Threshers Notes: All-Stars Announced & Stewart Set to Return

Aaron Altherr with Lakewood in 2012

The Class A Advanced Florida State League All-Star rosters were announced on Wednesday and the North Division team included seven Phillies prospects from the Clearwater Threshers.

Included on the team are outfielders Cameron Perkins and Aaron Altherr, third baseman Maikel Franco, second baseman Carlos Alonso, catcher Logan Moore along with pitchers Gabriel Arias and Perci Garner.

Perkins, a righty hitter, was the Phillies' 6th round choice in last year's draft, and skipped Class A full season Lakewood this year, opening his 2013 campaign with Clearwater. In 51 games this season the 22-year-old Purdue University product is batting a league best .337 with three homers and 31 RBI. Last year, with the Gulf Coast League Phillies and short-season Williamsport, the 6-foot-5 205-pounder tallied a .294 average with one home run and 38 RBI in 72 combined contests.

Altherr, a 9th round pick from 2009 out of Agua Fria High School in AZ, is batting .321 with five homers, 35 RBI and 14 steals in 50 games. The 6-foot-5 190-pounder spent last season with Lakewood, where he batted .252 with eight home runs and 50 RBI while swiping 25 bases in 110 games.

Franco entered the 2013 season as the Phillies' 4th ranked prospect by PhilliesNation.com. The 20-year-old Dominican is batting .295 with 11 home runs and 42 RBI in 54 games this season. Last year with Lakewood the 6-foot-1 180-pounder posted a .280 average with 14 home runs and 84 RBI in 132 games.

Alonso, a University of Delaware product that was drafted by the Phillies in the 32nd round in 2010. Thus far this season, the 25-year-old is batting .275 with three home runs and 24 RBI in 49 games. Alonso, a 5-foot-11 200-pounder, entered the 2013 season as a .287 hitter with nine homers and 79 RBI in three pro seasons.

Moore, a 9th round pick from 2010, is a surprise on the North division roster, as he's hitting just .164 with two homers and 16 RBI in 40 games this season. The 22-year-old Northeastern Junior College product entered 2013 as a .231 hitter in two professional seasons.

Arias, a 23-year-old Dominican, sports a 6-2 record with a 2.47 ERA in 12 games (seven starts) for Clearwater this season. Arias, who sports a fastball that reaches 95 MPH, has an 8.22 K/9 mark through his seven pro seasons. The 6-foot-2 180-pounder is currently sidelined and on the 7-day disabled list.

Garner, 24, was the Phils' 2nd round draft choice in 2010. In 11 games this year, the 6-foot-3 225-pounder has a 5-0 record along with a 2.78 ERA. The Ball State product's progress has gone slowly since he turned pro, having missed considerable time with elbow and oblique issues during his time in the minors.

Ethan Stewart with Lakewood in 2012

Lefty pitching prospect Ethan Stewart is set to officially rejoin the Threshers' starting rotation this Saturday, when the club takes on Dunedin (Blue Jays). Stewart, a 6-foot-6 205-pounder, had been demoted to extended spring training in May, as the Phillies wanted him to improve his control and increase the consistency with his arm slot.

In seven starts prior to the demotion, Stewart, who was selected by the Phillies in the 47th round of the 2010 draft, posted a 0-1 record with a 6.35 ERA and a .315 batting average against. Last season with Lakewood, the 22-year-old sported a 5-9 record with a 3.89 ERA with a .233 batting average against.

After three encouraging starts for the extended spring team, Stewart is back with the Threshers and is confident that his time away from the Threshers this year will serve him well in the long run.

"The move was tough, but being able to take it as a positive to work on stuff without the stress of real games was nice and getting back into it, I feel a lot more confident on the mound," Stewart told PhoulBallz.com on Wednesday.

Asked if he was able to bond at all with right-handed hurler Carlos Zambrano, who has been pitching in Clearwater with the extended spring team and the Threshers in recent weeks, Stewart explained that he had limited one-on-one time with the veteran, but offered the following impression...

"I didn't talk to him much, but how he goes about things is that he's really laid back and loves the game. He's a kid stuck in a big body."

Diekman a Late Addition to Mesa AFL Roster

On Wednesday, Phillies lefty pitching prospect Jacob Diekman made his Arizona Fall League debut. Diekman, who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2007 amateur draft, was assigned to Mesa late, in order to increase his 2010 innings total, according to Mesa hitting coach Mark Parent, who managed Diekman in Lakewood this past season. Diekman, 23, posted a 2-0 record with 1.90 ERA in 21 games with Class A Lakewood before being promoted to High-A Clearwater on June 24th. In 24 games with the Threshers, Diekman went 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Combined, Diekman tossed 55 2/3 innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average against at two levels in 2010. However, after not pitching in an official game since he threw a shutout inning to wrap up the Clearwater season on September 5th, Diekman was unable to record an out as all seven batters he faced reached base, six with hits, one on an error. Diekman was charged with 5 earned runs in the outing. Diekman had spent time at instructional ball from

McGwire Stays Phony, Despite Admitting Drug Use

Mark McGwire made an effort to publicly come clean today, admitting to the world that he took performance enhancing drugs during his playing career. Steroids and human growth hormones were among the drugs that McGwire admitted to using. MLB Network featured a one on one interview with Bob Costas and McGwire on Monday evening. The broadcast was virtually garbage, thanks to McGwire. Ahead is a list of quotes from McGwire's interview. McGwire repeatedly stated his point of view that there were no dishonorable intentions involved when taking steroids, and that he was merely using them as a means to recover from varying ailments. When asked if he felt like he cheated... "As I look back now...I can see how people would say that. As far as the talent goes and the hand-eye coordination, the ability, the genetics I was given...I don't see it." "I did not take this for any strength purposes." Denial. Read on for similar B.S. He whined about the abuse he's taken at

Bubby Rossman's long awaited MLB debut

Eight years after he initially signed a professional contract with the Dodgers and a five-year stretch playing away from affiliated ball, Bubby Rossman became a major leaguer on Wednesday. Added as a substitute for pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is restricted from travel to Canada for the Phillies' series in Toronto, due to his medical inability to be vaccinated from COVID-19, Rossman took the mound for the first time in the majors. Rossman, who was a 22nd round draft selection in 2014 had pitched in 200 professional games before his one-inning outing in the Phillies' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In 27 appearances with Double-A Reading this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has performed well, tallying a 2-2 record with a save, a 3.32 ERA and a .200 batting average against. The embedded video below features a media session with Rossman from prior to opening day this year, in which the California native discusses his journey through independent baseball and back to affiliated ball wi

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