Phillies trade Pat Neshek to Rockies for three prospects

By Brandon Apter, SportsTalkPhilly.com Editor 

With the trade deadline five days away, the Philadelphia Phillies made their first deal. On Wednesday, after the 9-0 rout of the Astros at Citizens Bank Park, the Phils announced they had acquired three prospects from the Colorado Rockies for National League All-Star relief arm, Pat Neshek.

"Its emotional. My family loved it here. I'd love to come back maybe. This would be my number one place."

In return, the Phillies get one of the Rockies' Top 25 prospects along with two right-handers in the low levels of the minor leagues.

Ranked No. 21 in Colorado's system, shortstop Jose Gomez, 20, has torn it up at the plate with each team in the Rockies organization thus far. This season with Class 'A' Asheville, he's slashing .324/.374/.437 with 20 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 33 RBIs, 18 steals and 54 runs scored. Last season in Rookie League ball, Gomez hit .367. He'll likely head to the Phillies Class 'A' affiliate in Lakewood, New Jersey. Gomez is currently on the disabled list. Here's MLB Pipeline's scouting report on the Venezuelan shortstop:

Gomez has a very disciplined approach at the plate, using a controlled right-handed stroke and rarely deviating from his plan to hit line drives from gap to gap. He's not very big, so while he can add some strength he still may top out at 10 homers per season. An average runner, he stole 55 bases in 199 games during his first three pro seasons but succeeded in just 63 percent of his attempts.

Gomez played all four infield positions in the DSL, spending most of his time at third base before shifting to shortstop in 2016. His internal clock helps him make plays, though his merely average quickness and arm strength make it unlikely he'll stay at short in the long run. He profiles best as a sweet-swinging utilityman and could be a regular at second base if his bat is as good as it looked last year.

Alejandro Requena, 20, was also with Class 'A' Asheville up until the trade. In 19 starts, the 6-foot-2 right-hander is 8-3 with a 2.85 ERA, striking out 97 and walking 25. In his last outing on July 24, he allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings, striking out six and walking one.

The final player in the deal is right-hander J.D. Hammer. The 23-year-old out of Marshall University is 4-2 with a 2.36 ERA this season between Class 'A' Asheville and Advanced 'A' Lancaster. In 12 appearances at the High-A level, he's 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA. Good chance he gets added to the Clearwater Threshers roster.