBI and 44 SB in High-A ball.  He appears to have overcome contact issues, increasing his contact rate each year, posting excellent walk rates and developing a good batting eye over the last two years.  If there’s one wildcard still unknown with Tyson Gillies, it’s his power game.  He does have quick hands, and his power numbers have gone up each year, but unless the native of BC decides to tweak his swing, he looks to rely on his hands too much to be able to generate anything more then average power.

He has the tools to become a very effective leadoff hitter; however the one knock on Gillies game is learning how to steal bases with more efficiency.  In 2008, he successfully stole 22 bases in 29 tries but last year was caught 19 times in 63 tries.  With more experience, Gillies should be able to overcome this issue.  As you can see here, he’s got a lot of speed to burn:

The future looks bright for Gillies.  He’s showing the tools needed to become a future leadoff hitter, and at this rate he should be major league ready sooner rather than later.

Juan (J.C.) Ramirez, SP | Philadelphia Phillies | 6’3”| 175 lbs | Bats: R | Throws: R

Pro: Polished pitcher

Con: Still battling control issues, secondary pitches need work.

DobberBaseball Prospect Rank (Last Rank): Not Ranked (NR)

Best Case / Worse Case Comparison: Felix Hernandez / Rafael Soriano

Ramirez is the 3rd prospect to go to the Phillies as part of the Cliff Lee trade and is also the oldest, at 22.  He’s also the wildcard player in this deal.  Ramirez has three-pitch arsenal - a low to mid 90’s fastball, an above average curveball and a changeup.  Prior to the start of last season, many scouts dubbed Ramirez as having #2 starter potential.  He’s a polished pitcher that has the arsenal to be an effective pitcher, but needs to be able to consistently throw his off-speed stuff for strikes.  Last year he posted a 8-10 record, with a 5.12 ERA, 7 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 & 2.1 K/BB.  He was extremely hittable last year (9.7 H/9), and was prone to the long ball (1.1 HR/9). The three year decline in strikeouts and the three year rise in hits and HR allowed could mean that Ramirez is better suited for relief situations, but also remember that the California league is definitely not pitcher-friendly.  The best case scenario, developing into a Felix Hernandez-type, is a huge stretch, but not impossible.  The worst case scenario comparison of Rafael Soriano is no knock on Soriano, but rather a reminder that he can still be a solid reliever.  The trade to Philadelphia could be what Ramirez needed to get the #2 starter label back on track.  Only time will tell, but does have definite upside.

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