Quick Thoughts On Preliminary Williamsport Roster

by

The draft is over and the short season games are about to begin. The Phillies have two GCL teams, of which we likely won’t know the rosters until the first games. What we do have is a preliminary Williamsport roster.

This list doesn’t have any draftees, and we don’t know if those players will make it to Williamsport before opening day. Needless to say, there will be some changes, especially in the bullpen.

It is not surprising given the makeup of the Phillies system, that almost the entire roster is from Latin America. This means that the roster is loaded with young prospects, some of which have big upside. Here are some of the notable names to keep in mind.

Top 50 Prospects:

#16 RHP Francisco Morales

It is easy to see why Morales was the Phillies second biggest signing in the 2016 international class, he is listed at 6’4″ 185lbs. As a 16 year old his fastball was already touching 96 and he showed some feel for spinning a slider. Morales in his first year of action sat 90-95 with his fastball, hit 96 a couple of times and showed a plus slider. He also started to show some feel for a changeup, but he still needs to work on it. His command needs sharpening, and his delivery needs consistency, but Morales has more upside than any pitcher in the organization not named Sixto Sanchez.

#22 SS Jonathan Guzman

Guzman is one of the youngest players in his signing class, and won’t turn 19 until mid August. He is a slightly built infielder with a good arm and great feel for defense at shortstop. He has shown an advanced approach at the plate, and has really good plate coverage. He does not have the room for a ton of strength and power down the line, and really wore out late in 2017, but he does make solid enough contact to occasionally drive one out of the park.

#28 2B Brayan Gonzalez

Gonzalez got the top signing bonus from the Phillies 2016 July 2 class. He is more solidly built than Guzman, and lacks his defensive prowess, but Gonzalez would handle shortstop for most teams. Instead he is a very very good defender at second base. He has some sneaky pop at the plate and good feel for the game. Gonzalez’s lack of projection makes him not quite as high upside as Guzman, but there might be more offensive ability here.

#46 LHP Manuel Silva

Silva (and Rafael Marchan and Jonathan Guzman) flew under the radar in 2015 when all of the focus was on the Phillies signing Jhailyn Ortiz. The lanky lefty has plenty of projection left, but already shows a good slider and feel for a changeup. He saw some velocity growth from his amateur days to last year, and has carried that into this year with his fastball sitting 90-92 T93 this spring. Silva already has solid command and feel for pitching. Unless he adds a bunch of velocity he probably only is a #4 starter, but there is a lot to like.

#47 LHP Jhordany Mezquita

Mezquita signed with the Phillies last year as a amateur free agent, but was then found to be draft eligible so the Phillies took him in the 8th round. He has touched up to 94 with his fastball, sitting more 89-93 last year. He has a good curveball, but his changeup is still a work in progress. He is a bit on the older side (20), but his lack of pro pitching experience means there might be some more upside to unlock. He had a minor injury this spring, so it may take him a few starts to get going.

Other Interesting Players:

Not every interesting player made the top 50, so here are some other players to keep an eye on.

  • LHP Ethan Lindow – The Phillies 5th round pick in 2017 cruised through his first 6 GCL starts last year before getting shelled in his last two. Like many Phillies HS pitching picks, he is tall and projectable. In the GCL he was 85-88, but early this spring he was sitting 89-91. He shows a curveball and slider to go with a changeup apparently taught to him by Tom Glavine.
  • RHP Oscar Marcelino – Marcelino is a tall and skinny right handed reliever who was sitting 94-96 earlier this spring.
  • C Rafael Marchan – Marchan was billed as a bat first catcher, but actually it is his glove that has translated better so far. He rarely strikesout and has great bat control, but he needs to drive the ball more.
  • C Lenin Rodriguez – Rodriguez is a bat first catcher with 45 walks to 27 strikeouts in his 3 pro years. He has yet to make much impact outside of that, and his glove needs work, but you rarely see 20 year olds with his approach numbers.
  • CF Keudy Bocio – Bocio got moved off second base while sharing a level with Gonzalez, and a move to third base didn’t make for a good fit, but center filed has. He has almost no power, but he has at least plus speed to go with a knack for drawing walks and running reasonable strikeout rates.
  • 3B Luis Rojas – Rojas is an infielder turned catcher turned third baseman who hit pretty well in the DSL last year. He just turned 18 so he is the youngest member of the Crosscutters and probably is bound for the GCL when the draft guys arrive.