Phils ink 13 Minor League free agents

Philadelphia, PA - The Phillies signed 13 minor league free agents, Steve Noworyta, Director, Minor Leagues recently announced.

The list is made up of five pitchers, three infielders, three outfielders and two catchers: righthanders Jason Anderson, Matt Childers, Justin Pope and Kris Wilson and lefthander R.J. Swindle; infielders Gookie Dawkins, Joey Hammond and Juan Tejeda; outfielders Jake Blalock, Branden Florence and Mike Spidale; catchers Orlando Guevara and John Suomi.  Anderson, Hammond, Tejeda, Florence and Spidale all saw time with the R-Phils last season.  

Blalock, 24, the younger brother of Rangers’ third baseman, Hank, was originally selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2002 draft. Dawkins, 28, appeared in 31 games for triple-A Ottawa last season and has played in 55 major league games between the Reds (1999-2000, 2002) and Royals (2003).

Childers, 28, who went 7-4 last season for triple-A Ottawa, has appeared in 11 major league games between the Brewers (2002) and Braves (2005). Anderson, 28, has a 3.39 ERA in 582 career minor league games and has appeared in 32 major league games with the Yankees (2003, 2005), Mets (2003) and Indians (2004). 

A first-round selection of the Cardinals in 2001 (28th overall), Pope, 28, spent parts of the last five seasons in the Yankees’ minor league system and has a 3.41 ERA in 225 minor league games. Wilson, 31, has a 14-9 career record in 95 major league games (20 starts) between the Royals (2000-03) and Yankees (2006).

Originally selected by the White Sox in 2000, Spidale, 25, split last season between single-A Clearwater and Reading where he combined to hit .296 in 126 games. Tejeda, 25, a career .283 hitter with 95 home runs and 570 RBI in 865 minor league games, spent last season with double-A Reading. 

Hammond, 30, spent last season between Reading and Ottawa, hitting a combined .297 in 117 games. Florence, 29, a career .312 hitter in 540 minor league games, hit .350 (7-20) as a pinch-hitter for Reading in 2007.

Drafted by the Red Sox in 2004, Swindle, 24, has a 2.45 ERA in 68 career minor league games and posted a 0.93 ERA (3 ER, 29.0 IP) in 20 appearances for single-A Lakewood last season. A native of Toronto, Suomi, 27, hit .258 in 20 games for Clearwater in 2007. Guevara, 24, has spent his entire pro career in the Phillies’ minor league system since originally being signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2000. He is a career .236 hitter in 180 games.

This story was posted on December 10, 2007