Orioles have acquired RHP Tom Eshelman from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for International Signing Bonus Slots

[weams]

2 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

The name also doesn't help shed the accountant vibes.

https://www.minorleagueball.com/2018/2/6/16979228/sleeper-prospect-thomas-eshelman-sp-philadelphia-phillies

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Thomas Eshelman caught my attention for this edition.

Drafted by the Houston Astros in 2015’s second round from the California State Fullerton baseball factory, Eshelman put up some truly dizzying college numbers.

Or as John put it in his 2016 Phillies Top 20, “pornographic.” (You can click that, it’s his list. I promise.)

In three years at CSF, Eshelman’s numbers were as follows: 1.58 ERA, 139:7 K:BB in 137 innings, 105 hits allowed. 

 

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Control is seriously no problem for Eshelman and has translated to the pro level. In 281 minor league innings so far, he’s walked just 51 batters. Only a brief adjustment to Double-A competition proved difficult for the 23-year old.

Traded from the Astros to the Phillies in 2016 along with fellow pitchers Mark Appel, Vince Velasquez, Brett Oberholtzer and Harold Arauz, Eshelman wasn’t the prospect Appel or Velasquez was but came with probably the third-best outlook of the five pitchers received.

Former top overall pick Appel is stepping away from the game for now, while Velasquez had a great 2016 and a stressful 2017 for the Phillies, all the while the control freak Eshelman got his first taste of Triple-A.

That taste was oh so good and has Eshelman on the verge of a big league contribution in 2018. For Lehigh Valley, he went 10-3 in 18 starts with a 2.68 ERA and .942 WHIP. His dominating 80:13 K:BB ratio was everything that gets evaluators so exciteThe accuracy and command of the young pitcher is obviously noteworthy. But he’s always come with caution tape due to his lack of fastball velocity.

He seldom tops 90 mph on the radar gun and in an era where most of every pitching staff can flirt with a high 90s fastball or better, he’s certainly not the modern prototype.

But his stellar results and historically great authority over opposing hitters cannot be ignored. It will be very interesting to see how his atypical arsenal translates to the majors.

 

[Legend_Of_Joey]

5 minutes ago, weams said:

$500 K. Again. It's not the money. It's the ability to spend the money. Up until July 1 2019. Then that ability vanishes. It's pretty much future considerations or cash. Professional courtesies. 

I could care less if, on June 30th, they trade all the remaining money for Jack Zoellner's brother. 

Corn did have a good point. Is there another team the Orioles have had more "for International Money" trades with than Philadelphia?

[weams]

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/philadelphia-phillies-prospect-tom-eshelman-stays-on-target-in-first-major-league-spring-training/c-266714200

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When he was a freshman at Cal State Fullerton, Mike Kirby, an assistant coach who has since left the program for the University of Nebraska, took him behind the cage to watch the team's batting practice. After studying the hitters for a few rounds, the right-hander developed a new philosophy on pitching.

"I was like, 'They were kind of rolling over and popping up good pitches to hit.' And then [Kirby] goes, 'Exactly, a good hitter, one of the best in the game, is going to miss seven out of 10 times and still hit .300," Eshelman said. "Basically, I took that into consideration and I did exactly what [they did in] BP. Just throw strikes and put the pressure on the hitter..."

"I think it's a tribute to the people I've been around my whole career," said the Carlsbad, California, native. "My catchers last year in Lehigh were some of the best and the coaching staff that was around there too … they all just came up with game plans for me and all I really do was go out there and execute."

The key behind the game planning that Eshelman and his support staff had last summer was an understanding who he was as a pitcher. The 23-year-old has always been a prolific strike-thrower, walking only seven batters over 137 innings in his junior season at Fullerton.

He struggled to produce the same numbers in 2016, issuing 28 free passes over 120 2/3 innings between Reading and Class A Advanced Clearwater before suffering from appendicitis at the conclusion of the season.

"[Appendicitis] was pretty much the cherry on top to a year that … was a learning year," Eshelman said. "I think it really was. I learned a lot from that year. ... As long as you keep telling yourself to learn and understand what you do right and what you do wrong. I think that goes a long way in this game.

"Once you think you have it figured out, the game will chew you up and spit you right out. I think that if I had that mentality of understanding what I can do to better myself or learn from everybody that's on our staff right now, it'll be beneficial for me in bettering my game."

 

[TonySoprano]

9 minutes ago, Legend_Of_Joey said:

They've gotten atleast 4 players from the Phillies this period. What do you think the average amount sent is?

Along those lines, what are they going to do with the money before the pool resets in about 3 weeks?

[Legend_Of_Joey]

Just now, TonySoprano said:

Along those lines, what are they going to do with the money before the pool resets in about 3 weeks?

Buy out the entire "Lehigh Valley" roster at a discount for being a repeat customer?

[weams]

1 minute ago, TonySoprano said:

Along those lines, what are they going to do with the money before the pool resets in about 3 weeks?

Probably nothing. But maybe there is someone that they have an eye on. Kentak is probably on good terms with Elias. 

[weams]

8 minutes ago, Legend_Of_Joey said:

I could care less if, on June 30th, they trade all the remaining money for Jack Zoellner's brother. 

Corn did have a good point. Is there another team the Orioles have had more "for International Money" trades with than Philadelphia?

https://twitter.com/JSalisburyNBCS/status/1138093797827633152?s=20

 

[Legend_Of_Joey]

2 minutes ago, weams said:

https://twitter.com/JSalisburyNBCS/status/1138093797827633152?s=20

 

Ok?

[weams]

Pre appendicitis report.

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Thomas Eshelman, Philadelphia Phillies — 2017 Scouting Report

Dates observed in 2017: July 17

TOOL (FV)

NOTES & COMMENTS

 

Four-Seam Fastball (50)

Average to slightly below-average working velocity. Pretty straight and standard offering out of high three-quarters/nearly overhand release. Pinpoint command. Will dot the four-seam early in the game and early in counts. Not overpowering but effective enough when commanded, especially with moderate downward plane. More of a get-over to begin a sequence that’ll end with the two-seamer, cutter, or off-speed. When he needs to, not afraid to throw four-seamer in, even off the plate, to his arm-side to make RHH uncomfortable. Very good extension and feel for both sides of the plate. Velocity: 90-92, T 93.

 

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Two-Seam Fastball (50)

Very late, very tight arm-side run with some sink. Would be below-average in terms of raw pitch life, but Eshelman dots it extremely well corner to corner; pinpoint command with just enough late life allows him to miss barrels and draw weak contact. Like the four-seamer, occasional tendency to use it arm-side both as a brushback look to RHH and on the black as a strike to set up off-speed to glove side. Velocity: 88-90, T 91.

 

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Cut Fastball(45)

Like the two-seamer, Eshelman’s cutter has very subtle, but very late arm-side cut with some sink. And like his two-seamer, it’s not a swing-and-miss pitch as much as it accounts for last-second movement to weak contact off the barrel. He likes to throw the cutter a lot, and he can carve up both sides of the plate with it. Pitch plays up because of impeccable command and overhand release with downward plane; good wrinkle for him to use in on LHH in particular as a way to keep them from diving over the plate. Velocity: 87-90, T 91.

 

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Changeup (45)

Average feel for the changeup on both arm-side and glove-side. General control of it down at the knees, but lacking in nuanced feel for plus tumble and sink; modest arm-side run with a little bit of fade. Like the cutter and two-seamer, not so much an above-average pitch as it is merely adequate, meticulously controlled, and with just enough late life to get off the barrel and draw weaker contact. Feels like it lags a step behind the rest of his stuff, but could have just been an off day for the changeup in my view. Velocity: 76-79, T 80.

 

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Curveball (50)

12-to-6 break on overhand curveball. Trusts it a lot, will throw it early and late in counts, as well as when ahead and when behind when he needs a called strike pitching backwards in a fastball count. Not a true hammer and hasn’t proven to be a strikeout pitch, but — do I sound like a broken record yet? — enough late life with consistent knee-level command to get just off the barrel and draw weaker contact. Velocity differential will get hitters out in front, too; good arm speed and action helps sell it at release over the top. In my look, Thomas Eshelman immediately went to his curveball the second time through the lineup and started to pitch backwards off it. Advanced ability to get it over and down early in counts, and also throw it to both sides of the plate to both LHH and RHH. Velocity: 71-73, T 74.

 

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Slider (45)

Slider showed a tendency to flatten out some in my look; sometimes very good with definite depth and 10-to-4 movement, sometimes shorter, tighter, and too similar to the cut fastball. When on, distinct enough to have value as a second breaking ball, especially to RHH. As with everything else he throws, late life gets it off the barrel; some speed differential compared to two-seam/cutter combo can provide another way to get hitters off balance. Won’t miss as many bats as the curveball, but he can bury it on occasion as a good two-strike pitch, and back-foot LHH when ahead in the count. Velocity: 81-82, T 83.

 

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Control/Command(80/70)

Undoubtedly the best control/command combo I saw in 2017; arguably the best command profile in all of the minor leagues. Thomas Eshelman legitimately makes other pitching prospects with above-average control look like amateurs. Of course, he requires impeccable command to survive because of what he lacks in velocity and pitch life. In my look, Eshelman made one mistake over the plate to Atlanta Braves prospect Ronald Acuna and the young outfielder hit it 450 feet. Anecdotal, of course, but a cautionary tale in how critical command will be for Thomas Eshelman at the next level with the Philadelphia Phillies. Fortunately, he has double-plus command of everything in his arsenal. 

 

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Mechanics

Short, sweet, and to the point. Quick step and turn to balance, with a very short arm swing on the back side and near fully-overhand release point to the plate. Hides the ball very well on the back side. Works very quickly, pushing the pace on hitters and visibly disrupting timing and pre-pitch rituals. Keeps mechanics out of the stretch; doesn’t leak out forward to the plate, and has short and quick enough arm action to consistently stay on top and through the ball from the stretch. Easy, free, and repeatable mechanics; relatively stress-free arm action. Ideal easy effort and simple physicality for a starting pitcher expected to eventually take 30+ turns in the rotation.

 

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Intangibles

Undoubtedly one of my favorite pitchers from 2017. What Thomas Eshelman lacks in ‘sexy’ projectable stuff, he makes up for it with nearly flawless, elite command. Very unique pitcher to watch work. Extremely polished and composed on the mound; obvious understanding of advanced sequencing and, more importantly, consistent ability to execute on those sequences. Bulldog-type mentality out of necessity, lacks power stuff but still manages to challenge hitters and miss his fair share of bats by consistently getting ahead and staying ahead. Thomas Eshelman is going to out-perform every public evaluation of him. Bet on it.

https://baseballcensus.com/2017/10/05/philadelphia-phillies-thomas-eshelman-scouting-report-baseball-player-evaluation-video-2017/

[interloper]

He's a guy. We need 'em. 

[weams]

He was named the Phillies’ top minor league pitcher in 2017.

[wildcard]

I wonder what this means to the promotions of Lowther, Wells and Zimmerman at mid season?

Rogers, Ortiz, Herb and Ysla don't seem like prospects at this point.

[interloper]

3 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I wonder what this means to the promotions of Lowther, Wells and Zimmerman at mid season?

Rogers, Ortiz, Herb and Ysla don't seem like prospects at this point.

Hopefully we see some trades at the ML level (Cashner? Bundy?) that pave the way for some MiL promotions. 

[McLikin]

9 minutes ago, weams said:

He was named the Phillies’ top minor league pitcher in 2017.

He's certainly had his struggles since, to be sure. Nevertheless, here's another Elias/Houston tie-in. Semi-interesting.

I wonder if he's any kin to the (unfortunately late) former Baltimore farmhand Vaughn.

[Tony-OH]

Former Elias draft pick who was throwing the ball pretty well in AAA last year and two years ago. Looks like he had an awful 2018 season and must've been struggling in spring to get assigned to AA out of spring training.

Honestly, if this moves Hess back to a reliever spot, why not? Heck, if you just replaces guy like Lucas and Phillips were fine. Why not?

Not expecting a ton,  but at this point I'm open to giving any AAA guy doing well a chance.