Green Night at Reading (Credit: Tug Haines)
We note this all the time, but minor league baseball is about working on your game and developing into a well-rounded player. For starting pitchers, that means seeing what you can do with more than just a straight fastball and breaking ball.
After the first few games of the 2015 season, Jesse Biddle gradually went to work on seeing what he could do with two-seam fastballs (sinkers) and the slider that he’s been throwing Continue reading
Reading Fab Five (l to r): Zach Eflin, Ben Lively, Jesse Biddle, Tom Windle, Aaron Nola (Source: Reading Eagle)
Jesse Biddle’s first 2015 home start was last night (Saturday) in front of a Reading crowd of about 7,000, with a slight breeze and game time temperature in the 70s. It was deemed the match-up of the night by many minor league prognosticators around the country. Biddle was going head-to-head with the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ Kyle Crick, the San Francisco Giants’ #1 prospect. Crick has electric stuff. Continue reading
Day 8 Bullpen. Throwing to Andrew Knapp.
Jesse Biddle has had a great spring training this year. His game was honed and razor sharp fairly quickly and he reported having quality bullpen sessions from the start. As the photo above shows, by the end of Week 2 the Phillies pitching brain trust was paying close attention to his side work. He got a fair amount of support with positive statements to the press by Ryne Sandburg, Bob McClure, Dan Plesac, and others. Continue reading
On the mound again in Clearwater. (Source: BaseballBetsy.wordpress.com)
This is one of those times it’s far better to read an eye-witness account than our distant musings. Baseball Ross provides personal reports on minor league baseball at his blog written mostly out of Clearwater, Florida. If you want to know what’s really happening in the minor leagues (especially in the Phillies’ organization), this is one of the best sources of information we know of. Baseball Ross calls it as he sees it. Not much supposition and hearsay (like most so-called journalists out there). If you’re a Jesse Biddle fan, you’re going to enjoy reading this one.
Jesse Biddle overmatched the Daytona Cubs last night. It was just that simple. He pitched like he belonged at Citizens Bank Park not Clearwater’s Bright House Field. Aaron Nola had a nice debut with Reading but is was not as impressive.
With a low 90’s fastball, the change up and the big curve, Biddle kept the left-handed dominated D-Cubs lineup off balance. He retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced, allowing only a base on balls in the five innings he worked. He struck out …Read The Rest Here…
You should also check out the thoughts of Baseball Ross’s better half, Baseball Betsy. She ran a great piece on Jesse’s Wednesday night herself here.
Source: Reading Fightin Phils’ Facebook Page
Jesse pitched on Tuesday night in front of a very sparse crowd in Reading. It was his old nemesis, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Here’s the line: 7 innings, 93 pitches, 6 strikeouts, 1 walk, 6 hits, 4 runs, 1 home run. The Fightin Phils would win 6-5 with a walk-off single by Anthony Hewitt in the bottom of the 9th.
A couple blog posts out there say Jesse had a “rough start” and/or was “shaky.” Apparently they weren’t at the game. Yes, he gave up two singles in the 3rd with one out and then left a change-up hanging, belt-high for a three-run homer. He would also allow a single to lead off the 6th, then a one-out triple. Tough innings happen.
Other than the 3rd inning, though, he pitched a good game. Even in the 3rd Continue reading
Source: Jay Floyd, phoulballz.com
The season began for the Reading Fightin Phils last week. Jesse got the opening night start. We’re sure he felt he could have pitched better. He got the loss and only went 3.1 innings. You can read about that game here.
Suffice it to say that after a crazy spring training he’s still working out some kinks in his feel for pitching. But, to be honest, that’s what going to minor league games is about. You are getting a firsthand look at young players working on their games and battling through the learning process.
Jesse is scheduled to pitch again tonight, April 8, 2014, against the New Continue reading
Jesse Biddle on the mound in the Futures Game.
Last week Jesse got a lot of press. You’ll find some of the choice coverage at the video links and article archives sections of this website. In part it was a slow sports week in Philly. But it was also a special time for eight young Phillies’ farm system players on the edge of possibly breaking through very soon. They were taking part in a weeklong set of activities called the Phillies Prospect Education Seminar. They learned a lot about what goes into being a major leaguer behind the scenes. The main focus of the week, though, was media relations training.
So you will find a bunch of stories and videos here and online from last week Continue reading
(Photo credit: paul.hadsall)
The minor league season is a long 142 games of baseball in five months. That schedule takes its toll on every player — both physically and mentally. Prior to last night, Jesse Biddle’s last two outings were pretty difficult. On July 23 he didn’t make it through the first inning. On July 28 he couldn’t make it through the second. Yes, Jesse is dinged up and feeling the effects of a long season. And, yes, the craziness of all-star week in the middle of the month probably left him a little drained. But there’s a month left in the season. No time for excuses.
Last night Jesse Biddle got to pitch against Alex Rodriguez three times before a full house at the Trenton Thunder’s Arm and Hammer Park. Rodriguez was doing a rehab stint with the Yankee’s AA affiliate. Jesse also had to pitch against an always dangerous Thunder lineup. #54 Continue reading
