PhoulBallz.com

Thompson w/ Reading in 2015, image- Jay Floyd Phillies top pitching prospect Jake Thompson made his Triple-A debut in front of absolutely zero fans on Friday thanks to poor weather in New York state and a swift scheduling adjustment. With freezing temperatures and snowy weather besieging the Syracuse area in recent days, the affiliate of the Washington Nationals, the Chiefs, postponed the four-game set against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs that was slated to open the 2016 International League season. However, in order to get in some game action and keep their players active, the Chiefs agreed to play two of those games on the away from their home park. With such a short time frame to make the adjustment to both teams' plans, operationally, the IronPigs were not able to open the gates for any fans to attend. Playing a double header made up of two seven-inning games with the host club, the IronPigs, playing as the away team on Friday, the Chiefs handed top Phillies pitc...

The Phillies announced on Friday that lefty pitcher Adam Morgan will be promoted to the big league club and fill the void left by Jerome Williams in the starting rotation on Sunday. LHP Adam Morgan will start for the Phillies this Sunday vs STL. A corresponding roster move will be made on Sunday morning. — Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) June 19, 2015 Morgan, 25, was the Phillies' 3rd round draft selection in 2011 out of Alabama. The six-foot-one 195-pounder has a 0-6 record along with a 4.74 ERA and a .298 batting average against in 13 starts for the Triple-A IronPigs this season. He missed all of the 2014 regular season following shoulder surgery. The right-handed Williams left his start on Tuesday with a left hamstring strain and was placed on the disabled list as a result. In 14 starts for the Phillies this season, the 33-year-old sports a 3-7 record along with a 6.43 ERA. Earlier this season, Phillies Nation profiled Morgan on television. Check out the media player b...

On Friday night, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs opened a weekend series in Charlotte against the Chicago White Sox Triple-A affiliate. The Knights' Matt Tuiasosopo launched two home runs off of IronPigs' starting pitcher Adam Morgan , including a first inning grand slam to help the home club notch a 7-5 victory. Morgan, the Phillies' third round draft choice from 2011, fell to a troublesome 0-5 on the season. After an April in which he sported a 3.74 ERA, the 25-year-old struggled in May, tallying a 6.40 ERA in his last six outings. With the loss, the IronPigs fell to 19-31 on the season, which is the second worst record in the International League. Earlier in the day, the 'Pigs lost their starting left fielder Cody Asche , who was promoted to the big league team, which was nearly no-hit by Chad Bettis and the Rockies by night's end. As bad as all that sounds, the game wasn't entirely bad because the stadium video board caught the fan pictured below making ...

On the latest edition of Phillies Nation, Pat and Corey talk about the call up of 3B prospect Maikel Franco and what the team could expect from Domonic Brown . Looking toward what other players would help the big club, Rachel interviews IronPigs broadcaster Steve Degler, while Jay talks with lefty pitcher Adam Morgan . Hitting consultant Kevin Wilson also returns to the show, running down the mentality of hitting with two strikes. The gang also unveils some huge news about an upcoming addition to the PN family. To view the full episode, check out the media player below. New episodes of Phillies Nation premiere each Tuesday at 6PM on The Comcast Network.

Joe Jordan, image- Jay Floyd Recently, I caught up with the Phillies' director of player development Joe Jordan to discuss several key subjects throughout the minor leagues. Jordan, who took over his current role following the 2011 season, commented on pitching prospects Adam Morgan and Ricardo Pinto as well as outfielders Cord Sandberg , Roman Quinn , Cam Perkins and Aaron Altherr along with catcher Tommy Joseph . Also a topic of discussion is the realignment of some minor league coaches this year plus field coordinator Doug Mansolino. Read ahead for the comments from Jordan and click here for his exclusive injury updates from last week. - Adam Morgan (0-1, 5.00 ERA in two starts) is back in action at the Triple-A level for the IronPigs. What's the outlook for Adam right now? Adam had a good camp. He just progressed all the way. We got him built up there at the end, so he was ready to go to Lehigh. Adam looks good, you know. He’s fine. He just needs to ...

The minor league regular season gets under way on Thursday with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs hosting the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Double-A Reading Fightins hitting the road to take on the Portland SeaDogs. This week, I spoke with IronPigs pitching coach Ray Burris as well as Fightins pitching coach Dave Lundquist, who each commented on several of their respective teams' hurlers. Read ahead for these exclusive quotes about the Phillies' top pitching prospects at the upper levels of the developmental ranks. Burris, image- Jay Floyd Ray Burris- -On LHP Adam Morgan , who missed the entire 2014 season following surgery to repair his throwing shoulder, and his potential to live up to being an early round draft pick... I'm confident (that he can). I think he feels that way now, because he understands and knows how his delivery is supposed to work. When you have that knowledge inside of you and when you throw the ball incorrectly, you know that didn't f...

On the 75th edition of the PhoulBallz Podcast, Tug and Jay are joined by Phillies and minor league blogger "Baseball Betsy", who shares some stories about being an American parent to some of the Phils' up and coming Latin prospects and gives some updates on the likes of Perci Garner , Adam Morgan , Grenny Cumana and Carlos Alonso . Lefty hurler Hoby Milner takes time to answer Nine Silly-ass Questions. The guys also discuss the Phillies diving into the analytics era at long last, Kelly Dugan 's injury, questionable Twitter etiquette and plenty more. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes . Additionally, thanks to the thousands of you for being part of the growing process as our previous episode featuring an interview with the aforementioned Alonso was our most downloaded episode ever.

Image- MiLB.com Lefty hurler Adam Morgan is fully healthy after recovery from shoulder surgery last winter and is hoping to remind fans why he was ranked among the Phillies’ top prospects just two years ago. The six-foot-one 195-pounder was the Phillies’ 3 rd round draft selection in 2011 out of the University of Alabama. Upon making his pro debut that same year, Morgan tallied a 3-3 record along with a 2.01 ERA and a 7.27 K/9 mark in 11 starts for short-season Class A Williamsport. The following season, at the age of 22, Morgan skipped Class A Lakewood and had a solid campaign with Class A Advanced Clearwater. In 21 games (20 starts) the Georgia native posted a 4-10 record with a 3.29 ERA and a 10.24 K/9 mark. He was promoted to Double-A Reading in August, for their playoff push. In six starts to wrap up that season, Morgan notched an impressive 4-1 record with a 3.53 ERA while striking out 29 and walking 11 in 35 2/3 innings. In 2013 Morgan began his second full...

Jesse Biddle, image- Jay Floyd It was announced on Thursday that the Phillies added three young hurlers to the big league 40-man roster. Lefties Jesse Biddle and Adam Morgan along with righty Nefi Ogando were that trio. Biddle has been among the Phillies' top prospects since he was selected by them with the 27th overall pick in 2010. This news is a rare positive nugget about the 23-year-old, who had a terribly difficult 2014 after missing a lengthy stretch with a a concussion, sitting out his final start of the regular season with a separate ailment and being shut down with elbow soreness after making two appearance this autumn in off-season ball in Puerto Rico. Since debuting at the Double-A level to begin last year, Biddle hasn't looked too sharp, posting a 10-24 record along with a 4.02 ERA in 46 appearances over the last two seasons. Additionally, his 9.52 K/9 mark is very exciting, but the 5.14 BB/9 average (evidence of control concerns) that goes along with ...

The Arizona Fall League wrapped up play last week, with the team that Phillies’ players were assigned to, the Scottsdale Scorpions, finishing with a league-worst 12-20 record. The team was also made up of representatives from the Yankees, Pirates, Mets and Giants. Seven Phillies players took part and spent time battling against other organizations’ best young prospects. Below is a rundown of each of those Phils competitors’ AFL efforts with details on what to expect from each individual going forward. Centerfielder Roman Quinn posted a .250 batting average with two triples, two home runs, nine RBI and a league leading 14 stolen bases in 24 games. His .720 OPS was just a bit higher than the .713 mark he posted in 88 games with Class A Advanced Clearwater this year. The 21-year-old was the Phillies’ 2nd round draft choice in 2011. He underwent surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon last off-season but returned to action this year without any negative impact to his highly rega...

This week's rundown includes details on some Phillies players making their off-season league debuts including Ethan Martin , Cesar Hernandez as well as outfield prospect Dylan Cozens along with updates on key names such as Jesse Biddle , Maikel Franco and Aaron Altherr . Read ahead for all your fall/winter league updates from around the globe. Puerto Rico/ Roberto Clemente League Lefty pitcher Jesse Biddle had an alarming outing with Mayaguez on Saturday, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings while striking out four and walking two. The 23-year-old sports a 15.19 ERA in two outings in Puerto Rico. Biddle, the Phils' top draft pick in 2010, posted a 5-10 record with a 4.58 ERA in 19 starts in the minors this year. Also with Mayaguez, Jesmuel Valentin , who was acquired from the Dodgers by the Phils in the Roberto Hernandez trade this year, is 2-for-7 with an RBI in five games. The 20-year-old infielder posted a .273/.341/.412 slash line in 120 min...

The big league postseason is still in full swing, but many Phillies prospects have begun to get extra playing time in off-season leagues. As the weeks roll on, more players will debut as more leagues get going. Throughout the fall and winter months we'll be providing updates and reviews of how those players and others are performing around the globe. Read ahead for all the latest from the Arizona Fall League, the Venezuelan Winter League and beyond. Playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the AFL... Roman Quinn, image- Jay Floyd OF Roman Quinn is 2-for-15 (.133 avg) with three runs, three walks and three stolen bases in four games. The switch-hitting Quinn was the Phils' second round draft selection in 2011. The 21-year-old bounced back from surgery to repair a ruptures Achilles tendon this year, posting a .257/.343/.370 line in 88 games for Class A Advanced Clearwater. Catcher Logan Moore is 1-for-6 (.167 avg) in two games thus far. The 24-year-old was a nint...

Fall instructional league got underway over the weekend. Instructs, as it's commonly referred to, is a month-long off-season league, generally consisting of recently drafted players and foreign signees, players that missed time due to injury, or those that participated in short-season leagues, allowing those individuals to refine their skills or add innings/at bats to their season. It also serves as an opportunity for a greater number of developmental coaches to see newly signed players and those they've not been exposed to in action. Here's the Phillies' complete roster of players listed in attendance is listed below. PITCHERS Victor Arano Kyle Bogese Ismael Cabrera Austin Davis Yan De La Cruz Elniery Garcia Scott Harris Matt Imhof Carlos Indriago Tanner Kiest Franklyn Kilome Brandon Leibrandt Sam McWilliams Adonis Medina Aaron Nola Chris Oliver Felix Paulino Ricardo Pinto Edubray Ramos Calvin Rayburn Nick Rodesky Carlos Salazar Ranger Suarez...

On Sunday, I sat down with Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan.  As usual, I bounced as many names as I could his way until I felt as though I may be keeping the former pro catcher and longtime scout from doing the work that he was at the ballpark to do.  Topics of discussion included Adam Morgan 's recovery from shoulder surgery, Cameron Perkins ' slow start at the Triple-A level, Maikel Franco 's turnaround, Dylan Cozens ' emergence and several more prospects. Read ahead for all of Jordan's remarks about some highly regarded prospects. Adam Morgan, image- Jay Floyd -Are there any updates you can share on lefty pitcher Adam Morgan (3rd round pick, 2011), who underwent shoulder surgery last off-season? He's throwing, progressing well. You know, I mean, we're hopeful that during instructional league we may have actually him on the mound, participating. But really, right now, he's doing well. -And righty Shane Watson (suppl...

Drafted in the third round in 2011 out of the University of Alabama, left-hander Adam Morgan quickly made an impact in the Phillies' system upon debuting as a pro.  However, a shoulder injury last year that kept him out of action for a lengthy stretch and resulted in off-season surgery has reduced his value as a prospect in the eyes of many. In 2011, Morgan looked great, tallying a 3-3 record with a 2.01 ERA and a .206 batting average against in 11 starts as a member of the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters. Morgan would go on to skip full season Class A Lakewood and began the 2012 season with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers.  In the Florida State League, the Marietta, GA native tallied a 4-10 record with a 3.29 ERA and was named a mid-season All-Star. he earned a promotion to Double-A Reading after July and helped them reach the Eastern League playoffs, posting a 4-1 record along with a 3.53 ERA in six regular season starts. Last season ...

Adam Morgan with Reading in 2012, image- Jay Floyd Two of the Phillies' top pitching prospects are likely out of action until August, according to reports. Right-hander Shane Watson , who spoke with me exclusively last month about his upcoming procedure, is slated to go under the knife in the coming days, while left-hander Adam Morgan underwent surgery to repair his recurring shoulder issues this week. Watson, the Phillies' first round draft selection in 2012, is currently in Los Angeles, where he will have surgery to repair an enlarged capsule in his throwing shoulder. The 20-year-old posted a 4-6 record along with a 4.75 ERA and a .230 batting average against in 16 starts at Class A Lakewood last season. Morgan missed considerable time last season with a shoulder strain, but returned to close out the season in a strong fashion, tallying a 1.59 ERA in his first seven Triple-A starts off the disabled list before allowing four earned runs in 1 1/3 innings in his fin...

On the 39th edition of the PhoulBallz Podcast, Jay chats with lefty pitching prospect Adam Morgan , who dealt with a shoulder injury in 2013 but made a lot of progress.  Additionally, Tug and Jay chat about the Phillies' Paul Owens Award winners Severino Gonzalez and Maikel Franco , Trevor May thoughts on being traded by the Phils last off-season, Tyson Gillies ' feelings toward his season, September call-ups as well as much more. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

Dave Brundage, Image- Jay Floyd Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Dave Brundage returned the Phillies' organization this season after a 26-year absence.  Previously, Brundage managed the Braves' Triple-A affiliate for the last six seasons.  Prior to his time in the Atlanta system, the 48-year-old spent 19 season in the Mariners organization as a player, coach and manager.  The Georgia resident was originally drafted as a fourth round pick in 1986 and played at three levels with the Phillies, reaching as high as Double-A Reading before he was traded to Seattle. The IronPigs hung close in the International League wild card standings through the latter portion of the season, but a loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday officially eliminated them from the postseason hunt. This weekend, I spoke with Brundage about several of his players, including Adam Morgan , Tyson Gillies as well as Cameron Rupp and he also chatted about September call-ups among other ...