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The 2014 season kicks off on Monday, as the Phillies open on a road trip, visiting the American League's Texas Rangers.  The newly renamed Globe Life Park will play host to both clubs' initial series of the season. While the core of the Phillies lineup has looked the same for several years, the Rangers have new additions leading the charge into the 2014 season, namely Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo .  Their first real test in their new uniforms will come against a familiar figure. Phils ace Cliff Lee will be making his first return to the Texas mound since he pitched for the Rangers in the 2010 World Series.  Rangers hurler Tanner Scheppers will be making his debut as a starter after shining out of the bullpen last season. Weather forecasts call for 80 degrees and partly cloudy on Monday in Arlington.  The teams will play two more games against one another there on Wednesday and Thursday. Read ahead for details on the pitching match up plus plenty more sta

JP Crawford, Image- Jay Floyd As the 2014 season draws near, rosters for the Phillies' minor league clubs have begun to surface. The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws will feature the return of last year's top draft selection SS J.P. Crawford . Local NJ product Mark Leiter Jr., who made his pro debut last year, will return to the Claws as well. The team's outfield will be made up of 2011 top pick Larry Greene Jr., 2012 2nd rounder Dylan Cozens , well-regarded youngster Carlos Tocci as well as Samuel Hiciano . Joining Crawford in the infield will be Andrew Pullin , Zach Green , Wilmer Oberto and Robinson Torres . The team's backstops will be two Velezuelans Gabriel Lino and Willians Astudillo along with Jose Mayorga of Panama. The Lakewood pitching staff will also feature Alejandro Arteaga , Tyler Buckley , Ranfi Casimiro , Cody Forsythe , Ulises Joaquin, Shane Martin , Manny Martinez , Julio Reyes , Yacksel Rios , Keivi Rojas, Jesen Therrien and Tyler Viza

On episode 56 of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, Tug and Jay chat about the minor league promotions that stand out for the coming season, plus several Phillies transactions including the team moving on from Bobby Abreu , Mike Stutes and Kevin Frandsen . Also news related to former Phils Seth Rosin , Vance Worley and Carlos Carrasco is discussed. 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 . 

It's episode 55 of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast. On this edition of the show, former Phillies outfielder Chris Roberson phones in to talk about the 2007 division title team, his time in the minors, playing in Mexico, who he looks up to from his time with the Phils and plenty more. Tug and Jay also talk about Jimmy Rollins ' negative vibe lately and Tug's new gig as the team photographer for the Double-A Reading Fightins. 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 . 

Click the image for a closer look at the latest Phils minor league workout groups.

Franco (center) keeps things loose with teammates, Image- Jay Floyd Since he arrived in North America, third baseman Maikel Franco has put his skills with the bat on display. An outstanding offensive campaign last year made him the buzz name in the Phillies' organization and has landed him in the top spot among the club's promising crop of upcoming prospects. Signed as an amateur free agent by the Phillies in 2010, Franco would make his professional debut with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies that same year. As a 17-year-old, he posted respectable numbers, with a line of .222/.292/.330 in 51 games. A year later, the righty hitting Franco began the season in extended spring training and later competed with the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters. Franco looked great against New York-Penn League competition, posting a .274/.339/.389 line while driving in 28 runs in 42 games before earning a promotion to Class A Lakewood. In the South Atlantic

In recent years, Jesse Biddle has become the prospect that Phillies fans have heard the most about. This year though, the hometown kid may go from highly touted prospect to major league rookie and the stuff that Philadelphia faithful have heard will be on display at the top level of the sport every five days. Upon signing his first pro contract, Biddle quickly made his minor league debut, beginning his journey toward donning the uniform of the team he cheered on from the seats of Citizens Bank Park all throughout his teenage years. The graduate of Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia combined to post a 4-1 record with a 3.92 ERA and a .241 batting average against in 12 starts with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies and the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters in 2010. The following year, Biddle became an All-Star in the Class A South Atlantic League as a member of the Lakewood BlueClaws. As the team's most dependable starter through much of the seaso

Jesse Biddle, Image- Jay Floyd We continue on with our running series of interviews with top Phils pitching prospect Jesse Biddle , whose time with the big league team in spring training came to a close last week when he was reassigned to the minors. Biddle, who was the Phils' top draft choice (27th overall) in 2010, represented the organization in the MLB All-Star Futures Game last year. Now, Biddle is setting his sights on a 2014 big league debut and has tried to absorb as much as he can in order to get better each day. In Grapefruit League action, Biddle allowed four earned runs in three innings over two appearances. After his first spring start this week, Biddle provided his thoughts on several topics including the type of feedback he was given upon being sent down, his feelings on his time in big league camp, who he learned from and much more. Read ahead for the latest from Jesse. Sharing his thoughts on being reassigned to minor league spring training last week.

JP Crawford, Image- Jay Floyd Equipped with big-time athleticism, a strong baseball IQ and all the right on-field tools, J.P. Crawford joined the Phillies system last year and quickly proved to be among the organization's best prospects. Drafted in the opening round of last year's amateur draft, Crawford looked sharp and put himself on the map as a fast rising talent in baseball. Last year, Crawford posted great numbers at Lakewood High School in California, batting .432 in 25 games during his senior season and he stands as the school's all-time leader in hits and runs scored at a school that also produced former Phillies 1st round draft choice Travis d'Arnaud . Upon signing his first pro contract and making his minor league debut as an 18-year-old with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies, Crawford was very impressive. He lead the GCL in batting for a considerable stretch and posted a .345 average with a homer, 19 RBI and 12 stolen bases through 39 game

Chace Numata, Image- Jay Floyd Just a few quick notes on some injuries throughout minor league camp… Catcher Chace Numata confirmed with me today that he will miss at least a few months following a fractured hamate and surgery to repair triangular fibrocartilage in his left wrist. The 21-year-old Hawaiian was a South Atlantic League All-Star for Class A Lakewood last season, posting a .231/.307/.305 line in 94 contests. Third baseman Mitch Walding is on the shelf as he continues to deal with the rib issue that shortened his season last summer. Walding was dealing with a misdiagnosed fracture when he suffered a more severe break while getting off the couch in the Lakewood locker room last August. Walding told me today that he is scheduled for surgery to fully remove the rib and is likely to miss at least six weeks. The 21-year-old was the Phils’ 5th round draft pick in 2011. Outfielder Jiwan James , who missed a considerable portion of last season following knee surgery,

Cesar Hernandez, image- Jay Floyd Signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent at the age of 16 in 2006, Cesar Hernandez swiftly proved himself as a capable prospect that had quite a future in baseball. Last year, the young Venezuelan was honored as a Triple-A All-Star and made his big league debut. This year, he'll be doing everything in his power to earn another chance to compete at the top level of the sport. Hernandez, a switch-hitter, made his professional debut with the Phillies' Venezuelan Summer League team in 2007. In two seasons there, he tallied a .296 batting average with three home runs and 45 RBI in 114 games. He followed that effort with a campaign in which he batted .267 with five doubles and a triple in 41 games for the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2009. The following season, with the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters, Hernandez was voted as the Most Valuable Player of the club by his teammates and was a New York-Penn Leag

Here's a quick look at the Phillies minor league workout groups. With some players sent down from big league camp this weekend, this will surely be updated soon. Click the image to enlarge the listings, which includes injured players in red.

Add caption It took Kelly Dugan about four years to show and prove why he was once the Phillies' top draft choice (2nd round, 2009). An excellent campaign in 2013 has many believing that the young outfielder could be close to helping the team at the big league level. Much hype surrounded Kelly upon being drafted to the Phillies, as an image of him on the set of his director father Dennis Dugan's film Grown Ups , with many of Hollywood's comedy elite, made the rounds. In the years that followed, Dugan dealt with a series of injury concerns that kept the 6-foot-3-inch 195-pounder from fully establishing himself as a potential rising star. Dugan would debut with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2009, after signing his first professional contract, posting a .233 average with eight doubles, a triple and eight RBI in 45 games. The following year, with the GCL team and short-season Class A Williamsport, Dugan sported a .366 average with a homer and eight RBI in 28 co

Tug and Jay are back with the 54th edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast.  On this episode the guys are joined by longtime Phillies and Eagles Public Address Announcer Dan Baker, who chats about being the most tenured announcer in MLB, his roots in sports, how ingrained his family is in Philadelphia athletics, his various other gigs and so much more.  The guys also talk about Tug's "Casual Fan" tour of three years ago, Phillies spring training among other subjects. 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 . 

After a season in which Ethan Martin made his big league debut, the Phillies entered spring training with hopes that the young righty hurler would show enough in camp to prove they could rely on him as a contributor this year. After experiencing discomfort in his throwing shoulder recently, not only where he'll pitch this season, but also how much he'll be able to pitch is unclear. Diagnosed with a strained capsule and a strained triceps, the 24-year-old Martin has been shut down. Ordered to rest for three weeks, the Georgia native will be re-evaluated following the down time. Several months back, the Phils' 2012 top draft selection Shane Watson , another right-handed pitcher, was diagnosed with a similar capsule injury and prescribed rest as well. Watson required surgery to repair the issue when rehab did not have great results. Originally selected by Los Angeles in the 1st round (15th overall) in the 2008 amateur draft out of Stephens County High School (GA), whe

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.  I've been chasing the powers that be to put the planned segments together as web content for the better part of six months, since the minor league season ended. While nearly all of that footage is likely to never be seen, I did come across a pair of digital files and put together this two-minute segment featuring Phillies third baseman Cody Asche . The 23-year-old University of Nebraska product, Asche, was a 4th round draft pick by the Phils in 2011. Since then, Asche proved to be a rising star and made his major league debut with the Phillies last summer, posting a .235 average with five home runs and 22 RBI in 50 games in the bigs. Check out the media player below to see this never-before-released interview with Cody, as he answers silly questions that didn&#