Phillies Ruin Escalona’s Hopes of Making Team by Trading Him
By Justin Klugh
For a team so blatantly starved for left handed pitchers, the Phillies sure are being selective in just whose left hand their relief pitches will come out of. First they pushed Dennys Reyes back into the ocean, and now the youthful vigor of Sergio Escalona, fresh off the sharp slap of a DFA, is being packaged and shipped to Houston, where Ed Wade continues to build his secret weapon made of extra Phillies.
In exchange for Escalona, we get second baseman Albert Cartwright.
“Second baseman?!” you shriek, gesturing suggestively with your head toward Chase Utley. Calm down. Everybody’s jobs are safe for now.
But Albert is fast.
While playing for the Lancaster JetHawks (EDITOR’S NOTE: OMFG BEST TEAM NAME EVAR!!!!!111), Albert tied a California League record by tripling three times in a single game. Furious after being thrown out at second during a steal attempt earlier in the game, he took vengeance on the Visalia Rawhides (EDITOR’S NOTE: I need to start covering teams in the California League) by chugging out three of the least common base hits in the game.
This was after a previous game in which he’d hit two triples, putting him second in the league.
Speed is good. Triples are good. Being able to handle kitchen utensils skillfully enough that you can laugh at others’ miscues is also good. 29 errors at second base is not very good. But did I mention the speed?