Clearwater Threshers
Future stud Dominic Brown
Advanced-A, Florida State League
44-47 (1st Half – 32-34, fourth; 2nd Half –12-13, sixth (last) in North Division), 3-7 in last 10 games
Manager: Ernie Whitt
Best Ranked Pitching Prospect: P Michael Cisco — Honorable Mention by Baseball America (Best Control)
Best Hitting Prospect: OF Dominic Brown #1
I Can’t Believe He’s on the Roster: RHP Scott Mathieson
I feel the minor leagues as I know it are all scattered — or at least the minor leagues I grew up with. Last week, I praised Reading for its gigantic talent pool and the team’s status as major-league man-makers. But, before, that was AAA’s role. Sure AAA possesses talent, but it’s more about washed-up players.
When it comes to the single A Clearwater Threshers, I get a AA vibe: some prospects who need seasoning and long-term injured potential major leaguers (cue Mathieson). Clearwater just gets more street cred (as much “cred” as a minor league affiliate can get) than it used to. Maybe because when I was a kid, the idea of multiple short-season A ball leagues was in its infancy. Sure Clearwater is just another necessary step on the ladder, but people are getting noticed here more than before.
Additionally, there’s a bunch more dudes on the 40-man roster than I would have thought. OK, it’s only two, but I’m still surprised that P Drew Naylor and C Joel Naughton — not Brown or Mathieson — are a call-up away from the major league roster.
Let’s talk about Brown. Surely someone who is ranked as the best organizational prospect must be awesome. Well, yeah he is. Only in his second pro season, Brown’s attributes and stats are pretty good. He’s six-foot-five, for starters, but only weighs 200 pounds. He’s one of those fancy — and precious — five-tool players you hear about: hits for average (.309 combined AVG), power (9 HR in 61 games), possesses speed (14 SB), and has decent range and strength (Baseball America says he has the Phillies best OF arm) in the field.
The best part: he can’t even drink yet. At this rate, the 20-year-old outfielder will get to the bigs by age 22 or 23. That’s a lot of time for him to roam Citizen’s Bank Park and may coincide perfectly with a Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, or Raul Ibanez departure. Currently, Brown mans right field. Picturing him and Michael Taylor side-by-side is a nice thought.
Who are these other dudes I’ve name-dropped? I know Naylor, Naughton and Cisco aren’t household names, but they could be soon. Naylor, a 23-year-old Australian, needs to get over the single A hump. He’s struggled (5-9, 4.47 ERA), but also shown flashes of brilliance — two complete games in single A are nothing to sneeze at.
Naughton’s name sits on the 40-man roster because he’s a catcher, but his upside might be higher than Lou Marson. The lefty-hitter has struggled with injuries recently (on the seven-day-DL — yes seven), but he was a South Atlantic League All-Star in 2008.
The Cisco Kid, though, definitively has the best upside of the three. Last season — his first professional one — Cisco’s ERA hovered around 1.00 and ended up at 0.99 in 17 games with the Threshers and Williamsport. Starting nearly all his games in 2009, Cisco’s shown consistency — 6-3, 3.66 ERA. And, oddly, he performs better against lefties (.234 AVG) than right-handers (.285). Interesting side note: He’s the son of former Phillies pitching coach Galen Cisco.
Clearwater is also a place for coaches to find their niche. Utility-man Kevin Jordan battled in seven years with the Phillies. Jordan now serves as the Threshers batting coach. Former Phillies bullpen coach Ramon Henderson fell hard last year and missed the Phillies World Series run while battling alcoholism (a great Daily News piece details his struggles). Like Mathieson, Henderson is just trying to get back to the majors.
Speaking of Mathieson, the pitcher required Tommy John surgery in 2006 and then again in 2008. He began rehabbing earlier this season with the Gulf Coast Phils, and has made it back up to Clearwater. These are the sad baseball stories, but Mathieson — now exclusively a reliever — has enjoyed a little success. In seven games, he’s yet to let up a run, and has held batters to a .157 AVG.
There are a lot of bright spots in sunny Florida, and, despite the team’s mediocre record, they are definitely worth keeping an eye on.
—Sam Fran Scavuzzo
***follow me on twitter @samfrans ***
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