Phillies Minor League Hot List: 6/22/18

We're beyond the mid-season point for both full-season Class A teams and now would be as good a time as any to run down some of the top performers throughout the Phillies' minor league levels.

Class A Short-Season Williamsport Crosscutters-

Through four games, lefty hitting first baseman Edwin Rodriguez is batting .462 with two doubles and two RBI. The 21-year-old Dominican spent the last two seasons playing in the Gulf Coast League.

Outfielder Matt Vierling, who was the Phillies' 5th round draft selection out of Notre Dame this year, sports a .450 average with a triple, two RBI and two stolen bases through five contests. The 21-year-old righty batter is a native of St. Louis.

Venezuelan born hurler Gustavo Armas had an outstanding start in his first appearance of the young season for the Cutters. In seven innings of work he allowed no runs while striking out seven and walking none. The righty, Armas, is 22-years-old.

Class A Lakewood BlueClaws-

A big week for the BlueClaws saw the club clinch a playoff berth by winning the first half division title on Sunday. They then sent six players to the South Atlantic League All-Star Game only to see two of them, both relief pitchers (Addison Russ and Kyle Dohy), get promoted to High A Clearwater. The promotions will continue, as there are plenty of players on this team showing they are ready for the next challenge, it's just disappointing that those who move up won't get to compete in the playoffs they earned a spot in.

Outfielder Kevin Markham leads the team in hitting with a .284 average. Through 52 games this season, the 24-year-old left-handed hitter has a pair of homers, 16 RBI and 12 steals as well. Markham was the 24th round draft pick of the Phillies last year.

All-Star starting pitcher Will Stewart has been outstanding all season for the Claws. In 11 starts, the left-hander sports a 6-0 record with 1.13 ERA and a .202 batting average against. Stewart, 20, was the Phils' 20th round draft selection in 2015.

Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers-

Infielder Grenny Cumana has been marvelous since his return from the disabled list. In eight games, the 22-year-old Venezuelan has posted a .467 average with two doubles and two RBI.

Outfielder Jose Pujols has been on a solid stretch since the end of April. The 22-year-old righty batting Dominican has a .329 average with 13 extra-base hits (five homers) and 23 RBI in his last 40 games.

Double-A Reading Fightin Phils-

First baseman Austin Listi, promoted to Reading this week, is batting .400 with a home run and seven RBI in four games. The 24-year-old was a 17th round draft choice of the Phillies last year. In 58 games with Clearwater this season, Listi tallied a .344 average with nine homers and 45 RBI.

Corner infielder Zach Green has enjoyed a hot week, going 6-for-14 with two homers and nine RBI in his last four games. The 24-year-old righty batter was the Phils' 3rd round draft pick in 2012. His 12 home runs this season rank 5th best in the Eastern League.

Following a slow start, in which he posted a 7.20 ERA over his first four starts, lefty hurler JoJo Romero has enjoyed some success. He's notched a 5-2 record with a 3.65 ERA and a 9.05 K/9 in his last 10 starts. The 21-year-old was the Phillies' 4th round draft choice in 2016.

Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs-

Right-hander Ben Lively sports a 2.44 ERA and a .199 batting average against in eight starts for the IronPigs. The 26-year-old was 0-2 with a 6.85 ERA over five starts in the big leagues this year prior to a demotion.

Lefty pitcher Brandon Leibrandt continues his terrific season, posting a 3-0 record with a 1.18 ERA and a .194 BAA in 16 games (six starts). The 25-year-old was the Phillies' 6th round draft pick in 2015.

Diekman a Late Addition to Mesa AFL Roster

On Wednesday, Phillies lefty pitching prospect Jacob Diekman made his Arizona Fall League debut. Diekman, who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2007 amateur draft, was assigned to Mesa late, in order to increase his 2010 innings total, according to Mesa hitting coach Mark Parent, who managed Diekman in Lakewood this past season. Diekman, 23, posted a 2-0 record with 1.90 ERA in 21 games with Class A Lakewood before being promoted to High-A Clearwater on June 24th. In 24 games with the Threshers, Diekman went 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Combined, Diekman tossed 55 2/3 innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average against at two levels in 2010. However, after not pitching in an official game since he threw a shutout inning to wrap up the Clearwater season on September 5th, Diekman was unable to record an out as all seven batters he faced reached base, six with hits, one on an error. Diekman was charged with 5 earned runs in the outing. Diekman had spent time at instructional ball from

2022 Phillies Top Prospects Countdown: #24 RHP Cristian Hernandez

Venezuelan born right-hander Cristian Hernandez has begun to earn recognition as one of the Phillies most promising pitching prospects. Signed as a 16-year-old in 2017 for a reported $120,000, Hernandez got his professional career started the following summer as a starter for the Phillies' Red Dominican Summer League club. There, in 13 starts, Hernandez tallied a 2-3 record with 2.57 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP as well as a 7.0 K/9 mark. An injury sidelined Hernandez in 2019 and the 2020 season was cancelled due to the global pandemic. In 2021, Hernandez saw his first regular season action in the United States, starting his season in Florida Complex League. After two appearances there, the six-foot-three 185-pounder was promoted to the Class A Clearwater Threshers. In 20 combined outings (17 starts), Hernandez notched a 2-7 record with a 3.57 ERA, a .228 batting average against and an 11.2 K/9 mark. Projectability is something that baseball folks like about Hernandez. His size, consistent

Who is Your Favorite Willie 'Mays' Hayes?

PhoulBallz.com is wondering which individual who has portrayed Willie "Mays" Hayes is the favorite of the public. Hayes, of course, is the character made famous in the Major League motion picture series. In Major League , Willie "Mays" Hayes was portrayed by budding Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes, who would go on to action movie superstardom. Snipes has starred in major motion pictures like the Blade trilogy, Passenger 57 , Undisputed and many more. Snipes remains an impact Hollywood actor, despite legal troubles related to income tax evasion. Snipes was replaced for the sequel, Major League II when his busy career, and possibly the film's budget, would not allow him to return, by Omar Epps. Another budding actor, Epps had previously worked with director David S. Ward, on the film The Program , and landed the role of Hayes, who had become a Hollywood action star over the off-season that occured between the two films. Epps' career portraying athletes rolle

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