Affiliates

Arizona Fall League Recap – Pitchers

by

I already touched on the two hitters that the Phillies sent to the Arizona Fall League.  The Phillies sent 5 pitchers to the AFL, and while they lack the potential impact of Roman Quinn, they are very interesting group to think about.  They included 3 AA relievers in Nefi Ogando, Colton Murray, and Ryan O’Sullivan, as well as Hi-A left handed starting pitcher, turned reliever, Ethan Stewart, and then former top prospect and shoulder surgery victim Adam Morgan.

Adam Morgan:

6 G 16.1 IP 6.61 ERA 26 H 17 R 12 ER 3 BB 11 K

I ranked Morgan as the #2 prospect in the Phillies system after the 2012 season.  At the time Morgan sported a 90-92 mph fastball that he could run up to 94, pairing that with a plus slider, a changeup with plus potential, and an average curveball.  However after two years of shoulder injuries and surgery, Morgan returned to the mound in the AFL with only 2 starts in instructs under his belt.  Morgan was very hittable in the AFL, the fastball was normally 86-88 touching 89 and in one start he was 87-89 and reportedly getting as high as 92.  He was almost exclusively fastball-changeup with limited sliders.  It was good to see Morgan on a mound again, but we will have to see what the stuff looks like in the spring before knowing what he will be going forward.

Read more

Arizona Fall League Recap – Hitters

by

This year the Phillies only sent two hitters the Arizona Fall League.  The first was former second round pick in the 2011 draft, Clearwater CF, Roman Quinn and the other was AA catcher Logan Moore.  Quinn came with much bigger expectations and played in 24 of Scottsdale’s 32 games (including missing time due to an injury scare), Moore was more roster filler and a back up, getting into only 12 games.

Read more

Dylan Cozens and the Deception of MiLB Splits

by

As minor league fans we grasp for hope and improvement in minor league players, and we often grasp on to little pieces of information in an effort to make sense of the chaos.  This ranges from singular scouting reports from a singular person on a singular day or series* to a set of splits on a stats page.  We are just looking for narrative and meaning.  The player that has risen to the top of the narrative pile is Phillies Low-A right fielder Dylan Cozens.

*This is the nature of scouting and why multiple looks and context are important parts of the entire evaluation process.

The narrative coming out of the season was that Cozens built on first half successes into an outstanding second half, and from the surface if we take the triple slash line that looks fairly accurate.

BA OBP SLG
1st Half 0.229 0.282 0.403
2nd Half 0.267 0.324 0.426

Read more

Maikel Franco named #4 Prospect in the International League

by

Today Baseball America named Maikel Franco the #4 prospect in the International League.  He comes in behind Gregory Polanco, Mookie Betts, and Francisco Lindor.  For those that thought Franco would build on a breakout 2013 and rocket to the majors 2014 will be viewed as a disappointment.  Instead AAA proved to be a steep learning … Read more

Jason Zgardowski Pitching in Instructional Leagues

by

As those that read this blog are aware of the Phillies signed a couple of undrafted free agents this summer.  One of those was Jason Zgardowski a 6’5″ RHP, who just turned 21 about 3 weeks ago.  This weekend he posted the following video of him pitching against the Baltimore Orioles in the Florida Instructional … Read more

2014 Lehigh Valley IronPigs Recap: Interview with KRAM

by

Before we jump into talking about players why don’t you introduce yourself and where people can find your writing?

I write a column called “Kram’s Korner” for the Horn and Bell Blog of the Lehigh Valley Noise Nation.  “Kram” is an old joke–backwards for my real name–which just kind of stuck.  And, it helps keep my baseball life separate from my real life.  The 209 in my twitter handle refers to my section at Coca Cola Park in Allentown.  I’ve been a full-season ticket holder there since the 2009 season.   Web: www.noisenation.wordpress.com  Twitter: @Kram209

It was not a great year for the Ironpigs statistically or in the standings, but we all know that doesn’t tell the whole story in the minor leagues.   Can you quickly sum up the season for everyone out there?

2014 was the “season of change” for the IronPigs.  The AAA roster was subject to 166 roster transactions over our 144 game schedule.  The turnover was most pronounced at home, with our proximity to Philadelphia and Reading.  I believe this was responsible for our league-worst home record.  The away record, however, was among the league-best, as the roster galvanized a bit on the road trips. While there were plenty of home losses, we saw many players play, and the team continued to play hard throughout the season.  I did feel we had a chance to win every night.  There were seasons in the past where that wasn’t the case.  

Read more

J.P. Crawford Named #2 Prospect in Florida State League

by

J.P. Crawford has placed second on another Baseball America League Top 20, this time finishing #2 behind Pirates RHP Tyler Glasnow.  Crawford was promoted to the Threshers in July and went on to hit .275/.352/.407 with 8 HRs, 10 SBs, and 28 walks to 37 strikeouts.  It was a very impressive run for the 19 … Read more

2014 Lehigh Valley IronPigs Recap

by

Team: Lehigh Valley Ironpigs
Record: 66-78
Standings: 6th in the North Division

Top Hitter Stat Lines:

Maikel Franco – 133 G – 16 HR – 3 SB – .257/.299/.428
Tyler Henson – 123 G – 9 HR – 19 SB – .272/.331/.415
Russ Canzler – 112 G – 13 HR – 3 SB – .276/.347/.474

Top Pitcher Stat Lines:

Greg Smith – 157.1 IP – 4.40 ERA – 37 BB – 92 K
Luis Garcia – 46.2 IP – 0.96 ERA – 16 BB – 52 K
David Buchanan – 57.0 IP – 3.95 ERA – 21 BB – 46 K
Cesar Jimenez – 49.2 IP – 1.45 ERA – 15 BB – 46 K

Read more

Jesmuel Valentin Named #12 Prospect in Midwest League

by

When Ruben Amaro moved Roberto Hernandez in a waiver move to the Dodgers for two players to be named later, the expectations were not high on the potential return.  However, those opinions have faded quickly as the return turned out to be 2B Jesmuel Valentin and RHP Victor Arano.  Arano did not crack the MWL … Read more