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From time to time I'll post video clips of rising prospects in action or doing pregame work. This round of clips features bullpen footage of Class A Lakewood hurlers Yacksel Rios and Yoel Mecias . Rios, a righty, sports a fastball that has regularly been clocked at 91-92 MPH this season and features nice movement, a quality change up that registers in the low 80's and an improving slider that sits in the upper 80's. BlueClaws pitching coach Les Lancaster asserts that opposing batters generally don't often get good swings against the 21-year-old Puerto Rican, as he hides the ball well with his wind up. Rios was the Phils' 12th round draft choice in 2011. After beginning the season in the Lakewood bullpen, Rios has notched a 3-0 record with a 3.76 ERA in eight starts. Mecias, a left-hander, is a well touted pitching prospect for the Phillies that is bouncing back after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer. The 20-year-old Venezuelan sports a low 90...

In this round of exclusive quotes from the Class A Lakewood locker room, I talked with this year's second round draft pick Matt Imhof about working with a new catcher after joining the BlueClaws recently, his boost in social networking popularity after being selected by the Phillies and plenty more. Also, I spoke with Lakewood manager Greg Legg about the progress of outfielder Dylan Cozens as well as the contributions of "the Andrews", Andrew Pullin and Andrew Knapp . Pitching coach Les Lancaster shared some thoughts on righty hurler Ranfi Casimiro as well. From my interview with Imhof (check out the feature by clicking HERE , if you missed it) the 20-year-old talked about his surge in online followers after he was drafted- I got a lot of text messages. I think I got 400 (new) followers on Twitter in about an hour.  It was awesome. It kind of takes a while to set in. You go to bed and you don't really feel any different and then the next day, you...

Yoel Mecias, Image- Jay Floyd As prevalent as reconstructive elbow surgery has become for baseball players, it just comes with the territory, if you ask Phillies lefty pitching prospect Yoel Mecias . The Venezuela native was an All-Star last year for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws when the team hosted the South Atlantic League's annual showcase of its top players. As a 19-year-old Mecias was impressive, posting a 4-3 record with a 3.79 ERA with 70 strike outs in 57 innings through 13 outings (11 starts) in 2013 for the 'Claws, prior to being sidelined with an elbow issue that resulted in Tommy John surgery. As a rising prospect that had begun garnering plenty of attention throughout the Sally League, Mecias was disappointed to have his breakout campaign cut short, but he didn't let the negative feeling settle in too deeply. "In the beginning the injury was hard on me, but I knew it was all mental. I just tried to take that away. For me, I just had to be pa...

Matt Imhof, Image- MiLB.com When lefty pitcher Matt Imhof was drafted by the Phillies with the 47th overall pick this year, it came as a surprise to the young hurler. The transition to the professional ranks isn't something that has surprised the 20-year-old though, as he feels he knew exactly what to expect. The Cal Poly product took time after the draft to wrap up his final exams, then headed straight to Philadelphia to sign with the Phils, who weren't really on his personal radar as a team that might select him in the draft until minutes before the pick was announced. "We were watching from the first pick and I got a call from my advisor at, like, pick 45 and he said, 'The Phillies are going to pick you at 47.' I got that call and let my family know and pick 47 came up and my name flashed across the screen and everyone stood up and screamed and my dad knocked a chair over," an excited Imhof explained. "There was a level of surprise. I did...

We're back with another rundown of top performers from the Phillies' developmental ranks, with some less than stellar performers mixed in for good measure. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs... Tyler Henson with coach Mickey Morandini Infielder Tyler Henson is batting .448 with a home run and eight RBI over his last 10 games played. In 90 games this season, the 26-year-old sports a .282 average with six homers and 36 RBI. 3B/1B Maikel Franco has tallied a .365 batting average with nine doubles, two triples, a homer and 15 RBI in 15 games played this month. Franco went 0-for-2 in last week's All-Star Futures Game. The 21-year-old Dominican has a .236/.286/.370 overall slash line in 96 contests this season. Tyler Knigge let up 10 earned runs over five innings (18.00 ERA) in his most recent four games with the Pigs. The troublesome stretch earned Knigge a demotion back to Double-A Reading this weekend. The 25-year-old sported a 2.69 ERA in his first 11 Tripl...

Last weekend I spoke with catcher Andrew Knapp , who has been one of the most steady bats in the Class A Lakewood lineup for the second half of the South Atlantic League season. Knapp, at the time, was at the tail end of a 15-game hitting streak, and a stretch in which he hit safely in 19 of 20 games. The switch-hitting backstop had Tommy John surgery over the off-season and began playing defense about four weeks ago, when the BlueClaws returned from the All-Star break. Prior to that, Knapp had strictly been used as a designated hitter this season. Through 40 games with Lakewood, the six-foot-one 190-pounder has posted a .270 average along with four home runs and 16 RBI. Knapp, who was a 2nd round draft pick by the Phillies last year, spoke with me about his recent success at the plate, how the comfort that comes with playing both side of the game helps him as well as some members of the pitching staff he gets to guide. -On the topic of his recent hot streak... I haven...

While big leaguers and the top two levels of the minors were on their All-Star breaks, the Phillies Nation crew continued their season.  In the 17th edition of this season's PNTV, Pat and Corey discuss the MLB All-Star rosters and nominate their mid-season award winners.  Meanwhile, Jay caught up with top prospect Maikel Franco , who pledged to the Phillies fan base that his offense was about to turn around.  Former Phils hurler Tommy Greene also joins the crew for his weekly coaching segment.  Natalie and Ryann also appear with fan questions. Check out this week's episode in the media player below and catch new episodes each week at 6PM on The Comcast Network with replays throughout the week on TCN and Comcast Sportsnet.

Matt Hockenberry, Image- BlueClaws.com Selected in the 9th round on this year's amateur draft, Temple University product Matt Hockenberry was ready for the challenge of pitching in the professional ranks. Never one to back down from a challenge, the 22-year-old has been focused on proving himself worthy of being a day two pick. Thus far in eight games in the minors, the six-foot-three 220-pound righty has tallied a 1-0 record with a save and a 3.95 ERA with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies and with Class A Lakewood. I talked with Matt over the weekend. The Hanover, PA native shared his extensive thoughts on his draft experience, adjusting to the professional ranks, the support he's gotten, learning to throw a change up from Cole Hamels and plenty more. Read ahead for that full interview. -The Phils drafted you in the 9th round just about a month ago. What was your draft experience like? How were you tracking it? I was tracking it on my phone and I...

JP Crawford, Image- Jay Floyd Two Phillies prospects participated in this weekend's 16th annual MLB All-Star Futures Game. In Team USA's 3-2 victory over Team World on Sunday, shortstop J.P. Crawford went 1-for-2 with a single and a stolen base for the winners. Third baseman Maikel Franco went 0-for-2, including a fly out with a runner on base for the final out of the game for the losing squad. The contest was nationally televised. Crawford has tallied a .235 average with four homers and eight RBI in 21 games since he was promoted to Class A Advanced Clearwater. The lefty batting 19-year-old was an All-Star this season with Class A Lakewood, sporting a .295/.398/.405 slash line in 60 games in the South Atlantic League. Scouts are very high on Crawford's skills and it's likely he'll begin popping up near the top of national prospect rankings before long. Franco, began the season with some struggles, but has heated up as of late. After pledging to fa...

Three's a crowd, Buster...Image- Jay Floyd For one New Jersey couple a unique meeting at the ballpark led to a new meaning for the term baseball diamond. Brian Parker spotted the woman of his dreams from the bullpen bench at Lakewood, NJ's FirstEnergy Park on July 9th, 2010. The right-handed reliever for the Orioles affiliate Delmarva Shorebirds wasn't summoned to pitch that night, but it didn't stop him from getting up and going through his usual warm up and stretching routines to inch closer to a young blonde Brick Township native that he felt drawn toward. "I was acting like I was staying hot, but really I was just trying to talk to her," Parker, a 19th round draft choice by Baltimore in 2007, stated. "I ended up putting my (phone) number on a baseball and we decided to hang out and throughout that whole next year it was back and forth trips between the both of us." The lady that caught Parker's eye was Kristin VanDeventer, who was ...

Prior to Class A Lakewood's home contest against Delmarva on Friday, I talked with pitching coach Les Lancaster about several hurlers on the BlueClaws' pitching staff. Lancaster, who pitched seven season in the majors with the Cubs, Tigers and Cardinals, joined the Phillies as a coach in 2011 after managing in the independent leagues for 11 seasons. Pitchers discussed by Lancaster were right-hander Yacksel Rios , who sports a 2-0 record with a 3.52 ERA and a .198 batting average against in six starts since joining the 'Claws' rotation, 19-year-old Tyler Viza and his progress this season, Temple product Matt Hockenberry , last year's 24th round pick righy Will Morris , injured starter Drew Anderson , righty closer Ulises Joaquin and the returning 2013 BlueClaws All-Star Yoel Mecias , who is fresh off Tommy John surgery. Read ahead for Lancaster's comments on the listed topics. Yacksel Rios- Yacksel Rios, Image- Jay Floyd Yeah, Yacksel, I had him...

Tyler Knigge, Image- Jay Floyd Being one step away from the big leagues is a scenario that applies to many prospects. For Lehigh Valley reliever Tyler Knigge, what's ahead isn't as important as where he is right now. A solid outlook and firm understanding of the business have helped Knigge patiently develop his abilities in the minors. With a bit more time, he'll be able to reach the top level of the sport he has played for as long as he can recall. Since his promotion to the Triple-A level last month, the 25-year-old righty hurler has been one of the IronPigs' most reliable contributors, sporting a 1-1 record with a 3.66 ERA while striking out 17 and walking only one in 19 2/3 innings. As the set up man with Double-A Reading earlier this season, Knigge notched a 3-0 record with three saves and a 2.12 ERA in 17 contests, to earn a promotion. A deeper trust in his offerings has been the difference this season for the six-foot-four 215-pounder. Knigge, who was...

Three players will represent Reading in the Double-A Eastern League's All-Star Game later this month in Curve, PA. Infielders Carlos Alonso and Albert Cartwright along with lefty hurler Hoby Milner were honored and will participate in the annual event on July 15-16. Carlos Alonso, Image- Jay Floyd Alonso, a minor league Gold Glove winner last season, is batting .271 with eight homers and 25 RBI in 77 games this year. The 26-year-old University of Delaware product was a 32nd round pick by the Phillies in 2010. Cartwright, who also dabbles in the outfield, sports a .257 average with three home runs, 12 RBI and 15 steals in 71 games this year. The 26-year-old was also an All-Star last season with Reading. Milner sports a 5-5 record with a 4.55 ERA and a .252 batting average against in 16 starts. The 23-year-old University of Texas product was a 7th round draft choice in 2012 by the Phillies. The Altoona Curve, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, will host the 20...

Here's a quick stroll through the Phillies' developmental ranks, reviewing some hot and cold performers of late. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs- Maikel Franco, Image- Jay Floyd Third baseman Maikel Franco has collected nine hits in three games played this month, batting .529 with two doubles, a triple and a homer during those few games. The 21-year-old righty batter sports a .226/.280/.351 line through 81 games this season.  Franco entered this season widely ranked as the Phillies' top prospect.  Tune into this week's Phillies Nation TV, Tuesday at 6 P.M.on The Comcast Network, for an exclusive interview with the young Dominican. OF Grady Sizemore has looked great since joining the Phils' organization. The 31-year-old lefty batter has hit safely in all seven games played with the 'Pigs heading into Sunday. He is batting .303 with a home run and an RBI. Newly signed right-handed pitcher Jason Marquis has allowed one earned run in 18 innings of ...

Ethan Martin, Image- Jay Floyd Two weeks between outings last month was not wasted by righty hurler Ethan Martin . Sitting in the Phillies' bullpen allowed the 25-year-old plenty of time to watch and learn. As the Phillies' long man for a short stretch in June, the 25-year-old appeared in two games. He then waited for a chance to take the mound and face live competition once again, working on the side and staying prepared. The Phillies' starting pitchers averaged nearly seven innings per outing over the 15 games that occured from when Martin, a right-hander, last appeared in a big league game on June 7th till when he was reassigned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on June 23rd. The club's bullpen mainstays, namely Jonathan Papelbon , Antonio Bastardo , Mario Hollands , Jake Diekman and Justin De Fratus , tallied a 0.62 ERA in that same time frame, covering 30 total appearances. There was nowhere for Martin, who the Phillies acquired in the 2012 Shane Victorin...

This past weekend I spoke with the coaching staff in Lehigh Valley about several players on the Triple-A IronPigs roster. Check out what skipper Dave Brundage and pitching coach Ray Burris had to say about several hurlers on their team's roster. Jason Marquis, Image- Jay Floyd -Brundage on the game plan going forward for RHP Jason Marquis , who has allowed one earned run in 11 innings over two starts in the minors since the Phillies signed him this month. I don't know. You're talking to the wrong guy. If I was the G.M., or if I was the big league manager, maybe I'd have a different answer. We're gonna run him out there every 5th day and we'll see what we have. I'm sure (the Phillies) were watching they have a pretty good idea of what they got to see. His stuff was a little bit better than what I thought. Then again, he's just been pitching down in extended spring. (Friday) he gets to come up, in front of a bigger crowd and with some adren...