It is official. The Phillies have sent second baseman Chase Utley, one of the most loved players in Phillies history, to the Dodgers, reuniting him with his long-time double play teammate, Jimmy Rollins. While seeing Utley go is hard to swallow, as it was with Rollins, the Phillies continue to show the dedication to their rebuild process.
In exchange for Chase, the Phillies picked up infield/outfield prospect Darnell Sweeney (see story) and right-hander John Richy. We've already taken a look at what the Phils get in Sweeney, so now, let's take a look at the pitcher they got in return, John Richy.
Selected in the third round by the Dodgers in the 2014 First Year Player Draft, 23-year-old John Richy came in ranked 29th on LA's top 30 prospect list on MLB Pipeline. He's spent time as both a starter and a reliever in his two seasons in the minors, collectively posting a 10-5 record to go along with a career 4.10 ERA. Nothing too special there. Richy played in 12 games a season ago between Rookie League and Class 'A' ball. With the Dodgers 'A' affiliate in Great Lakes, Richy posted a 1.65 ERA in four starts, spanning 16 1/3 innings.
His performance in Class 'A' ball was enough for the Dodgers to start him in Advanced 'A' this season, but the results haven't been great. This season for Advanced 'A' Rancho Cucamonga, he's 10-5 with a 4.20 ERA to go along with a 7.6 K/9 rate and a 1.41 WHIP in 22 games, 18 of which have been starts. In MLB Pipeline's scouting report, they project Richy to be a solid back-end rotation guy. That being said, he still has a ways to go.
Richy can throw strikes with four different pitches. He can add and subtract from his fastball, ranging from 86-94 mph and maintaining his velocity deep into games. His heater features run and sink, and he uses his 6-foot-4 frame to leverage it down in the strike zone.
Richy has good feel for his changeup and spins both a curveball and a slider/cutter. He has a clean delivery and works in the strike zone enough to profile as a durable end-of-the-rotation starter.
While Richy may not have a ton of upside, there's no doubting that the Phillies got themselves some more depth in the farm for Utley, who will always remain as one of the most appreciated athletes in the city of Philadelphia.
