Skip to main content

Minor League Notes: Hot and Cold List

Here's a brief rundown of some top performers and some that aren't doing too well from throughout the Phillies developmental levels, in no particular order.


Double-A Reading Fightins-

Who's hot...

Tommy Joseph, Image- Jay Floyd
Catcher Tommy Joseph, who was batting .359 with four home runs and 13 RBI in his last 10 games, left Friday's game with a left wrist issue. The 22-year-old sat out Saturday and wore a brace on the ailing joint. Jose Mayorga, who was with Lakewood last week, was with the Reading team on Saturday, seemingly in case further evaluation on the often injured Joseph results in another trip to the disabled list.

Infielder Cesar Hernandez is staying hot at the plate while he adapts to third base in the Eastern League. With two hits in a game that was suspended due to rain on Saturday, the Venezuela native who turns 24-years-old later this month, extended his hitting streak to nine games. He's batting .455 during that stretch. Overall in 24 contests at Reading, the switch hitting youngster is sporting a .355 average with three homers and 14 RBI.

Despite taking the loss in his most recent outing (5 1/3 IP, 5R/3ER, 6K, 3BB) on Friday in Trenton, Jesse Biddle's numbers still look solid this season. In eight starts, the lefty sports a 3-4 record with a 3.63 ERA, a 10.28 K/9 mark and a .224 batting average against.

Who's not...

Outfielder Anthony Hewitt, the Phillies' top draft pick (24th overall) from 2008, looks outmatched in the Eastern League this year. The 25-year-old is 3-for-31 (.097 avg) in his last eight games and is batting just .138 overall in 21 contests. In 116 games with Reading last year, Hewitt posted a .244/.296/.430 slash line.


Class A Lakewood BlueClaws-

Who's hot...

Shortstop J.P. Crawford can't be stopped lately. The 19-year-old went 3-for-3 on Saturday night to extend his hitting streak (batting .442 in that stretch) to 11 games while bringing his season average to .339. The lefty batting Crawford was the Phils' top draft pick (16th overall) last year.

Who's not...

Well regarded catching prospect Deivi Grullon hasn't had too much luck at the plate since joining the BlueClaws. The righty batting 18-year-old sports a .161 average with a home run and four RBI through nine games. Grullon, a native of the Dominican Republic, posted a .273/.333/.364 line in 41 games in the Gulf Coast League last season.


Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers-

Who's hot...

Outfielder Peter Lavin notched a four-hit game on Saturday to take his hitting streak to eight games. In his past 10 contests, the Phils' 20th round pick from 2011 has tallied a .429 average with three home runs and six RBI. Overall, in 31 games, the 26-year-old is batting .320 with five homers, 15 RBI and five steals.

Nothing too hot here, but rehabbing Phils slugger Darin Ruf is 3-for-12 with three RBI in three games with the Threshers. The 27-year-old has missed time with an oblique strain.

Who's not...

Catcher Andrew Knapp, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, has been getting game action in the designated hitter role and has not played defense for Clearwater. Through four games, last year's 2nd round draft pick is 1-for-14 (.071 avg).


Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs-

Who's hot...

Catcher Sebastian Valle, who is sharing playing time behind the plate with Koyie Hill as of late, is 4-for-11 with two homers and seven RBI in his last three games. Through nine games with the Pigs, the 23-year-old has a .276/.281/.586 line.

Who's not...

In his last two appearances, righty reliever Phillippe Aumont has allowed six earned runs in two innings, while walking five and striking out four. Through 11 outings with the Pigs, the 25-year-old has a 0-1 record along with a 5.93 ERA while striking out 17 and walking 15 in 13 2/3 innings.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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