Skip to main content

Collier and Others Headed to Instructional Ball

According to Lakewood BlueClaws manager Chris Truby, the Phillies will send 10 members of their Class A affiliate to the organization's spring training home in Clearwater, FL for instructional ball, beginning in mid-September. "Instructs", as they are commonly referred to, is a month-long off-season league, generally consisting of recently drafted players, those that missed time due to injury, or those that participated in a short-season league, allowing those individuals to refine their skills or add innings/at bats to their season.

One prospect that will be going south for the fall is 20-year-old outfielder Zach Collier. According to the 6-foot-2-inch 190-pound California native, a supplemental 1st round pick in 2008 who was out of action for the entire 2010 season due to injuries, the extra month of baseball will allow him to gain back some of the experience he missed last year and provide an opportunity to improve important aspects of his game.

"More repetitions and more at bats are the main things I'm looking forward to," Collier said. "The Phillies also want me to work on some things that I haven't done here in the season, like bunting for base hits. Speed is part of my game, so it's definitely something I should work on."

The remaining list of BlueClaws players that will be headed south for the Instructional League is as follows-
LHP Jesse Biddle
RHP Ervis Manzanillo
RHP Jay Johnson
RHP Hector Neris
RHP Lendy Castillo
LHP Austin Wright
RHP Lisalberto Bonilla
SS Edgar Duran
C Cameron Rupp


In other news, with a hurricane in the forecast and their games against Hickory cancelled over the weekend, Lakewood BlueClaws players spent the night in their home clubhouse at FirstEnergy Park on Saturday. That decision was made by the Phillies, who were concerned about the safety of the players that live in various places throughout the area. The organization wanted the full roster accounted for, in one place, throughout the dangerous storm.
_____________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

You can also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eric B Needs to be Cut (and My Name is Rakim)

While the Phillies are on a hot streak this month, one player on the team is not. Eric Bruntlett is 1-for-12 in July. Since the start of May, Bruntlett's apex in batting average has been .167 on June 14th. Bruntlett's ineptitude can be tolerated no longer. Get rid of this guy NOW! Eric B. is the 2009 Endy Chavez. Remember Endy...the guy who in 2005 managed just 2 hits in his final 42 games played as a Phillie? That is about the sort of output the Phillies are getting from Bruntlett, and it's time to fix this void. Julio Lugo was designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox and is expected to become a free agent. The Metropolitans are rumored to be interested. Why wouldn't the Phillies be interested in a guy who could surely outhit Bruntlett? Lugo was hitting .284 through 37 games played this season with Boston. Suspended Lehigh Valley IronPig Pablo Ozuna is eligible to return next Wednesday. Ozuna is batting .294 through 51 games at triple A. Miguel Cairo is also...

Yankees Fans Misled By Pepsi Promotion

**** Today, New York Yankees fans attended a Pepsi promotion in Times Square hoping for chances to win opening day tickets to the new stadium, but the tickets, which were difficult to track down due to poor organization on Pepsi's part, were actually for a game in June. Furthermore, the 250 pairs that were promised were actually only 100 pairs. The fans, who were made to sprint through traffic over multiple city blocks when locations for the promotion changed, quickly turned against the soda brand by pooring out their beverages and chanting anti-Pepsi phrases. Yankees fans are even threatening a boycott of Pepsi. An appearance by Yankee great Goose Gossage could not even settle the angry mob, as he had to be whisked away, as a precaution, according to the Daily News . Ooo , I'd hate to see what "the worst fans in sports" (Philadelphia fans) would have done to their free Pepsi cans and beloved reliever in that situation. Because this happened in a non-Philly city, th...

5th spot, Wall, Old timers, Links

The race for the Phillies' fifth starter spot is still on. While it's not fully fair to compare Grapefruit League stats, when some of the pitchers have had "B game" and scrimmage outings mixed in, Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco look to be falling behind Chan Ho Park and "Jay" Happ. Happ added to his solid Grapefruit League stats (2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP in 4 games) today against the Rays. Pitching coach Rich Dubee had been displeased with Kendrick even before he surrendered 8 earned runs in 3 innings of work yesterday against the Braves. Park has been working on improving his change up, with (Coach) Jamie Moyer. Park noticed Moyer's location control on his change, so he sought out Moyer to teach him the grip and positioning of the ball. Moyer, of course, feels good about helping anyone on the Phils' staff. Park has been coached by greats like Nolan Ryan with the Rangers and Sandy Koufax with the Dodgers, so Moyer is in great company. Park is working h...