Events on December 6 in Phillies history

Phillies personnel born on December 6

  • Larry Bowa (1945) A slick-fielding shortstop who spent most of his playing career with the Phillies (1970–1981), Bowa later returned to the organization as a coach and served as the club’s manager in 2001–2004; he is remembered as a fiery leader and longtime fixture in Philadelphia baseball and is still an adviser with the team. For a Deeper Dive on Bowa’s career, check out This Date in Phillies History: November 1
  • Steve Bedrosian (1957) A right-handed pitcher who spent part of his career with the Phillies (1984–1987), Bedrosian (aka “Bedrock”) won the 1987 NL Cy Young Award as the Phillies’ closer, pitching in 65 games with a 2.84 ERA and a major league leading 40 saves.
  • José Contreras (1971) A Cuban-born right-hander who pitched for the Phillies in 2010–2011, Contreras had a long major-league career and brought veteran starting depth to Philadelphia during his stint with the club.
  • Gus Niarhos (1920) A catcher who played with the Phillies for parts of 1954 and 1955, Niarhos was a light-hitting backstop who hit .252 over nine seasons with the Yankees, White Sox, Red Sox, and Phillies across the late 1940s and 1950s.
  • Harry Wolverton (1873) Nicknamed “Fighting Harry,” Wolverton played for the Philadelphia Phillies around the turn of the 20th century and later managed in the major leagues; he is part of the club’s early history.

A DEEPER DIVE… The Baby Aces: A Lesson in Prospect Watching

In 2011, as the major-league rotation of the Philadelphia Phillies still featured veterans Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, a handful of young pitchers in the Phillies’ minor-league system were drawing major attention. Writers dubbed the group of five pitchers the “baby aces,” while they were at what was then High-A Clearwater.

The nickname developed out of local media and organizational scouts who had huge expectations for the group. The Phillies assistant general manager for player development and scouting, Chuck LaMar suggested that these young arms, thanks to their size, velocity, and stuff, commanded a lot of fascination.

As the group moved from High-A up to Double-A and beyond, media and fans adopted the “Baby Aces” moniker more broadly. The group initially was right-handers Jarred Cosart, Brody Colvin and Trevor May, but grew to include Jonathan Pettibone and Julio Rodriguez. Over time though, the limits of calling promising youngsters “aces” became clearer.

Who were the main “Baby Aces” — and what became of them

Trevor May
At the time, many analysts regarded him as the Phillies’ top pitching prospect. In 2011 with Clearwater he went 10-8 and struck out 208 batters in 151 innings — a club record — earning the 2011 Paul Owens Award as the Phillies’ best minor-league pitcher. May eventually left the Phillies in a trade (the 2012 deal for Ben Revere and Vance Worley) and made his major-league debut with the Minnesota Twins. He never quite became a frontline “ace,” but carved out a lengthy MLB career. Most of his nine-year career in the majors was spent as a reliever – 26 starts and 332 relief appearances – with a career 4.24 ERA.

Jarred Cosart
Cosart was another of the original three right-handers; a hard-throwing, highly regarded arm in Clearwater in 2011. However, at the 2011 trade deadline he was dealt to the Houston Astros as part of the package for star outfielder Hunter Pence. Cosart reached the majors with Houston, debuting in 2013. He later pitched for the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres before exiting the majors in 2017, finishing with a career ERA of 3.98 across 72 starts.

Jonathan Pettibone
Pettibone was the left-hander in the loosely defined group. Scouts at the time described him as the most polished of the group in terms of feel, command and fastball location. He reached the Phillies’ big league rotation and made his major-league debut April 22, 2013. His rookie season showed promise, but in 2013 a rotator-cuff issue ended his year, and in 2014 he required surgery to repair a torn labrum. After that, Pettibone struggled to regain his footing. The shoulder problems derailed what had been a steady ascent, and the Phillies organization eventually moved on. By 2014, he was the only one of the original “Baby Aces” still in Philadelphia’s system.

Julio Rodriguez
Though not among the three originally called “aces,” Rodriguez — along with Pettibone — was grouped into the broader “Baby Aces” concept because of strong 2011 numbers in Clearwater. He posted a 16-7 record with a 2.76 ERA, leading the Florida State League in wins and finishing with excellent strikeout and walk rates. But once he moved up to Double-A in 2012, he struggled, going 7-7 with a 4.23 ERA. He was dealt in 2013 to the Baltimore Orioles, and never made a sustained run in the majors. By the mid-2010s he was pitching in independent leagues — a long way from the “next-gen ace” expectations.

Brody Colvin
Colvin was the third right-hander in the original “aces” trio in Clearwater. Early scouting reports praised his smooth delivery, mid-90s fastball, curve and changeup, and projected him as a possible No. 2 or No. 3 starter. Yet, despite a substantial draft signing bonus and early optimism, he never rounded into form. He lingered in Double-A, struggled with inconsistency and durability, and by summer 2014 he was released with a 4.95 ERA over six minor league seasons, never reaching Triple-A.

Reflections — what this group’s arc tells us
What stands out most in retrospect is how quickly the hopes of a pitching-rich future faded. In 2011 the idea of a soon-to-come Phillies rotation full of “baby aces” seemed plausible. The combination of their youth, strong stuff, projectable size, and the aging veteran rotation was a perfect storm for over-evaluating a talented, but far away from the majors group of pitchers.

Prospect life is fragile, especially for pitchers. Injuries, development problems, the difficulty of translating minor-league success to major-league performance — they all came into play. Within a few years, three had been traded away, one was released, and only one had made the majors for the Phillies — and he was sidelined by shoulder surgery shortly after.

A 2014 retrospective called the failed promise of the Baby Aces “a cautionary tale regarding hype and minor-league pitching prospects.”

Still, a few of the pitchers did carve out useful major-league careers. Trevor May and Jarred Cosart logged several seasons in the big leagues, though not as aces. Pettibone made a spot start run for Philadelphia before injuries derailed him.

In that sense, the Baby Aces story illustrates both the upside and the harsh reality of baseball prospecting: the tools and potential are real, but translating that into long-term MLB success is a different game altogether.