Info on the ones new ones

Heres some info on some of the new guys that the Phillies recieved.  To recap the Phillies recieved 3 new prospects from the the Mariners.  These prospects are PITCHER Phillippe Aumont,  OF Tyson Gillies and and PITCHER Juan Ramirez.  Some info on these guys are as followed:

Lets start with RHP – Phillippe Aumont.  Labeled as a top 50 MLB.com prospect and here are the reports that they have said about him:

Full Name: Phillippe Aumont
Position: P
Born: 01/07/1989
Birthplace: Hull, QC
Height: 6′ 7″
Weight: 220
Bats: L
Throws: R
Drafted: 2007, 1st (11)
Statistically speaking: Throwing with a very strict pitch count, Aumont was nonethless very impressive through the first two months of his first full season, allowing just six earned runs and 23 hits over his first 36 innings (1.50 ERA). He also struck out 35 while walking 11, holding hitters to a measly .177 batting average.Scouting report: A sore elbow slowed him down in the second half, but it’s not a big cause for concern. He throws his fastball, which has hard sink and is tough to pick up, up to 95 mph, with room for more. The breaking ball (curve) has a chance to be plus pitch, but his changeup is his third pitch and needs to be improved. He has pretty good command, especially for his age, and uses his size well for mound presence.

Seems like a great addition to me to replace Drabek.  Heres the thing too we all need to get out of our heads.  THESE ARE PROSPECTS PPL, nothing is a sure bet.  Roy is a sure bet and we got him.  But we are still allowed to get excited about these new additions.

Now about RHP Juan Ramirez – Born: Aug 16,1986 in Managua, Nicaragua
Height: 6-3 Weight: 175 Bats: Right Throws: Right
Among the latest finds is right-handed starting pitcher Juan Ramirez, a native of Nicaragua. Ramirez logged 75 1/3 innings at short-season Class A Everett last summer, stamping himself as one of the organization’s top prospects.
“That’s what he was to me, a really good arm,” said the manager of another Northwest League team who saw Ramirez pitch last summer. “He showed good velocity and was pretty confident out there for the most part, even through the inconsistent control.”
Ramirez entered the 2008 season with Class A Wisconsin looking to improve his control — 5.14 walks per nine innings last season — and develop his secondary pitches. The 19-year-old will have to become a pitcher, rather than a thrower, if he wishes to remain in the starting rotation as he ascends through the Mariners farm system.
“He’s shown a pretty good breaking ball this year, but it needs work; he has to be more consistent with it,” an American League scout said. “He’s young and still fairly raw, but there’s stuff there, and the better the breaking ball is the better his chances are beyond this level.”
Ramirez’s fastball is typically clocked in the 91-94 mph range, occasionally touching 95 or 96.
“He’s got enough velocity to get a lot of outs just by blowing it by hitters,” the scout said. “But this is about development, and that’s why (the Mariners) insist he uses the curveball as well. And he’s shown a change, too, which wasn’t a bad pitch his last time out. For a kid, he’s got a pretty solid, full arsenal.”
Ramirez throws from a three-quarters arm slot and displays good arm speed and solid mechanics. In his five outings with Wisconsin, he’s walked nine batters in 28 innings while piling up 31 strikeouts, including nine in each of his past two starts.
“He’s found a consistent release point, and the key is for him to hang onto that, even when he struggles,” said the scout, who spent parts of 13 seasons pitching in pro ball and another seven as a pitching coach in two organizations. “Most young pitchers that fail, fail because they aren’t able to find consistencies, whether it be in a pitch, or more likely, their mechanics.
“If Ramirez is finding that at his age, it’s bonus for Seattle. He’ll be on a nice path to the big leagues.”
To this point, however, Ramirez remains a raw prospect with velocity and underdeveloped off-speed pitches. But that’s what the minor leagues are for, and the club’s second-best pitching prospect is showing an acumen for the game far beyond his years, suggesting his maturity and work ethic are more than adequate. And Ramirez is not all about projection.
“I really liked the depth on his curve, when it was right,” said another AL scout. “He still seems to be learning how he wants to use it, but I saw a nice shape, pretty sharp break, and hitters didn’t react well to the good ones.”
Ramirez may not be in the Midwest League for long if the club’s recent track record of pushing young talent plays out again in 2008.
“Not if he pitches like he has been, no way,” the AL scout said of Ramirez’s chances of pitching most of the season with the Timber Rattlers.
Ramirez has allowed three earned runs or fewer in four of his five starts and his strikeouts have equaled or surpassed his innings total in 15 of his 20 professional starts.

Now about OF Tyson GilliesCenter fielder

Name: Tyson Gillies
Born: October 31, 1988
Vancouver, British Columbia
Bats: Left Throws: Right

Tyson Gillies was not a high round draft pick, nor was he a highly rated prospect heading into the 2009 season. But that hasn’t stopped him from establishing himself as one of the most exciting players in the minors. His speed is game changing and he plays as if his hair’s on fire. But there is one thing holding him back from reaching his ceiling of a solid everyday outfielder: his power.
Lower Body
Gillies’ swing is very simple, geared toward his two biggest strengths – line drives and amazing speed. Starting wide with a medium crouch, Gillies maintains good balance and leverage in his setup and throughout his swing. He has good weight distribution, aiding in his balance.
His timing mechanism is a simple hip cocking mechanism. He lifts his front foot very slightly and simultaneously cocks his front hip by turning his knee inward before quickly getting his front foot back down. This helps him keep his weight back and prepares him for a quick unload into the ball. Now that he starts in a deeper crouch than earlier this season – more on this later – Gillies is a bit mechanical. But he isn’t stiff and doesn’t have any forced movements.
Quick and Compact
Gillies is a super quick twitch athlete with very quick hands. He’s very good at fighting off tough pitches and uses his hands well to make solid contact. Some slashing-type hitters are fine with dropping flares just over the middle infielders’ heads, but Gillies is not one of them. As you can see in our video, he is adept at hitting line drives. He generally stays up the middle and away to left-center, but can turn on a ball when needed.
He starts with the bat already in a vertical position, and is very short and direct to the ball. Since the bat is already vertical, there’s no wasted movement into the hitting zone, allowing him a longer time to judge the ball before launching his swing. Gillies uses his top hand well and keeps the bat in the zone for a long time. He’s very calm in his swing, and doesn’t jump or lunge at the ball.
Just Find A Way On
Gillies has very little head movement in his swing, allowing him to see the ball deep into the strike zone. Rarely does he get onto his front side early, which robs him of precious milliseconds to judge the ball. He’s a very good bunter and is willing to take a walk. Gillies has posted strong on base percentages at both of his extended minor league stops (short-season and High-A), furthering his status as a possible top-of-the-lineup table setter. He’s had success hitting lefties and righties through 450+ plate appearances this season, so there are currently no platoon red flags.
Making Adjustments
As I touched on earlier, Gillies has made some minor refinements in his swing since Spring Training (visible in the video below from ksimm10391). He was taller in his set-up and started with his hands higher and closer to head to his head. He had a bit more forward momentum and flicked his wrists at the ball. His power would solely come from the velocity of the pitch and the quickness of his swing. There was a slightly larger upper body loading pattern but there wasn’t a lot of raw bat speed produced in that swing.
Now that he’s in more of a crouch and starts with his hands lower and closer to his rear shoulder, Gillies is able to produce a bit more bat speed without sacrificing swing quickness. He still has very little power, but it’s a good sign that he is willing to make adjustments. The newfound bat speed and leverage may have brought his floor up to that of a No. 4 outfielder.
Moving Forward
The California league has a history of inflating power numbers, especially in High Desert. Gillies’ .401 BABIP is certainly helping his numbers as well. While the 6-foot-2, 190 pounder’s swing may not project for much improvement down the road, that isn’t to say he can’t continue adjustments.
Gillies has focused on limiting his head movement, but doing so has limited his body’s forward movement. This affects his upper body’s ability to resist and get a full stretch before he launches his swing. His quick and minimal stride is the culprit. He stays on his back leg well, but doesn’t get a lot of forward momentum into his swing.
An Area to Improve On
Take note in our video where Gillies hits what I’m guessing was an off-speed pitch of the end of his bat foul. This is common in hitters who have little to no forward momentum. They don’t get a full stretch and aren’t able to hold back their upper body. This causes him to lose a bit of his upper body load.
If he were to reach out just another inch with his front foot, he would get a better X-factor stretch – the angle of separation between his upper and lower body – in his upper body. This would enable him to stay back/resist longer and do more with the pitch he capped. Separation happens when you simultaneously stride out with the lower body and load back with the upper body. This “stretch” helps the body have a quick and effortless change of direction into the hitting zone. Having a minimal stride and lack of forward movement hinders one’s ability to get a full stretch.
A Stronger Bottom Hand
Gillies does use his top hand well, helping him be very quick to the ball. But, if he were to utilize his bottom hand a bit more, he could improve his power. Engaging the top hand early and starting to pull with the bottom hand at the “lag” position – where the body is partially rotated, but the barrel is not yet exposed to the ball – would enable him to be as quick as he is now and still have more force to drive through the ball. Tony Gwynn credits his late career power surge to a conversation with Ted Williams about using his bottom hand more. Perhaps it could have the same affect on Gillies’ swing.
Think of Juan Pierre’s swing. He cocks with his top hand to get the barrel started, then pulls quickly with his bottom hand. This gives the undersized Pierre enough punch to drive the ball into the gaps. A little more pull with his bottom hand, and Gillies could start to produce more power.
Mastering the Lower Body
He could use a better weight shift and a better rear hip load. As of now, he has very little of both. A better rear hip load would improve his shift even more, but it would also tie into what I mentioned about his upper resisting the lower’s forward movement. Staying loaded on a rock solid rear leg as you move forward allows the upper to properly stretch/resist and enables one to be quick enough for any fastball, and stay back for any off speed pitch.
If Gillies were to cock his hips by cocking his back hip – the cue is “show your rear pocket to the pitcher”– he would load his rear hip better and prepare for a better weight shift. Currently, he tries to cock with his front knee. Doing so with his back hip would soften up his front side actions helping not only load the rear hip but smooth out his unload. Focusing on cocking the back hip should enable him to easily stride out the one more inch that is needed, and allow him to maintain a solid rear hip load as he moves out.
Gillies stays on his back leg well, but does not do a good job of getting off it. A firmer rear hip thrust combined with a better upper stretch and slightly more bottom hand utilization could make Gillies an annual 20+ doubles and 4-6 home runs a season hitter.
Closing Thoughts
Gillies simply has to continue hitting line drives and using his speed to get on base. He’s a rare speedster who can turn any base hit into an extra-base hit in the blink of an eye. If he can improve his doubles power without sacrificing his strengths, he could become a very solid regular. Gillies’ power total will determine if a Dave Roberts type is his low end upside, or if he will reach his ceiling of a Juan Pierre with patience.
I’ll take this moment to say that everyone here should root for this guy. Not because he’s hearing impaired, but because he is a fantastic human being and doesn’t let his physical shortcomings get in the way of him being a fine baseball player.

An image of what we let go and what were getting.