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Scott Kingery, image- Jay Floyd Recently Mike Drago of the Reading Eagle conducted a survey of media members that cover and broadcast the Phillies minor league teams , designed to rank the top talents in the organization's developmental system. The participating individuals were asked to rank their personal top 30, which were tabulated on a points system based on each ranking to determine the paper's published list of top prospects. Participating individuals included Lehigh Valley beat reporter Tom Housenick, Tony Graham of the Lakewood BlueClaws, Mike Ventola of the Reading Fightins, Williamsport beat writer Mitch Rupert, Matt Winkleman of Crashburn Alley and several others including me.  Second baseman Scott Kingery, who represented the Phillies in the MLB All-Star Futures Game this summer and has been raking all year in a split season between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, tallied the most overall points.  Ranked best overall by the group, the 23-ye

Leftwich in 2016 with Lakewood, image- Jay Floyd Right-handed hurler Luke Leftwich has had a successful campaign in 2017 that has seen the youngster change roles from a starter to a reliever.  Following an April in which he posted a 5.84 ERA in seven appearances with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, the 23-year-old has tallied a 2.20 ERA in 33 games since then.  Additionally, Leftwich sports an overall 10.8 K/9 mark, has notched eight saves and leads Florida State League relievers in innings pitched with 73 2/3. Last year as a starter with Class A Lakewood and Clearwater, Leftwich posted a 10-7 combined record with a 3.38 ERA in 23 games. The six-foot-three 205-pounder was the Phillies' 7th round draft selection in 2015.  I recently talked with Luke about his success this year, his switch to the bullpen, his approach in the new role, facing Tim Tebow and plenty more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -You've enjoyed success this year.  Share some thoug

Throughout each season, I get opportunities to chat with Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan.  The boss of the Phils' minors is always open and offers solid insight on his players.  This time around I asked Joe to talk about loads of prospects including bust out pitching performers like Jose Taveras, Nick Fanti and Cole Irvin.  He also shared thoughts out the team's past three first round draft picks Adam Haseley, Mickey Moniak and Cornelius Randolph, a trio of outfielders.  Aaron Brown's conversion from outfielder to pitcher was discussed, as was Lakewood offensive stud Darick Hall.  Additionally, he spoke on the organization's acquisitions from the trade deadline, a pair of top performers for the Gulf Coast League team and plenty more.  Read ahead of the interview. Taveras w/ Lakewood in 2016, image- Jay Floyd -Jose Taveras has had an excellent season and has been a lot of fun to watch.  Can you share some thoughts on him? I think he's had

Roman Quinn, image- Jay Floyd Phillies fans that have gotten recent doses of well-regarded prospects Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro may be wondering which other stars of the future could be making their way toward the big leagues when rosters expand in September.  A player that stands a chance at getting the call for the second year in a row is outfielder Roman Quinn. The 24-year-old has been on the shelf since late May dealing with a strain of his UCL in his non-throwing elbow.  However after a lengthy rehab period, Quinn is nearing readiness for full baseball activities in the coming days according to Phils director of player development Joe Jordan. The minor league schedule wraps up on Labor Day, so he won't be back with Lehigh Valley this year. "Quinny is feeling good," Jordan said.  "He's getting close to getting really amped up with his baseball activities.  I'm gonna guess that if we were pushing him to action, we could probab

David Martinelli, image- Jay Floyd As a member of the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws this season, David Martinelli has had a steady presence in the club's lineup.  He's helped the team compete all season long as the 'Claws remain hopeful of having an outstanding final month and locking down a postseason berth. Martinelli, the Phillies' 6th round draft selection last season out of Dallas Baptist, has posted a .207 average with six home runs and 26 RBI in 87 games played. I recently spoke with the lefty batting Texas native about his season, teammates Mickey Moniak and Daniel Brito, his draft experience last year and plenty more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -I'm hoping to get your thoughts on your 2017 with the BlueClaws. Yeah, we're a different team now than we were at the start of the season.  There's a lot of new guys, a lot of new faces.  We have a shot here, we have 30-some games left.  We have a shot to win some games, make the playoffs

Austin Listi, image- Jay Floyd First baseman Austin Listi is enjoying success after he was selected by the Phillies in the 17th round of this year's draft. Through 32 professional games at two levels, the righty batter has posted a .274 average with five home runs and 21 RBI. At this rate, it may not be too long before Listi has sports fans everywhere using NetBet , hoping to make his talents work in their favor. The 23-year-old Dallas Baptist product was the subject of a recent feature I wrote following a chat at Lakewood's FirstEngery Park.  The interview excerpts ahead include Listi's thoughts on earning a promotion, playing in the minors with a pair of college teammates and plenty more. -With the promotion from Williamsport to Lakewood, what was the jump to the Sally League like for you?  Obviously, I'm humbled and honored to be here.  I met the team on the road, we were in North Carolina, so what made it an easier transition for me is I have a

Austin Listi, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- Before June, Austin Listi had never been to the northeast portion of the United States.  Two months later, the Phillies minor leaguer has made the Philadelphia region his home away from home. A 17th round pick in this year's MLB amateur draft, Listi was lucky enough to join an organization that employed some familiar faces. A pair of Listi's college teammates made the thought of his first trip to unfamiliar territory a bit more pleasant.  Listi, a first baseman, played at Dallas Baptist with outfielder David Martinelli for three seasons and first baseman/designated hitter Darick Hall for a season as well. "When I was drafted by the Phillies, they called me and texted me right away," Listi said of the excitement that Martinelli and Hall had when the Phillies drafted him.  "They found out and they welcomed me to the extended family now.  They were like, 'Welcome to the family again!'" If hav

Nelson Prada, image- Jay Floyd Last week, I sat down to chat with the hitting coach for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws Nelson Prada about much of his team's lineup.  Key topics included second baseman and lead-off hitter Daniel Brito, the South Atlantic League's RBI leader first baseman and designated hitter Darick Hall and last year's first overall draft pick outfielder Mickey Moniak, among others.  The BlueClaws were in the midst of a four-game win streak to start the month and had just beaten division rival Greensboro in walk-off fashion at the time of this discussion.  Read ahead for the full interview. -Huge win. Brito with a big hit there to win it.  He's had some ups and downs this year.  Can you talk about Brito a bit? Yeah, I mean, we've been working with Brito honestly to hit the ball the opposite field and he's been pulling some balls through the year.  Even Hagerstown, they shift him sometimes, which is something that's not good for him

This week I spent some time chatting with Class A Lakewood hurler Nick Fanti, who has tossed two no-hitters this season , for John Stolnis' Felske Files Podcast. In the interview, the left-hander shares thoughts on his Nicky No-No nickname, how his pitching coach Brian Sweeney has helped his efforts this season and plenty more less serious subject matter. Also on the show, John talks with Phillies beat writer Steve Gross on the Phils' depth at shortstop and ESPN's Jerry Crasnick about the MLB trade deadline.  The Phillies cancelling Pete Rose's Wall of Fame induction is also discussed. Check out the player embedded below for the latest episode.

Sixto Sanchez, image- Jay Floyd It was announced on Friday that the Phillies have promoted top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez to Class A Advanced Clearwater.  Though, savvy Twitter followers of this writer were tipped off to the news on Thursday night . The 19-year-old right-hander had garnered much attention this year with excellent command and remarkable velocity, clocking 100 MPH and higher on a regular basis for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. In 13 starts there, the Dominican native sports a 5-3 record with a 2.41 ERA.  He notched 64 strike outs and walked only nine batters in 67 1/3 innings.  He held opponents to a .191 average.  Additionally noteworthy is that Sanchez allowed just a lone home run this season. Sanchez was part of a strong BlueClaws pitching rotation that helped the team come within percentage points of winning a first-half division title.  In a recent interview , Sanchez told me that his BlueClaws teammates helped him improve and achieve success this y