Minor League Hot List: Bogusevic, Nola, Leibrandt, Tocci, Crawford notes

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 trade for Marlon Byrd.

Infielder Gustavo Pierre is 9-for-17 (.529 avg) in his last six games. The 23-year-old Dominican is batting .281 with two homers, three RBI and three steals in 17 games this year. Pierre was acquired from Toronto in a deal for John Mayberry Jr. last year.

After giving up four earned runs over 4 2/3 innings in his season debut, last year's top draft pick Aaron Nola has allowed three earned runs in 20 innings (1.35 ERA). Overall, the 21-year-old has a 2-2 record with a 2.55 ERA and a .222 batting average against in four starts.

Class A Advanced Clearwater-

Last year's sixth round draft pick Brandon Leibrandt has a 2-1 record along with a 1.74 ERA while striking out 28 and walking six in 31 innings through five starts. The 22-year-old lefty is also holding opponents to a .185 batting average against.

Catcher/DH Andrew Knapp has a six-game hitting streak during which he's batting .375. Overall, the 2nd round pick from 2013 is batting .280 with four doubles, three triples and 11 RBI in 22 games.

In an additional note, shortstop prospect J.P. Crawford will be activated from the disabled list (oblique strain) this week for the Threshers. The 20-year-old expects to be in their lineup on Wednesday after competing steadily for the extended spring training team for the past week.

Class A Lakewood-

Righty reliever Matt Hockenberry had his streak of seven scoreless appearances to open the season interrupted on Sunday when he notched his South Atlantic League leading sixth save. Overall, the 23-year-old Temple University product has a 0.75 ERA and a .158 batting average against to go along with no decisions this season.

Outfielder Carlos Tocci has recorded four straight multi-hit games. Through 23 contests this season, the 19-year-old Venezuelan is batting .400 (league best) with a homer, 12 RBI and nine steals.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins has a nine-game hitting streak during which he has tallied a .417 average. In 23 games for the BlueClaws, last year's 5th round draft choice is batting .345 with four home runs and 15 RBI.

Q&A with Justin De Fratus

Justin De Fratus is a 21 year old right handed relief pitcher with the Lakewood BlueClaws. An 11th round draft choice in 2007, Justin had been a starter in his first two seasons in the Phillies organization. Informed this spring that he'd be switched from the rotation to the bullpen, Justin has excelled and become one of the most reliable pitchers on the Lakewood staff. In 19 games this season, Justin is 2-0, with a 1.83 ERA and 0.89 WHIP over 39 1/3 innings pitched. PhoulBallz.com spoke with Justin De Fratus just last night. Here's how that went down... Justin, South Atlantic League all star selections were announced this week, and you were named to the team. Can I get your reaction to that? How excited were you? Very excited about it. Well, especially this year because I just got moved to the bullpen, so this is a new role for me. So, if anything, it's reassuring that I'm doing my job. It's the first time in my pro career that I've been selected as an all star...

All in the Family

22-year-old pitching prospect Nick Hernandez's father helps him stay fit during the off-season Phillies pitching prospect Nick Hernandez spent much of the 2010 regular season on the disabled list with an injury to his throwing shoulder. The 6'4", 215 pound lefty, who was named a mid-season South Atlantic League all-star with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, attempted comebacks twice during the season, making rehab outings for the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies, but experienced setbacks that curtailed his return to the mound and kept him from helping his teammates lock down a second consecutive league championship for Lakewood. In 8 starts with the BlueClaws last season, the 12th round draft pick from 2009 posted a 3-1 record with a 1.61 ERA and averaged 7 innings per start. Hernandez's strength is throwing a lot of strikes and he owes some of his success to his father, also named Nick (Dad's full first name is spelled Nicolas, while son's name is spell...

Ring-a-ling

This week I heard old news about how when the Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl, they gave former Colt Edgerrin James a championship ring. "Edge" had been a Colt for seven years, and even though he was gone when they won the big one, the team and the coaching staff felt as though James had contributed in building the team that won it all, so they awarded him a ring. This got me wondering which people, in an extended Phillies phamily , would be deserving of a 2008 World Series Champions ring. I heard an interview with Mike Schmidt, in the days that followed the Series, and when asked if he thought he'd get a ring, he said, "They have my (ring) size." Schmidt, the Hall of Fame thirdbaseman , was a long time Phillie, a one time coach of the single-A Clearwater Threshers (where he managed World Series MVP Cole Hamels ) and appears as a guest hitting instructor in Phillies spring training every year. With all those things in mind, of course Mike Schmidt shou...

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