So the Phillies season hasn't really been as successful as an optimistic fan had originally envisioned. The Hunter Pence Project was a failure. In a whirlwind of a trade deadline, Ruben Amaro sent his two premier outfielders to the west coast, Victorino to the Dodgers and Pence to the Giants. The Phillies played themselves into the role of sellers this season by bleeding out games left and right before the all-star break by finding new ways to lose close games on a nightly basis. Also shipped out was starting pitcher Joe Blanton, whose salary the Phillies were happy to unload.
In return for Pence, Ruben got us a top of the line catching prospect in Tommy Joseph, who immediately took the spot of the top position playing prospect in the Phillies organization. Joseph is a 21 year-old with some serious pop, he's hit 46 homers in two and half years of minor league ball.
The Phillies also added Nate Shierholtz, a 28 year-old outfielder with a cannon for an arm who has looked effective in limited play with the Phillies. He could prove to be a cheap, helpful piece in the lineup next year, but is currently sidelined with a broken toe and could remain out for the rest of the season.
For Victorino the Phillies received right-handed reliever, Josh Lindblom. Lindblom is young and effective, something the Phillies haven't seen from their pen this year. In addition they received a minor league pitcher, Ethan Martin.
Since the trades, Domonic Brown has been called up and is looking more than capable at the plate. He's collected a hit in 9 of his last 10 games and while he hasn't shown the power stroke just yet, his approach at the plate has vastly improved. Now Brown is grinding out at-bats striking out significantly less and walking more. While we've only seen a small sample thus far, it's definitely noted improvement and a good sign for the things to come.
