Skip to main content

Walding rides power surge into EL All-Star festivities

By
Eastern League home runs leader Mitch Walding will represent the Reading Fightins in the league’s All-Star Game this week in Manchester, NH and will also compete in the event’s Home Run Derby.
 
With 20 big flies thus far this season, the 24-year-old is enjoying a remarkable power surge. He was honored as Eastern League player of the month in June, when he launched 13 homers and sported a 1.246 OP in 25 games.

Through 74 games, the California native has tallied a .240 average and 49 RBI with Double-A Reading this year.
 
Walding, the Phillies 5th round draft selection in 2011, notched a previous career high in round-trippers last year, when he smashed 13 combined home runs in 123 games with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Reading last season.

He credits a refined approach at the plate with his improved offensive production.  

"I changed my swing a little bit," explained Walding.  "I got back to more of what I was doing last year in Clearwater.  I think I got back to what feels good for me.  I went through a period where I was doing something that wasn't really working for me, so I went back to square one, got back to my basics and I think that was best for me, hitting." 

Walding (top) and Tocci, image via Mitch Walding
The six-foot-three 190-pound lefty batter won the Class A Advanced Florida State League All-Star Home Run Derby last year, as a member of the Clearwater Threshers. 

As has become routine around the minor leagues, winners of league Home Run Derbies are awarded championship belts, a la WWE or UFC.

"It would be kind of cool to add another one to the collection, but I have to go out there and do it first,' Walding said.

Aside from the derby, Walding is looking forward to enjoying his time with some Reading teammates in the game.

"It's really great.  I was really excited just to be a part of the All-Star Game and the represent the Phillies and the great organization that they are," Walding said.  "I'm really excited to go out there with a bunch of my buddies and play against some really good talent and have some fun."

Walding will be joined by four teammates on the Eastern Division roster.  Pitchers Drew Anderson and Yacksel Rios as well as outfielders Carlos Tocci and Jiandido Tromp will join Walding.

Tromp, a 23-year-old Aruba native, will also compete in the Home Run Derby.  The righty batter sports a .294 average with 11 homers and 35 RBI in 75 games this year.   

Toronto affiliate New Hampshire hosts the All-Star events with the derby slated for Tuesday, July 11 at 6:30 pm with the All-Star Game itself set for the following night at 7:05 pm.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Drabek Preparing For Next Step

By
The transition has been easy for Kyle Drabek. In December, he was part of a package of young prospects that was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for ace pitcher Roy Halladay. Now, as though nothing has changed, he's right back where he was last season...the star prospect on the pitching staff of a team in the Double A Eastern League. Drabek has often stated that he wanted to stay in the Philadelphia organization, who drafted him in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft. The 22-year-old thought after the midseason trade rumors, that surrounded him possibly going to Toronto last year, passed with no action that all the turmoil was over and that he could simply relax and focus on getting to the big leagues with the Phillies. That wasn't the case, as the deal eventually came to fruition over the off-season. In the Blue Jays system this season, Drabek doesn't have to worry about being dealt. He only has to concern himself with opposing batters and working on his secondary pit...
2 comments
Read more

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

By
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. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rappers in Phillies Caps

By
Weekend greetings to you phine pholks out there. Today's post features pictures of rappers wearing Phillies caps. Why rappers in Phillies caps, you ask? Because... Any other questions? We will start things off properly by going with a highly recognizable hip hop star. 50 Cent stays constantly relavant by consistantly creating radio friendly material to help sell (G) units, while he "keeps it real" by still rapping about the thug life he lived before becoming the 2nd highest earning black entertainer in America. 50 is seen here in a recent interview rocking a throw-back Phillies cap. Next up we'll use a throw-back screen cap from what may be the very first major appearance by a rapper wearing Phillies gear. Chuck D, of legendary rap group Public Enemy, wore a Phillies cap in the music video for rap anthem Fight The Power in 1989. The song was the lead single from the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing . Next up we'll go with some home grown tal...
3 comments
Read more