Prospect Nation 2013: #13 RHP Kenny Giles

Kenny Giles- photo by Dave Schofield

Right-handed pitcher Kenny Giles rose up these rankings more than any other Phillies prospect last year. Armed with tremendous velocity, the 6-foot-2-inch 190-pounder has a bright future and could prove extremely valuable to the organization in the near future.

Drafted in the 7th round in 2011 out of Yavapai (Junior) College, although he was committed to transferring to Arizona, Giles began his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Phillies that year. After facing a difficult decision to turn pro and leave college behind, Giles struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings over three outings with the GCL team. Prior to making his debut in the minors, Giles, a big-time strike out artist, notched 67 punch outs in 38 innings during the 2011 college season.

The Albuquerque, NM native began the 2012 season with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws where he went 3-3 with five saves, a 3.61 ERA and a .215 batting average against in 29 outings (6 starts). Giles was promoted to Class A Advanced Clearwater in July and proceeded to pitch exclusively as a reliever for the Threshers, going 1-0 with three saves, a 3.07 ERA and a .183 batting average against in 10 appearances. Combined at the two levels, Giles sported a 12.18 K/9 mark last year.

Having grown up admiring Randy Johnson, Giles tries to emulate the mentality of the five-time Cy Young Award winning left-hander, with a focus on being aggressive, going after opposing batters and always keeping them guessing.

The youngster's pitch repertoire features a fastball that regularly ranges from 96-98 MPH, but clocked in the triple-digits quite a bit during the 2012 season. He also throws a slider with late break that his coaches were extremely pleased with the progress of last year as well as a change up that he hopes will become a strong offering to play off of his major heat.

The area that the 22-year-old made the most progress with, aside from his slider, last year was his ability to control his delivery. As some might expect a hurler with the capacity to throw pitches above 100 MPH to do, Giles showed a tendency to try to crank the speed way up and spoil his own mechanics. This lack of focus hurt his control. Making sure to calm down his own delivery, Giles was far more consistent and steady.

Look for Giles to potentially begin the upcoming season with Double-A Reading, or join that team early in the season, holding down a late-inning bullpen spot for the club.

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

A Letter to This Guy

Dear Cardinals fan, When a homerun ball is hit in your direction, do not close your eyes and raise both hands far above your head, leaving your face/chest/neck/head defenseless. Jayson Werth long balls to the cranium are probably not very comfortable. Next time, let the guy in the pajama pants behind you take a crack at it. He may not know how to dress well, but he keeps his eyes open in the face of killer shots from World Champion outfielders. Love, PhoulBallz.com PS- Stay hot.

Kendrick & LaGrossa- Second Phils/Survivor Marriage

On Saturday, Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick married 3-time Survivor contestant and former Flyers employee Stephenie LaGrossa. The couple exchanged vows in front of 105 guests at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Their special day featured many personalized aspects, including cocktail hour snacks modeled in the fashion of mini Philly cheesesteaks, as well as the couple's two dogs, Bebe and Champ, serving as flower girl and ring bearer during the ceremony. The pets wore a white dress and a tuxedo, respectively. Kendrick is now the second Phillies pitcher to marry a former contestant of the CBS reality competition program, as lefty Cole Hamels wedded Heidi Strobel, who appeared on the sixth season of Survivor, in 2007. _________________________________________________________________ Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter, for updates, stats and info, by clicking HERE . Photos- People.com

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