Phillies Minor League Recap (Week 10 5/28-6/3)

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Last Week’s Schedule

*Part of a double header #Game suspended

This Week’s Schedule

  • Lehigh Valley (23-32) vs Buffalo (30-27)
  • Reading (21-30) vs Harrisburg (30-21)
  • Jersey Shore (28-23) @ Greensboro (29-21)
  • Clearwater (34-17) @ Bradenton (21-30)
  • FCL Phillies (12-10) vsTIG, @TIG, vsTOR, @TOR, vsNYY
  • DSL Phillies Red (0-0) @MIA, @COL#, vsCOL, @STL, vsPhillies White, @MIN
  • DSL Phillies White (0-0) vsCOL, @NYY Bombers, vsARI Black#, vs ARI Black, @Phillies Red, vs NYM Blue

#Continuation of suspended game

Hitter Spotlight

OF Jordan Viars

9-18 1 2B 4 HR 11 RBI 1 BB 5 K .500/.526/1.222

I was apparently incorrect last week when I said Guillermo Rosario would have the best single game by a Phillies prospect this year. On May 30th, Viars went 4-4 with 3 home runs, 9 RBI, a walk, and a stolen base for good measure. Two of the home runs were lasers at launch angles of 19 degrees, one at 106.0 MPH and the other at 110.0 MPH, to go a long with a more conventional 99.2 MPH 35 degree bomb. Three days later he hit another missile at 114.0 MPH and just 17 degrees for his 4th home run of the week. He also added in 3 more balls in play over 100 mph on the week. Viars is still striking out too much, but he is hitting .344/.434/.688 since the start of May. He has struggled mightily in limited action against left handed pitchers, and there is a chance that just is a weakness he cannot beat, especially since he already shows a large vulnerability to offspeed pitches. Before this week, his damage on contact was already interesting, and now he is near the top of the FSL leaderboards by Rob Orr’s 90th percentile EV and Damage/BBE% (teammate Dakota Kotowski actually leads by that metric). There are obviously still weaknesses to his game, but it was a monster game and a monster week, and since being drafted in 2021 Viars has not had many monster anythings.

Pitcher Spotlight

RHP Eiberson Castellano

5.2 IP 5 H 2 ER 2 BB 13 K

Castellano’s night is even more impressive when you take into account that through 5.1 innings he was at 3 hits, no runs, and no walks to go with 12 strikeouts. Things unraveled from there, but there is some grace I give to A-ball pitchers battling over 90 pitches. The 13 strikeouts was a career high and over his last 3 starts he now has 27 strikeouts in 17.2 innings with 5 walks. His stuff is up too, his fastball sitting 94-96 most of the night, fading to 93-95 late. His slurvy breaking ball that was 79-83 was his best pitch of the night, working it in and out of the zone. He only threw 2 pitches that looked to be changeups, and looking his overall splits on the year, it is a pitch he is going to need to develop to be a starting pitcher. On the year he has 5 walks and 39 strikeouts vs RHPs to go with a .480 OPS against. Lefties on the other hand have 9 walks to 12 strikeouts and a .828 OPS. Even if he is only a reliever when this is all said and done, he has put himself back on the map again after a rough 2023 season.

Notes and Thoughts

  • The Phillies dedicating the fields at the Dominican Republic Academy after Bobby Abreu, Juan Samuel, Carlos Ruiz was very cool, but the bullpens after Roly de Armas was special.
  • It wasn’t just Viars that hit the ball hard this week. Aidan Miller put up balls in play of 107.6, 106.9, 106.6, and 105.5. For the season, Miller actually leads Viars in 90th percentile EV 106.8 to 106.0 as he gets to those hard hit balls more often. Despite the balls smashed this week, Miller went just 3 for 16 on the week, however he had 9 walks and 2 hit by pitches in his 6 games to only 4 strikeouts. So while his batting average fell from .313 to .297, his on base went from .414 to .431 and his OPS kept climbing. On the season he now has a 15.6% BB% to go with 20.6% K% (19.4% and 21.4% since the start of May). Rob Orr’s site has him at a 85.6% zone contact rate, and he might even suffer from being a bit too passive at times.
  • Not the best week for Starlyn Caba who went 2 for 19 to drop his average from .314 to .257, probably worse though is the 7 strikeouts in the last 3 games, many looking. It is just a rough patch for the young shortstop who had 18 walks to 8 strikeouts in all of May.
  • Aroon Escobar had the brief power outburst, but has gone back to hitting singles and walking, but now with added stolen bases. He has 4 walks, 0 strikeouts, and 4 steals this week and now has a .488 OBP on the season.
  • It hasn’t been a good year for Eduardo Tait, but it was a good week with 2 walks to 4 strikeouts, but 6 for 17 at the plate with a pair of doubles to drag his season OPS from .566 to .647.
  • FCL RHP Danyony Pulido has a 4.08 ERA for the year, but in short bursts (often the first inning) he will flash a fastball up to 96 with good ride in the zone. He has then settled down into his starts and while he gave up 4 runs (3 earned) in 4 innings, he struck out 8 this week to bring himself to 25 in 17.2 innings. Pulido is on the older side, and this screams reliever, but he is worth keeping an eye on.
  • Justin Crawford had 3 extra base hits this week (including a home run) and a hit in every game, but his season continues to be a mess under the hood. No walks this week against 5 strikeouts with 4 walks total in May. He is striking out less, but the contact quality and at bats continue to be poor.
  • After walking 5 to 3 strikeouts at Aberdeen, Jean Cabrera bounced back with 9 strikeouts and no walks. He unfortunately gave up a 2 run home run on his 101st pitch of the night.
  • Not a good week for Avery Owusu-Asiedu who picked up 9 strikeouts in 16 plate appearances.
  • The command has come and gone for Jose Pena Jr. who is throwing the best he has in his career. He had a 4 walk and 3 walk performance in May and this week had a solid outing and then a dominant outing on Saturday where he struck out 5 in 2 innings.
  • He obviously got the call up on Monday, but after a quiet week against Rochester, David Dahl when 11 for 21 this week with 4 home runs and 5 walks to 4 strikeouts.
  • Robert Moore is hitting .229/.319/.350 on the year, and went 5 for 21 on the week, but he did hit two home runs on Saturday, moving his season total to 3.
  • It was a big strikeout week for the Jersey Shore pitchers overall. Samuel Aldegheri gave up 4 runs in 5 innings, but just 1 walk to 10 strikeouts in his appearance. Estibenzon Jimenez gave up 5 runs (3 earned) in 4 innings this week with 10 strikeouts and 3 walks.
  • Carlos De La Cruz only went 4 for 17 at the plate this week, but 4 walks to 4 strikeouts in 5 games is better process.
  • Michael Mercado has really struggled to find the zone the last few weeks. The stuff is there, but the results have not been (even if he keeps avoiding earned runs).
  • Matt Kroon hit an absolute laser home run and went 4 for 12 this week to raise his season line to .281/.354/.447, but then promptly landed on the IL with a right quad strain.
  • It feels like a bit of an achievement that Enrique Segura has gone at least 5 innings in all 5 of his starts. His control looks much better this year, but his fastball has been more in the 89-93 range (though with heavy sink). This week was 3 earned runs in 6 innings on 3 hits and 2 walks, with 7 strikeouts.
  • George Klassen got up to 4 innings this week and continues to put up crazy numbers for the season.
  • Velocity was up a tick more for Mick Abel this week, but it faded late and he walked off with a trainer (though reports are that he won’t miss a start. He hung two pitches for home runs, and lost the zone late as well.
  • Kendall Simmons hit .302/.423/.698 with too many strikeouts in May for Reading, but just 3 strikeouts in 4 games this week (and 3 walks). He has been one of the few bright spots for a rough Reading roster.
  • Yemal Flores is hitting .344/.436/.750 in a very small 11 game sample size. He has 12 strikeouts in 29 plate appearances, but he is hitting the ball hard and had 3 strikeouts and 2 walks in 11 PAs this week. It will be interesting to see if he gets the bump to FSL at some point to see if he can swim.
  • Max Lazar only made one appearance this week, going 2 scoreless with 2 strikeouts, but he did it in the 9th of a tied game and 10th with a 2 run lead. He has allowed just two hits and two walks as his only base runners in his last 6 games and 8 innings.
  • It wasn’t as good a week for Mavis Graves who allowed a run and 3 walks in 5 innings, but another 7 strikeouts and 188 whiffs continues his good start. The Threshers only game him one hit of support though.

Injuries and Transactions

  • Matt Kroon to the 7 day IL with a right quad strain.
  • TJayy Walton began a rehab assignment with the FCL Phillies
  • David Dahl and Weston Wilson were called up to the majors Cody Klemens and Brandon Marsh
  • Mitch Neunborn was sent from Reading to Jersey Shore
  • RHP Braydon Tucker and IF Trent Farquhar were added to the 7-day IL for Clearwater, both have been big parts of the Thresher’s success
  • Starlyn Castillo was released

Links and Things

Minor Thoughts

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