Aumont to work as starter

[MDFAN]

http://www.csnphilly.com/pages/landi...096&feedID=704

Loved this part......

Aumont essentially took Kyle Drabek’s place as the Phillies top pitching prospect after Drabek was dealt to Toronto as part of the package for Roy Halladay. The Phillies have a number of high-potential starting pitching prospects in the low minors, but are thin in the upper levels, where Drabek would have pitched this season. Looper said the decision to move Aumont from the bullpen to the rotation was not a reaction to losing Drabek.
"We think he has a chance to be a major-league starter," Looper said of Aumont. "That, first and foremost, is the reason we made the move."

///////////////////////


Hmmmm, anybody think that Drabek wasn't gonna be in ther bigs this year? Anybody think Aumont is ready?

[Leonard Tose]

Who knows? I thought Drabek was a key piece of their rotation depth potentially starting at about midseason this year. But that may have been wishful thinking on my part -- Drabek faded down the stretch in Reading, probably because of the workload. Pitched more innings last year than ever before.

Aumont spent about the same amount of time as Drabek in AA last year, but it was all as a closer. So I would assume he's going to Reading to start the year. I'm glad they've got him pegged as a starter, that makes him much more valuable and hopefully means the rumored hip problem is not true.

I'll keep my fingers crossed, but I would guess Aumont needs at least a full year as a starter before they can even think about his timeframe for arrival in Philadelphia.

[saratoga]

UPDATE ON AUMONT

A pair of baseball's top pitching prospects had useful turns down on the farm Sunday. Toronto's Kyle Drabek(notes) struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings in his best start since joining the Blue Jays organization. Drabek had Tommy John surgery back in 2007, but was the top pitcher in the Phillies minor league system last year (12-3 at two levels) and was considered to be nearly major league ready entering the 2010 season.
Meanwhile, Phillippe Aumont(notes) appears to be getting comfortable in the Phillies system. He pitched six no-hit innings in his longest and most effective start since joining the organization in the Cliff Lee(notes) deal. Will we some day refer that Halladay-Lee four-teamer as the Drabek-Aumont deal?

http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog...fantasy,236576