Skip to main content

The J-Bone Zone, Vol. 3: Recovery, Hyatt & Fans

Right-handed relief pitcher Justin De Fratus, known to his brother Steven and those close to him as "J-Bone", joins us live and direct, once again, from Clearwater, FL to offer his thoughts from inside Phillies spring training.

The 24-year-old reliever went 6-3 with 15 saves, a 2.99 ERA and 99 strike outs in 75 1/3 innings in his time with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley last year before making his big league debut in September and holding opponents to a .083 batting average in 5 appearances. Heading forward, De Fratus, an 11th round draft choice in 2007, hopes to be an impact contributor in the Phillies bullpen for years to come.

In the latest edition of The J-Bone Zone, Justin updates the status of his elbow, discusses his teammate Austin Hyatt's chances this year as well as bonding with Phillies fans and more. Read ahead for another edition of The J-Bone Zone.


On the status of his ailing elbow that has kept him sidelined for much of spring training and if there's a time frame for game action-

The arm is doing well. As far as getting some game action, I don't know. It's kind of hard to tell, you've got to let your body tell you when you're game ready and what not. I'm going to start throwing Monday, and that's when I'll begin my throwing program and we'll see how (my elbow) responds to everything. That will really help decide how quickly everything goes.


On what he does on games days, after completing his daily work outs, since he's not pitching-

I stay and watch every game. I get all my work outs done in the morning and all my activities with the team. I've been doing a lot of leg workouts and stuff, trying to keep my lower half strong. Now, when the game starts, I go out to the bullpen and just hang out and watch the game.


On other pitchers that are, more or less, on the verge of making the big league roster-

It's too early to tell (if anyone is standing out), but from what I have seen, all the guys are throwing well. Everybody's looking good and there might even be a little sleeper here in Austin Hyatt. I would not be surprised if he got a little time (with the major league club) this year. The guy can pitch, flat out. I think that is somebody that people would want to look out for.


On the Phillies' annual Bill Giles honorary golf outing that coaches, players, executives and broadcasters all took part in this past week-

I couldn't golf, because of the arm, so I just sat out. But I was there and I rode around in a golf cart. I acted as Hyatt's caddy. I don't know anything about golf, so it was just kind of a joke. I was just out there watching everyone else play. It was a lot of fun. It seems like a great bonding experience with everybody, which is very valuable.


On what he enjoys most about spring training in Clearwater-

I just really enjoy the enthusiasm from the fans around here. They travel so far to come down here and it's cool to see. It's kind of good to get to be able to talk to them a little bit because there are a lot of fans, but there aren't too many, so that it's overwhelming. But, I get to talk to some fans every morning. That's something I really enjoy, is getting to sign some stuff for the fans when I walk in and getting to chat with them. That's one of my favorite parts.

Check back throughout the preseason for more exclusive content from Justin De Fratus.
___________________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

2021 Phillies Top Prospects Countdown: #22 SS Casey Martin

Please visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz in order to support my work, get access to material like this before anyone else and get access to interviews as well as other exclusive content you can't get anywhere else.   A third round draft pick last year, Arkansas junior Casey Martin was quickly signed by the Phillies and consideration as one of the organization's top infield prospects quickly began.  The team's confidence in his ceiling is likely evident in the signing bonus he got, which was reportedly $1.3 million, which was considerably more than slot money dictated by his 87th overall draft position ($685K). The right-handed batting Martin tallied a .311/.393/.545 slash line with 30 homers, 24 steals and 112 RBI in 143 games through his college career at Arkansas.  Reports had him falling in the draft as a result of an injury to the hamate bone in his left hand prior to his 2020 season.  Prior to the procedure, Baseball America projected Martin as a top ten draft pick.

Slick fielding Sam is the Champion of the (PhoulBallz) world!

Phillies Ball(z)girl Sam Arnone was kind enough to answer some questions for the PhoulBallz site and all of you. Sam will be entering her 3rd season as a Phillies ballgirl and is a junior at Drexel University. Sam hails from the great town of Mt. Ephram, NJ. 1- Since the Phillies are the World Champions of baseball teams, are the Phillies ballgirls the world champions of ballgirl teams? - Of Course!!! There are not that many teams that have Ballgirls, so the competition is a little scarce. I would definitely put my team up against any other Ballgirl team with full confidence! 2- What is your routine to prepare for a day of on-field duties? - Before a game, I am always a little nervous. Once I am ready to leave my house and head to the ballpark I triple check my bag to make sure I have my glove and then I check again. I always have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat because it keeps me full and gives me energy for the entire game. I guess I might have to find a new favorite sa

Rappers in Phillies Caps

Weekend greetings to you phine pholks out there. Today's post features pictures of rappers wearing Phillies caps. Why rappers in Phillies caps, you ask? Because... Any other questions? We will start things off properly by going with a highly recognizable hip hop star. 50 Cent stays constantly relavant by consistantly creating radio friendly material to help sell (G) units, while he "keeps it real" by still rapping about the thug life he lived before becoming the 2nd highest earning black entertainer in America. 50 is seen here in a recent interview rocking a throw-back Phillies cap. Next up we'll use a throw-back screen cap from what may be the very first major appearance by a rapper wearing Phillies gear. Chuck D, of legendary rap group Public Enemy, wore a Phillies cap in the music video for rap anthem Fight The Power in 1989. The song was the lead single from the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing . Next up we'll go with some home grown tal