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The following article originally appeared on ShoreSportsNetwork.com , your home for coastal New Jersey sports. Roman Quinn, Image- Jay Floyd After suffering his second major injury in a stretch of four months, 2013 Lakewood BlueClaws shortstop Roman Quinn is bouncing back both physically and mentally and hopes to be better than ever when he returns to the field this coming season. Following recovery from a broken left wrist he suffered in mid-season when he was hit by a pitch, the Phillies shortstop prospect experienced the second considerable physical setback of 2013 when he ruptured his right Achilles tendon while running sprints during routine workouts earlier this off-season. After the second considerable blow to his health, Quinn found himself with a feeling of defeat and went through a period of seclusion. The 20-year-old was the Phils' second round draft choice in 2011 and was the among the organization's top prospect, according to many outlets, heading into

Throughout the first half of the 2013 season, I conducted dozens of interviews with Phillies minor leaguers for a concept segment on Comcast's Phillies Nation TV.  Those interviews were never used on the program and I've been chasing the powers that be to put those segments together as web content for the better part of six months, since the minor league season ended.  While a majority of that footage and the potential for it to see the light of day are out of my hands, I did come across some of the digital files and put together this 90 second clip of Phillies RHP prospect Ethan Martin answering some fun questions. Martin, who was acquired in 2012 from the Dodgers for Shane Victorino , posted an 11-5 record along with a 4.12 ERA and a .229 batting average against in 21 starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley last season.  He also made 15 appearances (eight starts) with the big league Phillies, sporting a 2-5 record with a 6.08 ERA and a .261 batting average against.  The 24-y

Natural power is what made outfielder Dylan Cozens the Phillies 2nd round draft choice (77th overall) in 2012. The six-foot-six 235-pounder has since shown a lot of progress in his short time in the minor leagues and is one the organization's most promising offensive players. After signing with the Phillies, Cozens debuted with the rookie level Gulf Coast Phillies.  In 50 games there, the lefty hitting Arizona native collected 15 doubles, two triples, five homers and 24 RBI. Cozens also participated in the Florida Instructional League in 2012, where he impressed Phillies coaches and staff with his ability to drive the ball to the farthest reaches of the Carpenter Complex and neighboring teams' facilities. After a productive spring in 2013, Cozens was retained in extended spring training and made his official season debut with the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York-Penn League.  Cozens was among the league leaders in many categories last year, placing s

On the 51st edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, Jay and Tug discuss the return of Bobby Abreu to the Phillies as well as the team's off-season of aging. Other topics include the Phillies' TV broadcast changes, WWE's WrestleMania season kicking off with the Royal Rumble this Sunday and Daniel Bryan's insane popularity. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes . 

Cameron Perkins, Image- @BaseballBetsy Outfielder Cameron Perkins has been one of the Phillies' most promising prospects since he was selected in the sixth round of the 2012 draft. The righty batting outfielder has been a solid performer in many aspects of the game and is closest to the big leagues of any player from that year's Phils draft class. Perkins signed quickly and upon his pro debut he batted .158 with three RBI in five games for the Gulf Coast League (rookie level) Phillies. Following a promotion to the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters, Perkins shined. In 67 games, he posted a .304 average with 23 doubles, one triple, one home run and 38 RBI. An aggressive swinger, Perkins was a top performer in the Class A Advanced Florida State League when he was sidelined with a fractured wrist after being hit by a pitch on May 31st. At the time of his injury, Perkins was among the league leaders in several offensive categories. Five weeks later, Perkins wa

Selected by the Phillies in this off-season's Rule 5 draft, right-handed pitcher Kevin Munson is probably the most likely prospect on this countdown to make the team's opening day roster. Munson, a fourth round draft selection in 2010 by Arizona, tallied a 1.59 ERA in five outings in the Mexican Winter League prior to joining the Phillies' organization this off-season. The hard-throwing hurler has been an under-performer in recent years and looks to shine with a change of scenery this year. In four pro seasons, the six-foot-one 215-pounder has posted an 11.39 K/9 mark, which clearly shows his ability to overpower the opposition at the plate. His 4.98 BB/9 mark certainly indicates there's plenty of room for improvement when addressing his control. Also, his 40.2% career ground ball ratio is fair, but not great. Pitching as high as Triple-A last year, Munson sported a 0-2 record with one save and a 5.09 ERA in 24 appearances for Reno in the hitter friendly Pa

Mike Nesseth, Image- Jay Floyd During the 2013 season, righty reliever Mike Nesseth proved himself to be a mover within the Phillies' developmental ranks.  After a rough start to his season with Class A Advanced Clearwater, Nesseth was promoted to Double-A Reading where he was dominant and earned himself another promotion before season's end.  With the progress he's shown, the Minnesota native is a prospect to know in the Phils system as the new season approaches. Nesseth was the Phillies' 17th round selection in 2010 while already recovering from Tommy John surgery. Undergoing the procedure approximately six weeks before the amateur draft, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate's spot fell quite a bit from where he would have been taken if he was healthy. It was late June 2011 before Nesseth made his official pro debut.  As a member of the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters, the youngster sported a 3-6 record with a 3.21 ERA in 14 star

Larry Greene Jr, Image- Tug Haines Upon being selected by the Phillies 39th overall in the 2011 amateur draft, outfielder Larry Greene Jr. was often praised for his outstanding power potential. However, after a sluggish start to his pro career, there's some doubt surrounding the young slugger. Prior to being drafted, in his senior year of high school, the lefty batting Greene became an All-American, posting a .536 average in 30 games with 11 doubles, 19 home runs and 52 RBI while drawing 37 walks.  Expectations on the baseball diamond were high and Greene turned down offers to play college football and baseball, electing to sign with the Phillies following the draft. In his first full season of pro ball in 2012, Greene played with short-season Class A Williamsport where he posted a promising .270 average with 22 doubles and 26 RBI in 70 contests.  Williamsport's home park, Bowman Field, is notoriously difficult on hitters, so the lack of power numbers was not conc

Tyson Gillies, Image- Jay Floyd Outfielder Tyson Gillies has been plagued by injuries during his time in the Phillies' organization. In 2009, the British Columbia native was acquired in the trade that sent Cliff Lee to Seattle. Due to an inability to stay healthy, Gillies has not made the type of progress that the Phillies once hoped he would. When he was dealt to the Phils, Gillies was a top prospect of the Mariners that had played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game and appeared to be a solid candidate to possibly replace Shane Victorino in center field when the time came. In 2009, Gillies became a highly regarded player in the Mariners organization, as his offensive output excelled. Gillies posted a .341 batting average, which was good enough for third highest in the minors, with a Seattle organization leading 44 steals and a .916 OPS in 124 games with Class A Advanced High Desert. Over his four seasons since joining the Phillies organization, Gillies has tallied a .

Catcher Andrew Knapp was selected by the Phillies in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft out of the University of California. In a half-season in the organization, the 21-year-old posted very good numbers, batting .253 with four home runs, 23 RBI and seven steals in 62 games for the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters. Prior to being drafted by the Phillies last year, Knapp led the Cal Golden Bears in batting average with a .350 mark, and slammed eight homers with 41 RBI in his junior season, proving himself worthy of the ranking as a Preseason All-American by Baseball America. This off-season the Phillies announced that the switch-hitting Knapp had undergone Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and would miss considerable time recovering. This weekend, the six-foot-one 190-pounder took some time to answer questions about his first pro season, his recovery and more. Read ahead for that full interview. - Andrew, what was your draft experience like last year? What wer

Deivi Grullon, Image- @BaseballBetsy At the time of his signing with the Phillies in July, 2012, Dominican native Deivi Grullon was one of the top catching prospects in the Caribbean. After a year in the minors, the 17-year-old is looked at as an even more promising player. Grullon, who signed for a reported $575,000, looked very good with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2013, posting a .273 batting average with eight doubles, a home run and 14 RBI in 41 games at the rookie level. Two weeks after Grullon signed with the Phillies, his father, Simeon, a former catcher who was integral in helping Deivi develop as a player, was struck and killed by a motor vehicle while on his own motorcycle. The youngster has not let the tragedy impede his progress, as he's shown solid adaptability and great progress. He's already looked at as a potential impact prospect. Grullon projects as a big league catcher, but is clearly very young and has a long way to go. Already possessi

Adam Morgan with Reading in 2012, image- Jay Floyd Two of the Phillies' top pitching prospects are likely out of action until August, according to reports. Right-hander Shane Watson , who spoke with me exclusively last month about his upcoming procedure, is slated to go under the knife in the coming days, while left-hander Adam Morgan underwent surgery to repair his recurring shoulder issues this week. Watson, the Phillies' first round draft selection in 2012, is currently in Los Angeles, where he will have surgery to repair an enlarged capsule in his throwing shoulder. The 20-year-old posted a 4-6 record along with a 4.75 ERA and a .230 batting average against in 16 starts at Class A Lakewood last season. Morgan missed considerable time last season with a shoulder strain, but returned to close out the season in a strong fashion, tallying a 1.59 ERA in his first seven Triple-A starts off the disabled list before allowing four earned runs in 1 1/3 innings in his fin

Mickey Morandini, Image- Jay Floyd This week, the Phillies announced that Mickey Morandini , who had managed their full-season Class A affiliate in Lakewood for the past two season, would be assigned to the coaching staff of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs for the upcoming season. The switch wasn't very surprising, as each year there's some realignment of members of the developmental coaching staff and more so considering that no manager in the BlueClaws' 13-year history had every managed the team for more than two consecutive seasons. Based on that trend, it was likely that Morandini would be coaching elsewhere this year. The 47-year-old was drafted by the Phillies in the 5th round of the 1988 amateur draft and batted .268 with 32 homers and 351 RBI for the Phils, Cubs and Blue Jays over 11 big league seasons. He was on the Phillies club that won the National League pennant in 1993 and represented the organization as an All-Star in 1995. Following some time a

Left-handed hurler Jay Johnson has proven to be quite the nice gamble for the Phillies since he was signed as a minor league free agent in 2011.  The New Brunswick, Canada native had previously been drafted by the Orioles and Blue Jays, but failed physical examinations which prevented him from signing with those clubs.  After some work to prove himself, Johnson earned a pro contract and has developed into a quality lefty reliever. Due to concerns raised with his throwing elbow during team exams, both Baltimore and Toronto backed out after having come to terms on financial agreements with Johnson.  The offers were rescinded following the discovery of bone spurs and loose chips in his joint.  Johnson never lost focus and was confident he would get an opportunity to be a professional pitcher at some point. There was a third opportunity with the Mariners, but they backed down too and it took a phone call from Johnson's college coach Brian Kubicek to the Phils' senior a

A news release from the Phillies on Wednesday addressed upcoming changes to the team's broadcast staff, which features the removal of Chris Wheeler and Gary Matthews from the television "airwaves". Wheeler and "Sarge" were often mocked by fans, with the former being hated by viewers while the latter was a beloved character chock full of catchphrases and neat hats. The Phillies' statement: As the longest-tenured member of the Phillies broadcasting team, Chris Wheeler will return to his club roots after stepping down from his role as a Phillies broadcaster. With 37 years of broadcasting experience, combined with his front office background where he began his Phillies career, ‘Wheels’ will take on a new role allowing the organization to continue to benefit from his knowledge, experience and dedication to the game. Additionally, Gary Matthews will continue to work with the Phillies bringing his exceptional background as a major league ballplayer, bro

With the new year upon us, it’s time to kick off our annual countdown of the top 25 prospects in the Phillies organization. In the coming weeks, as a fresh season approaches, I will be unveiling player reviews for each of the top developmental talents that you, as Phillies fans, should be familiar with. Taken into consideration when reviewing these developing talents will be age, minor league performance relative to levels played, value to the organization as well as future potential and possible proximity to the big leagues. These rankings will not include players over 25 years of age or individuals that have spent lengthy and multiple stretches in the big leagues. Some very talented youngsters did not make the cut simply because other individuals ranked higher. Players that drew consideration included righty pitcher Mitch Gueller , lefty hurler Hoby Milner , and catcher Andrew Knapp . Gueller, the Phils' supplementary first round pick in 2012, has failed to crack the r

On episode 50 of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast Jay and Tug are joined by Phillies pitching prospect Mark Leiter Jr., who discusses his first season as a pro, growing up in a family so ingrained in professional baseball as well as collecting autographs and memorabilia.  The guys also name Mark's newest pitch, talk about a possible Ryan Madson /Phillies return rumors, the Mummers and plenty more. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .