Yardbarker: Adrian Cardenas

Phillies Top 10 Stories of 2009: No. 10 -- Improvement on the Farm

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:38:45 -0500

First in a series of ten (seriously!) articles on the 2009 Phillies. As recently as 2005, the Phillies farm system had the worst minor league winning percentage in all of professional baseball. Organizational winning percentage may not be the best way to judge system strength, but you get the idea. Things have turned around since then. So much so, that the organization has been able to unload six of their top ten prospects (Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, Carlos Carrasco,...

Minor League Update: Season's End

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:00:29 -0500

The 2009 minor league season is over and congratulations are due to the Midland RockHounds, who won the Texas League crown by defeating the NW Arkansas Naturals 3 games to 1. The Sacramento River Cats were not so fortunate, getting swept by the Memphis Redbirds in 3 games. All in all it was a fairly successful year for the farm system, as several prospects that were under a lot of scrutiny had good seasons while 3 of the 4 full season teams posted winning records. (Heck, even the ...

Minor League Update: 9-15-2009 A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words... I didn't have that much to say

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:14:38 -0500

First, the really cool news. The Sacramento River Cats and the Midland RockHounds have both advanced to the next round of their respective play-offs. The River Cats are going for their 3rd consecutive PCL crown and what’s great about this season’s squad is that the current roster includes a fair number of high end prospects. Exposing them to the pressures of play-off baseball (even if it’s the minor leagues) can only help their development as ballplayers...

Minor League Update, September 1st

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:39:04 -0500

My timing is impeccable. The morning after the A’s score 8 runs and Chris Carter hits 3 homeruns for the River Cats I come to AN to post a story about how underwhelming the Oakland offense has been and how we can’t expect to see any help from the farm system until July of 2010. Gosh how I love feeling timely and relevant. Today’s Minor League Update is my attempt to gauge when the Oakland A’s offense can expect to receive ...

Monday's Minor League Report: Is It Moving Day Yet?

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:45:08 -0500

The short season leagues begin in the coming week and that will probably lead to some roster shuffling among the full season affiliates. This week I’ve decided to try my hand at anticipating some of those moves. Its not just about identifying the guys who are performing well at a lower level, I need to make sure there’s room for them in their new digs. Oh, before I forget, Mark Ellis has begun his re-hab assignment tonight with the Stockton Ports. He’s p...

Midland RockHounds Outlast Corpus Christi Hooks 7-5 - Texas League

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:47:21 -0500

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - MIDLAND, Texas – The Midland RockHounds got two RBI’s apiece from Tommy Everidge, Adrian Cardenas and Yung-Chi Chen on the way to a 7-5 win over the Hooks Monday night at Citibank Ballpark in the opener of . . .

Time For Blanton To Prove His Worth

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:26:18 -0500

It's possible Adrian Cardenas becomes the next very good infielder in the Oakland canon of very good infielders. (...)

The Phillies get their arm: Joe Blanton

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:03:31 -0500

After the Brewers and Cubs made major moves to bolster their rotations, you knew it was only a matter of time before the Phillies responded. While the Phils weren't able to pick up a top line starter, they were able to acquire Joe Blanton, a serviceable pitcher, from the Oakland Athletics. The Phillies gave up three prospects in the deal: infielder Adrian Cardenas, pitcher Josh Outman and outfielder Matt Spencer. Blanton has been below average this year, accumulating a 5-12 record and ...

Phillies acquire RHP Joe Blanton for three prospects

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:55:06 -0500

The Phillies send left-hander Josh Outman, second baseman Adrian Cardenas and outfielder Matt Spencer to Oakland in exchange for the 27-year-old pitcher. From Beerleaguer news sources: Blanton, 27, is 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA at 77 ERA+ in 20 starts for the A's this season. He has a 3.87 ERA in 17 of his 20 starts and is tied for sixth in the American League in innings pitched (127.0), having gone at least 6.0 innings in 16 starts. Blanton has...

BREAKING NEWS: Phillies Acquire Blanton

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:50:06 -0500

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies have acquired Joe Blanton from the A's for Josh Outman, Adrian Cardenas, and Matt Spencer. "Outman, 23, was 5-4 with one save and a 3.20 ERA in 33 games (5 starts) for Double-A Reading. Cardenas, 20, was hitting .309 in 67 games for Single-A Clearwater. Spencer, 22, was hitting .249 with six home runs and 41 RBIs in 84 games for Clearwater." The A's were considered to be in contention at this point -- but after trading their two best players, I expect them to fall off as the season winds down. Nevertheless, the A's have made some great trades that should help them down the road.

Breaking News: Phils Acquire Blanton

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:20:10 -0500

Some rumors actually pan out. Multiple media outlets are reporting the Phillies have acquired pitcher Joe Blanton from the Oakland Athletics for Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, and Matt Spencer. Blanton has struggled this season going 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA, and his ERA away from McAffee Stadium is less than desirable 5.73, so the Phillies definitely rolled the dice with this move. Cardenas is considered the second best prospect by the Phillies. A supplemental first-round pick in the 2006 draft, Cardenas is .309 with 4 home runs and 23 RBI's for Class A Clearwater. He's a prospect with a bright future ahead of him, but he's blocked by Chase Utley, who's signed with the Phillies until at least 2011. Outman was once projected as a mid-rotation starter, but initially struggled after being converted to the bullpen. Spencer appears to be a throw-in. The outfielder possess some power, but has struggled this season at Clearwater batting a meager .249. I like this trade. While the Phillies gave up one of their better prospects in Cardenas, they land a mid-rotation starter whpo consistantly get deep into games. While Blanton has had struggles this season, he's only twenty-seven, and has a bright future ahead of him. He also is a groundball pitcher, possessing a 1.30 GO/FO ratio, and doesn't give up home runs (his career average is 19). He is also under arbitration control until 2010, so they just didn't add a starter for two months, but two-plus seasons. By making this deal, the Phillies also keep their "Big 3? prospects, Carlos Carrasco,Greg Golson, and Lou Marson, so if the Phillies want to make another deal before the deadline they have the chips. It also spells the end of Adam Eaton. I know some fans will not like this deal, base on Blanton's current struggles, but remember this. If this deal was made prior to the season, Phillies fans would have loved it. Blanton was scheduled to start Sunday for Oakland, so his probably debut will be Tuesday in New York against the Mets.

Strike While The Iron Is Hot, Trade Howard Now

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:42:12 -0500

The Phillies have been actively working the phones over the past several weeks trying to make a trade that would bolster their pitching rotation. The Phillies lack of serious starting pitching was made to look even weaker after the Milwaukee Brewers traded for Indians' ace CC Sabathia and the Chicago Cubs traded for Oakland star Rich Harden last week. The Phillies were one of a number of teams that were in negotiations with Cleveland to acquire Sabathia's services, but in the end they just didn't have enough to offer. Instead of being able to trade for Rich Harden, who when healthy is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, it looks like the Phillies will wind up acquiring Joe Blanton from the Athletics. Blanton is Oakland's number two starter and despite showing some serious talent in previous years, has really struggled this season, going 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA. The Phillies have reportedly been negotiating with the Seattle Mariners over the past couple weeks in an attempt to acquire their disgruntled ace Erik Bedard, but it appears that they're not going to be able to pull off that deal, and Bedard is currently on the DL and wants out of Seattle. Even more importantly, Seattle wants Bedard out of Seattle. And all indications point to the Phillies not bringing him back to the East Coast. Why are they having such a hard time bringing in a legitimate quality starting pitcher? Because the Phillies have a very weak farm system. As you have noticed, I'm sure, by reading Jay's On The Farm columns, the subject of his pieces are the same handful of players over and over again. This is not to say that the Phils don't have any talent in the minors. There are several highly touted players in their farm system, most notably Carlos Carasco and Adrian Cardenas. Carasco is the Phils' most highly touted prospect. He has been rated as the number one pitching prospect in organization two years in a row by Baseball America. Cardenas is the most likely prospect to be traded as his primary position is second base, which is in all likelihood going to be occupied by Chase Utley for many years to come. Cardenas is ranked the number two prospect in the organization, and is batting .309 with 16 stolen bases. Other prospects are SS Jason Donald, C Lou Marson, LHP Josh Outman, 2B Brad Harman, OF Greg Golson, and LHP Antonio Bastardo. Other than Carasco or Cardenas, no one really blows you away, although the upside potential is definitely there will all of them. Nevertheless, the farm team is not teeming with trade bait. But the Big Show is. Ryan Howard is prime trade bait. In Howard's short career he has been named the NL Rookie of the Year, NL MVP, Home Run Derby Champion, and he has led the league in home runs and RBIs over the past three years. He also broke the single season record for strikeouts last year and is on pace to shatter that record this year. Howard, in his second year, demanded that the Phillies pay him $1 million. The Phillies wanted to give him $900,000, which was the record for a second year player. The two sides went to arbitration and Howard was awarded a $1 million contract. The next year he demanded $10 million, the Phillies offered $7 million. The two sides went to arbitration again, and again Howard won. It appears that Howard is going to take the Phils to arbitration to each off season until his contract is up in 2011, at which point he is going to demand (and command) a ridiculous contract. This is not the Phillies of old. This team is no longer afraid to shell out some money to bring or keep talent to Philly, but within reason. The Phillies are not going to be able to pay, or willing to pay, the kind of money that Howard is going to demand. And I do not entirely fault Howard for demanding the money he is, or will. How many players have the record that he does? If he continues to hit the way he did the last month before the all star break (.284, 11 HR, 30 RBI, .965 OPS), then he will right in the mix for his second MVP award. The man can hit, no doubt about it. When Howard doesn't strike out, he is hitting over .450. That being said, that stat is part of the problem. Howard has also struck out 129 times this year. He struck out a total of 199 times last year. He has only walked 48 times. That means he strikes out almost three times as many times as he walks. You also have to take into consideration that Howard continues to be among the tops in the league in intentional walks, which decreases the amount of walks that he gets through patience and a good eye. Let's face it, Howard is a one dimensional player, perhaps the most one dimensional player in the majors. He either strikes out, or hits a home run. In the past month, Howard has one double and one triple. So out of 13 extra base hits, 11 of them are home runs. That is terrible. Nevertheless, Howard is absolutely a key part to this team and its offense. You can't ignore the power numbers, which are the best in the game since he's been in the majors. That is why I think it is the perfect time to trade him. Unless Howard has indicated otherwise to Phillies GM Pat Gillick, it does not appear he is really planning on staying here. He wanted to sign a long term deal after his rookie season and instead the Phils offered him a one year deal worth the $900,000, which at the time was the record for a second year player. This disappointed Howard (and for the record, I think the Phillies should have bit the bullet and signed him for at least close to whatever he was asking for) and now I think he is just going to price himself out of Philadelphia. Instead of going year to year through arbitration, the Phils should deal him to either the Yankees or Red Sox. Both teams have the money and the record of giving huge contracts to their players, and both are going to have a void in the next couple years that Howard is perfectly suited to fill. Howard is a mediocre first baseman at best, but he isn't on your team for his defense. He is a player built for the American League and their stupid DH. Both the Yankees and Red Sox are going to be in need of a DH in the next couple years. The Yankees current DH platoon of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui are about as banged up a bunch of highly paid veterans as you'll find anywhere in the majors. By 2011, at least two of these guys will be gone, whether through retirement or free agency. He would be the perfect replacement to fill the void that would be left by Giambi's bat. An equally compelling team are the Red Sox. Current Boston DH David Ortiz (33 years old) is not getting any younger and has had a somewhat disappointing year. His power is down this year, and there has been some speculation that this could be related to the release of the Mitchell Report this past off season. Whether Ortiz's power is down due to steroids or because he is having an off year or because he is starting to decline, he is getting older and is not going to start getting significantly better. To the contrary, Ortiz is going to start declining over the next few years, if he hasn't already started. Howard is young enough to play first base for a number of years in Boston, or New York, while the current DH plays out the rest of his career. Howard would bring the Phillies a serious number of prospects that they could use to a) bolster their farm system and help them build for the future or b) turn around and trade them for a serious starting pitcher that is on the same level as Sabathia or Harden. They should trade for Matt Holliday, who would help fill the void left by trading Howard. They can give up some of those prospects in the farm system right now for Holliday. Then by trading Howard, they can use those prospects for a starter. Yes, that depletes the farm system for a number of years, but this team is young enough right now to contend for the World Series for years to come. They don't need the farm system to be bountiful right now with the exception of using those players as trade bait. If Howard does actually want to stay here and will take a deal that won't make it impossible for them to sign and trade for other important pieces, then that's fine. Keep him here. I have no problems with Howard spending his entire career in Philadelphia. But I believe the Phillies are going to lose him eventually to free agency, so they should try and get the most for him that they can before he bleeds them dry and prices himself out of a trade. The time is now, they need to strike while the iron is hot. This is the best opportunity the Phillies have had to make it to the World Series in years and they need to take their shot now.

A New Holliday In Philadelphia?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:15:04 -0500

Everyone knows that the Phillies are in the market for a legitimate starting pitcher, especially after their National League rivals the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers made serious acquisitions last week. They have been trying to work out a deal for Erik Bedard from the Seattle Mariners, and have expressed interest in A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo, Jarrod Washburn, and Randy Wolf. As you can tell, there isn't a lot out there in terms of premier pitching talent, with arguably Bedard being the only bona fide ace. Phillies GM Pat Gillick has publicly stated that the Phillies are not willing to part with the few top prospects they have in their farm team for less than acceptable pitching. That basically means they are going to make a deal for Bedard, or they're just going to stick with the pitching they have, unless they can convince a team to deal a "B" or "C" list pitcher for lesser prospects. It appears that as a result the Phillies have turned their sights onto acquiring a significant offensive upgrade. One name that has been out there as being on the block is Pirates' outfielder Jason Bay, who has struggled over the past two seasons but has shown that he is capable of some serious offensive numbers. However, it was reported Wednesday on ESPN Radio 950 Philadelphia by host Jody Mac that the Phillies are in talks with the Colorado Rockies about what it would take to bring stud outfielder Matt Holliday to Philadelphia. Before you get excited, if the Phillies were to make a trade for Holliday, it would most likely require most, if not all, of the team's top prospects, including Carlos Carasco or Adrian Cardenas. That being said, a guy like Holliday could be worth it. This year he is batting .337 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs. In addition, he has 13 stolen bases and 42 walks. Last year Holliday was the runner up to Jimmy Rollins for the NL MVP when he hit .340 with 36 home runs and 137 RBIs. The addition of Holliday would solidify the Phillies offense as the best in the majors. Unfortunately, adding Holliday will do nothing to help the Phillies' pitching needs. Opening day starter Brett Myers is set to return to the Phillies on July 23rd and former No. 1 pick Kris Benson continues to progress through the majors and could join the Phillies in early August. In a deal for Holliday, the Phillies could also acquire former Rockies' closer Brian Fuentes. He would provide the much needed second left arm in the bullpen and would serve as the team's primary set up man. Fuentes could also give closer Brad Lidge a day off every few games. He has 99 career saves in his seven plus year career. One possibility is that the Phillies could try to trade slugger Ryan Howard for a premier pitcher. By putting Howard on the market, it would open up the market to players not previously available for a trade. Howard has shown, to me at least, a glaring lack of interest to stay in Philadelphia after his contract expires in 2011. He has taken the Phillies to arbitration the past two seasons, winning a $10 million contract this past off season. Howard is currently leading the league in home runs and RBIs. Over the past month he hit a very respectable .284. This is the best opportunity to trade Howard as the Phillies will get the biggest return on him. If they wait, they'll end up losing him with no return, or having to trade him with a gun to their head with a much less significant return. I say trade Howard now for that premier pitcher, or a set of top prospects to replace those lost by trading for Holliday. The time is now for the Phillies to win. The National League is the weakest it has been in years. There are only a handful of legitimately good teams, such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Arizona, the Mets, and maybe the Cardinals. The Phillies need to strike while the iron is hot and get done the deals that will put them in a position to compete and win this year.

Would Bedard Be The Missing Piece for the Phillies?

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:42:28 -0500

Time for your weekly trade rumor. John McGrath of the News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash., throws the Phillies out there as a potential suitor for Erik Bedard. Supposedly since the Mariners are already out of the playoff race, he says it could be wise to give up on their 29-year-old lefty starter. He is 4-4 with a 4.26 ERA in 61.1 innings. Bedard was traded by the Orioles to the Mariners in the offseason. The Orioles collected a bounty that included outfielder Adam Jones and pitcher George Sherrill. MLB Trade Rumors touched on the rumor and mentioned the Phillies could trade Carlos Carrasco or Adrian Cardenas. McGrath went deeper into the farm system: "A package for Bedard could include Adrian Cardenas, 20, a left-handed-hitting infielder regarded as the Phillies' top prospect. And Brad Harman, 22, called up to Philadelphia from Double-A this spring as a replacement for the injured Rollins. And Jason Donald, a former University of Arizona standout. "Not sold? Then demand Michael Taylor, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound Stanford product fast enough to qualify as a base-stealing threat. Or 6-5, 200-pound Dominic Brown, a former high school wide receiver who turned down a scholarship from the Miami Hurricanes last year." Is a package of Cardenas, Brown and a pitcher good enough to make a MLB roster (Happ?) enough for Bedard? I would try not to get rid of Carrasco (McGrath mentioned nothing about him) or even Joe Savery. Cardenas is blocked only if Ryan Howard remains in Philadelphia, but the rub: To win this year, this team needs Ryan Howard. Cardenas isn't Philly-pennant-ready until 2011. If Bedard can be had at the right price, well, I'm still not sure. He has pitched great at Safeco, but away from there he's miserable (24.1 IP, 1-2, 7.40 ERA). Safeco is generally regarded as a pitcher's park; Citizens Bank? Surprisingly its park factor of 0.986 makes it a "pitcher's park." Still, Bedard isn't a wildly sure thing to be successful. It's possible he'll fit nicely between Cole Hamels and Brett Myers as a No. 2 starter, but I'm just not sure.

Countdown to the Draft

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:08:00 -0500

The Draft is just over two hours away. I'm 90% convinced that the Phillies will take High School shortstop Anthony Hewitt at #24. He's an exceptional talent and benefit from grooming within the Phillies system. Adrian Cardenas, another talented high schooler in need of grooming, is doing quite well at Clearwater with the Advanced Single-A Threshers. Imagine a future Phillies infield filled with Hewitt, Cardenas, Utley and Ryan Howard ...Baseball Prospectus projects that the Phillies w...