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.

World Series Preview: Phillies vs. Astros

The Fall Classic is set to get underway on Friday with the Phillies opening on the road to take on the Astros in a best-of-seven series. This year marks 75 years since the first time a World Series was televised and this year each game will be broadcast on the FOX television network. ESPN will have the radio broadcast and that feed can be streamed by using this link . Game 1 Friday, 8:03pm Eastern....in Houston. RHP Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Verlander (18-4, 1.75 ERA). In 16 road starts during the regular season this year, Nola notched a 5-9 record with a 3.00 ERA. Nola has struck out 18 and walked three in 17 1/3 innings pitched this postseason. Earlier this month, Nola tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings at Houston. In 15 home starts during the regular season, Verlander sported a 10-1 record with a 1.64 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Verlander has a 5.68 ERA and has not recorded a win in seven career World Series starts. Verlander has...

PhoulBallz Interview: RHP Ben Brown talks TJ recovery, O'Hoppe, cancelled season

Image- MiLB.com Out of action since last May when it was determined he required Tommy John surgery, righty pitching prospect Ben Brown is using the downtime of the pandemic hiatus to continue his physical recovery. A 33rd round draft selection of the Phillies back in 2017, Brown made his professional debut that same year, posting a 2.57 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in 10 appearances in the rookie level Gulf Coast League. The following season, Brown began to make a name for himself in the GCL, striking out 16 batters in one July appearance. He would post a 3.12 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 10 games (eight starts) before earning a promotion and finishing the season with a pair of outings with Class A short-season Williamsport. Brown, a Long Island, NY native, opened last year with Class A Lakewood. In four appearances with the BlueClaws, he struck out 20, walked four and allowed no runs in 13 2/3 innings and looked well on his way to making an impact on betting odds and avai...

2019 Phillies Prospects Countdown: #7 LHP JoJo Romero

JoJo Romero, image- Jay Floyd With a growing crop of very talented pitching prospects in the Phillies organization, left-hander JoJo Romero is certainly among the standouts. The five-foot-11 200-pounder was the Phils’ 4th round draft selection in 2016. That year he helped Yavapai College, the same school that the Phillies drafted Kenny Giles from in 2011, clinch the JuCo World Series, leading the way with an 11-5 record, a 3.64 ERA and a 10.2 K/9 mark. He also tossed a complete game gem to earn the win in their title game. After signing with the Phillies, Romero made his professional debut as a member of the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters. There, he notched a 2-2 record with a 2.56 ERA while striking out 31 and walking 11 in 45 2/3 innings. In 2017, he got off to a terrific start with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. In 13 starts, Romero tallied a 5-1 record with a 2.11 ERA and a 9.3 K/9 mark and was honored as a South Atlantic League mid-season All-Star. R...

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