Florida Instructional League Gets Underway

On Monday, the annual Florida Instructional League got underway for Phillies minor leaguers at the team's spring training home in Clearwater. Instructs, as they are commonly known, 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. It also serves as an opportunity for a greater number developmental coaches and managers to see newly signed players in action.

Below is a full roster of Phillies minor league players and coaches in attendance for the instructional league.

Pitchers: Gabriel Arias, Jesse Biddle, James Birmingham, Lisalberto Bonilla (pictured), Ranfi Casimiro, Lendy Castillo, Brody Colvin, Jesen Dygestile-Therrien, Perci Garner, Kenneth Giles, Steven Inch, Ulises Joaquin, Jay Johnson, Colin Kleven, Ervis Manzanillo, Lino Martinez, Adam Morgan, Hector Neris, Ramon Oviedo, J.C. Ramirez, Yacksel Rios, Braden Shull, Ethan Stewart, Josh Warner, Austin Wright.

Catchers: Francisco Diaz, Logan Moore, Chace Numata, Cameron Rupp, Bob Stumpo

Infielders: Cody Ashe, Albert Cartwright, Maikel Franco, Gustavo Gonzalez, Tyler Greene, Cesar Hernandez, Harold Martinez, Roman Quinn, Brock Stassi, Alejandro Villalobos, Mitch Walding.

Outfielders: Aaron Altherr, Zach Collier, Gauntlett Eldemire, Tyson Gillies, Larry Greene, Kyrell Hudson, Jonathan Knight, Brian Pointer, 16-year-old Carlos Tocci, Jiandido Tromp.

Coaches and Instructors in attendance: Mike Compton, Gorman Heimueller, Steve Henderson, Doug Mansolino, Mickey Morandini, Frank Cacciatore, Carlos Arroyo, Les Lancaster, Mark Parent, Dusty Wathan.

Lefty pitching prospect Jesse Biddle, who had an excellent season for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws (7-8 record, 2.98 ERA in 25 games) in his first full season as a pro, is in attendance at instructs, despite having injured his right knee in his final start of the season. Biddle, a Philadelphia native, was the Phillies' top draft selection in 2010.

Infielder Edgar Duran, who spent the 2011 season with Lakewood, has been excused from instructs after breaking his right middle finger on the BlueClaws' final homestand of the season. Duran was expected to require surgery at the time of the injury.

Also confirmed to be in Florida for instructs is 2008 Phillies 1st round draft pick Zach Collier, who received a 50-game suspension earlier this month after testing positive for amphetamines. Collier, a 21-year-old outfielder, batted .255 with 1 HR, 36 RBI and 35 stolen bases with Class A Lakewood this year. Collier will begin serving his suspension at the start of the 2012 regular season.

CSN's Jim Salisbury reported on Monday night that if Domonic Brown is not included on the Phillies' postseason roster that he could be sent to instructs to see some action, according to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

______________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE

Stats to Ponder: Jimmy Rollins Edition

J-Roll has batted under .200 for a calendar month twice in his career. In April 2004, Rollins went 13-for-71, for a .183 average. The following month, Rollins went 30-for-107, which is a .280 average. And in August 2005, Rollins went 22-for-117, for a .188 average. The month that followed saw Rollins go 49-for-122 for a .402 average. Rollins is batting .171 so far in May 2009. Improvement is not far away for Jimmy. The Phillies are 10-2 in games this year which Rollins scores at least 1 run. The Phillies are 4-12 in games which Rollins does not score. Jimmy Rollins in 6 games against the Braves this year is batting .071 (2-for-28). In 2008 Rollins batted .284 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2007 Rollins batted .347 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2006 Rollins batted .367 against the Braves in 18 games. Jimmy Milestone Watch: 6 more RBI and Rollins will tie Scott Rolen for 25th all time in Phillies RBI leaders. 7 more triples and Rollins will tie Richie Ashburn for 4th all time i...

Crawford's Chronicles: JP Crawford talks Spring Training

JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd Entering this year as the widely regarded top prospect in the Phillies organization, J.P. Crawford will be taking time each week to provide insight directly from inside spring training in Clearwater, FL, right here on PhilliesNation.com. Crawford, 20, was named the top positional prospect in two leagues (Class A South Atlantic League and Class A Advanced Florida State League) last year, when he combined, in 123 games, to post a .285 average, 11 homers, 48 RBI and 24 stolen bases. He also represented the Phils organization in the MLB All-Star Futures Game last season. As the 2015 campaign approaches, the six-foot-two 180-pound lefty batter is expected to reach the Double-A level and continue to prove why the Phillies selected him in the first round of the 2013 draft. In this initial installment of our weekly check-in with J.P., he shares thoughts on a variety of topics, including his exclusion from big league camp, which member of the big leagu...

Phreestyle Battle & Notes

Unrelated to baseball, really...but it's fun and our Phils are off today. This new kid on the hip hop scene, Charles Hamilton , whose single Brooklyn Girl is ripping up radio and video count downs, was at PSU for a performance recently. A freestyle battle ensued, and as you'll see, the Penn State student held his own. Stay tuned for the ending. It's the best part. Here are some random Phillies-in-idle baseball thoughts and notes- Colbert Hamels is slated to make his Grapefruit League debut tomorrow vs. Team Canada. Shane Victorino is going to wear #50 on his jersey for Team USA, a nod to Hawaii Five-O. Brad Lidge is likely to not see game action till next week, after he throws some more bullpen sessions and works out the tightness in his forearm. Albert Pujols is declaring "respect for his country" as reasoning for sitting out of the Cardinals' exhibition this week against Team Dominican Republic. He told reporters, "I don’t want to play against them...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog