Anthony Hewitt

Playing at: Lakewood (A) Position: Rightfielder MLB service: None Height: 6-1. Weight: 195. Age: 22 Born: April 27, 1989, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Bats: Right. Throws: Right. Draft stuff: Was a shortstop at Salisbury (Conn.) High School but moved to the outfield when he turned pro . . . Passed up a commitment to attend Vanderbilt after he was selected in first round, 24th overall, in 2008. Pluses/minuses from one scouting report: "Tools galore and perhaps as much upside as anyone in the draft class . . . He's a little raw, and hasn't faced stiff competition in the Northeast.

During the most difficult days last summer, when Anthony Hewitt made another error at his new position or returned to the dugout after a strikeout, he would mutter to himself. "Don't be a punk," he would say. "Keep going. You want this, don't you?" Hewitt, 19, is learning just how much work, and how much commitment, is needed to succeed in professional baseball. Selected by the Phillies in the first round of last year's draft (24th overall) as a shortstop out of Connecticut's Salisbury High School and given a $1.38 million signing bonus, the Brooklyn-born infielder reported to the Phillies' Gulf Coast League affiliate in early July.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Anthony Hewitt has that special quality scouts love to talk about. When his bat meets ball, it makes a different sound: a sweet, explosive crash made possible only through the combination of superior quickness and strength. The problem for Hewitt since the Phillies made him their first-round draft choice in 2008 is that his at-bats have ended far too often with the quiet swoosh of a swinging third strike or the loud pop of a catcher's mitt on a called third strike.

Joe Savery is going to Clearwater after he completes his fourth minor-league season next week. Anthony Hewitt, on the other hand, is going to stare at clear water during a cruise through some Caribbean islands. Both of the Phillies' former No. 1 picks hope those destinations help serve as career-altering forks in the road. Savery, the 19th overall selection in the 2007 draft, is headed to the Florida Instructional League to be evaluated as a hitting prospect, a potential career change that is already off to an encouraging start at triple-A Lehigh Valley.

O BSERVATIONS, insinuations, ruminations and unvarnished opinions . . . John Kruk was a relatively little guy - 5-10, 170 - when he was drafted twice In the third round in 1981, first in the defunct January special phase by the Pirates, then in the defunct June secondary phase by the Padres. He signed with the Padres. Even when he was point-guard size - and, yes, Krukker was a slick point guard at Keyser HS in West Virginia. I used to know a guy who was a Kruk teammate and he said John was Division I material.

BUFFALO - Dylan Owen struck out six in six shutout innings to lead the Buffalo Bisons past the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 5-3, in the International League on Monday afternoon. Lehigh Valley's Nate Bump gave up all five Buffalo runs to take the loss. Lakewood 4, Charleston 3 CHARLESTON, S.C. - Aaron Altherr's infield single with two out in the bottom of the ninth allowed Anthony Hewitt to score from third and gave the BlueClaws the win over the River Dogs in the South Atlantic League.

Chase Utley will get his chance against Roy Halladay today. The Phillies will take live batting practice for the first time this spring, which means the hitters and pitchers square off against one another. It involves more than answering those "What if?" questions. For the hitters, facing a live arm can be beneficial this time of year, manager Charlie Manuel said. "In the wintertime, sometimes you get a guy inside or a machine. It's completely different. A pitcher is usually throwing better, and he'll be mixing in curveballs and change-ups and stuff.

It appears as if Millville High School centerfielder Mike Trout could sign a contract with the Los Angeles Angels sometime next week. Trout, The Inquirer's South Jersey baseball player of the year, was selected in the first round, 25th overall, by the Angels in Major League Baseball's first-year players draft on June 9. Debbie Trout, Mike's mother, said she didn't want to comment on negotiations but said that the family is traveling to...

ALLENTOWN - Josh Barfield went 3 for 4 with a homer and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Lehigh Valley IronPigs past the Norfolk Tides, 4-3, in the International League on Monday. Ryan Feierabend allowed two runs in five innings to get the win. Former Phillie David Herndon got his first save since being returned to the triple-A team earlier this month. Brandon Moss had two hits, including a double, and an RBI for Lehigh Valley. Norfolk starter Rick VandenHurk struck out seven in five innings and allowed three earned runs, earning the loss.

Pitcher J.A. Happ and catchers Chris Coste and Ronny Paulino all signed contracts this week, pushing the Phillies' 2009 payroll over $132.5 million. Happ signed for $405,000, Coste got $460,000, and Paulino got $440,000. The payroll will rise over $133 million when the two remaining unsigned players, catcher Carlos Ruiz and pitcher Mike Zagurski, sign. Ruiz and Zagurski both have less than three years service time, so the Phillies can unilaterally renew their contracts if an agreement is not struck by March 2. Ruiz can expect a raise from the $425,000 he made last season.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Anthony Hewitt has that special quality scouts love to talk about. When his bat meets ball, it makes a different sound: a sweet, explosive crash made possible only through the combination of superior quickness and strength. The problem for Hewitt since the Phillies made him their first-round draft choice in 2008 is that his at-bats have ended far too often with the quiet swoosh of a swinging third strike or the loud pop of a catcher's mitt on a called third strike.

Observations, Insinuations, Ruminations and Unvarnished Opinions . . .     THE SUN IS ABOUT to rise in the west . . . The Mississippi is running south to north . . . Obama's Super Six Committee will announce bipartisan agreement on everything and the Republic will be saved from becoming a ward of China . . . St. Peter just posted a headline on the Pearly Gates bulletin board: "Adultery Doesn't Count!"...

O BSERVATIONS, insinuations, ruminations and unvarnished opinions . . . John Kruk was a relatively little guy - 5-10, 170 - when he was drafted twice In the third round in 1981, first in the defunct January special phase by the Pirates, then in the defunct June secondary phase by the Padres. He signed with the Padres. Even when he was point-guard size - and, yes, Krukker was a slick point guard at Keyser HS in West Virginia. I used to know a guy who was a Kruk teammate and he said John was Division I material.

The Phillies' 2008 draft has already been fruitful. Third-round selection Vance Worley is in the starting rotation while Joe Blanton recovers from an elbow injury, and 11th-round pick Michael Stutes is one of the most trusted members of manager Charlie Manuel's bullpen. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. used the team's two second-round selections - outfielder Anthony Gose and pitcher Jason Knapp - in trades that brought the Phillies Roy Oswalt from Houston last year and Cliff Lee from Cleveland the year before.

ALLENTOWN - Josh Barfield went 3 for 4 with a homer and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Lehigh Valley IronPigs past the Norfolk Tides, 4-3, in the International League on Monday. Ryan Feierabend allowed two runs in five innings to get the win. Former Phillie David Herndon got his first save since being returned to the triple-A team earlier this month. Brandon Moss had two hits, including a double, and an RBI for Lehigh Valley. Norfolk starter Rick VandenHurk struck out seven in five innings and allowed three earned runs, earning the loss.

Playing at: Lakewood (A) Position: Rightfielder MLB service: None Height: 6-1. Weight: 195. Age: 22 Born: April 27, 1989, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Bats: Right. Throws: Right. Draft stuff: Was a shortstop at Salisbury (Conn.) High School but moved to the outfield when he turned pro . . . Passed up a commitment to attend Vanderbilt after he was selected in first round, 24th overall, in 2008. Pluses/minuses from one scouting report: "Tools galore and perhaps as much upside as anyone in the draft class . . . He's a little raw, and hasn't faced stiff competition in the Northeast.

BUFFALO - Dylan Owen struck out six in six shutout innings to lead the Buffalo Bisons past the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 5-3, in the International League on Monday afternoon. Lehigh Valley's Nate Bump gave up all five Buffalo runs to take the loss. Lakewood 4, Charleston 3 CHARLESTON, S.C. - Aaron Altherr's infield single with two out in the bottom of the ninth allowed Anthony Hewitt to score from third and gave the BlueClaws the win over the River Dogs in the South Atlantic League.

Might as well get right into Jonathan Pettibone's numbers. They pretty much tell everything. He is 3-0 in four starts at Class A Clearwater. The lanky, 6-5 righthander has an ERA of 0.38. He has allowed one earned run in 24 innings. He has 18 strikeouts and two walks. He did not allow a run in his previous two starts, covering 13 innings. Last week, he was named the Florida State League's pitcher of the week. This is what is known as total domination. "He has done an outstanding job so far this year," said Chuck LaMar, the Phillies' director of scouting and player development.

Joe Savery is going to Clearwater after he completes his fourth minor-league season next week. Anthony Hewitt, on the other hand, is going to stare at clear water during a cruise through some Caribbean islands. Both of the Phillies' former No. 1 picks hope those destinations help serve as career-altering forks in the road. Savery, the 19th overall selection in the 2007 draft, is headed to the Florida Instructional League to be evaluated as a hitting prospect, a potential career change that is already off to an encouraging start at triple-A Lehigh Valley.

LAKEWOOD, N.J. - These are the moments baseball prospects pray for, moments that grant them an EZPass to the next level. Tie game. Bottom of the 10th. Bases loaded. Two outs. Full count. For Lakewood BlueClaws first baseman Jonathan Singleton, the temptation to go yard against Lexington last week was extraordinary. Usually calm, he tensed up a degree. Seated six rows behind him was Dallas Green, the senior adviser to Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. Scattered throughout FirstEnergy Park were a constellation of scouts and Phillies brass.