Outfielder Gose has one scout very impressed

At this point, it's clear who the best prospect from the Phillies' 2008 draft class has become.

One National League scout favorably compared centerfielder Anthony Gose to Houston's Michael Bourn after seeing him play recently at single-A Clearwater.

Gose's numbers heading into the weekend - a .273 batting average with 10 doubles, 10 triples, two home runs and 21 stolen bases - are good but not great. The scout, however, said Gose's projected talent goes beyond numbers.

"First of all, the kid is 19 years old and he won't be 20 until August, so he should have just finished his sophomore year in college," the scout said. "You have to be willing to look into a crystal ball a little bit and not just look at the stats.

"I met him and made a point to shake his hand. I asked him if he thought he'd play in the big leagues. He looked at me like I had three heads. He has great a makeup. He's confident but not cocky and strong as an ox. He has a great build to play the outfield and he plays every day. He's not dying in that Florida heat."

Gose, the Phillies' second-round pick behind Anthony Hewitt and Zach Collier in the 2008 draft, is the only player on the Clearwater roster who has started all 61 games. After hitting .232 in April, he has recovered to bat .299 since then.

"I'd have no problem playing him in center field in the big leagues right now," the scout said. "I would say the thing he needs to work on most is how to handle stuff on the inner third of the plate, but that's something a lot of young kids struggle with as they go through the minors."

The scout said Gose, a lefthanded hitter and thrower, must also work on his baserunning instincts. Even though he's third in the Florida State League with 21 steals, he has also been thrown out a league-high 17 times.

"He'll get better as he plays," the scout said. "I really believe that talent-wise, he is further along at the same stage as Michael Bourn was. He kind of reminds me of Michael a little bit."

The Lee deal. Phillippe Aumont has been demoted from double-A Reading to single-A Clearwater, Tyson Gillies hasn't played in a month and J.C. Ramirez has a 4.55 ERA at Clearwater.

Those were the three minor-league players the Phillies obtained in the three-team off-season trade that sent Cliff Lee to Seattle and also brought Roy Halladay to Philadelphia.

For Aumont, the trip down a level is designed for the 21-year-old righthander to regain some confidence after going 1-6 with a 7.43 ERA in 11 starts at Reading.