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Andrew Knapp, image- Jay Floyd Following a breakout season in 2015, catcher Andrew Knapp continued to take strides and looked to be near-ready to make a big league splash during his 2016 campaign.  In 2013 the switch-hitting Knapp was the Phillies' 2nd round draft choice out of the University of California and made his professional debut, tallying a .253 batting average with four home runs, 23 RBI and seven steals in 62 games for the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters. That off-season, the righty throwing Knapp required Tommy John surgery to repair a damaged elbow. He was back on the field by the following May, getting at bats, but sitting out on defense for some time to allow additional recovery for his elbow. He joined the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers during the fifth week of the season. It was mid-June by the time he would play on the defensive side of the game. Upon joining the Threshers, Knapp struggled with the bat, posting a .157...

C. Randolph, image- Jay Floyd Drafted with the 10th overall selection in the 2015 MLB amateur draft as a shortstop, C. Randolph quickly placed among the Phillies' top prospect rankings. After being drafted out of Griffin High School in Georgia, the five-foot-11 205-pounder was converted on defense to the outfield, where he has looked comfortable and capable During his senior season in high school, Randolph drew loads of attention from professional organizations, posting great offensive numbers with a .533 batting average, seven home runs, 33 RBI and a 1.631 OPS in 26 games, leading his team into the state tournament. As an 18-year-old, Randolph had a tremendous professional debut in 2015, posting a .302/.425/.442 slash line in 53 games for the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies. Last year as a member of the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, Randolph sported a .274 average with two homers and 27 RBI in 63 games.  The youngster would miss more than two months of acti...

Medina, image- MiLB.com Widely ranked among the Phillies' top prospects by many outlets, right-handed pitcher Adonis Medina has already made a name for himself at quite a young age as coaches really like his potential while Phils' brass adores his ability. Medina is equipped with a mid-90's fastball along with a curveball and a change up that are considered to have plus potential and has used that arsenal to impress at the lower levels of the minor leagues as a teenager.  Signed in 2014 at age 17, Medina made his pro debut that year as part of the Phillies' Dominican Summer League club.  In 11 games (two starts) he tallied a 2-3 record with a save, a 1.27 ERA and a 7.5 K/9 mark. In 2015, the six-foot-one 185-pounder competed with the rookie level Gulf Coast League team, sporting a 3-2 record with a 2.98 ERA and a 6.9 K/9 mark in 10 games (eight starts).  Last season, at the age of 19 he pitched with the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters and was t...

Alberto Tirado, image- Jay Floyd Right-hander Alberto Tirado has an arm that scouts can go wild for. Acquired by the Phillies from Toronto in 2015 as part of the Ben Revere trade, the talented hurler could develop into a considerable performer on the mound for the Phillies. Despite concerns with his control, what Tirado is known better for than missing the strike zone is missing bats.  Also he clocks big numbers on radar guns as well.  Both of those mesh well to result in serious strike out numbers. Signed by the Blue Jays in 2011, Tirado would make his professional debut as a member of their rookie level Gulf Coast League team in 2012 as a 17-year-old. In 14 games started, combined with the rookie level Appalachian League and the Gulf Coast League teams, he tallied a 3-2 record with a 2.63 ERA and a .198 batting average against. He returned to the Appalachian League the following season posting a 3-0 record with a 1.68 ERA and an 8.2 K/9 mark in 12 games (eight s...

Sixto Sanchez, image- BaseballBetsy Right-handed hurler Sixto Sanchez made a big impression last year, proving himself worthy of soaring quickly on many prospect lists and is regarded currently as one of the Phillies' most promising pitching talents. The Domincan Republic native signed for a reported $35,000 at the age of 16.  He would begin his professional career in 2015 as a member of the Phils' Dominican Summer League team.  In 11 appearances (two starts), the youngster posted a 1-2 record with a 4.56 ERA and a .291 batting average against.  As a member of the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies last summer, the six-foot 185-pounder made 11 starts, posting impressive numbers.  In 54 innings, Sanchez allowed just three earned runs, good for a 0.50 ERA.  Additionally, to go along with his undefeated 5-0 record, he would tally a .181 BAA with a 44-to-8 strike out-to-walk ratio. The success he enjoyed in the GCL came while facing batters that were ...

Nick Pivetta, image- Jay Floyd Valued by the team that acquired him in 2015 in a trade for the organization’s all-time saves leader Jonathan Papelbon, right-hander Nick Pivetta used a successful campaign last year to launch himself into consideration as a rising commodity among the Phillies' collection of top pitching prospects. A 4th round draft selection in 2013 by Washington, Pivetta would debut as a pro with the Nationals’ Gulf Coast League team, sporting a 1-0 record and a 2.13 ERA in four appearances. He would later be promoted to Auburn of the New York-Penn League that year. In five starts there, he would post a 0-1 record with a 3.38 ERA while striking out 17 and walking 11 in 21 1/3 innings. The following season with Hagerstown of the Class A South Atlantic League Pivetta would post a 13-8 record with a 4.22 ERA, a .277 batting average against as well as a 6.7 K/9 mark in 26 outings (25 starts). In 2015, he opened his campaign with Potomac of the Class A Advanc...

Elniery Garcia, image- Jay Floyd Elniery Garcia is one of the Phillies' most prominent pitching prospects and possibly the top southpaw among the organization's rising performers. Signed as a 17-year-old in 2011, Garcia would open his professional career in the Dominican Summer League the following year, sporting a 2-1 record with a 4.18 ERA and a .253 batting average against in eight appearances. The following year, he pitched in the rookie level Gulf Coast League posting a 1-3 record with a 5.15 ERA and a .291 BAA in nine starts. In 2014, the progressing Garcia would split his time in the GCL and with the short-season Class A Williamsport team.  In 11 combined games (four starts), he tallied a 2-2 record with a 2.64 ERA and a .254 BAA while striking out 28 and walking six in 30 2/3 innings. He would debut in full season ball the following year with Class A Lakewood.  In 21 starts for the BlueClaws,Garcia notched an 8-9 record with a 3.21 ERA, a .275 BAA as well a...

Ben Lively, image- Jay Floyd Right-hander Ben Lively notched a highly successful season last year, helping to garner loads of attention as one of the Phillies' most promising young pitching prospects. Originally selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, Lively would begin his pro career as a member of the rookie level Billings Mustangs in the Reds organization. In 12 starts that year the talented hurler posted a 0-3 record with a 0.73 ERA and an 11.9 K/9 mark. He was promoted to Class A Dayton to close out the season with a single start, allowing one earned run in four innings of work while striking out seven and walking one. This was fresh off his junior season at the University of Central Florida where, in 15 games, he went 7-5 with a 2.04 ERA and an 8.6 K/9 mark as the team’s ace. Lively would follow up his exceptional year by becoming the Reds’ minor league player of the year in 2014. Opening his first full professional season with Class A Advanced Bakersfield, ...

Ricardo Pinto, image- Jay Floyd With a couple considerable nods of recognition over the past couple of seasons, right-handed hurler Ricardo Pinto has proven to be a prospect on the rise in the Phillies' organization. Two seasons ago, the Phils honored the native Venezuelan as one of their Paul Owens Award winners, an honor given to the top offensive and pitching performers in the team's developmental ranks each season, and last year Pinto represented the World team in the MLB All-Star Futures Game.  Signed as an international free agent in December, 2011, Pinto debuted in affiliated pro ball in the Venezuela Summer League the following year. In 15 games (10 starts) he sported a 7-3 record with one save, a 2.74 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He repeated the VSL in 2013, posting a 3-5 record with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 14 games, strictly as a starter. In 2014, Pinto moved north, pitching with the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters, where he posted a 1-5 reco...

Jose Pujols, image- Jay Floyd Thanks to a powerful offensive display last season, outfielder Jose Pujols has become a prospect worth knowing in the Phillies’ organization. The Dominican native was signed by the Phillies in 2012 at the age of 16. Opening his professional playing  career as a member of the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2013, Pujols sported a .188 batting average with six home runs and 18 RBI in 45 contests. The following year, Pujols split time between the GCL and short-season Class A Williamsport. In 57 combined games, the righty batter posted a .226/.273/.377 slash line. In 2015, Pujols continued to show improvement with a .241 average, four homers and 30 RBI in 66 games with Williamsport. He followed up that campaign by breaking out and setting the single-season home run record for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws with 24. Additionally, Pujols would post a .241 average with 21 doubles, three triples and 82 RBI in 128 games. As Pujols g...