Jose Pujols to be Promoted to Williamsport

According to Ian Catherine, GCL right fielder Jose Pujols will be promoted to Williamsport.

Pujols will be rejoining the other big signing of the Phillies 2012 International FA class, Deivi Grullon.  Pujols signed for $540,000 out of the Dominican Republic after showing impressive raw power that had one scout invoke the name of a certain Marlin slugger.  At the time Pujols’ swing showed incredible bat speed but a lot of uppercut and natural miss to it.  Last year the Phillies worked to retool his swing to be more level, the end result was a more contact oriented swing that did not sacrifice any of what may be 80 grade raw power.  Pujols has made large strides in pitch recognition, but he still has approach and aggression issues at the plate that have lead to high strikeout totals, but he has also shown a willingness at times to work deep counts.  Last year Pujols tied for the GCL lead in home runs, but most of his power was to the pull side, this year he has shown the ability to hit the ball hard to the opposite field as seen in his spray chart.

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Aaron Nola to Make Pro Debut and Other Weekend News

The big news coming out this weekend is that Phillies first round pick (#7 overall), Aaron Nola will make his pro debut with the Clearwater Threshers today.  On the mound Nola will bring a fastball that sits 91-94 but touches 96 when he needs it.  He has shown the ability to command the fastball around … Read more

Malquin Canelo Takes Crawford’s spot in Lakewood

On any other team Malquin Canelo starts for their Low-A affiliate in 2014.  However, most organizations don’t have J.P. Crawford, and so Canelo stayed in Florida this spring.  He made a brief cameo in the Florida State League, where he didn’t completely embarrass himself. Canelo isn’t going to replace Crawford for the Blueclaws.  However, his … Read more