Ibanez Lands on the 15-Day DL

Disappointing news for all Phillies fans to wake up to this morning: your new left fielder and leading vote-getter for outfielders in the All-Star Game this year just hit the DL with a groin strain that has been hampering him since mid-April.

The team will undoubtedly notice a glaring hole where Ibanez’s 1.027 OPS once was, and callup John Mayberry is unlikely to fill that void in the short-term.

But on a more positive note, hopefully Mayberry’s promotion back to the major leagues will put the wheels in motion for outfield prospect Michael Taylor to make the jump to AAA-Lehigh Valley. Taylor has been stellar in AA-Reading this season, posting a line of .333/.400/.562/.962 and is in the top five in just about every offensive category in the Eastern League.

The Prospect Pasture - May 1

Kyle Kendrick continued his success in a 4-2 victory at AAA Lehigh Valley last night, throwing six scoreless innings with two walks and four strikeouts. Kendrick is 2-1 with a 2.77 ERA in five starts so far and looks to be the best replacement at the major league level if a starter goes down to injury.

“Kendrick is off to a very good start, ” said Comcast SportsNet writer Kevin Czerwinski on Daily News Live last week. “[The organization] was a little bit worried if he would take his demotion down to Lehigh Valley in a positive light and he’s really embraced it. He wants to prove that he can be back up here.”

Kendrick was rocked in the majors last season and finished the year with a 5.49 ERA in 155.2 innings over 30 unimpressive starts. If the Phillies starting pitchers continue to struggle in ‘09, he just may force Charlie Manuel to call up the hot hand if Kendrick continues to dominate in the minors.

Reading outfielder Michael Taylor had another monster night with a pair of doubles and a home run to go along with five runs batted in. Taylor has hit safely in his last seven games, posting a .467 average in that span with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and eight RBI.

I must have spoken too soon about Reading right-hander Mike Stutes yesterday. The 22-year-old Oregon State product struggled last night, allowing four runs on eight hits through just two innings. The outing raised his ERA from 1.59 to 3.32.

Clearwater lefty Yohan Flande finally let up an earned run last night. He threw six solid innings of one-run ball in a 3-2 loss. Flande has been impressive early, flashing a nice 1.000 WHIP and a rating of 8.2 K/9.

Carlos Carrasco will take the mound for the IronPigs tonight and will hope to bounce back his last start when he allowed six runs in just 2.2 innings.

Photos courtesy MiLB.com.

The Prospect Pasture - April 30

The Phillies depth of pitching prospects has been making the organization proud of late as many players wasted no time getting on the right track.

Right-handed pitcher Vance Worley, the Phillies’ third round pick in the 2008 draft, made the jump from Low-A Lakewood to AA Reading this year and threw seven scoreless innings for Reading last night, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out seven. The 21-year-old out of Long Beach State College has a flashy 0.945 WHIP to go along with a 7.8 K/9 through his first four starts.

Add Worley to the list of under-the-radar pitching prospects that have performed brilliantly in the early season, along with Mike Stutes (AA Reading), Yohan Flande (A+ Clearwater), and Carlos Monasterios (A+ Clearwater).

Top overall prospect Dominic Brown hit his second home run of the season in Clearwater yesterday en route to a 4-3 win over the Dundein Blue Jays. The outfield prospect currently leads the Threshers in triples (2), stolen bases (5), slugging (.478), and RBI (13).

Sixth-overall prospect Michael Taylor had a big night in Reading, banging out a double and two singles in a 2-0 victory over the Altoona Curve. The 23-year-old outfielder leads the team in just about every offensive category.

Photos courtesy MiLB.com.