BY SCOTT LAUBERSo, the other day, I spoke to a scout from an NL team (not the Phillies) who has been watching Arizona Fall League games for the past few weeks. He was kind enough to offer this scouting report on Jason Donald, the Phils' 24-year-old shortstop prospect who has been playing third base in Arizona.
"He's a decent hitter. Decent power, but probably not enough power to say this guy is a starting third baseman. I think he goes to Triple-A [next year], comes up for part of the year, and they see where they are with [Pedro] Feliz. Maybe this guy could play third if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a third baseman. He's got a nice swing. I think he'll hit. Do I think he'll hit .280 or .300 with 20 or 25 homers? No, I don't think that. I think he could hit .260 or .270 and hit 10 or 12 homers. Then, the case is he's probably not a slick-enough-fielding shortstop. He's a nice player, but he's kind of caught in the middle."
In 2008, Donald batted .307 with 14 homers and 54 RBIs for Double-A Reading. He was the best hitter on the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing, and he has been raking in Arizona (.400, three homers, 13 RBIs in 21 games through yesterday). Most people I've talked to, including the aforementioned scout, project Donald will be a utility infielder in the majors. But, because the Phillies get above-average offense from their second baseman (Chase Utley) and shortstop (Jimmy Rollins), they believe Donald may hit well enough to handle third base when Feliz's contract runs out after next season. Donald undoubtedly will get a good look during spring training, although he'll probably start the season at Lehigh Valley.
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Talked to a scout from a rival NL East team who had this unsolicited advice for Ruben Amaro Jr.: "If I was him, I'd take the $14 million [Pat Burrell's 2008 salary] and sign a Derek Lowe or a Ryan Dempster. They need to get a frontline pitcher. [Brett] Myers, for me, is a No. 3. They need a guy to go with [Cole] Hamels and give them a combination like [Boston's Josh] Beckett and Dice-K [Daisuke Matsuzaka]."
Amaro, it seems, agrees. Last week, he said that pitching is the Phillies' No. 1 priority.
So, what do you think? Should the Phils concentrate on bolstering their pitching staff, or should they be more concerned about re-signing Burrell or replacing him with a right-handed-hitting outfielder?
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Want to know what it was like to cover the Phillies' month-long postseason run? News Journal colleague Martin Frank compares it to running in the New York City marathon. I'll take his word for it, although surviving four weeks of crazy travel itineraries only makes me feel slightly better about being woefully out of shape.
1 comment:
In a perfect world, the owners pony up to do both.
In the real world, I would only let Pat go if we actually spent the money on a #2 starter and a decent right-handed LF. Not necessarily someone who hits 30+ home runs but at least someone who can replace Pat's OBP.
On a different note, if I comment on every post you put up, do I win some type of exclusive ticket package?
I vote yes.
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