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Zach Green, image- Jay Floyd Zach Green entered the 2014 season as one of the Phillies' fastest rising prospects. The swift ascension was halted though, as the 20-year-old third baseman had a difficult go of things early last year and was sidelined with a hip injury, playing hurt for much of the season. After being drafted in the 3rd round in 2012, the six-foot-three 210-pounder notched a .284 average with three homers and 21 RBI in 47 games for the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies. He followed up that season with an All-Star campaign in the Class A short-season New York-Penn League, posting a .252 average with a league-leading 13 home runs and 41 RBI in 74 games for Williamsport. This year the righty batting Green missed roughly seven weeks with the ailment that limited his range for the entire season. When the hip issue became too painful to play with in April, the California native was sporting a .219/.293/.260 slash line. After he returned to action in June

L ast June, Aaron Nola was selected 7th overall in the MLB amateur draft by the Phillies. Just months later, he is widley considered one of the organization's most promising prospects. After sporting an 11-1 record and a 1.47 ERA and being named a collegiate First Team All-American at Louisiana State University this year, the righty went on to post a 4-3 record as well as a 2.93 ERA along with 45 strike outs and 10 walks in 55 1/3 innings over 12 professional appearances. Nola, 21, is working hard this winter to improve what already is an exceptional arm. Recently, I spoke with the six-foot-one 195-pounder about his efforts this off-season, working with his brother and plenty more. Read ahead for that full interview. -How have you been keeping busy this off-season? I've just been hanging out and doing little hunting and fishing trips. Kind of just keeping my mind off of baseball for some time, but now that I've started throwing again a couple weeks ago, I

Matt Imhof, photo editing- Eric Floyd Everybody loves the holidays and baseball players are certainly no different. Each year at Christmas time, I survey a group of Phillies prospects about what they get excited for during the holiday season. Players that took part in this year's questionnaire include 2014 second round draft selection lefty hurler Matt Imhof , this year's 7th overall pick right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola , top pick from 2012 righty pitcher Shane Watson , second baseman Andrew Pullin , righty pitcher Tyler Viza as well as third baseman Zach Green . Questions and answers detailing each player’s holly jolly holiday favorites are ahead… What is your favorite holiday movie or TV show? Imhof- I've always been a big fan of Charlie Brown Christmas. That's a huge one for me. I watch it every year. I've watched it ever since I was little. It's a tradition in the Imhof household. We all get together and watch it. Nola- Favorite holida

Baseball goes year-round.  All across the globe, Phillies players are in action and we've got the rundown on how they are performing.  Read ahead for all the details. Venezuelan Winter League- Willians Astudillo , a corner infielder and backstop who has been playing a lot of outfield of late, is batting .314 with a homer and four RBI in nine games for Anzoategui. The 23-year-old was the catalyst for the Class A Lakewood team this year, where he finished second in the South Atlantic League with a .333 average. Odubel Herrera , who was selected by the Phillies in this month's Rule 5 draft, leads the Venezuelan Winter League in average with a .373 mark.  He has also mashed five homers, driven in 25 runs and stolen seven bases in 52 games for La Guaira.  The 22-year-old played second base primarily in the regular season at Double-A Frisco, but has been playing center field in the VWL. Infielder/outfielder Cesar Hernandez is batting .307 with seven doubles, 15

Andrew Pullin, image- Jay Floyd Andrew Pullin put himself on the radar last season with a solid year at Class A Lakewood. The 21-year-old posted a .270 average with nine home runs and 61 RBI in 129 games for the BlueClaws. A converted outfielder, the Phils' 5th round draft choice from 2012 focused on learning the ways of the infield, in the past couple seasons, and he has become a steady second baseman, impressing the organization's coaches and scouts alike. I caught up with the six-foot 185-pounder this week. The Washington state native provided details on his fall/winter workout routine, how he's keeping busy this off-season and more. -What is your current workout routine like and is it mandated by the Phillies? Yeah. I mostly do the Phillies routine but I also like to swim for a workout and I do speed training drills. -Is there a goal you have in mind with what you are working on? Anything you're looking to do like add muscle or stamina this off-s

Tyler Viza, image- Jay Floyd Righty hurler Tyler Viza had a noteworthy season in his first full year in the pro ranks in 2014. After being the Phillies' 32nd round draft choice in 2013 and posting a 1-0 record with a 1.41 ERA in 12 games with the rookie level Gulf Coast League team, the Arizona native dealt with considerable struggles this year. Notching Class A Lakewood's all-time record for losses, with his 3-17 record, the six-foot-three 170-pounder held tough, sticking in the BlueClaws' rotation for the full campaign, sporting a 5.29 ERA with 80 strike outs and 24 walks issued in 126 innings pitched over 24 starts. Not discouraged by the infamous achievement, the 20-year-old is looking forward to a fresh start in the upcoming season and has been focused to stay in shape and improve during the fall and winter months. This week, I spoke with Viza about how he's maintaining his conditioning, how he feels about last season in retrospect and more. Read ahead

On the 73rd edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast Tug and Jay are joined by lefty pitching prospect Matt Imhof , who was the Phillies' 2nd round draft choice this year. Additionally, the guys talk about the Phils' rebuild mode kicked off by the team trading former National League MVP Jimmy Rollins and what Rollins', as well as other core team members', places in team history should be. Wondering if Cole Hamels is next to go and the organization's cranky fan base are also a topics of discussion. 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 .

At long last, it was announced on Thursday what the Phillies would obtain in return for franchise all-time hits leader Jimmy Rollins . Righty pitcher Zach Eflin and lefty Tom Windle are the players headed east. On Wednesday, news leaked that the Phillies and Dodgers agreed on a deal for the three-time All-Star and 2007 National League most valuable player, Rollins, but it wasn't know what the Phils would get in the swap for close to 24 hours. The 20-year-old Eflin was the Padres' first round draft choice (33rd overall) in 2012 and had just been acquired from San Diego in the deal for Matt Kemp . With Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore this year, Eflin, who stands six-foot-four and weighs 200 pounds, tallied a 10-7 record along with a 3.80 ERA and a 6.5 K/9 mark in 24 starts. Scouts like Eflin's excellent change up and his fastball sits in the low 90's with potential to increase. His pitch menu also includes a slider. Windle, a six-foot-four 215-pounder, was the

Odubel Herrera In the major league portion of the yearly Rule 5 draft that took place this morning at the MLB Winter Meetings, the Phillies selected 2B/SS Odubel Herrera from the Texas Rangers and lefty hurler Andy Oliver from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Each player must remain on the Phillies' big league roster for the entire 2015 season or would have to be offered back to the team they were selected from. Last season combined at Class A Advanced and Double-A in the minors, the 22-year-old posted a .315/.383/.388 slash line with 21 steals in 125 games. He has played 135 of his 574 pro games at the position that is of most concern with the reported trade of Jimmy Rollins , shortstop. Defensively, it is said that Herrera has some progress to make with the glove, but with 10 games played in the outfield last year, he touts the versatility that enhances his value as a bench player, if the Phils are to keep him on their roster next year. Currently playing in the Venezuelan W

The MLB Winter Meetings haven't resulted in much excitement for Phillies fans thus far, but Thursday's Rule 5 draft could have some bearing on the team's near future, if the Phils have their way. Phillies Rule 5 selections in recent years that ended up being returned to their original teams include Ender Inciarte (2012) and Kevin Munson (2013). Players that remained with the Phils for the entire following season in recent years include Michael Martinez (2010) and David Herndon (2009). Righty hurler Seth Rosin was taken from the Phillies in last December's Rule 5 draft and was returned to the organization after officially being property of three different teams in the interim time. Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft when they are not on their major league organization's 40 man roster and 1) were signed to a contract at age 19 or older and have been in that organization for four years, OR 2) were signed at age 18 or younger and have bee

Once again, we're back with another weekly rundown of how Phillies players are performing in fall and winter leagues around the globe. Read ahead for all the latest stats and updates. Venezuelan Winter League- Cesar Hernandez, image- Jay Floyd After going 17-for-37 (.459 avg) in his last nine games, infielder Cesar Hernandez is batting .356 with five doubles, 13 RBI and three stolen bases for Lara. In 66 games with the Phillies this year, the 24-year-old switch-hitter batted .237 with a homer, four RBI and a stolen base. Catcher Gabriel Lino is batting .265 with five doubles, four RBI in 19 games for Lara. The 21-year-old, who was acquired from Baltimore in the 2012 Jim Thome trade, played in 90 combined games with Class A Lakewood and Class A Advanced Clearwater this year, posting a combined .215 average with five home runs and 34 RBI. In 13 appearances (six starts) with Lara, lefty hurler Cesar Jimenez has a 2-4 record with a 3.48 ERA while striking out 29 and w