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.

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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