Two R-Phils Headline Blockbuster Phillies Trade

Taylor & Drabek Called Reading Home In 2009

(Reading, PA) – Well, it’s official, Roy Halladay is a Philadelphia Phillie. That’s right, the Phillies finally got their man earlier today, a pitcher they have coveted for awhile now. 

“Doc” Halladay, the player that had been linked to the Phillies during the July 31 trade deadline last season, has finally become a Phillie and now Phillies fans can rejoice in knowing they have one of the best pitchers in the game – but like all trades, some players had to leave the organization. 

Two of the players who will be on their way out of the Phillies organization via trade, were two of the most highly touted players to come through Reading since Pat Burrell and Cole Hamels. And, while two of the three prospects in the trade spent the 2009 season in Reading, both will be sure to make a splash with their respective teams in 2010 and beyond. 

Michael Taylor, a hard-working, hard-hitting outfielder, who was ranked as the number three prospect in the Phillies organization, and Kyle Drabek, the number one pitching prospect in the organization, both were keys parts of the trade that brought Halladay over to Philadelphia. And, while the Phillies also dealt last year’s deadline deal hero Cliff Lee, and the top catching prospect in the organization Travis d’Arnaud, the growth of Taylor and Drabek, who were both named as the Paul Owens Award Winners in 2009 (the best prospects in the organization)will be in the eyes of most in Reading for many years to come. 

Coming off a season in 2008 when the R-Phils just had all sorts of troubles on the field from the get-go, 2009 was a pleasant surprise – due in part of course to the bright spots of both Taylor and Drabek. With the smile of Taylor and the competitiveness of Drabek, R-Phils fans had two heroes they could call their own and a team which would battle their way to the playoffs, the first time since 2001. 

Taylor, who was dealt not just once, but twice in the same day (went to Oakland from Toronto for 3B Brett Wallace), has shown five-tool ability since being selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2007 draft. With excellent size at 6’6, 250 plus pounds, the versatile Taylor hit a combined .334 with 39 home runs and 36 stolen bases combined over the past two seasons (split between Class A through Triple-A). He began 2009 with the R-Phils and hit .333 with 15 home runs and 65 RBIs before a promotion to Lehigh Valley, where he continued to rake. 

A Stanford alumnus, the 24-year-old was named the Eastern League Rookie of the Year in 2009, one of just a number of awards he would notch. Also, Taylor was named by Baseball America as the “Best Batting Prospect” and “Most Exciting Player” in the Eastern League this past season. A native of Chevrely, MD, Taylor was also a mid-season and post-season Eastern League All-Star in 2009.

Much like Taylor, Drabek burst on the Reading scene in 2009 with lofty goals and ambitions. Son of former Major Leaguer Doug, Drabek was considerable untouchable back in July, around the same time he was lighting up the Eastern League on the mound for the R-Phils. 

A first-round selection of the Phillies in the 2006 draft (18th overall), Drabek began the 2009 season with Clearwater, where the young righty dazzled Florida State League hitters. The 22-year-old compiled a 4-1 mark with a 2.48 ERA over nine starts (10 games) for the Threshers, before a promotion to Reading was in the cards. And while Drabek missed the almost all of the 2008 season following Tommy John surgery, over four Minor League seasons, the Texas native has compiled a 19-10 record with a 3.71 ERA in 51 games. 

As part of the deal, the Phillies will get a handful of top prospects back from the Seattle Mariners, who like the Phillies, are stacked with premier prospects. Seattle agreed to send right-handed pitchers Phillippe Aumont, and Juan Ramirez, and outfielder Tyson Gillies to the Phillies, which will in theory restock their farm system. 

Aumont, 20, a first round draft choice in 2007 (11th overall), is considered by many to have a tremendous amount of upside. Last season, the Mariners converted the 6’7 Canadian into a reliever and Aumont began 2009 in the California League with High Desert (High-A), where he compiled a 1-2 mark with a 3.23 ERA and 12 saves in 29 games. Later in 2009, he was promoted to West Tennessee (Double-A), where he went 1-4 with four saves and a 5.09 ERA. The Canadian born Aumont could very well begin the year with Reading in 2010, stay tuned. 

Ramirez, 21, was signed out of Nicaragua by Seattle in 2005 and spent 2009 with High Desert (Single-A), where he posted an 8-10 mark with a 5.12 ERA over 28 games (27 starts). In three Minor League seasons, Ramirez is a combined 17-26 with a 4.59 ERA in 68 games (64 starts) through the Single-A ranks. At 6’3, and with a fast ball which has been clocked as high as 97 mph, Ramirez has a ton of upside. 

Gillies, 21, was selected by the Mariners in the 25th round of the 2006 Draft and has relied on heavily on his speed. A native of Canada, Gillies, a center fielder, stole 44 bases last season as a member of High Desert (Single-A), and finishing third in the California League with a .341 batting average. Gillies also finished second in the league in triples (14), and second in on-base percentage with an impressive .430 mark. 

While Halladay will undoubtedly be the instant story of this blockbuster deal, Phillies fans, especially the ones in Reading, will get a chance to rate this deal up close at some point again in the near future. And, of course, if Taylor and Drabek become big stars, well, then fans in Reading could once again say to the world, “we saw him first in Reading”, much like they did with Hamels, Burrell, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Mike Schmidt and so on.


This story was posted on December 16, 2009