Skip to main content

Phillies minor league hot list: Ortiz, Moniak, Morris, Thompson & more

Here's a quick rundown of the Phillies minor league hot list. Details are up to date prior to game action on Tuesday, July 26th.

Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (61-41, 2nd place North Div. International League)

Right-handed Jake Thompson continues his tremendous stretch for the IronPigs and remains the top option for a promotion if a vacancy opens up in the Phillies’ rotation. In his last nine starts, the 22-year-old sports a 6-0 record with a 0.58 ERA and a 5.3 K/9 mark. In 19 starts this season, Thompson, who was acquired from Texas as part of last summer’s Cole Hamels trade, has a 9-5 record with a 2.29 ERA and a .224 batting average against.

Righty pitcher David Buchanan has allowed just two earned runs in 22 innings (0.82 ERA) over his last three starts. In 19 games (18 starts) this season for the Pigs, the 27-year-old has a 7-5 record with a 4.05 ERA and a .257 batting average against.

In 11 games since the Triple-A All-Star Break, outfielder Nick Williams is sporting a .318 average with five doubles, two home runs and eight RBI. Williams, another prized acquisition in the Hamels trade, has a .287/.320/.468 slash line in 90 overall games this season. The 22-year-old was originally a 2nd round draft selection of the Rangers in 2012.

Righty reliever Luis Garcia took over the role of closer following the release of Edward Mujica. Garcia, 29, has tossed five scoreless appearances since taking over those duties. Garcia, who has a 3.99 ERA in 111 big league contests, has a 6-3 record with four saves and a 2.76 ERA in 36 games for Lehigh Valley this season.

Double-A Reading Fightin Phils (69-33, 1st place Eastern Div. Eastern League)

Outfielder Andrew Pullin is batting .377 with five home runs and 19 RBI in 19 games since his promotion from Clearwater. Pullin, 22, was a 5th round draft pick of the Phillies in 2012. He missed time earlier this season when he took a leave of absence for personal reasons.

Righty hurler Tyler Viza has a 2-1 record with a 2.25 ERA over his past three starts. In nine starts since his promotion from Clearwater, the 21-year-old has posted a 4-3 record with a 3.67 ERA. Viza was a 32nd round draft choice in 2013.

First baseman Rhys Hoskins launched his minor league leading 29th home run in Reading’s win over Binghamton on Monday. The 23-year-old was the Phils’ 5th round draft choice in 2014. In 96 games this year, Hoskins sports a .286 batting average. His 91 RBI are best in the EL.

Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers (20-11 in second half, 1st place North Div. Florida State League)

In three starts for the Threshers, right-hander Drew Anderson has allowed one earned run in 14 1/3 innings (0.63 ERA). The 22-year-old missed the entire 2015 campaign after Tommy John surgery. Combined with his time in Lakewood, Anderson has a 2.61 ERA and a 10.1 K/9 mark in 10 starts this season. He was selected by the Phillies in round 21 of the 2012 draft.

In 11 games with Clearwater since the All-Star break, Temple University grad Matt Hockenberry has not allowed an earned run. In 28 games in the FSL this year, the 24-year-old has a 1-1 record with two saves, a 1.13 ERA and a .184 batting average against. Hockenberry, a righty, was a 9th round draft pick in 2014.

Righty pitcher Will Morris has a 4-0 record with a 2.05 ERA in 10 appearances since the FSL All-Star break. The 23-year-old was a 24th round draft choice of the Phils in 2013.

Class A Lakewood BlueClaws (17-13 in second half, 3rd place Northern Div. South Atlantic League)

Middle infielder Grenny Cumana is batting .368 over his past 15 games. Overall, the 20-year-old Venezuelan sports a .289 average with 16 doubles, a homer, 21 RBI and 13 steals in 62 games for the BlueClaws this year.

Lefty reliever Zach Morris has a 0.53 ERA in his last 27 appearances for Lakewood after opening the season with an 8.48 ERA in his initial seven outings. The 23-year-old, who was the Phils’ 24th round draft pick out of Maryland last year, has a 4-1 record with five saves, a 2.56 ERA and a .240 batting average against in 34 overall games this year.

Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters (22-14, 2nd place Pinckney Div. New York-Penn League)

Righty pitcher Adonis Medina has a 4-0 record with a 1.14 ERA through seven starts this season. The 19-year-old Dominican has held opponents to a .143 batting average for the Crosscutters.

Lefty starter Ranger Suarez has a 3-0 record with a 2.56 ERA in six starts for Williamsport. The 20-year-old Venezuelan has tossed five innings or more in each of his outings.

Right-hander Bailey Falter is boasting big strike out numbers for the Cutters with a 10.9 K/9 mark (and a 2.3 BB/9 mark) over six starts. The 19-year-old, the Phillies’ 5th round draft pick from last year, is 1-3 with a 3.21 ERA.

Rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies (20-7, 2nd place Northwest Div. Gulf Coast League)

Left-handed hurler Nick Fanti has a 3-0 record with a 1.63 ERA and a .178 batting average against in six appearances (four starts) this season. Fanti, 19, was the Phils’ 31st round draft pick last year.

Outfielder Mickey Moniak has a .312/.372/.416 slash line through his first 20 professional games. The 18-year-old lefty batter was the 1st overall draft pick in this year’s MLB draft. He is batting .350 against righty pitchers, while posting a .176 average against lefties.

Outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz leads the GCL in home runs with six. The 17-year-old Dominican has a .296/.400/.593 slash line through 22 games played this season. The Phillies signed Ortiz last year for a reported $4 million.

This post originally appeared on PhilliesNation.com.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

A Letter to This Guy

Dear Cardinals fan, When a homerun ball is hit in your direction, do not close your eyes and raise both hands far above your head, leaving your face/chest/neck/head defenseless. Jayson Werth long balls to the cranium are probably not very comfortable. Next time, let the guy in the pajama pants behind you take a crack at it. He may not know how to dress well, but he keeps his eyes open in the face of killer shots from World Champion outfielders. Love, PhoulBallz.com PS- Stay hot.

Kendrick & LaGrossa- Second Phils/Survivor Marriage

On Saturday, Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick married 3-time Survivor contestant and former Flyers employee Stephenie LaGrossa. The couple exchanged vows in front of 105 guests at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Their special day featured many personalized aspects, including cocktail hour snacks modeled in the fashion of mini Philly cheesesteaks, as well as the couple's two dogs, Bebe and Champ, serving as flower girl and ring bearer during the ceremony. The pets wore a white dress and a tuxedo, respectively. Kendrick is now the second Phillies pitcher to marry a former contestant of the CBS reality competition program, as lefty Cole Hamels wedded Heidi Strobel, who appeared on the sixth season of Survivor, in 2007. _________________________________________________________________ Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter, for updates, stats and info, by clicking HERE . Photos- People.com