Apter Hours: Roys "R" Us--Oswalt coming to Philadelphia, Brown DOMinates in debut

It is official. A month or so removed from being worried about the pitching staff and the bats, Ruben Amaro has brought in the second big name Roy in his tenure as GM. Phillies send J.A. Happ, Jonathan Villar (SS) and Anthony Gose (OF) to Houston for Oswalt and $11 million. Oswalt is 6-12 with a 3.42 ERA, but he has received some of the worst run support in the league. He looks for a change when he takes the mound on Friday for the first time as a Phillie against the Nationals.

Now, when this all started developing, I was not too big a fan. Oswalt was complaining about Philadelphia's aggressive media outlet and him not liking to pitch in Citizens Bank Park. The first part of this really had me baffled because as a #1 pitcher, wouldn't you want to go where you had the best chance to win the World Series? If the media is your biggest concern, then winning obviously is not on the top of your priority list. Secondly, how could you not like pitching in a ballpark where you are 4-0 with 2.60 ERA in your career. Here is the bottom line...if you do not perform, the media will hassle you either way and if you perform well, one of the greatest sports cities will be behind you.

All this has seemed to pass now that Oswalt pretty much had to come here. It was here or Houston and he was not going to stay there. I think his decision to waive his no-trade clause will benefit him. Not only will he be in a rotation that includes Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, but he will have the defense of Utley, Rollins, Howard and others. With two National League Championships in this past two years and one World Series Title, Philadelphia is a premier sports city. Oswalt is 143-82 over 10 seasons with a 3.24 ERA. Although many people seem to worry about his back problems, he has extremely good career numbers and improves this rotation a lot when you put this team up against the top AL rotations.

In order to get Roy #2, the Phillies had to part with 2009 Rookie of the Year candidate J.A. Happ. It is easy to say that Happ will be the one missed the most in this deal. I still am a big fan of his but in reality, you have

to believe his stuff is not good enough to be the ace of a rotation. If you ask me, he is a career #3 starter, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Drafted in the third round of the 2004 amateur draft, Happ posted a 14-5 record in 47 games over four combined seasons in Philadelphia with a 3.11 ERA. Recent arm issues made Happ expendable. In three games this year, Happ was 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA but his velocity and control seemed to be out of whack. All in all, Happ brought consistent pitching to this rotation and I would have preferred to trade Kendrick or Blanton. He will be missed in Philadelphia, no doubt.

The prospects given up, Gose and Villar, are low-end prospects that have shown some promise in their time in the Philadelphia system. Antony Gose, drafted in 2008 in the second round of the amateur draft, has spend the 2010 season in Clearwater, with the Advanced 'A' Threshers. Gose is hitting .263 with four homers and 20 RBIs in 103 games this season. He also has 17 doubles and 11 triples to add to his resume. Jonathan Villar, a shortstop prospect, could be seen in Lakewood in 2010. In 100 games, Villar posted a .272 average with 18 doubles and 36 RBIs. Both of these guys are Single-A prospects, with a lot of development ahead and are a minor loss to the Phillies system considering they retained Cosart and Singleton.

Oswalt is going to bring more great talent to a very solid pitching rotation. If the Phillies bats keep hitting the way they have been, expect Oswalt's win-loss record to skyrocket from 6-12. My overall view of this trade after it was all set and done is acceptable. I am ok with what we had to give up and am very pleased that we have another ace added to the staff.

Domonic Brown debut a rousing success...Before all this Roy Oswalt stuff happened today, the Phillies had a big night yesterday as Roy Halladay took the mound for his 12th win and top prospect Domonic Brown made his highly anticipated debut. Brown, 22, hit .327 with 20

homers and 68 RBIs between Reading and Lehigh Valley and Phillies fans were anxiously awaiting Brown's call-up. Brown hit well in spring training for the Phillies but by no surprise, was sent to the minors. He tore up both Double-A and Triple-A pitching and an injury to Shane Victorino gave him his chance to shine. Brown got a nice standing ovation from the fans when he took the field and for his first at bat.

Domonic didn't skip a beat from his hot streak in the minors, as he doubled to right center for his first major-league hit and RBI. He would later score on a Wilson Valdez single. Brown would single and score in the 6th and in the bottom of the 7th, Brown hit a sac fly to right field to pick up his second RBI on the day. He finished the game 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Not much more you can ask for out of a rookie top prospect.

Last night was a big night for those Phillies. I worked with the R-Phils last year and witnessed the phenom that is Dom Brown during the last part of their season in Double-A. A lanky guy, Brown showed enormous power night after night and I could tell he was going to be on the fast track to Philadelphia. I had the pleasure of meeting the guy 3-4 times and he is an absolute pleasure. He loves the game and was in no rush to get called up. He was set on taking care of where he was now rather than hoping for a promotion.

A rookie like Brown can bring a lot of spark to a team and that is exactly what he started off doing yesterday. Although he is on the bench for tonight's game, I would imagine he will be playing a majority of the games in right field while Victorino recovers. Some people wonder what will happen when Shane returns. The smart thing to do would be to send him down to Lehigh Valley to get playing time every day. For now, let's just enjoy watching this kid, because he has a lot to bring to the table.

*Photos courtesy of Phillies and Astros official sites.