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Showing posts from June, 2015

Huge night for Pointer helps Reading lock down win

Pointer congratulated on a HR this year, image- Tug Haines In what was likely the top performance by a Phillies minor leaguer this season, outfielder Brian Pointer blasted three home runs in four at bats while driving in five runs and drawing a walk in Reading's 8-5 road win over the Portland Sea Dogs on Saturday. The 23-year-old Pointer got his big night rolling in the top of the 2nd inning, when he launched a solo shot off of Portland starting pitcher Heri Quevedo . Later in the contest, he connected for a two-run line drive home run to center field off of reliever Mike McCarthy. In the 8th inning, the lefty batter slammed another center field blast off of Miguel Celestino . Confidence and comfort were big factors in the game, helping Pointer connect for the power trifecta, according to the six-foot tall 190-pounder. "It was a pretty awesome feeling out there. I was definitely seeing the ball well and had a nice rhythm going on. That really seemed to help me ou

Cornelius debuts in GCL, Nola & Crawford to represent Phils in Futures Game

Great news for the last three top draft picks by the Phillies. On Thursday, 2015 first round draft choice Cornelius Randolph made his professional debut in the Gulf Coast League, recording a triple in his initial plate appearance. Facing Pirates left-handed pitching prospect Nestor Oronel , the lefty batting Randolph, who was in the lineup as the team's designated hitter, mashed a three-bagger to right field, notching his first professional hit. By the third inning, Cornelius had gone 2-for-2, as he singled in his second chance at the plate, this time against right-hander Richard Mitchell . Randolph, who was taken with the 10th overall selection, was touted as a power hitter with remarkable bat speed coming into this year's amateur draft. The Georgia native turned 18 years old this month. Also, the MLB All-Star Futures Game is slated to be played in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park on July 12th and the Phillies' most highly ranked prospects will be among

Minor Moves: Canelo & Hoskins promoted, Kingery & Martin to debut

Malquin Canelo, image- Jay Floyd In news released by the Class A BlueClaws, a pair of Sally League All-Stars has been promoted from Lakewood to Class A Advanced Clearwater. Shortstop Malquin Canelo , who was honored with the South Atlantic League All-Star Game Top Star Award this week, and slugging first baseman Rhys Hoskins will join the Threshers on Thursday. Replacing the pair will be Phillies 2nd round draft selection Scott Kingery and 4th round draft pick Kyle Martin . Canelo went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in the SAL All-Star Game this week after sporting a .311 average with five homers and 23 RBI in the first half of the season. Canelo was previously profiled on PhilliesNation.com. Readers can find that article by clicking here . Hoskins, last year's 5th round pick, posted a league-best .322 average with nine home runs and 51 RBI in the first half for the 'Claws. The 22-year-old was featured on this week's edition of Phillies Nation TV. Check out th

PNTV: Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins Features

The latest episode of Phillies Nation featured a profile on top pitching prospect Aaron Nola put together by Rudy Mezzy and another segment on slugging Class A Lakewood All-Star Rhys Hoskins which was produced by yours truly, Jay Floyd.  Big shout out to the gang at 20/20 Visual Media for the editing and video work on each piece.  Check out the media players below for those features and look for new episodes premiering each Tuesday at 6PM on The Comcast Network.

OF Altherr promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley

Aaron Altherr, image- Jay Floyd On Tuesday, outfielder Aaron Altherr was promoted from Double-A Reading to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The news was initially broken on Twitter by Altherr's father Frank late Monday night. In 60 games this year for the Fightins, the 24-year-old righty batter posted a .293/.371/.480 slash line with eight stolen bases. Last season, the six-foot-five 215-pounder appeared in two games with the big league Phillies. Altherr, who was a 9th round draft selection in 2009, was ranked as the Phillies' 12th best prospect this year by PhilliesNation . In May, Altherr spoke about his approach this year compared the last season, describing himself as feeling more comfortable with his swing. To make room on the IronPigs roster, the Phillies released Jayson Nix .

Interview Excerpts: Morandini on position players pitching, Reading clubhouse

Morandini, image- Jay Floyd During the Double-A Reading Fightins' road series at Trenton last week, former Phillies All-Star second baseman and current minor league coach Mickey Morandini sat down for the Phillies Nation TV cameras.  During the interview, he spoke on various topics including Reading's recent home stand in which they played three consecutive extra inning games and were forced to use position players to pitch.  Morandini, who was part of the famed 1993 Phillies, also spoke of what type of clubhouse the Fightins have this season.  Read ahead for those interview excerpts.  -On his club tallying 45 innings over a three-game stretch including an 18-inning affair against Altoona on June 11th in which first baseman Brock Stassi played 15 innings on defense, collected four hits and threw three scoreless innings to earn the win... It's tough.  We played a stretch there where we went 18, 13 and 15 (innings) and the 18 inning game was long enough where we had t

Boy singing anthem not interested in singing anthem

Prior to Thursday's Double-A Reading Fightins game at Trenton, home of the Yankees' affiliate the Thunder, I noticed a youngster among a group of about a few dozen children from a local school singing the national anthem.  Among the crowd, there was one kid who wasn't quite interested in singing at all.  He caught my attention while he was glancing backward toward the stadium's video board and not participating with his classmates, who were positioned with him on the field.  After a few lines, I picked up my camera to capture video of the boy who seemed considerably impressed with his status in the moment.  Have a look at that fairly cute video clip below.

Morgan earns promotion to fill rotation void

The Phillies announced on Friday that lefty pitcher Adam Morgan will be promoted to the big league club and fill the void left by Jerome Williams in the starting rotation on Sunday. LHP Adam Morgan will start for the Phillies this Sunday vs STL. A corresponding roster move will be made on Sunday morning. — Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) June 19, 2015 Morgan, 25, was the Phillies' 3rd round draft selection in 2011 out of Alabama. The six-foot-one 195-pounder has a 0-6 record along with a 4.74 ERA and a .298 batting average against in 13 starts for the Triple-A IronPigs this season. He missed all of the 2014 regular season following shoulder surgery. The right-handed Williams left his start on Tuesday with a left hamstring strain and was placed on the disabled list as a result. In 14 starts for the Phillies this season, the 33-year-old sports a 3-7 record along with a 6.43 ERA. Earlier this season, Phillies Nation profiled Morgan on television. Check out the media player b

PhoulBallz Interview: Reading pitching coach Dave Lundquist talks Eflin, Biddle, Nola, more

During the Double-A Reading Fightins' recent road series in Trenton, I sat down with the team's pitching coach Dave Lundquist to chat about his pitching staff. "Lundy", who pitched in the big leagues with the White Sox and the Padres, is in his eight season coaching in the Phillies' organization after spending three years in the Pirates' system. Lundquist spoke about his group of well-touted starting pitchers including specific comments on Zach Eflin , Jesse Biddle and recently promoted righty Aaron Nola . He also shared some thoughts on his bullpen hurlers and how a player like Tyler Knigge , who gets moved up and down between levels could be impacted by the movement, among other things. Read ahead for that full interview... Lively, image- Jay Floyd -We talked back in April about the group of five starters you entered the season with that included Tom Windle , Jesse Biddle, Zach Eflin and Ben Lively . Almost halfway into the season, what can you sh

Phillies Nation Episode 12: Giles, Tocci and Palladino's

On the latest edition of Phillies Nation, Pat and Corey discuss the latest on Aaron Nola , Maikel Franco as well as Jonathan Papelbon and chat about the Phils' early round draft picks. Also on the program, Ryann talks with Phillies reliever Kenny Giles , Jay catches up with outfield prospect Carlos Tocci and Natalie enjoys some unique tailgating food at Palladino's in Philadelphia. Check out this week's episode in the media player below and look for new episodes premiering each Tuesday at 6PM on The Comcast SportsNet.

Buchanan returns to the mound in Clearwater

In his first action facing hitters since he was sidelined with a severe right ankle sprain in an outing for the Triple-A IronPigs in mid-May, right-hander David Buchanan looked good on the mound in an exhibition with the Phillies' extended spring training team on Thursday. According to Jim Peyton of PhuturePhillies.com, who was present for the outing, the 26-year-old hurler faced 14 batters, retiring 13 of them and looked good moving around on defense. Buchanan, who tallied a 0-5 record with an 8.76 ERA in five starts with the big league team and went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts for Lehigh Valley this year, posted images (featured to the left) of his ankle in various stages of the injury this week on Instagram. Seeing action in that same game was righty hurler Shane Watson, who is nearing a return to full-season club action following his second shoulder surgery last year. Watson, who stands six-foot-four and is up to 240 pounds, threw five scoreless innings, notch

PhoulBallz Interview: RHP Prospect Zach Eflin

Zach Eflin, image- Jay Floyd Acquired last off-season from the Dodgers in the trade for Jimmy Rollins , righty pitcher Zach Eflin has made an impact this season for his new organization. As part of the highly touted Double-A Reading Fightins' rotation, Eflin has posted a 4-4 record along with a 2.99 ERA in 12 starts. Following his start against Trenton on Wednesday, a 6-5 loss, Eflin spoke about his outing, his pitch repertoire, his reaction to the trade that brought him to the Phillies and more. Read ahead for that interview. -You went six innings, allowed four runs, one earned, took the loss. Talk about your outing against the Thunder... I was having trouble keeping the ball down, obviously. It felt like they weren't missing the ball and I gotta do a better job of keeping the ball down and mixing in my off-speeds for strikes. I was cutting them, I was pushing them a little bit and just, it was a day to throw as many strikes as I could and I felt like I did a s

Biddle cruises close to home as Reading downs Trenton

Jesse Biddle, image- Jay Floyd TRENTON, NJ- Jesse Biddle thrived in his home away from home to turn in a strong outing and help the Reading Fightins (34-29) lock down an 8-2 win in their series opener against the Trenton Thunder (35-29) on Tuesday night. The left-hander threw 7 2/3 innings, allowed two runs, one of those earned, while striking out four and walking one to notch a win and help move his team within a half game of the second place Thunder and 1 1/2 games behind the division leading New Britain Rock Cats in the Double-A Eastern League Eastern division. Biddle, the Phillies' first round draft choice from 2010, is from nearby Philadelphia and has a following of loved ones whenever he takes the mound at Trenton's Arm & Hammer Park. "Every time I come here, the first thing I do is write names down on the pass list," Biddle said with a smile. "It's a lot of fun to have people come to the game and cheer me on, especially when we're o

Catcher Knapp leads group of Threshers to FSL All-Star Game

Andrew Knapp, image- Jay Floyd Last week the Florida State League announced the rosters for its 54th annual All-Star Game with five Phillies prospects being honored. Leading the way among the group that will represent Clearwater is standout catcher Andrew Knapp . The switch-hitting Knapp was the Phillies' second round draft selection in 2013 out of California. With the Class A Advanced Threshers this season, the 23-year-old has a .258 average with 10 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 28 RBI in 57 games. He missed a portion of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Following a disappointing stretch in which he tallied a .157/.222/.205 slash line initially in 24 games at Clearwater, Knapp joined the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws and got things back on track. In 75 games with the 'Claws, Knapp posted a .290 average with five homers and 25 RBI. The six-foot-one 190-pounder ranked 25th on the organization's prospect ranking prior to this season, ac

Top pitching prospect Nola promoted to Triple-A

Aaron Nola, image- Jay Floyd Following Sunday's loss in extra inning to the Pirates, the Phillies announced that top pitching prospect Aaron Nola has been promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Thus far this season with Double-A Reading, the right-hander posted a 7-3 record with a 1.88 ERA while striking out 59 batters and walking nine in 76 2/3 innings. Just over a year ago, the 22-year-old was the Phillies' first round draft choice (7th overall) out of LSU where he tallied an 11-1 record along with a 1.47 ERA and a 10.37 K/9 mark in 16 starts in his junior season. After signing his first pro deal, Nola made his professional debut as a member of the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers on June 23rd, taking a loss by allowing four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. Over his following five starts, Nola let up seven earned runs in 24 innings (2.63 ERA) and earned a promotion to Double-A. As a member of Reading's rotation late last season, Nola would post a 2-0 record

Quinn leaves game for Reading with leg injury

Roman Quinn, image- Jay Floyd Early in a game that turned into a disappointing extra-inning loss for the Double-A Reading Fightins, the team lost its lead-off man to an apparent upper leg injury. Center fielder Roman Quinn was en route to first base, running out his second hit of the night in the bottom of the second inning in Friday's contest against Akron, when he began clutching his upper left leg. Quinn could not put weight on the leg and was assisted off the field, according to Reading Eagle reporter Mike Drago, who also updated that the team's manager Dusty Wathan did not provide any official word on the ailment following the game. The 22-year-old, who was the Phillies' second round draft pick in 2011, sports a .306 batting average with four home runs, 15 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 57 games for the Fightins this season. Quinn, a speedy Florida native, missed a portion of last season following off-season surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon on hi

Series Preview: Phillies at Pirates, June 12-14

Despite being known across baseball as "the lowly Phillies", the team heads across state to take on the Pirates in an effort to change their recent poor luck with tacking on digits in the win column. With a record of 22-39 and losers of 13 of their last 16 games, the Phillies have a major league worst .361 winning percentage. Their seven road wins are fewest of any big league team by a considerable margin as well. Meanwhile, the Pirates (32-27) , who have been to the National League wild card play-in game in each of the past two seasons, are trying to make their way in a tough NL Central. In game 1 of the three-game set, the Phils will send former Pirate Kevin Correia to the mound to make his debut with his new club. Correia last pitched in the majors with the Dodgers last August. He'll be opposed by Pirates lefty Jeff Locke , who is a terrific performer against the Phils in his career. The two clubs split their four-games series in Philadelphia last month. F

Imhof returns from injury, notches win for Threshers

Matt Imhof, image- Jay Floyd On Thursday night, lefty pitcher Matt Imhof returned to action, after eight weeks on the shelf with a bicep strain, to notch the win for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers. In five innings of work against Bradenton (Pirates affiliate), the 21-year-old tossed five strong innings, allowing one earned run on five hits while striking out four and walking two. It was Imhof's first start for the Threshers since April 14th. Fresh off a rehab appearance with the Phillies' extended spring training club last weekend in which he threw five innings, Imhof, who was the Phillies' second round draft selection a year ago, took the mound, throwing all three of his pitches with confidence and held nothing back, feeding off the excitement of being back on the mound for a game that counts in the standings. "It was good to get back out there. When you're on rehab for seven weeks, or whatever it was, you get a little pent up, so I think t

Day 3 Phillies Draft (more than just nepotism!) Notes

Much attention from the Phillies' third day of the 2015 first-year player draft was given to nepotism. With the team selecting relatives of its general manager, its television play-by-play man as well as the sons of two current minor league coaches, the coverage made sense. There were, however, other players worth highlighting. With their initial pick of Wednesday's final day of the draft, the Phillies selected 19-year-old catcher Edgar Cabral, a JuCo player out of Mt. San Antonio College in the 11th round. The righty batter posted a .331 average with five home runs and 32 RBI in 31 games this season, according to the Mt. SAC web site. The five-foot-11 205-pounder is said to show a lot of strength, which the Phils were high on. Righty pitcher Skylar Hunter was the Phils' 11th round choice. The 21-year-old was a closer for The Citadel, where he holds the team and conference saves records. As a junior this year, the six-foot-one 205-pounder tossed 53 innings with t

Hoskins, Tocci, three other BlueClaws honored as Sally League All-Stars

LAKEWOOD, NJ- Five Phillies prospects, including top performers Carlos Tocci and Rhys Hoskins will represent the Lakewood BlueClaws in the Class A South Atlantic League All-Star game in Asheville, NC on June 23rd. Tocci, a 19-year-old center fielder, is batting .324 with a home run, 23 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 54 games with Lakewood. According to a press release from the BlueClaws, Tocci received more votes than any other player in the SAL, marking the second straight year that the team has had the leading vote-getter, following shortstop J.P. Crawford in 2014. Rhys Hoskin, image- Jay Floyd Last year's 5th round draft pick by the Phillies, Hoskins, has a league leading .335 batting average with seven home runs and 40 RBI. The 22-year-old first baseman was recently honored as the Phillies' minor league player of the month for May, after posting a .342 average with two homers and 23 RBI in 29 games. The righty batting slugger has been a bit reserved in regards to

Day 2 Phillies draft notes

With their first pick on Tuesday, the Phillies took high school shortstop Luke Williams out of California. The 18-year-old was selected 83rd overall. In his senior season this year, the six-foot-one 185-pounder sported a .315 batting average with four homers, 19 RBI and 26 stolen bases. He is rated as a plus runner and hits to all fields. Williams could remain as a shortstop and is said to have the tools to man center field. An athletic youngster, he also was a varsity wide receiver at Dana Hills High School. Williams, a righty batter, is committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the same school that produced last year's second round pick Matt Imhof. The Phils took Kyle Martin in the 4th round (114th overall) out of South Carolina. As a senior this year with the Gamecocks, the lefty batting first baseman notched a .350 average with 14 homers and 56 RBI in 57 games. Additionally, he earned first-team All-SEC honors and was a second team All-American with his impressinve 1.090 O

Phils draft second baseman Scott Kingery in 2nd round

With their second pick in the 2015 MLB amateur draft (48th overall), the Phillies selected righty batting second baseman Scott Kingery on Monday night. A talented hitter, the five-foot-10 180-pounder was near the top of the NCAA in batting average for much of the season. Remarkably, Kingery, who was a walk-on as a freshman, was named Pac-12 Player of the Year. This year in his junior season, the 21-year-old posted a .392/.423/.561 slash line while driving in 36 runs and stealing 11 bases in 54 games. In three seasons with the Wildcats, Kingery batted .351 while driving in 80 runs and stealing 38 bases in 149 games. Kingery is said to have a short stroke with an ability to spray line drives to all fields. Scouts have him profiling as a top-of-the-order contributor. Considerable speed is also said to be a key tool for the Phoenix native. Defensively, the youngster played the majority of his sophomore season in center field and was a shortstop in high school, but the Phillies

Phillies select Cornelius Randolph with 10th overall draft pick

With the 10th overall pick in this year's MLB amateur draft, the Phillies chose Cornelius Randolph, a shortstop with Griffin High School in Georgia. Listed at five-foot-11, 205 pounds, Randolph turned 18-year-old just last week.  From MLB.com's draft tracker : Griffin (Ga.) High has produced a pair of big league infielders in Jeff Treadway and Tim Beckham, and it may have a third on the way in Randolph. He's Griffin's best prospect since Beckham and profiles as more of an impact hitter than the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 Draft has become. Randolph has the tools and approach to hit for power and average. He offers bat speed, strength and patience from the left side of the plate. He uses the entire field and has better pitch recognition than most high schoolers. Currently a shortstop, Randolph will move to a less challenging position at the next level. The Clemson recruit has good hands but lacks the quickness to play in the middle infield. His arm ha

PhoulBallz Interview: Lakewood 3B Derek Campbell

Derek Campbell, image- Jay Floyd Lakewood infielder Derek Campbell hasn't hit his stride yet this season with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. Struggling to bust out offensively (.188 average, one HR, 18 RBI in 43 games), the 23-year-old is focused on helping the team win before anything else. Playing mostly third base for the BlueClaws, Campbell took some time recently to offer his thoughts on his draft experience last year, on the even of the anniversary of being drafted last year out of UC Berkeley, and playing for manager Shawn Williams among other things. Read ahead for those quotes from Derek... -With the draft coming up this week, talk about what your draft experience was like last year. It was just, I hung out with my family and my friends. I kind of waited, like everyone else does. And I celebrated, not to much, but I was ready for that next step in my life, so it was a fun time. -How did you approach signing your first pro contract? Was there any delay or

BlueClaws Batting Practice Footage: Canelo, Tocci, Hoskins, Tromp

During a recent trip to Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park, I shot some video footage of several BlueClaws batters taking pregame practice cuts. Footage includes the clips below of shortstop Malquin Canelo , outfielder Carlos Tocci , first baseman Rhys Hoskins and outfielder Jiandido Tromp . Canelo, 20, is batting .308 and has done an excellent job as the BlueClaws' lead-off man (.357/.419/.488 slash line when leading off an inning) this season.  Have a look at the five-foot-ten 156-pounder's stroke in the video player below. Tocci, a 19-year-old, has a .320 average with an .800 OPS and 12 stolen bases in 52 games for the BlueClaws this year.  The promising Venezuelan is a lock to represent Lakewood with the Sally League All-Star game later this month.  Check out footage of Tocci's swing in the video player below. Hoskins, 22, was the Phillies' 5th round draft selection last year.  The six-foot-four 225-pounder's .337 batting average is tops in the So

Minor League Notebook: Zier, Hockenberry, Mayorga, Imhof, Dugan, Lino, more

From the bottom of the developmental ranks to the upper levels here's all the latest this week... At the Class A level for the Lakewood BlueClaws , as I reported on Twitter on Thursday, infielder Tim Zier is out for the year after undergoing season-ending left knee surgery on Monday. The San Diego State product was injured during pre-game fundamentals/infield work recently. Zier, last year's 21st round draft pick, was batting .264 with two RBI in 15 games with the BlueClaws this year. Reliever Matt Hockenberry , a Temple product, returned from the disabled list on Thursday, after a stint on the disabled list with a right arm strain. In 11 appearances this season, the 23-year-old sports a 1-0 record with six saves, a 1.06 ERA and a .148 batting average against. Outfielder Jiandido Tromp return to action this week as well, after being on the disabled list with a hamstring strain. The 21-year-old Aruba native is batting .183 with three doubles, three triples and eig

Threshers Quotables: Mora, Pullin and Leiter talk successful seasons

After their top offensive contributor J.P. Crawford was promoted this week, some fans may have wondered which remaining players could be catalysts for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers lineup going forward. Middle infielder Angelo Mora now stands as the team's leading hitter with a .350 average while outfielder Andrew Pullin seems to be the club's most consistent batter, as he's tied for the team lead in hits (51) and total bases (72). I heard from both offensive stars this week to gain some insight on their success at the plate and also got righty pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. to speak about his recent impressive efforts on the mound. Read ahead for those quotes. Angelo Mora with Lakewood in 2013, image- Jay Floyd -Mora, who is a 22-year-old Dominican Republic native, spoke on if players at higher levels inspire him to achieve bigger things and how his coaches on the field, and one off the field, have helped him... "Yes, they inspire many baseba