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Showing posts from December, 2019

PhoulBallz Interview: OF Matt Vierling Off-season Check In

Vierling w/ Lakewood in 2018, image- Jay Floyd Outfield prospect Matt Vierling took some time recently to offer some thoughts on his off-season. The 23-year-old was a 5th round draft selection by the Phillies in 2018.  This year, in his first full season in professional baseball, the Notre Dame product posted a .232 average with five home runs, 41 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 118 games with Class A Advanced Clearwater. Last week I asked Matt, a Missouri native, to offer some details on his workout routine in the fall and winter months, his thoughts on Major League Baseball's proposed elimination of certain affiliated minor league teams and plenty more.  Read ahead for that interview. - How much down time do you allow yourself before you get back to picking up a bat and/or taking swings? I try to give myself at least one to two months off from swinging. This year I was on the longer end because I was coming off of my first full year and felt like I needed the break.

Frosty Phillies Favorites: 2019 Christmas Survey

Kevin Gowdy, image- Jay Floyd Season's greetings to all!  Around here, we surely adore the holidays and, of course, baseball players are no exception. Every year at Christmas time, I survey a group of Phillies prospects about what they get excited for during the holiday season. Players taking part in this year's TENTH annual Christmas favorites survey are pitchers Albertus Barber , Tyler Carr , Keylan Killgore , Kevin Gowdy , Connor Hinchliffe and Jonathan Hennigan .  Additionally, outfielder Matt Vierling took time to share his thoughts as well. Inquiries and responses regarding each player's holly jolly favorites lie ahead... -What is your favorite Christmas song? Barber- It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas. Big fan of the song. Hinchliffe- ​All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey. Gowdy- My favorite Christmas song is Mele Kalikimaka by Jimmy Buffett. My parents have always been huge Jimmy Buffett fans, so it was always on d

PhoulBallz Interview: Tyler Carr off-season check in

Tyler Carr, image- Jay Floyd Please head on over the Patreon.com/PhoulBallz to support my work and get access to interviews like this one early as well as other exclusive content you can't get anywhere else.   Righty pitcher Tyler Carr had an outstanding season in the minor leagues this year. The 23-year-old opened the season with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, where he notched a 0.51 ERA in 11 relief appearances before earning a promotion to Class A Advanced Clearwater. As a member of the Threshers' bullpen, Carr sported a 1.54 ERA in 27 outings, including being part of a combined no-hitter in June. Carr was then promoted Double-A Reading, in time for that club's playoff run. Overall in 39 regular season contests last season, Carr tallied a 5-4 record with six saves, a .180 batting average against along with a 9.8 K/9 mark. The talented hurler was selected by the Phillies in round 31 of the 2018 draft out of South Alabama. This week I talked with Tyle

PhoulBallz Interview: Off-season Check In with RHP Kevin Gowdy

Kevin Gowdy, image- Jay Floyd Righty hurler Kevin Gowdy has a successful season as a member of the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws this year. After missing two full seasons following UCL surgery, the 2016 second round draft pick finally made it through a year totally healthy. In 24 games with the Claws, the California native posted a 0-6 record with a 4.68 ERA and a .281 batting average against. Recently, I talked with the 22-year-old about his off-season, his progress during the regular season and more. Read ahead for that complete interview. -What have you been up to since the season wrapped up as far as baseball work? So after the season wrapped up September 2nd, I went to instructs for two weeks to work on pitch design, I was out in Florida for another two weeks for strength camp and have also had some much-enjoyed time with friends and family. -How long do you rest and avoid picking up a baseball? And during that time are you doing any conditioning or other sorts

Phillies 2019 Rule 5 Draft Primer

One part of this week's MLB Winter Meetings that typically grabs interest related to the minor leagues is the annual Rule 5 Draft. Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft when they are not on their major league organization's 40 man roster and 1) were signed to a contract at age 19 or older and have been in that organization for four years, OR 2) were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in that organization for five years. Once a player is chosen in the Rule 5 Draft, that player is automatically assigned to his new organization's 40-man roster. A Rule 5 player must remain on the selecting team's 25-man big league roster for the entire next season, or be offered back to his original team. Draft order lists the Phillies 15th in this year's Rule 5 Draft. Four of the teams set to pick ahead of the Phils do not currently have room on their 40-man roster, thus they would not get to pick. The Phils head into it this week's Winter Me

Winners and losers of this off-season's MiLB rebrand frenzy

It's that special time of year when, in the midst of holidays and MLB hot stove, minor league teams have been launching new initiatives to spark interest and sell merchandise. We've seen new colors, new nicknames, new uniforms and impending relocations getting the complete press release attention throughout the month of "Logovember" and beyond. Let's take a look at some of the winners and losers of this off-season's newest brands and goods. Some teams with local ties supplemented their current logos with updated colorways.  Reading went black while Lehigh Valley has gone gold. Per a press release from the Triple-A Phillies affiliate, the IronPigs: "These uniforms represent what we as an organization think of our fans -- the 'Gold Standard' in Minor League Baseball," said Kurt Landes, President and General Manager of the IronPigs. We love gooooooooooooold! "Gold Standard" merch is available NOW at https://t.co/FeMwKmGfs