2010 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP160 Jonathan Villar

Brewers 4, Phillies 1
Game 54 - Thursday Night, June 2nd in Philadelphia
Record - 26-28, 4th place, 7 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The offensive drought continued as the Phillies dropped their seventh straight in this lifeless 4-1 loss to the Brewers.

What It Means:  I'd like to think that this two month dry spell for the Phillies' bats will end with an absolute explosion of hits and runs over the course of a few games.  I'd like to think that . . .

What Happened:  Jared Eickhoff kept his team in the game, giving up just two runs in 6 2/3 innings. Jeanmar Gomez tried to keep the score at 2-1 in the ninth, but allowed a two-run home run to former Phillies prospect Jonathan Villar.  Maikel Franco and Tommy Joseph both had two hit nights, accounting for four of the team's total of five hits.

2016 Phillies Team
Issue 2 #3

Featured Cards:  Now in his fourth big league season, Villar was the greenest of the three young players traded away (along with Anthony Gose and J.A. Happ) to the Astros in July 2010 for Roy Oswalt.  He appeared with the Phillies way back in the 2010 Bowman Chrome set.

Transaction:  Outfielder Cody Asche was activated from the disabled list prior to this game, and he made his season debut as the starting left fielder.  Asche had missed the start of the season with an oblique injury.  To make room on the roster for Asche, Phillies Room favorite David Lough was designated for assignment.

Lough provided steady and occasionally stellar defense, but he was hitting just .239 (16 for 67) in 30 games this season.  He appears in both team issued photo card sets, and my hope is that he clears waivers and ends up back with the IronPigs.

Recently added to The Phillies Room - 2016 Season Summary page with game results and links to game summary posts.

The Newest Houston Astros (and a Toronto Blue Jay)

2010 Topps #89 J.A. Happ
2010 Bowman Prospects #BP104 Anthony Gose
2010 Multi-Ad Lakewood BlueClaws #27 Jonathan Villar

There has been a deal. Well, actually that's kind of old news. Phillies trades have always excited me, starting back around the time Bob Walk was getting traded for Sarge Matthews.

So on Thursday afternoon, when word came through the Twitterverse that the Phils had acquired Roy Oswalt (plus cash) for J.A. Happ, Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar, I was positively in a quiver. It’s an exciting time to be a Phillies fan, but we unfortunately have to bid a bittersweet farewell to one budding prospect and two guys we never really knew.

Happ was professional to the end and I was struck by just how many Phillies players were quoted as saying how much they'd miss the guy. He thanked the Phillies’ organization in a subdued press conference and he spoke to how difficult it would be to leave the only organization he's ever known. He joins a floundering Astros organization where he'll be surrounded by old friends Brett Myers, Pedro Feliz, Michael Bourn, Jason Michaels and Nelson Figueroa. (He and Myers might not be together for long, as it's recently been rumored that Myers is the next pitcher to be shipped out of Houston.) Happ starts tonight against the Brewers and The Phillies Room wishes him continued success against all teams in the National League, except the Phillies.

I don't know much about Gose other than he was a highly-touted outfield prospect, ranked as the organization's 5th best prospect on the highly regarded Phuture Phillies website. Upon acquiring him, the Astros immediately spun him off to the Blue Jays for another highly-touted prospect – first baseman Brett Wallace. Gose appeared in a few insert sets in this year's Bowman issue, and I'm sure we'll see him featured on baseball cards in a Blue Jays' uniform in a few years' time. For now, he’ll join former teammate Travis d'Arnaud on the Dunedin Blue Jays. I know even less about shortstop Jonathan Villar, other than he's very young, and various news outlets initially reported his name as Villan yesterday.

A Few Other Thoughts: The best analysis of the entire transaction can be found on the previously mentioned Phuture Phillies blog. If Figueroa was still with the Phillies, would he have been forced to give up his #44 to Oswalt? Most likely.