Phil Rogers
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:13 am
Like everyone else in the IBC I am an avid reader of Baseball America ... but as some of you know, it irks me that they have Phil Rogers covering the White Sox prospects for them. First, his knowledge of minor league baseball is limited at best; second, he is a Cub fan; and third , there are many, many better choices out there. Here is a classic critique of a recent Rogers misdirected missive on Lucas Harrrell:
Why? Because he’s the latest recipient of The Phil Rogers Kiss of Death:
[Rogers recently wrote:] Righthander Lucas Harrell has had an impressive season after needing much of 2008 to recover from elbow surgery the year before. He was 12-4, 3.21 through 24 starts between Birmingham and Charlotte, solidifying his spot on the 40-man roster and putting himself in position to contend for a big-league spot in 2010.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bigger Harrell fan than yours truly, but Harrell wasn’t “impressive” by any other stat, whether it was WHIP (1.404), walks (4.3/9 IP), strikeouts (5.7/9 IP) or groundball rate (56.7 percent). Barring some sort of big turnaround, Harrell’s closer to falling off the 40-man roster than joining the 25-man version.
Rogers has a habit of using wins and ERA to try to find his sleeper, which has led him to endorse:
Heath Phillips (couldn’t crack the Royals’ staff this season)
Lance Broadway (5-9, 6.17 ERA between Charlotte and Buffalo this season)
Wes Whisler (who may be known for a 13.50 ERA and a .000 BAA if he never gets back to the big leagues)
There is a glimmer of hope, in that Rogers was on the Clevelan Santeliz bandwagon shortly after he made the 40-man roster by surprise. Santeliz’s numbers aren’t impressive across the season at Double-A, but he finished the year by striking out 17 over his last 12 innings, allowing just 13 baserunners and two earned runs.
When it comes to starters – especially starters without strikeout stuff – an endorsement from Rogers usually foreshadows doom.
Thanks to Jim Margalus at Sox Machine ... I can only add that, IMHO, Rogers is equally bad at evaluating lower level non-pitching prospects as well.
Why? Because he’s the latest recipient of The Phil Rogers Kiss of Death:
[Rogers recently wrote:] Righthander Lucas Harrell has had an impressive season after needing much of 2008 to recover from elbow surgery the year before. He was 12-4, 3.21 through 24 starts between Birmingham and Charlotte, solidifying his spot on the 40-man roster and putting himself in position to contend for a big-league spot in 2010.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bigger Harrell fan than yours truly, but Harrell wasn’t “impressive” by any other stat, whether it was WHIP (1.404), walks (4.3/9 IP), strikeouts (5.7/9 IP) or groundball rate (56.7 percent). Barring some sort of big turnaround, Harrell’s closer to falling off the 40-man roster than joining the 25-man version.
Rogers has a habit of using wins and ERA to try to find his sleeper, which has led him to endorse:
Heath Phillips (couldn’t crack the Royals’ staff this season)
Lance Broadway (5-9, 6.17 ERA between Charlotte and Buffalo this season)
Wes Whisler (who may be known for a 13.50 ERA and a .000 BAA if he never gets back to the big leagues)
There is a glimmer of hope, in that Rogers was on the Clevelan Santeliz bandwagon shortly after he made the 40-man roster by surprise. Santeliz’s numbers aren’t impressive across the season at Double-A, but he finished the year by striking out 17 over his last 12 innings, allowing just 13 baserunners and two earned runs.
When it comes to starters – especially starters without strikeout stuff – an endorsement from Rogers usually foreshadows doom.
Thanks to Jim Margalus at Sox Machine ... I can only add that, IMHO, Rogers is equally bad at evaluating lower level non-pitching prospects as well.