Phillies Release Several Minor Leaguers

A source confirmed on Monday night that the Phillies released at least ten minor league players from their contracts earlier in the day.

According to a source within the Phillies organization, the following players were notified of their release on Monday in Clearwater: Justin Beal, Bradley Blanks, Matt McConnell, Adam Buschini, Drew Rundle, Heitor Correa, Matt Hutchison, Marco Davaillo, Mike Bolsenbroek and Eric Massingham.

Beal, 24, posted a 2-3 record with a 2.88 ERA in 20 games with Class A Lakewood and went 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 4 games with short-season Williamsport in 2010. The right-hander was a 28th round draft pick in 2009 out of Missouri Southern State.

Blanks, 26, was signed as a minor league free agent last July and posted a 4-1 record with a 2.73 ERA in 16 games as a reliever for the Williamsport Crosscutters in 2010.

McConnell was a 36th round draft selection in 2009. In 46 combined games last year at Williamsport and Lakewood, the 24-year-old shortstop batted .248 with 5 doubles and 12 RBI.

Correa, a native of Brazil, was a member of the 2009 Lakewood team that won the South Atlantic League title. In 27 games for High A level Clearwater last season, the 21-year-old righty Correa went 8-14 with a 6.62 ERA and a .315 batting average against.

Buschini, a 4th round draft pick in 2009, was teammates with Massingham at Cal Poly. The 23-year-old infielder batted .219 with 2 homeruns in 83 games with Lakewood in 2010.

Rundle was signed as a minor league free agent last August. Originally a 14th round pick in 2006 by the Cubs, the lefty hitting outfielder played in 17 combined games with Clearwater and Williamsport last season.

Hutchison, 23, a right-handed reliever, appeared in 15 combined games last year for the Gulf Coast League Phillies and the Clearwater Thresher. The 22-year-old was a 25th round draft pick last year and went 4-0 with a 3.80 ERA at two levels.

Davaillo, a 20-year-old catcher and utility player had played two season for the Phillies' Venezuelan Summer League team. In 89 games in 2009 and 2010, Davaillo batted .317 with 7 homeruns and an .838 OPS.

Bolsenbroek, who stands 6-feet-8-inches tall, is a righty reliever originally drafted by the Phils in the 42nd round of the 2008 draft. In 18 games with the Lakewood BlueClaws last season, Bolsenbroek had a 0-1 record with a 3.38 ERA.

The 24-year-old Massingham was a 25th round pick in the 2009 draft. The right-handed pitcher posted a 5-2 record with a 3.43 ERA in 34 games as a member of the 2010 Lakewood SAL title team.

**UPDATE 3/29** Also confirmed are two more players that were released on Monday...23-year-old hurler Marshall Schuler, who was a 37th round draft pick last year, and 22-year-old Drew Erwin who pitched in 6 games with the GCL Phillies in 2010.
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