Phillies new general manager Matt Klentak said he would make some kind of big move soon and he delivered sending closer Ken Giles and young 17-year old shortstop, Jonathan Arauz to the Astros in a 7-player deal. Giles, 25-years old, pitched his first full season last year going from the set-up man to the closer role midway through the season. In 69 games, Giles posted an 1.80 ERA in 70 innings with 87 strikeouts and 15 saves. What makes Ken Giles worth it is he’s a power-arm and more importantly, the Astros will control Giles for five seasons, two near the minimum salary. Matt Klentak wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted pitching depth and man did he get in this package for Giles. The Phillies receive right-handed pitcher Vincent Velasquez, former first overall pick, pitcher Mark Appel, lefty pitcher Brett Oberholtzer, young right-handed pitcher Harold Arauz and another young right-handed pitcher Thomas Eshelman(Astros #13 prospect).
Here’s an in-depth look at the haul for Ken Giles:
RHP Vincent Velasquez: Velasquez, 23-years old, made it to the majors last year in early June and appeared in 19 games(7 as a starter) posting a 4.37 ERA in 55 2/3 innings. Velasquez has been hampered by injuries so far in his career, hurting what his ceiling could be, but he is a great pickup for the Phillies. Velasquez will return to the rotation for the Phillies for now, but there is a belief if the Phillies move him to the bullpen, he could be just as good or even better than Ken Giles plus he is three years younger than Giles.
RHP Mark Appel: Appel, 24-years old, was the first overall pick by the Astros in the 2013 MLB Draft and he has disappointed so far in his career. Between Double-A and Triple-A last year, Appel went 10-3 posting a 4.37 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 131 2/3 innings. It’s hard to explain what the issue has been for Appel because his pitches haven’t regressed and he has pinpoint control. Although he hasn’t lived up to the expectations yet, Appel has the all-around package to be a front-line starter and we could see him sometime this year.
RHP Thomas Eshelman: Eshelman, 21-years old, was just drafted by Astros in the second of this past year’s draft and could hold some promise. Eshleman has only started in four professional games so far in his career, posting an ERA of 4.35 in 10 1/3 innings between the Gulf Coast League and Single-A. He is described as a polished pitcher, who could move quickly through the minors, but might end up as a back-end-of-the-rotation type starter. The Phillies seem to have a lot of those, but pitching depth is important and keep in mind these are only projections.
LHP Brett Oberholtzer: Oberholtler, 26-years old, isn’t anything too exciting, but he is a major-league ready pitcher, who could fit nicely in the Phillies rotation. Oberholtzer has made 42 MLB starts posting a 3.94 career ERA and he ultimately will be an innings eater, but could have limited upside. Some may prefer him over Adam Morgan in the rotation, but we will see.
RHP Harold Arauz: Arauz, 20-years old, was signed by the Astros as an international free agent at the age of 16 in 2011 and has been with Houston ever since. Arauz spent last year in short-season Single-A appearing 15 games(12 starts) going 0-5 with a 5.75 ERA and 52 strikeouts in in 51 2/3 innings. Arauz has a clean delivery and sits in the mid-80s with his fastball and some feel for his secondary stuff. It’s too early tell what he could turn into and there is no relation between him Jonathan Arauz.
It’s painful to part with Ken “100 Miles” Giles, who was a fan-favorite from the start and has done nothing but succeed for the Phillies. However, trading Giles at this point does make sense because power-arm relievers ware out over time and there’s no guarantee Giles would have been same pitcher when the Phillies were ready to contend again. I wish Ken Giles nothing but the best and Matt Klentak made a smart move netting five players for two. With Klentak and MacPhail at the helm, the rebuild seems to be heading the right direction and can’t to see what else they have in store.
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