As often as possible, I will try to give everybody a taste of what's going on in the Phillies' minor-league system. Here is a look at some of the early performances that have caught people's eyes:
Triple-A Ottawa
Jason Jaramillo, catcher: The team's second-round pick in 2004 is hitting .364 (16 for 44) with a double, triple and seven RBIs. He also has seven walks.
Double-A Reading
Anderson Garcia, righthander: He has six saves and a 1.46 ERA in nine relief appearances, striking out 13 in 12 1/3 innings. Opponents have hit just .182 against him and he has walked none. The Phillies claimed Garcia off waivers Jan. 5.
Kyle Kendrick, righthander: The seventh-round pick in 2003 is 2-2 with a 3.12 ERA in four starts. He allowed one run in eight innings in his last start Tuesday.
Single-A Clearwater
Dan Brauer, lefthander: The sixth-round pick from last year is 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in four starts.
Andrew Carpenter, righthander: The second round pick from last year is 2-1 with a 2.48 ERA and one save in four appearances (three starts). Carpenter skipped single-A Lakewood after pitching in single-A Batavia last season.
Greg Golson, centerfielder: The first-round pick in 2004 is hitting .273 (24 for 88) with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and nine RBIs. He also has stolen eight bases in nine attempts. He has struck out 33 times.
Pat Overholt, righthander: The 22nd pick in 2005 is 2-2 with a 1.93 ERA in four starts.
Jeremy Slayden, designated hitter/outfield: The team's eighth-round pick in 2005 is hitting .293 (22 for 75) with four doubles, three home runs and 16 RBIs.
Single-A Lakewood
Adrian Cardenas, second base: Cardenas was the team's supplemental pick between the first and second rounds last year. He is hitting .279 (19 for 68) with three doubles and 10 RBIs. Cardenas only played in the rookie Gulf Coast League last year, so he made a jump to Lakewood.
Jason Donald, shortstop: Their third-round pick last year is hitting .310 (22 for 71) with two doubles, one triple and nine RBIs.
Kyle Drabek, righthander: The first-round pick last year is 1-0 with a 3.50 ERA in four starts. In 18 innings, he has walked just three and struck out 19.
Edgar Garcia, righthander: Signed as an amateur free agent in 2004, Garcia is 1-0 with a 2.95 ERA in three starts.
Carlos Monasterios, righthander: He is one of the players acquired in the Bobby Abreu trade. He had a horrible first start (seven earned runs in 2 /3 inning), but is 1-0 with a 1.96 ERA in his three starts since.
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I thought Bob Ford had an interesting column today on Cole Hamels.
