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On Friday night, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs opened a weekend series in Charlotte against the Chicago White Sox Triple-A affiliate. The Knights' Matt Tuiasosopo launched two home runs off of IronPigs' starting pitcher Adam Morgan , including a first inning grand slam to help the home club notch a 7-5 victory. Morgan, the Phillies' third round draft choice from 2011, fell to a troublesome 0-5 on the season. After an April in which he sported a 3.74 ERA, the 25-year-old struggled in May, tallying a 6.40 ERA in his last six outings. With the loss, the IronPigs fell to 19-31 on the season, which is the second worst record in the International League. Earlier in the day, the 'Pigs lost their starting left fielder Cody Asche , who was promoted to the big league team, which was nearly no-hit by Chad Bettis and the Rockies by night's end. As bad as all that sounds, the game wasn't entirely bad because the stadium video board caught the fan pictured below making

JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd If there weren't enough reasons to see the Double-A Reading Fightins, fans may have just gotten the one that will put that decision over the top. Top Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford has been promoted to Double-A Reading. After starting the season on the disabled list due to a strained oblique, the 20-year-old has been dominating the Class A Advanced Florida State League, batting .392 in 21 games for the Clearwater Threshers. The lefty batting Crawford was the Phils' top draft selection (16th overall) in 2013. Last year, in his first full pro season, the six-foot-two 180-pounder sported a .285/375/.406 slash line with 24 stolen bases in 123 combined games at Class A Lakewood and with Clearwater. Crawford acknowledged the move via his Twitter account shortly after the news was announced. Making moves😈 not done yet tho. Stay humble and stay hungry ✊🏾 — jp crawford (@jp_crawford) May 30, 2015 Reading is chock full of prospects this s

Cody Asche, image- Jay Floyd Underachieving outfielder Grady Sizemore was designated for assignment to clear room for Cody Asche to return to the big league roster after working to become more versatile defensively in recent weeks. Sizemore, a veteran of nine big league seasons, sported a .245 average with five doubles and six RBI in 39 games with the Phillies this season. The 32-year-old was a three-time All-Star with Cleveland from 2006 to 2008 and is a former Gold Glove winner. The 24-year-old, Asche, posted a .295 average with three doubles, a home run and three RBI in 15 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley since his demotion to learn how to play left field. On defense, the Phils' 4th round draft choice from 2011 converted 23 of 24 catches. As a member of the big league roster earlier this season, Asche batted .245 with two homers and four RBI in 30 games. Asche is expected be in the team's lineup at home in Philadelphia as they begin a weekend series with Color

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd The six-man rotation that has been so reliable for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws this season is facing a possible shake up in the coming week. Barring any weather disruptions, the BlueClaws will play their 50th game of the season on Tuesday. That's also the day the Phillies' 2012 first round draft pick, Shane Watson , who is serving a 50-game suspension due to a positive banned substance test, will make his last scheduled rehab start for the organization's extended spring training team. Watson, a right-hander, is on his way back from his second shoulder surgery and had his most recent outing on Thursday. Facing the Pirates' extended spring team, the 21-year-old threw four innings, notching two strike outs and surrendering one run. Additionally, Watson picked a runner off first base and saw his fastball velocity range from 88-93 MPH. It was Watson's first game throwing all three of his offerings. As he has increased his i

Here's another dose of the Phillies minor league hot list as we rundown the organization's top performers of late from the various levels of the developmental system. Class A Lakewood BlueClaws- Ranfi Casimiro, image- Jay Floyd In his last five starts, righty pitcher Ranfi Casimiro has a 2-1 record with a 1.00 ERA. Listed at six-foot-eight and 200 pounds, Casimiro has a 2-3 record with a 2.74 ERA, a .217 batting average against and a 0.94 WHIP in seven starts this year. The Dominican Republic native is 22 years old. Outfielder Herlis Rodriguez has notched three straight muti-hit games and is batting .322 in 15 May games. The 20-year-old Venezuelan has posted a .257 average with two homers, 18 RBI and six steals in 32 overall games this season. Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers- Righty pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. is 2-0 with a 1.01 ERA in four outings since joining the Threshers' rotation. Overall in 10 games, the 24-year-old has a 3-0 record with a sav

Fox with Reading in 2014, image- Tug Haines Local minor league fans may have been surprised not to see former Phillies farm hand Jake Fox visiting with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in Reading this week. The faithful Jake Fox Nation barely had enough time to catch on to which organization the veteran had jumped to this season, before Fox switched teams again, ditching the States for Korea. The 32-year-old is the type of player that makes and keeps fans where ever he goes. A one-time 3rd round draft pick of the Cubs, Fox made it to the majors in Chicago and with Baltimore. He has also played in the Dominican Winter League as well as in Mexico, where he was nicknamed "El Sangre" (The Blood), and in the independent Atlantic League. All the while, he's made fans that root for him no matter what uniform he dons, as they travel to see him in different cities when they can. During his second stint with the Phillies' organization last year, the Indiana native pos

Tug and Jay are back with the latest edition on the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast. On the 77th edition of the show, the guys talk about Jake Fox 's transition to Korea, Mark Leiter Jr.'s, Brandon Leibrandt 's and J.P. Crawford 's excellent efforts for Clearwater as well as Carlos Tocci posting terrific numbers in the Sally League. Reading slugger Art Charles joins the show for the segment Nine Silly-ass Questions, plus Marlins pitching prospect Ben Holmes (AKA Ben Wetzler) takes time to answer questions about the Phillies reporting him to the NCAA for having an agent represent him at the negotiation table in 2013. 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 . Thanks so much to the thousands of you that listen to each episode. We appreciate you.

Aaron Nola, image- Jay Floyd Top Phillies pitching prospect Aaron Nola continued to mow down the competition in the Double-A Eastern League on Wednesday, throwing seven scoreless frames for the Reading Fightins. With Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr and special advisor Pat Gillick in the house at FirstEnergy Stadium to view the outing, according to the Reading Eagle’s Mike Drago, the 21-year-old righty struck out seven, walked one and allowed four hits. On the season, Nola, who was drafted 7th overall last year, sports a 1.54 ERA in eight starts for Reading in 2015. Last year, after signing his first pro deal, the LSU product sported a 4-3 record with a 2.93 ERA and a .240 batting average against in 12 appearances (11 starts) at three levels. Reading won Wednesday's contest by a score of 4-0 against New Hampshire. The victory took Nola's season record to 6-2. This post was originally published on PhilliesNation .

On the latest edition of Phillies Nation, Pat and Corey talk about the call up of 3B prospect Maikel Franco and what the team could expect from Domonic Brown . Looking toward what other players would help the big club, Rachel interviews IronPigs broadcaster Steve Degler, while Jay talks with lefty pitcher Adam Morgan . Hitting consultant Kevin Wilson also returns to the show, running down the mentality of hitting with two strikes. The gang also unveils some huge news about an upcoming addition to the PN family. To view the full episode, check out the media player below. New episodes of Phillies Nation premiere each Tuesday at 6PM on The Comcast Network.

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd Phillies righty pitching prospect Shane Watson was back on the mound on Monday, throwing four innings worth of action for the team’s extended spring training club in Clearwater, FL. Against the Yankees XST team, the 21-year-old tossed 12 outs, pitching three innings, but staying on the mound for an additional three outs, to reach his predetermined pitch count of 45. Watson, who mixed in his change up for the first time, after throwing strictly fastballs in his previous two outings, walked one, struck out one and reached 92 MPH, sitting mainly at 90 MPH. The six-foot-four 200-pounder expressed that his secondary pitch felt good, but needs a lot of work. Watson, who underwent his second shoulder surgery last year, is slated to make three more starts in the coming weeks, in an effort to stretch him out and return his arm to full strength, before he’s eligible to be activated from a 50-game suspension for a positive banned substance test. His next

Malquin Caneko, image- Jay Floyd With plenty of attention going to other players in the team's lineup, Malquin Canelo has been an underrated contributor to the Class A Lakewood offense thus far this season. Listed at five-foot-ten and 156 pounds, Canelo easily lays low, unnoticed next to over-sized teammate first baseman Rhys Hoskins , who stands six-foot-four and weighs 225 pounds while sporting a .301 average and hitting for power. Long raved about outfield prospect Carlos Tocci and his league best .366 batting average are also overshadowing Canelo's steady production. Through 31 games to start the season, the 20-year-old shortstop has tallied a .315 average with a home run, five RBI and six steals for the BlueClaws. In the top spot of Lakewood's batting order, Canelo has been a catalyst. Through action on Saturday, the Domincan native was batting .333 in 54 at bats when leading off an inning and posted an identical .333 average in 27 at bats in the first in

The Phillies announced on Friday that 3B prospect Maikel Franco has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The promotion will see the 22-year-old go from the team with the worst record in the International League to the team with the second worst record (tie) in the National League. Last September with the Phillies, the righty-batting slugger batted .179 with two doubles and five RBI in 16 games. Prior to this season, six-foot-one 215-pounder has been somewhat of a notoriously slow starter during the regular season. However, this year with the IronPigs, a more mature Franco seems to have a far better idea at the plate, is guessing less and has been putting forth great output. In his last nine games for Lehigh Valley, Franco has gone 18-for-37 (.486 average) with three home runs and 13 RBI.  The Dominican native, has tallied a .355/384/.539 slash line in 33 overall games. To see a feature on Franco from an episode of Phillies Nation, check out the media player below.

The Phillies have acquired minor league backstop Blake Forsythe from the Athletics in a trade announced on Wednesday . Oakland received cash considerations in the deal. Forsythe, 25, was originally a 3rd round draft selection of the Mets in 2010. The righty batting Tennessee product was batting .267 through five games with Triple-A Nashville this season. In 391 career games, Forsythe, who has played five games at first base and five in the outfield as a pro, sports a .226/.314/.377 slash line. He'll reportedly be assigned to Double-A Reading. The deal was necessary following an injury to Lehigh Valley catcher Tommy Joseph this week. In a corresponding move, the Phillies announced the release of righty reliever Mike Nesseth . The 27-year-old had a 0-2 record with a 5.02 ERA in eight appearances with Reading this season. Nesseth was a 17th round draft selection in 2010. This piece originally appeared on PhilliesNation.com .

Lehigh Valley IronPigs backstop Tommy Joseph was placed on the 7-day disabled list on Tuesday, diagnosed with a concussion. Tough luck for @IronPigs C Tommy Joseph, who's been placed on DL w/ another concussion. Entering season, he appeared in just 22% G past 2 yr — Matt Provence (@PigsRadio) May 12, 2015 Joseph was removed from Monday's game after being hit in the mask with a foul tip. In 20 games this season, he was batting .123 with four doubles and six RBI. The 23-year-old was acquired in 2012 from San Francisco in the deal for Hunter Pence and had played in 63 total games the past two seasons, missing time with multiple concussions and a wrist injury. This instance marks the sixth stint on the disabled list for the six-foot-one 250-pounder since joining the Phillies organization in July 2012. In an interview with Phillies Nation for a planned television segment last month, Joseph cited growing displeasure with spending so much time on the shelf. "I sig

It's your weekly rundown of top performers from the Phillies' developmental ranks with some not-so-good performers mixed in as well. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (9-23 record, last in International League North Division- worst record in the league)... Hot: Maikel Franco, image- Jay Floyd 3B Maikel Franco has continued to shine on offense, as the 22-year-old has gone 12-for-25 (.480 avg) with three homers and eight RBI in his last six games. Overall, the Dominican native has notched a .341 average with four home runs and 18 RBI in 30 games this season. RHP Phillippe Aumont sports a 1-1 record and a 1.93 ERA in three starts since joining the Pigs' rotation. In seven appearances this year, the 26-year-old has a 1.73 ERA and a .188 batting average against. Cold: Catcher Tommy Joseph is 2-for-32 (.063 avg) in his last 10 games. Overall, in 20 games this season, the 23-year-old sports a .123 average with four doubles and six RBI. Double-A Reading Fightins

Art Charles, image- Jay Floyd Across all levels of organized baseball, it would likely be impossible to find a hotter player than Reading first baseman Art Charles right now. The lefty hitting slugger wrapped up a six-game stretch on Sunday during which he went 14-for-23 (.609 avg) with five doubles, five home runs and nine RBI. Currently, the 24-yeear-old Charles leads the Double-A Eastern League in average (.400) and slugging percentage (.800), while also ranking second (tie) in on-base percentage (.442). Charles has gained more at bats lately with his recent success, as he had been splitting time in the lineup with teammate Brock Stassi , who has a league-leading 23 RBI. Time on the bench wasn't discouraging, though, as it made the California native value the chances he was getting more. "It's been a little tough, but I get my playing time," Charles said last week at Reading's FirstEnergy Stadium. "I enjoy the time I get. I've been doin

Cord Sandberg, image- Jay Floyd Lakewood outfielder Cord Sandberg is off to a quiet start this season in the Class A Sally League. The 20-year-old, through 24 games, is batting .235 with three doubles, eight RBI with a stolen base. Praised by coaches for his toolsy skill set, his leadership qualities and his professionalism, the Phillies have high hopes for the 2013 third round draft selection. Recently, I spoke with Cord about his game, his manager, his roommate and more. Read ahead for that full interview with the lefty batting Florida native, who is not related to Phils manager Ryne Sandberg. -I've heard some great feedback on you with the coaches citing you as a leader for the team. When you've the coaches really believing in you and maybe teammates looking to you, even at 20 years old, as a leader, what does that mean to you? That definitely means a lot. As far as other players looking up to me, I mean playing quarterback in high school, there are leader

This week I spoke with several members of the Double-A Reading Fightins roster. Outfielder Aaron Altherr , who spent a handful of days with the big league club last year, rising prospect Roman Quinn and 2011 second round pick Harold Martinez all took time to share their thoughts on various subjects. Read ahead for those exclusive quotes. Aaron Altherr, image- Jay Floyd Aaron Altherr: -The 24-year-old spoke about what drives him in the game... I gotta get back up there this season and hopefully I can stay up there. It drives each and every one of us. That's the ultimate goal is to get up to the big leagues and produce up there. -Commenting on which players with the big club stood out as leaving an impression on him... I always looked at Utley, the way he goes about his business. And even a younger guy like Domonic Brown , you know, he'd always come up to me and talk to me and show me the ropes. Guys like that really help you get comfortable up there and kn

Roman Quinn, image- Jay Floyd If you haven't yet given much attention to speedy Reading center fielder Roman Quinn, it's time that you started. The Phillies' second round draft pick in 2011 is making a name for himself as the catalyst for the Double-A Fightin Phils. Described as a prototypical lead-off guy, Quinn has begun drawing comparisons to the likes of Rickey Henderson, a player that the 21-year-old isn't quite old enough to recall seeing in action. "I have seen Kenny Lofton and Juan Pierre and Dee Gordon right now. So, I'll watch their swings and how they put down bunts and it's game changing for me. An inspiration," Quinn said with a smile while sitting in the home dugout at Reading's FirstEnergy Stadium this week. With a long road ahead to reach the stature of those players, though, Quinn is doing all the right things to develop his game and help his team the way those speedsters have been known to. "He just changes th

Prior to the start of the opener Class A Lakewood's home stand on Wednesday, I sat down with BlueClaws manager Shawn Williams to chat about his club that currently has a 13-13 record and sits in fourth place in the South Atlantic League's Northern Division. Williams remarked on reigning Sally League player of the week, Rhys Hoskins , exciting outfield prospect Carlos Tocci , outfielder Jiandido Tromp 's lackluster production and plenty more. Read ahead for that interview. Rhys Hoskins, image- Jay Floyd -First baseman Rhys Hoskins is really posting some excellent numbers of late, 22-for-51 (.431 avg), 4 HR, 12 RBI over last 13 games heading into action on Wednesday. What can you tell me about Rhys and how he's helping the team? He's been swinging the bat, obviously, really well. For me, it seems like every at bat he has, he's having a quality at bat and that's all you're really looking for and can ask for. For me, that's a huge thing fo

Dusty Wathan, image- Jay Floyd This week I spent some time chatting with Double-A Reading Fightins skipper Dusty Wathan . The club is well touted this year with a collection of excellent pitching prospects along with some solid producers on offense. In the interview excerpts below, Wathan shares some thoughts on Cam Perkin's dip in production this year, if the Fightin Five rotation makes his job easier and if the offense coming from his bench presents any difficulty in his role. Read ahead for this exclusive interview from the farm. -Off the top, I've got a two part question. Do you feel in any way that the solid production from some of your guys that haven't played every day, like Art Charles and Harold Martinez , makes your job more difficult? On the other side, does the starting rotation, which includes last year's top draft pick Aaron Nola along with Jesse Biddle , Zach Eflin , Tom Windle and Eastern League Pitcher of the Week Ben Lively , make your spot

On the latest edition of Phillies Nation, Pat and Corey discuss the lackluster Phillies offense as well as the possible trade value of left-hander Cole Hamels . The episode also includes a feature from Jay on IronPigs reliever Adam Loewen and Rudy brings a segment with Darren Daulton at the Broad St. Run. Check out the media player below for the full episode. New editions of Phillies Nation debut each week on The Comcast Network on Tuesdays at 6PM. Replay times this week include Thursday on TCN at 5:30PM and 9:30PM, Thursday on CSN at 4PM and 11PM, as well as Saturday on CSN at 3:30PM and 11PM.

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd For the first time since Independence Day 2013 righty pitcher Shane Watson took the mound in a game on Tuesday. The Phillies' top draft selection (40th overall) in 2012, Watson was sidelined with a shoulder ailment in the middle of what was a pretty good campaign (4-7, 4.44 ERA, .230 BAA) for a player in his first full professional season with Class A Lakewood. The injury would result in two surgeries along with 22 months of downtime and rehab. Finally back to full health, Watson took the mound for the Phillies' extended spring training team, tossing an inning against the XST Yankees. According to the 21-year-old, he was satisfied with his effort. "Went great," said Watson. "I think I was 88-92 (MPH), gave up some base knocks, but that was expected since I was throwing only fastballs." The six-foot-four 200-pounder threw one inning and is expected to appear in a game again with the extended spring club in five o

Ben Lively, image- Tug Haines On Monday, Ben Lively became the second Reading Fightins hurler in three weeks to be named as the Double-A Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week. Lively, who was acquired last off-season from Cincinnati for Marlon Byrd , notched two wins along with a 2.08 ERA while striking out 16 and walking just two in 13 innings for the Fightins during the week of April 27th through May 3rd. The 23-year-old attributes his recent success to learning from his own mistakes. "I've just been working on some stuff," Lively explained. "I was all over the place my first few games, it felt like to me. I mean I did alright, but I expected to do better, so I worked harder and it paid off." According to Reading skipper Dusty Wathan , Lively is able to make improvements when and where others aren't able to, which has helped the Florida native make an impact. "The biggest thing was he went into the sixth inning (on Sunday) and that

We're back at it with another rundown of all the top performers from the Phillies' developmental ranks. Triple-A Lehigh Valley- OF Brian Bogusevic currently sports a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .346 during that stretch. The 31-year-old is hitting .310 with a home runs and five RBI through 21 games this season. Bogusevic batted .306 in 22 spring games with the Phillies this year. Infielder Chase d'Arnaud is batting .324 and has four multi-hit games in nine games played this year. The righty batting 28-year-old is the older brother of former Phils prospect Travis d'Arnaud . Double-A Reading Fightins- Righty starter Ben Lively has a 2-0 record with a 2.16 ERA while striking out 24 and walking seven in 25 innings over four starts thus far this season. The 23-year-old struck out nine while allowing three earned runs in six innings when he notched his second win of the season on Sunday. Lively was acquired last off-season from the Reds in the tr

About a month ago, Phillies Nation featured a post with prospects Brian Pointer and Mark Leiter Jr. predicting the outcome of the entire WrestleMania 31 card. Now, as the biggest boxing match in history approaches, those two and others took time to offer their thoughts on Saturday night's huge title match between undefeated Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao with the unified welterweight championship on the line. Read ahead for comments from Pointer and Leiter as well as Phils relievers Justin De Fratus and Mario Hollands , Phillies backstop Cameron Rupp , pitching prospect Matt Imhof , Lehigh Valley righty hurler Tyler Knigge , top prospect J.P. Crawford, Clearwater third baseman Mitch Walding , Reading's speedy center fielder Roman Quinn along with former Phillies All-Star and current minor league coach Mickey Morandini . Pointer - Money Mayweather will win in a unanimous decision. Leiter - I'll take Pac-man. Turn it into a three-fight

Hollands, image- MLB.com In early April it was announced that Phillies lefty reliever Mario Hollands would undergo Tommy John surgery. The accompanying prognosis for being sidelined with that type of procedure is about a year or more. Despite likely being two months away from beginning a throwing program, the 26-year-old UC Santa Barbara product is already in Clearwater, at the Phillies' spring training home, rehabbing under the supervision of the organization's training staff. According to Hollands, who commented via text message on Friday, he has been in Florida rehabbing for the past week and is feeling good. As a rookie last year, Hollands tallied a 2-2 record with a 4.40 ERA in 50 appearances with the big league team. The California native was a 10th round draft selection of the Phillies in 2010. In other injury news, last year's 2nd round draft pick Matt Imhof , who is sideline with bicep tendinitis, is rehabbing the ailment without a timetable for a r