Jason Donald: the future of the Phillies.

It's been another busy week in Phillies news before Opening Day on April 5th versus the Atlanta Braves. Probably the hottest topic of the Phillies blogs has been Jason Donald, the middle infielding prospect for the Phillies.

The Phillies Nation has this to offer on him:

The 24-year-old infield prospect had three hits yesterday, raising his
Grapefruit League average to .379. Add these numbers (plus his 1-for-3, HR line
against Team USA) to his recent U.S. Olympic team and Arizona Fall League totals
and Donald is hitting an oustanding .395 (57-for-144) with 7 HR and 26 RBI.
Since being called up to Reading, Donald is hitting .332 (168-for-506) with 21
HR and 80 RBI. Sure it’s double-A and triple-A pitching he’s facing most of the
time, but one can’t deny the steady - and often dominant - bat Donald is
carrying.

They also bring up a great point about him being behind great infield talent in Chase Utley at 2nd, Jimmy Rollins at SS, and Pedro Feliz at 3rd. He will most likely stay at Lehigh Valley in the AAA and get called up as a utility player.

The Beerleaguer brought up a similar issue and has this to say on where or how to play him:

While there's little question over his stick, where to play him remains key,
especially with starting third baseman Pedro Feliz on the road to recovery.
While Charlie Manuel has been impressed with Donald's glove, he hasn't put in
much time at any position besides shortstop over his career.

This kid was going to get a lot of reps with Utley and Feliz shelved for Spring Training. Unfortunately for Donald, both Utley and Feliz look to be ready by Opening Day. Feliz is still a little bit iffy but we will only know in about three weeks when the Fightin's come back home to Philly.

Phuture Phils had this final prediction for his fate:

I personally think he’s going to be one of the last cuts from the squad and sent
to AAA where he’ll play both 2B and 3B, mostly 3B.

Also in other news, former Philly Inquirer writer and now MLB.com writer Todd Zolecki did a little story on Ryan Howard's foul line drive through the Bright House Field press box. The ball flew between Phillies baseball communications employees Greg Casterioto and Kevin Gregg. The ball was hit so hard that it put a hole in the drywall in the back of the press box. Not only did the ball dent the drywall, you can actually see the seams of the ball imprinted on the wall. Ryno even owned up to his damage by signing the hole. Photo from Zo's page.