Meet Brett Myers’ replacement in the starting rotation, for now at least. Antonio Bastardo is a 23-year old starter who has quickly become one of the brightest prospects in the Phillies organization. As a matter of fact his stock has shot up so dramatically that he is being compared to a young Johan Santana by some according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark:
“Then there’s a left-hander who is climbing everybody’s charts, Antonio Bastardo, who has a 50-9 strikeout-walk ratio between Double-A and Triple-A. 
The Phillies dangled Bastardo in July for Rockies reliever Brian Fuentes. But a year later, he is actually drawing some Johan Santana comparisons, and might have passed Carrasco as their No. 1 pitching prospect.”
In 11 starts between AA and AAA this season Bastardo is 3-2 with a 1.89 ERA, and pitched seven scoreless innings in his last outing with Lehigh Valley.
Bastardo will make his debut with the Phils on Tuesday against San Diego. It’s always exciting when a young player with a lot of potential gets his first shot at the Majors, and while it would have been nice if it came under better circumstances this will be a terrific opportunity for him to show he is ready for the majors. Good luck kid, we’re pulling for you.
