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Sixto Sanchez with Lakewood in 2017, image- Jay Floyd The Arizona Fall League is a place for aspiring Major Leaguers to go to develop their baseball skills in the Autumn months. As the weather begins to cool elsewhere, the diamond stays hot for many of baseball's most promising young talents in Arizona. Rosters in the AFL are a mixture of different organizations' prospects, with each major league club sending seven, or sometimes eight, players that combine to fill up the 35-man rosters of the league's six teams. With rosters announced on Thursday for the upcoming 2018 AFL season, Phillies players will be merged with players from the Mets, Reds, Giants and Astros to make up the Scottsdale Scorpions roster. #Phillies slated to play for Scottsdale in the @MLBazFallLeague this yr...RHP Sixto Sanchez, RHP @viza_card , RHP Seth McGarry, RHP @Luke_Leftwich , 1b @HallDarick , SS Arquimedes Gamboa. OF Austin Listi, OF/3b @lukewilliams012 . Clearwater pitching coach...

Last week I talked with Lakewood hitting coach Tyler Henson about his club's offense.  Among the key topics discussed were powerful outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz and promising second baseman Daniel Brito , who spent much of the season with the BlueClaws.  Read ahead for some exclusive quotes. -Talk about how tough the grind of a full season can be for players that haven't gone through it before. The guys that have never been through it, they don't understand how to-- physically it gets tiring, but the mental part is the biggest part of it at this point and not being too hard on yourself when you when you make outs, 'cause everybody wants to finish the season on a good note.  So, when these guys make outs and they get mad or get frustrated and carry it over to the next at bar, for me right now that's the biggest focus is to calm down and take it one at a time at this point.  So, for the most part, these guys are handling it well, but it's still a l...

Nick Maton greeting a fan, image- Jay Floyd The grind of a full season is one of the first true measures for a minor leaguer.  An everyday player in his first year out of the draft can commonly endure a grueling campaign packed with lengthy bus rides, minimal days off and very few comforts of home over a five-month stretch.  For Lakewood shortstop Nick Maton it's proving to be a true test, one that may benefit him in the long run. The Illinois native has been a contributor to the playoff bound Class A BlueClaws for the entire season.  Through 108 games this season, the 21-year-old Maton sports a .262 batting average with 25 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and 47 RBI. With less than two weeks left before the BlueClaws will open the 2018 South Atlantic League postseason, a spot they clinched when they won the first half Northern Division title back in June, Lakewood, as a whole, seemed to be feeling the effects of a long season.  The club dropped four ...

Connor Brogdon, image- MiLB.com Right-handed pitcher Connor Brogdon has been a key part of the Class A Lakewood pitching staff all year long.  After opening the 2018 campaign in the starting rotation, and posting a 1-2 record with a 3.73 ERA over seven starts, the 23-year-old was moved into a relief role, where he has been excellent.  In 21 relief appearances, Brogdon has tallied a 4-1 record with four saves, a 1.64 ERA, a .190 batting average against and a 12.0 K/9 mark. A 10th round draft pick last year out of Lewis-Clark State (the same school that produced former Phillies farm hand Tyler Knigge) by the Phillies, Brogdon, a California native, is listed at 6-feet-6-inches tall and 192 pounds. I spoke with Brogdon recently about his team's excitement level for the upcoming South Atlantic League playoffs, his refined pitch repertoire, the role changes he's undergone this season and plenty more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -I just wanted to get some th...

For the second straight year, Williamsport, PA, home of the Little League World Series and the Phillies Class A short-season affiliate, will host a big league contest know as the MLB Little League Classic. On Sunday night at 7 PM, the Phillies are slated to host the Mets at historic BB&T Ballpark at historic Bowman Field. Prior to the prime time contest, which will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, the big league players will also attend the Little League World Series games earlier in the day, where they'll have the opportunity to interact with players and fans alike. The Little League World Series is an international tournament for children aged 10 to 12, held each year in Williamsport.   Professional baseball dates back to 1926 at the Bowman Field venue, while the Crosscutters have been affiliated with the Phils since 2007. This weekend I heard from the director of media relations for Little League International, Kevin Fountain, who offered the following nuggets of...

Kevin Markham, image- Jay Floyd Through much of the season, outfielder Kevin Markham has been a contributor for his team.  The 24-year-old opened the 2018 campaign with Class A Lakewood where he helped that club win the first half division title and clinch a playoff berth by sporting a .282 batting average with a pair of homers, 15 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 53 games. Following a promotion to Class A Advanced Clearwater the lefty batter has tallied a .275 average with four doubles, two triples, seven RBI and four steals in 29 games.  The Threshers lead their division in the second half standings and appear to be headed for a post-season berth of their own. Markham was the 24th round draft pick of the Phillies last year out of the University of Texas at San Antonio. Recently, I interviewed the Texas native about his successful first full year in the minors, his team, playing along side rehabbing major league players and more.  Read ahead for that interview. -...

Happy weekend to all.  For your Friday afternoon commute or for your casual weekend listening or perhaps your delayed and laid back effort to catch up sometime later, check out John Stolnis's wonderful Phillies podcast Hittin' Season, as yours truly spends time chatting it up about some top prospects from the organization. Not only does John recap the week in Phils action, lay out some remarkable statistics and unveil his updated MLB top 10 teams power rankings, but he and I discuss the likes of top minor leagues names like Sixto Sanchez , Mickey Moniak , Adam Haseley , Kyle Dohy , Jose Pujols as well as Spencer Howard plus more. Check out the program and other recent episodes in the embedded media player below or head on over to SoundCloud.com/TheFelskeFiles !

Cole Stobbe, image- Jay Floyd On a throwback Thursday, we're taking it back to April of this year when I talked to Class A Lakewood third baseman Cole Stobbe (pronounced STOW-bee) in this previously unreleased interview. This year, Stobbe has missed significant time with two separate hamstring strains to the same leg.  In just 12 total games with the BlueClaws the righty batting Nebraska native posted a .209 average with three doubles, a home run and seven RBI. The 20-year-old was the Phillies' 3rd round draft choice in 2016.  He was ranked as the Phillies' 22nd best prospect entering this season. Read ahead for the full interview. -What are you early impressions of Lakewood? It’s a big field. But, you see the crowd, you see how they interact, it’s going to be a fun place to play. -How did your spring campaign go for you? It was good. You know, the whole thing about spring is that nothing counts, so you can go ahead and get yourself ready for when ...

Matt Hockenberry, image- Jay Floyd After he was drafted and signed by the Phillies in 2014, Matt Hockenberry thought he was living the perfect life, as becoming a professional pitcher was what he thought was his ultimate goal. Last year, after roughly three years in the minor leagues, he was released from his contract and he wasn’t sure what was next.  His true dream job, where he would excel swiftly, was on the horizon. With baseball being the only life he ever envisioned, Hockenberry had a stroke of luck when he found himself out of the game in 2017.  He received a call to interview for a new coaching position at the Phillies' lowest domestic level, as they were adding a second team to the rookie level Gulf Coast League and would need to fill a completely new coaching staff. Described as extremely passionate, the Temple University product stood out as an individual that the Phillies wanted to talk to when it came time to interview prospective coaches. "He's ...

Sanchez with Lakewood last year, image- J. Floyd I heard from plenty of social networking followers and other folks online in the past few days either expressing displeasure that presumably I left out asking about certain players in my recent interview with Joe Jordan .  Others have politely asked for details on a promising pair of top prospects' recovery from their respective injuries. The fact of the matter is that Joe, or anyone else for that matter, doesn't always have an answer for every question.  Additionally, I may not ask about every topic or player that everyone wants to hear about.  But, I am here, at long last, to offer some insight that my readers have been craving. Sixto Sanchez , the Phillies top pitching prospect is not officially done for the season.  The 20-year-old right-hander has been out of action for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers since early June with the aforementioned elbow inflammation. The Phillies are hoping to get...

Brad Bergesen, image- Jay Floyd Last week I talked with Class A Lakewood pitching coach Brad Bergesen about his staff, a group that leads the South Atlantic League with a 2.79 mark through action on Tuesday. Prospects discussed include relievers Connor Brogdon and Zach Warren , injured starter Kyle Young , as well as lefty starters David Parkinson and Will Stewart . Read ahead for that interview. -We saw Spencer Howard with a nice outing today.  What did you see from him? I saw a lot of good there today.  I was very, very pleased with the stuff he was featuring today.  I think he had four plus pitches.  There was a few hitters where- two, three hitters—where he got a little out of whack, but then he regained it, but overall I thought it was a very, very good outing for him. -Where does this outing rank among his other efforts this season? I think overall, just a solid outing for him.  I think it’s one he can build his confide...