Phillies Minor League Recap (Week 14 6/25-6/30)

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Last Week’s Schedule

This Week’s Schedule

  • Lehigh Valley (35-39) vs/@ SWB (45-34)
  • Reading (33-41) @/vs Somerset (37-38)
  • Jersey Shore (41-34) @/vs Wilmington (33-41)
  • Clearwater (47-28) vs/@ Dunedin (37-37)
  • FCL Phillies (23-16)
  • DSL Phillies Red (6-14)
  • DSL Phillies White (7-13)

Hitter Spotlight

IF/OF Weston Wilson

10-24 4 HR 4 BB 7 K .317/.500/.917

I generally avoid treating Wilson as a prospect because he is 29, but he is still technically a rookie. This week he hit 4 home runs in 6 games, the week before he hit 4 home run ins 6 games, and his last series in AAA before sitting on the MLB bench he hit 4 home runs. In that stretch he has played 2B, SS, 3B, and LF. On the season his numbers continue to suffer outside of total home runs, and he struck out a bunch in May. He has also not crushed left handed pitchers. Due to all of that, his home run numbers of the last month have really flown under the radar, but he probably should be in the majors where he might be able to provide some impact for the Phillies as they get through this tough stretch.

Pitcher Spotlight

RHP Mick Abel

5 IP 4 H 2 ER 3 BB 5 K

It is admittedly not a great stat line for nominally the best healthy starting pitching prospect in the system. It is even more damning that is his best start since April 25 when he got to face the White Sox triple A affiliate. That all said, it was a good building block start for Mick Abel this week after a bunch of weeks of good building block at bats or innings. His fastball averaged over 95 mph, he topped out at 96.8, and more importantly he held his velocity with his last 5 pitches (#75 to #79) at 95.0, 95.8, 94.9, 95.2, and 96.1. He got 18 whiffs on the day, including 9 on his 4-seam fastball. He also saw himself pitch out of trouble, he struck out the first batter of the 4th and then proceeded to walk the next two batters, but after a mound visit it took him 7 pitches to strike out the next 2 including 4 swings and misses. Overall it is hard to judge Mick Abel’s season as anything but a disaster, but he is also only 22 years old and there are positive traits to be a major league starting pitcher even if it isn’t a front line one.

Notes and Thoughts

  • Wen Hui Pan continued his rehab with two dominant innings on the mound for the Threshers. His fastball was up to 98.9 and he threw his splitter and two breaking balls or two variations on his slider. It will be interesting to see if they stretch him out because the bullpen path looks clear, but if he can hold his velocity there is a very interesting starting pitcher here.
  • When a 4.11 ERA for a month is a big improvement then you know things haven’t gone well, but Wilmer Blanco seems to be getting back on track, going 5 scoreless this week with 1 walk to 6 strikeouts. After having 13 walks and 14 strikeouts in 17 innings in May, 9 walks and 17 strikeout sin 15.1 June innings shows that maybe he is turning his season around.
  • Luis Gonzalez will turn 19 later this month and has quietly been one of the youngest members of the FCL Phillies. He has a 4.40 ERA, but 8 walks to 30 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. He had one disastrous game where he gave up 8 earned runs as the pitcher before and after in a rain suspended game. This week he went 4 innings in relief of Blanco. He is low 90s with a slider, curveball, and changeup as well.
  • It feels bad to bury Mavis Graves down here as he struck out 10 for the 3rd game in a row. He gave up 5 hits and a run, but didn’t walk anyone. With some extra rest he threw a little harder, but still averaged only 90.9 mph. Interestingly they deemphasized the breaking balls (22% combined cutters and sweepers), but he still missed 20 bats with 15 on the 4-seamer and changeup.
  • Alirio Ferrebus had the rare two level week. He went 2-5 with a double in his FCL debut after a 1-3 with a walk and HBP end to his DSL time.
  • Jordan Viars wrapped up a good June with a good week. He homered in his first two at bats on Saturday and hit .409/.480/.773 on the week. He struck out more and walked less in June than May, but a the step back is just a .885 OPS. With the plethora of outfielders with the Threshers he has mostly been DHing, and that is a slight concern, but the bat is the thing that will carry him and over the last two months he is hitting .299/.391/.562 with a 12.4% BB% and a 27.8% K%. He should get moved to Jersey Shore soon.
  • He isn’t a prospect, but Kolby Allard had two solid appearance (6.2 IP 7 H 2 ER 0 BB 8 K and 4 IP 6 H 3 R 2 ER 1 BB 5 K) and had a 2.81 ERA this month with the IronPigs. The Phillies are in a precarious place with starting pitching depth, so if he could be a guy who could give them an emergency start would be important.
  • Not a good week for the top hitting prospects for Jersey Shore. Aidan Miller (2-20 1 BB 6 K) and Justin Crawford (3-19 2 BB 4 K) were shut down by Greensboro’s arms and both have struggled for the month. Crawford hit .277/.313/.404 on the month with 5 walks to 21 strikeouts. Miller is now batting .190/.309/.310 with the BlueClaws with 4 XBHs in 16 games.
  • George Klassen had his worse start (that wasn’t that bad, but he one again struggled with efficiency), but Jean Cabrera and Samuel Aldegheri had bad starts made worse by the bullpen.

Injuries and Transactions

Links and Things

Videos and Tweets