Phillies minor league hot list, 4/22/18

Here is a quick run down of how the Phillies' minor league clubs have fared through the first two weeks or so of the 2018 regular season.

Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (7-7 record, 4th place in International League North Division)-

Mitch Walding with Reading last season, image- Jay Floyd

Third baseman Mitch Walding is off to a strong start for the 'Pigs. The 25-year-old is batting .300 with four doubles, two home runs, six RBI and and eight walks through 14 games played. The lefty batter was a 5th round draft selection by the Phils in 2011.

Hurler Enyel De Los Santos, acquired last off-season from San Diego in a trade for Freddy Galvis, has been very solid in the IronPigs' rotation. Through three starts, the right-hander has tallied a 1-0 record with a 1.98 ERA while striking out 22 and walking five in 13 2/3 innings pitched.

Outfielder Dylan Cozens entered action on Saturday batting .273, but an 0-for-4 night dropped the average to .250. In 14 games, the lefty masher has two doubles, three homers, nine RBI and five steals. Cozens was a 2nd round pick in 2012.

Double-A Reading Fightin Phils (6-10 record, last place in the Eastern League Eastern Division)-

Corner infielder Damek Tomscha is leading the club's offense, batting .315 with a pair of homers and 11 RBI in 16 games. The 26-year-old, who was the Phillies' 11th round draft selection in 2014 out of Auburn, is also among the league leaders in OPS with a .906 mark.

Shortstop Malquin Canelo is doing well in the early going, batting .286 with five doubles, two triples, a home run, five RBI and two steals in 14 contests. The 23-year-old righty batter is a native of the Dominican Republic.

In three starts, right-hander Harold Arauz has posted a 1-0 record with a 3.38 ERA while striking out 20 and walking six in 16 innings. Arauz, a Panama native, was acquired from Houston in the Ken Giles trade in 2015.

Reliever Seranthony Dominguez has looked very good for the Fightins, sporting a 1-2 record with a 2.45 ERA while striking out 17 and walking two in 11 innings pitched. Opponents are batting .200 against the promising Dominican.

Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers (4-12 record, last place in Florida State League North Division)-

Last year's 1st round draft pick Adam Haseley leads the team in hits with 16. Overall in 15 games, the lefty batting 22-year-old OF sports a .254 batting average with a home run, nine RBI and two stolen bases.

Lefty pitcher McKenzie Mills has been the bright spot of the starting staff to date for the Threshers. The 22-year-old has an 0-1 record with a 3.18 ERA and sports a .227 batting average against. He has struck out 13 and walked none in 17 innings pitched. Mills was acquired from Washington last season in a trade for Howie Kendrick.

Class A Lakewood BlueClaws (8-8 record, 5th place in South Atlantic League Northern Division)-

Will Stewart (right), image- Jay Floyd

Pitcher Will Stewart has looked strong, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.69 ERA while striking out 12 and walking one in 16 innings over three starts. The 20-year-old lefty was a 20th round draft pick by the Phils in 2015.

Infielder Nick Maton, a 7th round draft pick last year, has posted a .292 average with two homers and five RBI in 13 games for the BlueClaws. The lefty batter is 21 years old and primarily plays shortstop.

Outfielder Simon Muzziotti had been a catalyst for the team's offense before landing on the disabled list last week. The 19-year-old is batting .304 with four doubles, six RBI and two steals in 11 games. The lefty batters is a native of Venezuela.

Sunday School: Phillies History Lesson 73

Danny Ozark was the Phillies' manager from 1973-1979. During his tenure as the team's general, Ozark led Philadelphia to three straight division titles. In his playing days, Ozark was a first baseman, who was a career minor leaguer in the Dodgers system. When Ozark took over the team in 1973, the Phillies were fresh off 5 consecutive losing seasons and 3 straight last place finishes. During his first season in charge, the Phillies would again finish in last place, 20 games under .500, but as his core of young talent, like Mike Schmidt and Larry Bowa, developed, the Phillies' win totals rose. Within 2 years, the Phillies were above .500 and in the playoff hunt until late in the season and the most successful era of Phillies history was about to begin. By 1976, the Phillies were headed to the post-season for the first time since 1950. The Phils would enjoy a 10-game lead over their nearest division rival at the midway point of the season. Despite a lul, which saw their lead d...

PhoulBallz Interview: First round pick Bryson Stott

Bryson Stott, image- Jay Floyd Shortstop Bryson Stott , the Phillies' first round draft selection this year, has enjoyed a successful initial pro campaign. En route to being recognized as an All-Star for the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters the 21-year-old UNLV product has tallied a .295 average with six home runs and 25 RBI in 45 minor league contests. Last week I spoke with the lefty hitting Stott to discuss his transition to professional baseball, joining the Phillies organization and plenty more. Read ahead for that interview. -Obviously, your performance and the production on the field is going well, but how do you feel you have adapted to the pro life? It feels good. You hear about the everyday grind, but you don't really believe it till you feel it. I would say that's the difference between college and the pros, is you're not practicing, you're playing games every day. I would say that's the biggest difference. But I...

Velasquez shut down, Eflin on deck?

Eflin with Reading in 2015, image- Jay Floyd Following Vincent Velasquez leaving his start after just two pitches for the Phillies on Wednesday, righty prospect Zach Eflin was pulled from his start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley at Gwinnett. The 22-year-old sports a 5-1 record with a 3.14 ERA and a .210 batting average against in 10 starts for the IronPigs this season. He could take the place of Velasquez if he is required to miss any additional time. Initial word on Velasquez after he threw two fastballs that clocked in the 86-87 MPH range (considerably slower than the 94 MPH he averages) and was swiftly pulled from his outing, is that he has a biceps strain. He'll be further evaluated in the coming days. Prior to the regular season, Eflin got a taste of competing against big leaguers when he was charged with 12 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits while striking out two and walking one with a wild pitch in three innings of work in an intrasquad exhibition that pitted the Phils...

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