Phillies notes: Ruben Amaro not worried about club's reputation

CLEARWATER, Fla. – There is finally some resolution in the case of Ben Wetzler.

Wetzler, a senior pitcher at Oregon State, was handed an 11-game suspension Friday by the NCAA for using an agent in negotiations with the Phillies this past summer. The Phils picked Wetzler with their fifth-round selection in the MLB draft, and the sides could not come to an agreement.

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The story then took a strange turn. It is standard practice for high school seniors and college juniors to use professional agents in discussions with major league teams, even though it is against NCAA rules. From the MLB's perspective, the presence of an agent has no effect on them; either the player signs and hires the agent full-time, or the two sides don't agree and go their separate ways.

This past week, Baseball America reported that the Phillies, after being turned down by Wetzler, reported the southpaw to the NCAA for violating the rule. They allegedly did the same to Jason Monda, their sixth-round pick. Monda was cleared to play last week.

Throughout the process, the Phillies took a public beating for the seemingly vindictive move. Some agents even said the Phillies would never sign any of their clients.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. defended the team's actions Saturday and maintained the organization's reputation had taken no hit.

"I think people know we do things professionally and the way we go about our business," Amaro said. "So I think our reputation is very good."

Originally, Amaro tried to refer all questions to Phillies assistant general manager in charge of scouting Marti Wolever. Amaro said Saturday that Wolever is still in good standing with the organization and hinted he knew the Phillies would report the pair to the NCAA.

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"I was aware, that's all I can say," Amaro said. "Again, it's not really appropriate to talk about these things."

Amaro had declined to comment on the matter Thursday, and the Phillies issued a statement Saturday saying it would "not be appropriate" for them to comment on the investigation, though the probe appears to be complete.

Pettibone throws, feels good

Jonathan Pettibone threw Saturday for the first time in five days and said afterward he felt none of the shoulder soreness he experienced when the Phillies shut him down for a bit. Pettibone received a cortisone injection in the shoulder Tuesday.

Pettibone threw off flat ground and is still days away from throwing off a mound, pitching coach Bob McClure said.

"Everything was fine," Pettibone said. "Hopefully I'll be on a mound within a week. I'm working my way back."

Pettibone missed most of the last two months of 2013 with similar shoulder issues. The 22-year-old went 5-4 last season with a 4.04 ERA in 18 starts.

Minor league changes

The Phillies announced on Saturday that Ramon Hernandez has been replaced as manager of High-A Clearwater for "personal reasons." Nelson Prada, who managed Short Season-A Williamsport last year, will take over in Clearwater.

Taking over Prada's spot with the Crosscutters is Shawn Williams, the son of former Phillies bench coach Jimy Williams. The elder Williams coached from 2006-08, leaving after the Phillies won the World Series.

Contact Chris Branch at cbranch@delawareonline.com.