Phillies' Future Helping the Present: Five September Call-Up Prospects

After a tough 120 games, a major league team can be beat up or even fatigued. An expanded roster is always just the boost needed to help that team over the hump.

For a team like the Phightin’ Phillies, who are known to take the hard route to success, September call-ups are absolutely crucial.

The Phillies have an amazing group of talent in the farm, and with the amalgamation of that and the amazing group in the big leagues, you can be sure the Phils will not be easy to hold off.

As of late, the Phillies have been struggling to score runs, and their bullpen has never been known to scare anyone off, so more than likely the team will need to think about those few areas.

Being that the Phillies are famous for their firepower, I don’t believe there should be much concern about the offense. More attention, however, should be on strengthening the bullpen.  

This called into my mind a few prospects that could help the Phils hunt down the Braves and hold off the Giants.

Andy Tracy

At 36 years old, with 10 years up and down in the league, Tracy is a baseball veteran.

This first baseman leads the IronPigs in home runs, RBI, and on-base percentage. He swings a hard bat, and his defense is solid. With Ross Gload being on the DL, Tracy will need to come in to back up Ryan Howard.

His contribution to the Phils is likely to be like that of the beloved Matt Stairs—expect him to play that role in the September run.

John Mayberry Jr.

John Mayberry Jr., son of former major league player John Sr., promises to have a bright future in the majors.

Standing tall at 6'6", 236 pounds, this right-handed outfielder will crush a ball in any given at-bat—and he did.

In May of 2009, Mayberry recorded his first hit and home run in the majors with one swing of the bat against one of the most dangerous pitchers in MLB history, the New York Yankees’ Andy Pettitte.

His powerful bat will certainly give the Phils the needed offense they have been struggling with, as of late, to make that September push towards another red October.

Vance Worley

Brad Lidge has been getting back to form, but he and the rest of the bullpen will need help.

Worley can provide an extra arm to fall back on.

Worley is a solid player in the minor league. He went 10-6 with a 3.35 ERA in 37 innings pitched.

He made his major league debut on July 24, 2010 against the Colorado Rockies. He pitched the ninth inning, retiring the side in order and striking out two. His contribution to the September run for the Phillies pennant race could be a nice addition.

Scott Mathieson

This right-handed pitcher made his major league debut in 2006. After dealing with a few arm injuries, Mathieson has made his way back to baseball, and you can expect him to be called up this September.

Mathieson has a very strong arm and is known to throw between 97-100 MPH.

Mathieson’s addition will be very useful because he’s experienced, and he isn’t a send-in-for-one-or-two-batters type of pitcher. Mathieson is known to be able to go multiple innings if need be.

Antonio Bastardo

This is an easy pick.

Since 2005, when Bastardo was signed as an amateur free agent, it was clear that this man had talent.

This lefty has a 90-93 MPH fastball and a pretty mean breaking ball.

If he can find more consistency, he has a chance of, at least, coming close to being a dominating pitcher.