Check Out My Cousin!

[barzilla]

Check this out guys. Maybe we have the next Brandon Backe (from bullpen to rotation) on our hands.

http://www.cchooks.com/news/?id=4713

Thats awesome! Pretty cool to know someone who is playing above HS.

[Astros4Life]

thats cool that ur cousin is so close to the majors

[PopTop]

We need to make him the official Fever-Addicts-Bleacher Gang Future Astro, Scott! And you should try and get in contact with him to do a possible interview, would be very interested to hear what he has to say now after knowing he was frustrated earlier this year about his role/future in the organization.

[barzilla]

I'll email him and see if he wants to do an interview for Astrosdaily Pops.

[echy88]

Thats awesome man. Is there somewhere you could find his stats and post them or something. Thanks.

[barzilla]

Okay, let me post the traditional statistics and then the DIPS (Defense independent pitching statistics)

Traditional
W-L: 5-5
INN: 91.2
ERA: 3.24
WHIP: 1.39

DIPS
SO/9: 6.68 (6.60)
BB/9: 2.45 (3.30)
Ratio: 2.73 (2.00)
HR/9: 0.39 (1.00)

The key for Philip is that he generally throws strikes and keeps the ball in the ballpark. His WHIP has leveled out a lot since he became a starter. As a reliever his WHIP was closer to 1.5 or 1.6. The idea of DIPS for those that aren't aware is that it is generally very difficult to predict ERAs from one season to the next (especially for relief pitchers) because a pitcher cannot control the percentage of balls in play that turn into hits. Philip gives up a lot of hits, but they are dinky hits. Next year those dinky hits might become outs. The theory behind DIPS is that if you look at only the categories pitchers can control (home runs, strikeouts, and walks) then you can do a better job predicting future ERA.

The benchmark for the DIPS statistics are parantheses. Since these numbers are occuring in AA we need to do some extrapolating. I figure Philip is in really good shape in walks and home runs. I don't think he will maintain that strikeout rate at the next level. Whenever you hear a pitching coach talk about "pitching to contact" you need to look for the barf bag. Just remember this, the Reds pitching coach stressed "pitching to contact" at the beginning of the season. They have surrendered 162 home runs already as a staff which puts them on pace to give up 228. Here's a look at their starters.

............................GS.........HR........P ROJ
Aaron Harang..........23..........13.........18
Brandon Claussen.....19..........20.........28
Ramon Ortiz............25..........23.........32
Eric Milton..............20..........34.........48

Pitch to contact indeed. Yeah, I guess their strategy is to get other teams to run out fireworks so they'll have to stop hitting home runs.

So, the strikeout ratio bothers me, but if he continues to keep the ball in the ballpark and walk few hitters he could be a successful lefty reliever.

[itzintheblood]

Scott Barzilla as in, I used to teach at Pasadena High School Scott Barzilla?

[barzilla]

That is correct, who am I speaking with?

[itzintheblood]

Originally Posted by barzilla

That is correct, who am I speaking with?

I'm Juan Quintana - I had you for World Geography I think? I don't remember, it was my freshman year, though.

[barzilla]

Ah, now I think I remember. That was a ways ago. You are making me feel old now. What are you up to now?

[PopTop]

Originally Posted by barzilla

That was a ways ago. You are making me feel old now.

If you feel old at your age, imagine how old I feel since I was a couple of grades ahead of one of your uncles when I was in high school, Scott!

[barzilla]

Ah yes Willie. Everything is relative. It's funny being a teacher, you always run into ex-students somewhere.

[PopTop]

By the way, I guess you already know about Philip going to the Arizona Fall League, right?

[barzilla]

Pops,

Yes, in fact Philip responded to the interview questions from Astrosdaily folks and the interview should be posted there within the next few days.

[PopTop]

Cool! Can't wait to read it. That's one of the things I wish I'd had more time to talk to Jerry DaVanon about a few weeks back, his time in the minors.

[Mikie]

Originally Posted by barzilla

Pops,

Yes, in fact Philip responded to the interview questions from Astrosdaily folks and the interview should be posted there within the next few days.

I just saw it today, he sounds like an erudite young man. I remember him as Rice's closer, of course (I'm a Rice grad) and that the Astros drafted him, but didn't realize he was shooting up through the system so quickly. Must make you quite the proud second cousin, and I wouldn't worry about that invite to Kissimmee next year if he's been tagged to play in the AFL, I'd start looking for a way to stay down there for a couple months, cheap! I don't suppose being the Spring Training correspondent for Astros Daily is a paying gig?

[PopTop]

Originally Posted by MikieNix

I don't suppose being the Spring Training correspondent for Astros Daily is a paying gig?

Enjoyed the interview at Astros Daily, Scott. Good job

[barzilla]

Only one of those questions were mine. So, the kudos go to the members of the board there for asking good questions. He only declined to answer a question about Hector Gimenez which probably speaks volumes. His father gave me the low down on that one, but I'll keep it "hush-hush".

I'll make sure to parlay my AD salary into a trip. I love the lack of tax liability though.

[BasEbaLlKnoItAll]

I see that he is on Italy's WBC roster. How is that going?

[PopTop]

Article from the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Feel free to ask the White House press corp what they think about that newspaper

George Vondracek / Caller-Times ... 12 Mar 06

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Philip Barzilla learned a few new words while competing for Italy at the World Baseball Classic.

"Andiamo," which, loosely translated, means, "C'mon, let's go."

And "facile," or slow down.

He also learned a few words that really aren't printable in English or Italian.

"That was nice," Barzilla said, smiling.

But the best thing the Houston Astros' left-handed farmhand learned was heartening. A member of the Hooks last season, Barzilla realized he can play at an international level.

Barzilla, along with Hooks player Mark Saccomanno, Astros pitcher Mike Gallo and Houston special assistant Matt Galante were back in the Houston preseason camp Saturday after Italy was eliminated from the tournament. The situations Barzilla faced are what were most encouraging to him.

In a 6-0 loss to Venezuela, Barzilla threw an inning, striking out major-leaguer Magglio Ordonez from Detroit and inducing an inning-ending grounder with two men aboard. In Italy's 8-3 loss to the Dominican Repulic, Barzilla faced only one batter but got another major-leaguer, Boston's David Ortiz, to pop out.

"What was really neat is I knew I was going to be nervous because I was over-amped. But there also was a calmness, too. You have to have the urgency because there were two guys on base," said Barzilla, 7-7 with the third-best ERA in the Texas League (3.03) last season with the Hooks.

"But to be able to get guys like that out at that level gives me huge confidence in this game," he said.

Saccomanno had three hits in 11 at-bats, doubling and hitting a two-run home run in the 10-0 waxing of Australia in Italy's tourney opener. He did commit a couple of errors that cost the Italians in the 8-3 loss to the Dominicans.

"It was probably the best pitching I've seen so far in my career," said Saccomanno, the fourth-year third baseman-first baseman whose 36 doubles tied for the Texas League lead last season. "I did well to prepare for them. It was pitchers like Freddy Garcia, guys like that. It was like going up against an all-star team looking at those lineups. Just going up against those guys makes you see the difference between the minors and the majors."

[tadlock11]

You guys still around? What years at PHS? My uncle coached there for a while, now at Baytown Sterling. I would have gone there, but moved and went to Deer Park (1990)

[itzintheblood]

Originally Posted by barzilla

Ah, now I think I remember. That was a ways ago. You are making me feel old now. What are you up to now?

Damn, I forgot about this forum. I found it today trying to find info on Huff.

Anyways, I graduated in 2002 so I had you back in...98 or 99, not sure if you remember.