Skip to main content

2021 Phillies Top Prospects Countdown: #8 OF Simon Muzziotti

Please visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz in order to support my work and get access to material like this before anyone.  Plus you'll get interviews as well as other exclusive content you won't be able to enjoy anywhere else. 

Muzziotti, image- Jay Floyd

Since joining the organization Simon Muzziotti has emerged as one of the Phillies' most promising outfield prospects. 

Signing infractions by his former organization, the Red Sox, lead the talented youngster to be declared a free agent by Major League Baseball approximately a year after he signed with Boston at the age of 16.  Muzziotti was subsequently inked by the Phillies and has been an attention grabber as he has moved up the developmental ranks with quickness.

In 2016, he played in the Dominican Summer League, tallying a .256 average with six doubles, two triples and eight steals in his combined time with the Sox and Phils teams there.

The following year, at the age of 18, the left-handed hitter notched a .269 batting average with four doubles, six triples and eight stolen bases in 33 games in the Gulf Coast League.  He also recorded two hits in seven at bats as a fill-in with Class A Advanced Clearwater.

In 2018, Muzziotti missed a couple of months with a broken finger, when he was hit by a pitch in April.  Despite the physical set back, the Venezuela native made outstanding impressions and began to stand out.  In 74 games, including a rehab stint in the GCL, Muzziotti posted a .250 average with with 12 doubles, two triples, a home run, 22 RBI and 19 steals, primarily as the club's lead-off batter.

Muzziotti spent the 2019 regular season with Class A Advanced Clearwater, continuing to hone his craft. In 110 games, he posted a .287 batting average with 21 doubles, three triples, three homers, 28 RBI and 21 steals.  The efforts earned him the honor of being a Florida State League All-Star. 

He was called up to Double-A Reading for their postseason run in 2019 after Clearwater's season ended, in case his talents were needed.  Ultimately, he was never officially added to their roster at any point during the playoffs.  

Last year, Muzziotti was a victim of the cancelled minor league season, but he did participate in the fall instructional league in Florida.

The hit tool for Muzziotti is what prospect reviewers find the most appealing.  He is said to be among the best hitters in the minors for the Phillies and a true contact machine.  With an ability to spray the ball to all fields, the six-foot-one 175 pounder has great hand-eye coordination.  However, he will likely not ever be considered a big power threat.

His left/right splits at the plate in 2019 showed plenty of room for improvement.  Against righty pitchers, Muzziotti posted a .772 OPS while he notched a lowly .434 mark against lefty hurlers.

Defensively, Muzziotti boasts remarkable range and has a strong arm.  He is a plus contributor on that side of the ball and should be able to stick in centerfield as he moves upward in the system, though he does have some time in both right field and left field during his career in the minors.

On the bases, Muzziotti, a member of the Phils' 40-man roster, possesses excellent speed.  He's got some good instincts as well and is already a noted stolen base threat.

The ceiling for the 22-year-old may be unclear, but I would feel comfortable asserting he has a high floor, which would see him as a big league contributor in the coming years.

Look for the exciting speedster to see action at the Double-A level to open this year and fully put on display what he can do at the higher levels of the minors.

You can keep tabs on this year's Phillies prospects countdown by clicking on this link.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

PhoulBallz Q&A with Mike Stutes

Mike Stutes completes "The Reading Phils Mike Tri-fecta" over three days, here on PhoulBallz.com. Stutes, a 22 year old, was an 11th round selection by the Phillies in the 2008 amateur draft. Stutes, a right handed starting pitcher, helped lead Oregon State to the College World Series championship in both 2006 and 2007. Stutes and teammate Vance Worley are the first players to begin a season at Reading the year after being drafted since Pat Burrell did it in 1999. Stutes was the Phils' minor league pitcher of the month in August '08, when he went 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 6 starts. Check out my Q&A with the third Mike below. Can I get you to talk about the coaching staff and how they help you deal with ups and downs? They've been real positive with me. I started out good and then I hit a rough patch. They've stuck with me through it all. I haven't heard any negative words from them. Every day they try to come out, work with me, try to get me turned around...

Jason Knapp Q&A

PhoulBallz .com was fortunate enough to meet with Phillies prospect Jason Knapp just one day after he caught the attention of the baseball world with his 7 shut out innings, 14 strike out performance against the Indians' Lake County team. - I asked Jason, the Lakewood BlueClaw , for some thoughts about his big game... I had pretty good command of three pitches (fastball, curve, change up). I was on the same page with my catcher, D'Arnaud , and I ended up, ya know, I felt pretty good. - In a great performance like that, how much credit goes to Travis D'Arnaud , the catcher? More than you might expect, definitely. I didn't shake him off once. He told me what to throw and I do what I'm told. And if it works out, a lot of the credit goes to the catcher. - Does the lack of run support (Lakewood has scored 3 total runs in his 3 starts), in your few starts, increase your stress level, or enhance your focus? No, I just try to go out and do my job every outing. Ya know, we...

Yankees Fans Misled By Pepsi Promotion

**** Today, New York Yankees fans attended a Pepsi promotion in Times Square hoping for chances to win opening day tickets to the new stadium, but the tickets, which were difficult to track down due to poor organization on Pepsi's part, were actually for a game in June. Furthermore, the 250 pairs that were promised were actually only 100 pairs. The fans, who were made to sprint through traffic over multiple city blocks when locations for the promotion changed, quickly turned against the soda brand by pooring out their beverages and chanting anti-Pepsi phrases. Yankees fans are even threatening a boycott of Pepsi. An appearance by Yankee great Goose Gossage could not even settle the angry mob, as he had to be whisked away, as a precaution, according to the Daily News . Ooo , I'd hate to see what "the worst fans in sports" (Philadelphia fans) would have done to their free Pepsi cans and beloved reliever in that situation. Because this happened in a non-Philly city, th...