Phillies Minor League Recap (Week 11 6/4-6/10)

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Last Week’s Schedule

#completion of suspended game *double header

This Week’s Schedule

  • Lehigh Valley (27-34) @ Syracuse (38-24)
  • Reading (25-32) vs Portland (31-26)
  • Jersey Shore (32-25) vs Wilmington (27-30)
  • Clearwater (36-21) vs Tampa (21-36)
  • FCL Phillies (16-11) @YAN, @TIG, vsTIG, vsTOR
  • DSL Phillies Red (2-2) @SFG Orange, vsNYY Bombers, vsNYM Blue, @NYM Blue
  • DSL Phillies White (1-3) vsMIN, @NYM Orange, vsARI Black#, vsNYM Orange

#completion of suspended game

Hitter Spotlight

2B/SS William Bergolla

10-21 2 2B 1 HR 2 BB 2 K 1 SB

As part of the BlueClaws barrage on the Greensboro park this year, Bergolla hit his first home run of his career and had a 5 hit game. He had already turned the corner in May, hitting .286/.342/.357 on the month, but he is now hitting .429/.484/.643 in June and .327/.382/.439 since the beginning of May. His strikeouts are up in May (16.3%), but he walked more and he is driving the ball more. On the season, he is popping the ball up a lot, but he is running near identical ground ball/line drive/fly ball rates as he did in 2023. He has also shifted almost permanently over to second base, and he will be good defender there and someone who can shift to shortstop if needed. He will need to add strength, but he is younger than Aidan Miller.

Pitcher Spotlight

RHP Robinson Pina

1 GS 7 IP 2 H 0 R 0 BB 6 K

Pina got a complete game shutout in Game 1 of Reading’s double header. The 25 year old RHP was signed by the Phillies this offseason after spending the rest of his career in the Angels’ system. He spent 2023 between AA and AAA and the rotation and the bullpen. He has missed bats in the past, and actually had a good year in high-A in 2022, but hasn’t always had great control. That has changed this year, Pina currently has a 1.2 BB/9 (3.2%) which is far and way his best mark, and he also has a 10.5 K/9 (27.3%). As of Sunday afternoon he was 10th in the minor leagues in K-BB% for minor leaguers with at least 50 innings pitched thanks to that BB% being the 5th lowest. Now his season ERA is still the mostly just ok 3.31, but he has been consistent home and on the road for Reading. I don’t have a enough data to know what the Phillies changed that he is now throwing more strikes, but my viewing has not shown a pitcher with below average control, it isn’t pinpoint, but he is able to through strikes. His stuff isn’t overwhelming, but also it isn’t smoke and mirrors. At Hartford last week his fastballs was mostly 93-95 after taking an inning to get going, and he touch 96 late. It is seems to have sinker shape. He pairs it with what is labeled in writeups from his time with the Angels as a curveball, but is sort of sweeping breaking ball at 82 to 86, and his best pitch looks to be either a changeup or splitter that was 83-85 T86 that he was able to get misses in the zone and chases with. Overall, Pina looks like a back end starter type and a nice find, and it will be interesting to see if they push him to AAA at any point.

Notes and Thoughts

  • Alirio Ferrebus has quite the opening to the DSL season. In 4 games he has 5 extra base hits, including 3 home runs, has 3 walks to 0 strikeouts, and has driven in 9. That is all good for a .545/.600/1.545 line. He had a .888 OPS last year, though in only 21 games. The FCL already has too many catchers for not enough at bats, so Ferrebus might get left down to see if he can dominate the league.
  • It is super small sample size, but Jalvin Arias hitting a home run and having 3 walks to 1 strikeout in his first 3 games is a positive thing for the Phillies top international signee.
  • Starlyn Caba has been running wild of late. This week he went 5 for 14 with a double, but 8 walks (to 2 strikeouts), with a whopping 11 stolen bases (to only one caught stealing). He now has the org lead in stolen bases.
  • Aroon Escobar just keeps having good weeks. He only played in 4 games, going 6 for 13 with his 3rd home run (but no other extra base hits), and a bad for him 3 walks to 3 strikeouts. A ho hum .462/.529/.692 week.
  • After an 0-8 start to the series, Justin Crawford joined in the hitting festivities this week in Greensboro going 10 for 20 over the last 4 games with a double in each and his 4th home run of the year (as part of a 4 for 6 game). He did strike out 7 times to 1 walk over the week, as everything still appears to be a bit of a mess.
  • Otto Kemp made the most of his last week with the BlueClaws, even if 7 strikeouts was a bit high. He had a two home run game, and picked up a double, while going 10 for 25 overall. He only failed to reach base 3 times in 41 games in Hi-A.
  • With a two home run game on Monday (his first home runs of the season), Eduardo Tait is now batting .293/.345/.467 since going 1-14 in his first 5 games of the season. His strikeout rate is a bit high at 20.2%, but he will have some swing and miss to his game, it is the 6% walk rate that should get the primary attention. Still, it is looking like the early season struggles were just a blip for the 17 year old catcher.
  • Daniel Harper has quietly had a dominant season as one of the arms at the back of the Jersey Shore bullpen. After walking 6 batters in 7 April innings, he now had 2 walks in 14.2 innings in May and June, to go with just 6 hits and 19 strikeouts. This week he ended up giving up the loss in extra innings, but pitched 3 times, going 3.1 innings with two hit, 1 unearned run, no walks, and 6 strikeouts. His fastball has ticked up, and when I tracked him at the end of May he was 95 to 97, touching 99, He has a high 80s cutter that he pairs with that.
  • It wasn’t a good week on the field for Aidan Miller who went 3 for 21 (though two were doubles) and then 1 walk to 6 strikeouts. He is however being promoted to Jersey Shore and turned 20 years old on Sunday.
  • It wasn’t a perfect week for Carlos De La Cruz, who did strike out 8 times, including 5 in the last two games, but he had 4 walks, 5 extra base hits, and went 8 for 23 on the week. His OPS is still only .705, but it was .617 when the week started.
  • Kendall Simmons cooled down slightly this week, only going 4 for 15 (though two were home runs), but 4 walks and 4 strikeouts this week, which puts him at an even 7 and 7 over the last two series. Since coming back to Reading from injury, he is hitting .288/.413/.636 with a 12.5% BB% and 23.8% K%. He does have some stark home/road splits, but that could have to be with this last stretch of games that has been mostly at home.
  • When you hit two home runs in a game you will often get mentioned, and that is the case with Caleb Ricketts. Ricketts is now up to a .809 OPS on the season with solid walk and strikeout numbers. He does have 8 XBHs at home and zero on the road, which given the overall lack of power outside his draft year of college is something to watch. If he can stay behind the plate he can be a high contact offensive oriented backup.
  • Marcus Lee Sang continued the heater he has been on, going 8 for 18 on the week and more surprisingly having 4 walks to just two strikeouts. While he hit .311 in May, his 3 walks to 21 strikeouts raised my eyebrow. His run of success has been heavily BABIP fueled, so it would be good to see if he can buttress against the inevitable collapse by showing a return to good one base skills.
  • Another big whiff, high strikeout game from Mavis Graves this week. He struck out 10 in five innings and now has 36 over 22 innings in his last 4 starts to just 8 walks. It was a much more balanced attack with the Marauders mustering just a 59% zone contact rate. Of some concern is that his fastball averaged under 90 mph and was more 86 to 88 by the end. He has already pitched 13 more innings than last year and is working deep into the games. It would not be surprising if he is starting to feel tired and the Phillies work in some rest. His future success is going to rest on command and the secondary pitches, but he is going to need to get his fastball back up into at least the average velocity range on a start by start basis to have a bigger ceiling.
  • It has been a struggle for Keaton Anthony to hit for power, despite respectable exit velocities. He has yet to show ideal power for a first baseman, but he has a good approach and feel for getting the bat to the ball at the plate. He picked up two home runs this year, his first two of the year. If he can elevate and pull the ball a bit more, there is possibly a prospect to be interested in here.
  • Michael Mercado continues to struggle along. He stabilized a game that was getting out of hand and went 4.2 innings on 87 pitches.
  • The ball was flying all week in Greensboro, so the two home runs and 4 runs that Samuel Aldegheri gave up this week should be taken with a grain of salt. It was however his second straight week with 1 walk and 10 strikeouts.
  • George Klassan’s last game in Clearwater was probably his worst. He gave up his second and third runs of the year, his first home run, and 4 walks. He is still not quite as stretched out as he was before the injury (he threw a lot of pitches in the first inning this week), but he is stretched out enough where he can take a regular turn in his new rotation.
  • One way to arrive in an organization is to go 4 for 6 with a double, two home runs, 3 walks, and a stolen base in your first two games. So welcome to the IronPigs Ruben Cardenas. Cardenas should give the IronPigs another bat with David Dahl now in the majors with no way back down to AAA.

Injuries and Transactions

  • RHP Orlando Gonzalez and LHP Claudio Gatier were assigned from the DSL to FCL
  • RHP Richard Reyes was signed and assigned to DSL Phillies White and RHP Naiker Velazquez was signed and assigned to DSL Phillies Red
  • OF Jorge Garcia and OF Ricardo Rosario began rehab assignments in the FCL
  • Phillies acquired IF Buddy Kennedy for cash and optioned him to Lehigh Valley
  • RHP Beau Burrows was released
  • Phillies acquired OF Ruben Cardenas and assigned him to Lehigh Valley
  • RHP Michael Rucker began a rehab assignment with Clearwater (and may have hit a career high in velocity)
  • OF Cade Fergus went to Lehigh Valley and then Reading
  • RHP Alex Rao and RHP David Buchanan were added to the 7-day IL
  • C William Simoneit, RHP Blain Knight, IF Trevor Schwecke, RHP Freddy Tarnok, and LHP Kolby Allard were assigned to Lehigh Valley
  • RHP Eury Perez was assigned to Reading
  • RHP Josh Bortka had his rehab completed and was assigned to Clearwater
  • 1B Darick Hall, C Rafael Marchan, and RHP Nick Nelson accompanied the Phillies to London
  • C Andrick Nava and IF Otto Kemp were assigned to Reading*
  • SS Aidan Miller, C Luis Caicuto, and RHP George Klassen were assigned to Jersey Shore*

*not yet officially announced

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1 thought on “Phillies Minor League Recap (Week 11 6/4-6/10)”

  1. thoughts on Pina’s arm angle? Short arms it a bit, so maybe there is some deception, but still looks like lefties would get a good look at it. His splits vary greatly year to year, some better vs RHBs, other years LHBs. But looks like a reliever motion that you might try to avoid stringing against RHBs

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