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Showing posts from March, 2015

Pitching prospect Garner, others released, Dugan has setback

Garner, image- Jay Floyd Via the esteemed Jim Salisbury on Twitter, there were a couple noteworthy minor league reports on Sunday with righty hurler Perci Garner being released and outfielder Kelly Dugan returning home to heal from a stress fracture in his foot. Garner was the Phillies' second round draft choice in 2010. The 26-year-old sported a 19-23 record along with a 4.50 ERA and a .266 batting average against in 87 career games over his career. Dugan, the Phils' 2nd round draft selection in 2009, has not played this spring as he was initially sidelined with a stress reaction in his right foot. The injury was re-diagnosed as a stress fracture, with the 24-year-old returning to his native California to rest and recuperate. In his pro career to date, Dugan has tallied a .293/.368/.451 slash line in 425 games. Additionally, as per well-connected Phillies blogger Baseball Betsy , the Phillies also parted ways with pitchers Jordan Guth and Kyle Bogese as wel

Phillies prospects predict WrestleMania results

For those of you that read the site regularly and perhaps also follow a few Phillies Nation staffers on Twitter, you know that some of us are lifelong professional wrestling fanatics. Not surprisingly, some Phillies minor league players have also long enjoyed action in the squared circle as well. This weekend marks the Super Bowl of the pro wrestling world, with WWE's WrestleMania set to take place in California. I caught up with minor league hurler Mark Leiter Jr. along with outfield prospect Brian Pointer to get their predictions on the full card. Here is how the two youngsters see the event shaking out along with some insight from each man on the World Champ Brock Lesnar's part time/special attraction status with the company as well as if they each see his main event challenger Roman Reigns as a viable contender for the championship strap: WWE World Heavyweight Title Match, Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns Leiter- I like Reigns, but whoever wrote that ending to the

Nola shines brightly in big league spring debut

Clouds and rain showers couldn't prevent the Phillies' top pitching prospect from shining on Friday when he took the mound for the first time in a big league spring training game. In three innings of work in relief against the Yankees, Aaron Nola allowed five hits and no runs while striking out four and walking none. His efforts included punch outs of legendary sluggers Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran . Those getting their first look at Nola took notice of the polished control of his three pitches and his comfort level on the mound. His fast ball ranged from 92 to 94 MPH with movement, his change up was used to his advantage, , making some batters look foolish, and his breaking ball supplemented both of the other offerings nicely, keeping the opposition guessing. Nola was taken with the seventh overall selection in last year's MLB amateur draft. He sported a 4-3 record with a 2.93 ERA and a .240 batting average against in 12 combined games for Class A Advanced

Phillies add Lohman with Crawford out of action

With top prospect J.P. Crawford out of action due to an oblique strain, the Phillies have acquired shortstop Devin Lohman from Cincinnati.  Crawford, the Phils' top selection from the 2013 draft has been on the fast track through the developmental ranks since first signing a pro contract.  The 20-year-old sports a .292 average with 12 homers, 69 RBI and 38 steals in 176 total pro games at four levels of the minors. The Phillies anticipate that Crawford will be out of action for four to six weeks.  Once he's ready to return to the field, it will likely be for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, where he finished last year, so the team's trainers can keep a close eye on the talented youngster. Lohman, 25, was the Reds' third round draft selection in 2010.  In 564 games over five pro seasons, the Cal State University, Long Beach product has tallied a .251 average with 38 homers, 252 RBI and 79 stolen bases. Look for Lohman to fill the void left by the ailin

Crawford's Chronicles: J.P. talks about looking up to Mansolino and Rollins

JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd Throughout spring training, Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford has been checking in to offer his thoughts straight from Clearwater, FL. The 20-year-old is widely considered the Phils' top prospect after the team's first round draft pick in 2013 posted a .285/.375/.406 slash line in 123 combined games at Class A Lakewood and Class A Advanced Clearwater last year in his first full pro season. News broke today that Crawford would miss time to open the season with an oblique strain. Despite the ailment, the California native, in his exclusive weekly interview with Phillies Nation, spoke about a new focus in the Phils' developmental ranks this year, what made Philadelphia appealing to him as a child, his daily spring routine and plenty more. Read ahead for all that Crawford had to say and click here to read previous entries in this series. -Sharing thoughts on how things have been going in minor league camp thus far in 2015... "W

Phillies Nation season premiere: 2015 fantasy preview

Phillies Nation is back with another season of baseball coverage on your television.  On the season premiere of the program, Corey and Pat are joined by new co-host Rachel.  The gang offers complete analysis on fantasy baseball options for 2015, so don't head into your draft without checking out the show.  Corey also visits with Sean Forman of BaseballReference.com regarding that site's advantages for fantasy managers. Additionally, stay tuned through the full episode to catch my up-and-coming prospects worthy of grabbing and stashing for the future of your fantasy squad. New episodes of Phillies Nation premiere each Tuesday at 6pm on The Comcast Network and repeat throughout the week on TCN and Comcast Sportsnet. Take a look at the media player below for the season premiere of PNTV!

Crawford's Chronicles: J.P. Talks Game Action, Teammates, Utley, Greene

J.P. Crawford, image- Jay Floyd Throughout spring training, Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford will be checking in to offer his thoughts straight from Clearwater, FL. Crawford, 20, is widely considered the Phils' top prospect after the team's first round draft pick in 2013 posted a .285/.375/.406 slash line in 123 combined games at Class A Lakewood and Class A Advanced Clearwater last year in his first full pro season. This week the lefty batting shortstop spoke about the start of game action, his double play combo partners, Larry Greene Jr.'s surprise absence from camp, Chase Utley once again plus plenty more. Read ahead for all the exclusive quotes straight from the one and only J.P.. -With games getting underway, Crawford talked about how he and his group that's being coached by the Clearwater staff did in the opening two days... "We played the Blue Jays (on Tuesday) and the Pirates (on Wednesday) and we beat both of them. We started off real well

Amaro refutes Biddle's concussion diagnosis again and again

Jesse Biddle, image- Jay Floyd When a CSNPhilly piece by Jim Salisbury featured quotes from Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. discrediting prospect Jesse Biddle 's assertion of suffering from a concussion last season, the uproar that should accompany such contradiction was missing. The Phils' 2010 opening round draft choice (27th overall), Biddle, missed considerable time last year after the Phillies told the media that the German Town Friends School graduate needed a mental break. Biddle struggled with his production after he was struck in the head with an ice pellet during a hail storm in May.  Prior to the ailment, which forced him to miss one start initially, the Philadelphia native posted a 3.18 ERA with 61 strike outs and 24 walks in 10 starts for Double-A Reading.  In the five starts that followed he had a 9.81 ERA with 15 strike outs and 16 walks issued. At the time of the injury, Biddle was diagnosed by a doctor as having a concussion and, accordin

Crawford's Chronicles: JP Crawford talks Spring Training

JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd Entering this year as the widely regarded top prospect in the Phillies organization, J.P. Crawford will be taking time each week to provide insight directly from inside spring training in Clearwater, FL, right here on PhilliesNation.com. Crawford, 20, was named the top positional prospect in two leagues (Class A South Atlantic League and Class A Advanced Florida State League) last year, when he combined, in 123 games, to post a .285 average, 11 homers, 48 RBI and 24 stolen bases. He also represented the Phils organization in the MLB All-Star Futures Game last season. As the 2015 campaign approaches, the six-foot-two 180-pound lefty batter is expected to reach the Double-A level and continue to prove why the Phillies selected him in the first round of the 2013 draft. In this initial installment of our weekly check-in with J.P., he shares thoughts on a variety of topics, including his exclusion from big league camp, which member of the big leagu

Hanson is latest Phils minor leaguer to move on from baseball

Nic Hanson w/ Lakewood in 2013, image- Jay Floyd News of Phillies minor league players stepping away from baseball seems to be a regular thing in recent days. On Monday, righty hurler Nic Hanson became the latest prospect to announce his retirement from the game. News of Phillies minor league players stepping away from baseball seems to be a regular thing in recent days.  On Monday, righty hurler Nic Hanson became the latest prospect to announce his retirement from the game. Faced with the hurdles of recovery from two elbow surgeries last year, the six-foot-seven 210-pounder confirmed via text message that he has officially retired from baseball. Hanson, who was a 16 th round draft selection by the Phillies in 2012, posted a 5-10 record along with a 4.54 ERA and a .287 batting average against in 46 games (24 starts) over three pro seasons. The California native last appeared in two games for Class A Advanced Clearwater last August, where he allowed eight earned runs ove

Another retirement announced out of minor league spring training

With minor league camp underway and the initial work out groups list unveiled this weekend, thanks to Jim Peyton of PhuturePhillies.com (see below), a key question arose. Where is Larry Greene Jr? The omission of the Phillies' top selection from the 2011 draft (39th overall) has plenty of people wondering about his status. Confirmed by manager of the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, the 22-year-old Greene has retired from professional baseball. In three pro seasons, the six-foot-one 225-pounder posted a .224 average with eight home runs and 74 RBI in 242 games. Greene, a Georgia native, signed for a reported $1 million following the 2011 draft.  The Phillies retain the rights to Greene, if and when he decides to return to baseball. Also of note from the list, per Legg, Andrew Pullin , who made an impact as the second baseman for Class A Lakewood last year (.270/.333/.394 in 129 games), will officially move forward as an outfielder, the position he played prior to b

Longtime Phils minor leaguer Jim Murphy likely done with playing career

Jim Murphy in the cage last year while coach Mickey Morandini looks on Slugging first baseman Jim Murphy has decided that his playing days are over. Reached for comment on Thursday, the Washington state native asserted his time in the lineup has ended. "I didn't get a spring training invite from (a major league affiliate)," Murphy shared. "I don't want to play independent ball. I'm done playing." The Phillies' 17th round draft choice in 2008 out of Washington State University, Murphy notched a .264 average with 98 home runs and 432 RBI in 800 career professional games. Having played at every single level of the Phils' developmental ranks, the six-foot-four 240-pounder was twice an All-Star in his minor league career, in 2011 with Class A Lakewood, where he is a massive fan favorite, and in 2013 with Double-A Reading. After wrapping up his 2014 season with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Murphy became a free agent. Murphy has