New blood in Philadelphia Phillies organization
Jun 18, 2013; Dayton, OH, USA; East center fielder Dalton Pompey (middle) is congratulated by third baseman Gustavo Pierre (left)and left fielder Jesse Winker after Pompey drove in the winning run in the ninth inning during the Midwest League-All Star Game at Fifth Third Field. East won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
With the likes of Maikel Franco now added to the Philadelphia Phillies roster it’s safe to say the new faces will get a lot of attention in the month of September, but it’s also worth noting the Phillies have three new players in their organization because of recent trades.
On Sunday the club announced John Mayberry, Jr. had been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for third baseman Gustavo Pierre just before the waiver trade deadline. Pierre was assigned to Double-A Reading. Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro said scouts had been looking at Pierre for a while and they like his promise. He also noted the Phillies were quite set for outfielders.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Pierre turns 22 in December. He’d been in the Blue Jays’ organization since he was 17 and was just recently promoted to Double-A before being traded to the Phillies. In six minor-league seasons the third baseman owns a .247 batting average, driving in 240 runs during that span. His lifetime .282 OBP is among his less attractive stats along with his 553 strikeouts in 1987 at bats.
According to Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News, the correct pronunciation of Pierre is “pee-AIR-ay.”
The two players to later be named in exchange for starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez have also been named, though it came rather quietly. Hernandez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August after being claimed on waivers.
The first player named was Jesmuel Valentin, a switch-hitting infielder from Puerto Rico. He was taken in the first round of the 2012 MLB amateur draft by the Dodgers. Valentin, 20, was sent to Class-A Clearwater where he played 12 games and hit .205 with 11 total bases.
Victor Arano was the second player named in the deal. The 19-year-old pitcher from Mexico, went 4-7 in Class-A ball in 2014. The righty has a 4.12 ERA after two minor-league season and averages 8.8 strikeouts per nine.
It’s likely Valentin and Arano could be teammates with Clearwater for at least part of 2015.