As for his defensive skills, the scout likes Joseph's arm.
"His catching skills are crude, but they are there," he said.
The scout believes the offense is ahead of the defense.
"He is a three-hole hitter and needs plate discipline," he said. "He makes hard contact with good bat speed, and there is a lot to work with."
While acknowledging the talent of the 22-year-old Valle, the scout said he needed to work on some things to reach his potential.
"He is talented but has been spoiled and has never been disciplined," the scout said of Valle. "He does sort of what he wants to do because he is a very lazy catcher who drops a lot of pitches, and pitchers hate to see a guy who doesn't catch the ball."
The scout has been impressed by Valle's offense since the beginning of this year.
"His bat has come along and [he] has shown better discipline at the plate and is making contact," he said. "He has some power."
The scout likes Valle as a prospect, but said his defense needed plenty of work.
"He has a chance to be an offensive catcher who at this point could be a defensive liability," the scout said. "He's got a good arm to work with a good catcher's body, but his feet don't work very well. He needs to concentrate more on what he is doing."
Another major-league scout echoed that assessment.
"Sometimes you see laziness and a lack of focus when he is catching," Scout No. 2 said. "I think he has a chance to be an everyday guy and I think the Phillies have some really good catching depth. I really like the catcher they got from Baltimore in the Thome trade."
That would be 19-year-old Gabriel Lino, currently at Lakewood.
Joe Jordan, the Phillies' director of player development, said the system also has other impressive catchers.
"Our catcher at Clearwater [Cameron Rupp] was a Florida State League all-star, and we have two defensive catchers at Williamsport, Logan Moore and Chase Numata, who can hold their own defensively with the guys we have in the higher levels," Jordan said.
Quick start
Zach Green, the Phillies' third-round selection in the most recent draft, is faring well for their Gulf Coast League entry.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Green was a high school shortstop, but he has been moved to third base. He is also getting some time at short, Jordan said.
"He really has the ability to turn into something good," Jordan said. "He has power, can throw, and is physically a good-looking kid."
Green, who doesn't turn 19 until March, entered the weekend hitting .314 with three home runs and 19 RBIs.
Pettibone advances
Righthander Jonathan Pettibone acknowledged that moving up from Reading to Lehigh Valley was a pleasant surprise. The Inquirer's No. 3 prospect, Pettibone was 9-7 with a 3.30 ERA in 19 games at Reading with 81 strikeouts and 27 walks in 1171/3 innings.
He made his first start for Lehigh Valley on Monday, earning a no-decision in a 3-2 loss at Syracuse. Pettibone allowed two runs (both earned) in five innings. He surrendered five hits, struck out four, and walked three.
Selected between the third and fourth rounds in 2008, the 22-year-old Pettibone had always stayed a full year on the same team during his previous four seasons in the organization. He had been expecting the same thing this year.
"I was definitely excited and believe I'm ready for it, and I am looking forward to finishing my season here," he said of the move to Lehigh Valley.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Pettibone is hoping to build off his first start. He said he noticed an immediate difference while pitching in triple A, especially facing the likes of Jayson Werth and Chad Tracy, who were on rehab assignments for the Washington Nationals.
"Facing those two was a little different than who I was pitching against at Reading," he said. "If I stick to my game plan of attacking hitters and throwing strikes, then I feel I should be successful at this level."
