Who is Tommy Joseph and Why Have the PhilliesTraded Hunter Pence for Him?

Joseph - the centerpiece

Here is a link that tells you some things about Joseph.  Here are his stats from the past two years in Double A ball. Basically, he is a .250 hitter with decent power who strikes out about 25% of the time.

Just yesterday, a scout provided a mid-season grade on Joseph - Click Here to read that.  Not scintillating.

In essence, Joseph, allegedly the third-ranked player in the Giants minor league system (insiders say he is further down the list, having been passed by younger players with greater upside), looks like the kind of guy who, at best, will have an average MLB career, playing catcher or first base. It does not appear that he has  star potential - unlike 2 of the the 4 prospects that Ruben Amaro traded to Houston last year to get Pence - Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart (rated #1 and 2, respectively in the Astros farm system).

If you can't hit over .270 playing Double A ball, and you strike out 25% of the time, you aren't going to be a star in the majors. 

NOTE: Today I received a fabulous e-mail from a man named Jeff who suggested that I was being too hard on Tommy Joseph, a 21 year-old kid playing Double A ball that I have never seen play, and who's statistics Jeff contends suggest a brighter future than I painted.  You know what, Jeff is right.  What the heck do I know about Tommy Joseph?  I am not going to change my Post, but I am going to apologize to Tommy Joseph.  Sorry, man - and God's speed to the Big Show.  But I am not apologizing to Ruben Amaro.  It is a black day, and Ruben is to blame,.  I transferred my anger at Ruben Amaro into criticism of Tommy Joseph, and that was unfair. 

NOTE:  Phillies also acquired major league outfielder Nate Schierholtz, and class-A right-handed pitcher Seth Rosin; i.e. a bag of stale donuts.  I understand also that they agreed to pay a substantial portion of Pence's remaining 2012 salary. 

Amaro - Unbelievable Mistakes

Pence: Eating in SF Now

Amaro has now made, in my eyes, two dramatic and inexcusable mistakes - trading away Cliff Lee for junk (pitcher Phillippe Aumont, outfielder Tyson Gillies and right-hander Juan Ramirez) after he had sacrificed quality players to get him in the first place (the Phils traded Lou Marson, Hector Carrasco, Jason Donald and Jason Knapp to Cleveland to get Lee back in 2009 - all but Knapp have played in the majors since).  And basically repeating the process where Pence was concerned.

No Problem With Trade to Get Him Here -
It's the Trade to Seattle Soon After That Irks Me

I don't care if Amaro went to Stanford - or Harvard or Yale for that matter.  Good GM's do NOT make these kind of mistakes.  I cannot think of a single other GM who has made these types of mistakes over the past 5 years.

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