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After completing what was easily the best month of his career, righty hurler Dominic Pipkin is ready to face the tough competition of the prominent Arizona Fall Leage.   Pipkin, who was the Phillies' 9th round draft selection in 2018, has had moderate success in his five years as a pro, posting a 4.93 ERA, a 7.6 K/9 mark and a .260 batting average against mostly at the lower levels on the minors. After missing time this year with an unspecified ailment, the six-foot-four 170-pounder proved to be healthy as he dominated AA competition in nine appearances with the Reading Fightin Phils during August.  Pipkin's impressive production resulted in a 1-0 record with a save and a 0.96 ERA while striking out eight and walking three in 9 1/3 innings. The California native says his efforts to improve have helped him touch 100 MPH on the radar gun, while his fastball velocity is mostly around 96 MPH.   Pipkin's arsenal includes that improved fastball as well as a slider whi...

Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to  my Patreon page .  Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this post.  Thank you. It has been multiple weeks since I reported on my Patreon page that a cancellation of the 2020 minor league season is likely as a result of the global pandemic. Despite that, some minor leaguers staying active will be necessary in order to keep players ready in order to supplement each big league roster as needs and injuries arise.  That "taxi squad" could possibly travel with the team and play against the big league opponents' minor leaguers or they could remain stationed at a single location in order to play intrasquad games. This week, Baseball America has reported that in order to make up for the lost playing time, a plan being considered is to allow each of the 30 organizations to send a roster of their own prospe...

Mickey Moniak, image- Jay Floyd Despite what overly critical fans online say, Phillies minor league outfielder Mickey Moniak has taken considerable strides and is a genuine prospect on the rise. This year, he opened the regular season as a 20-year-old in the Double-A Eastern League. As a member of the Reading Fightins, Moniak notched a .252 average in 119 games while leading the league in triples with 13, ranking 2nd in extra base hits with 52 and coming in 4th in RBI with 67. In recent weeks, the lefty hitting Moniak tallied a .186 average with four doubles, two triples and three stolen bases in 17 games for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League. A while back I talked with Mickey to discuss some of his interests off the field including food, music, Star Wars and more.  To hear this exclusive interview , head on over the Patreon.com/PhoulBallz to support my work and get access to this audio and so much more material that you won't find anywhere else.  

Over the off-season, sometimes this site can go stretches of several days without a post or an update, but if you're looking for constant news, stats and insight on what is taking place with Phillies developmental talents throughout the autumn and winter months, follow me on Twitter or simply bookmark my Twitter profile page ( https://twitter.com/PhoulBallz ) to get daily alerts and details. In the Dominican Winter League thus far, catcher Deivy Grullon and shortstop Malquin Canelo have each posted a .143 batting average in four games for their respective teams. In the Arizona Fall League, where Phils prospects are playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, corner infielder Alec Bohm is sporting a .361 batting average with a pair of homers, nine RBI and five walks in 19 contests. Righty pitcher Spencer Howard has notched a 1-1 record with a 2.11 ERA and an 11.4 K/9 mark in six starts. In eight appearances left-hander JoJo Romero has posted a 1-0 record, a 0.84 ERA and ...

A couple of weeks into action, here's a rundown of how Phillies players are performing in the Arizona Fall League. Each Phillies prospect plays for the Scottsdale Scorpions. The team has a 6-6 record through 12 games this year.   Alec Bohm, image- Jay Floyd Third baseman Alec Bohm in eight games sports a .387 batting average with two doubles and five RBI.  The righty hitting Bohm was the Phillies' first round draft selection in 2018. In four games, Josh Stephen has tallied a .455 average with a triple and one RBI.  The 22-year-old lefty batter was an 11th round draft selection in 2016 by the Phils. Center fielder Mickey Moniak has notched a .161 batting average with a double, a triple, four RBI and a stolen base in seven contests with Scottsdale.  The 21-year-old lefty hitter was the first overall selection in the 2016 draft. In three games, infielder Nick Maton is batting .333 with a double a home run and a pair of RBI.  The lefty batting ...

Nick Maton, image- Jay Floyd A few weeks ago I talked with infielder Nick Maton about his 2019 regular season, his assignment to head out and get extra work in the Arizona Fall League and more. The 22-year-old was the Phillies' 7th round draft selection in 2017.  The lefty batting Maton opened the year with Class A Advanced Clearwater.  In 93 games for the Threshers, he notched a .276 batting average with 14 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 45 RBI. Promoted to Double-A Reading in early August, Maton would post a .210 average with three doubles, a pair of round-trippers and six RBI in 21 games for the Fightin Phils. Primarily a shortstop, Maton also saw action at second base and third base this year. For complete audio of my interview with Maton, please head on over the Patreon.com/PhoulBallz and support my work.  Patreon members get exclusive content and early access to other posts.  You won't be disappointed.

Arquimedes Gamboa, image- Jay Floyd Prior to the end of the regular season, I spoke with Double-A Reading manager Shawn Williams about several topics including outfielders Cornelius Randolph and Josh Stephen (click each of those individuals' names for those features).  Among other things the team's skipper discussed with me were the assignment of several of his players going to the Arizona Fall League this month, what he saw from infielder Arquimedes Gamboa despite a lackluster offensive stat line as well as the progress of top prospects Alec Bohm and Spencer Howard .  Read ahead for those quotes. -Your team has several guys going to the Arizona Fall League.  I just wanted to get your opinion of how that can help their development. It definitely does.  It's a really competitive league.  You've got all the best players, pretty much, from all the organizations.  I was fortunate enough to be out there two years ago.  I think it's a lot o...

HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING YEAR ROUND BY BECOMING A PATRON!  Get early access to articles like this, EXCLUSIVE interviews and plenty more- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Warren w/ Lakewood in 2018, image- J. Floyd Lefty pitcher Zach Warren is fresh off another solid season in the Phillies' developmental ranks and is headed to the prestigious Arizona Fall League this off-season to work on his craft. In 40 contests this year with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, Warren had a 1-3 record with seven saves, a 3.30 ERA and a 12.0 K/9 mark.  Last year he was a force at Class A Lakewood where he notched a 3-2 record with 15 saves, a 1.91 ERA and a 15.9 K/9 mark. Warren, a Vineland, NJ native, was selected by the Phillies in the 14th round of the 2017 draft out of Tennessee. Last week I chatted on the phone with Zach about his 2019 season, his pitch repertoire, his anticipation for AFL action, growing up as a Phillies fan and p...

Mickey Moniak, image- Jay Floyd Arizona Fall League rosters were announced this week and the Scottsdale roster is slated to feature some of the Phillies' most exciting prospects. Set to represent the Phils in the prestigious off-season league that is operated by Major League Baseball are outfielder Mickey Moniak , right-handed pitchers Spencer Howard and Connor Seabold , corner infielder Alec Bohm , shortstop Nick Maton along with left-handed hurler JoJo Romero . A previously unannounced representative from the Phillies organization that is set to see action with the Scorpions is lefty reliever Zach Warren . Howard, who was ranked by this outlet as the Phils' top prospect headed into this season, has reached Double A Reading and will likely start game one of the Eastern League divisional playoffs this coming Wednesday.  He missed time earlier this season with a shoulder strain.  In 13 combined regular season starts with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Read...

Gamboa with Lakewood in 2017, image- Jay Floyd This year, shortstop Arquimedes Gamboa makes his first appearance on this countdown.  While the Venezuela native's statistics don't necessarily back up claims that he's among the Phillies' top prospects, his skill set is prevalent and he has steadily impressed many with his talent. Signed as an international free agent in 2014 at age 16, he participated that same year in the Florida Instructional League. The following year, he made his professional regular season debut with the short-season Rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies.  In 50 games there, the switch-hitter notched a .189 batting average with seven doubles, three triples, 16 RBI and eight stolen bases, Another short-season campaign was in store for Gamboa in 2016 as he batted .200 with Class A Williamsport.  In 35 games there, he tallied six doubles, two home runs and five steals. Gamboa took the step up to full-season A level Lakewood for the 2017 ...

Darick Hall, image- Jay Floyd Building on a breakout initial full season that saw him honored as the Class A South Atlantic League's Most Valuable Player, first baseman Darick Hall continued to prove himself worthy of regard as one of the Phillies' most promising young power hitters. A 14th round draft selection in 2016, the Dallas Baptist product made his professional debut with the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters that same year. In 57 games there, Hall tallied a .282 batting average with nine home runs and 29 RBI.  His .890 OPS led the New York-Penn League. Hall, a left-handed hitter, moved up to full-season Class A in 2017 and with Lakewood, sporting a .272 average with 28 doubles, a triple, 27 home runs (team record) and 96 RBI (another team record) in 114 games. He would close out his 2017 campaign with a week in the Class A Advanced Florida State League playing for Clearwater. In seven games with the Threshers, the six-foot-four 242-pounder po...

Austin Listi, image- Jay Floyd This year outfielder Austin Listi stood out as the Phillies' organization's most outstanding offensive prospect, getting honored by the organization as their Paul Owens Award winner. In the 2018 regular season, Listi split time with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Double-A Reading.  In 123 total games in 2018, the Dallas Baptist product tallied a .312 average with 18 home runs and 84 RBI.  He did all of that in his first full season in the professional ranks, after the Phillies made him their 17th round draft choice last year. Defensively, Listi played left field, third base and first base, though primarily he spent his time in right field during the season. In the autumn months, Listi continued his development, seeing action in the prestigious Arizona Fall League.  In 22 games for the Scorpions, the 25-year-old tallied a .250 batting average with two doubles, a triple and seven RBI. This week I heard from Listi who off...

Darick Hall (left) & Tyler Fallwell, photo courtesy of Darick Hall Darick Hall continued his ascent toward the big leagues in 2018, flashing plenty of power and achieving success at two levels in the process.  The 23-year-old lefty-handed batter tore through the Class A Advanced Florida State League before earning a promotion to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. In 128 combined games this year, the Phillies 14th round draft selection from 2016 tallied a .244 batting average with 26 home runs and 87 RBI.   Following the regular season, Hall participated in the prestigious Arizona Fall League.  In 18 games there with the Scorpions, the six-foot-four 234-pounder sported a .238 average with four home runs and 12 RBI.   This week I talked with the slugging first baseman about his successful year, the time spent in the AFL, his workout routine and more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -What did you take out of your 2018 campaig...

Throughout the off-season, I'll offer a roundup of how some Phillies prospects and players are performing around the world in fall/winter leagues. Here are the latest noteworthy details. Colombian League- Jorge Alfaro, image- Jay Floyd Catcher Jorge Alfaro is batting .271 with a pair of home runs in 13 games for the Toros.  Alfaro, 25, posted a .262 average with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 108 games with the Phillies this year.  Arizona Fall League- With the AFL wrapping up play last week, the following stats are final for the month-long campaign with each of the players having competed for the Scottsdale Scorpions. First baseman Darick Hall batted .238 with four homers and 12 RBI in 18 games.  Hall, 23, was the 14th round pick of the Phillies in 2016 out of Dallas Baptist.  Hall blasted 26 homers and drove in 87 runs in 128 combined games with Clearwater and Reading this year. Outfielder/first baseman Austin Listi batted .250 and OPS'd .6...

Austin Listi, image- Jay Floyd As the big leagues' Fall Classic wrapped up on Sunday with another championship for Boston, the baseball community's attention can shift toward off-season leagues.  The lone domestic offering that fans can gravitate toward is the Arizona Fall League, which announced the rosters for its annual Fall Stars Game on Monday. Outfielder Austin Listi will represent the Phillies, as he was named to the East division roster.  The righty batting outfielder was honored as the Phils' top offensive minor leaguer this year, when he was named as the recipient of the Paul Owens Award. In the regular season Listi split time with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Double-A Reading.  In 123 games in 2018, the Dallas Baptist product tallied a .312 average with 18 home runs and 84 RBI. The six-foot 218-pounder has displayed light hitting to date in the AFL, posting a .175 average with a double and three RBI in 12 contests with Scottsdale. Much like ...

Seth McGarry, image- Jay Floyd Righty reliever Seth McGarry joined the Phillies last year as part of a trade that sent pitcher Joaquin Beniot to the Pirates.  Since joining the Phillies organization, the 24-year-old has been a contributor on the field and behind the scenes. McGarry, who was an 8th round draft selection in 2015 out of Florida Atlantic, had a solid 2018 campaign with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.  In 45 appearances the six-foot 180-pounder posted a 2-4 record with four saves, a 3.99 ERA, a .238 batting average against and an 8.6 K/9 mark. Prior to the end of the regular season, I talked to McGarry about his pitch repertoire, his upcoming assignment to the prestigious Arizona Fall League, helping teammates in the Phils organization improve their offerings and plenty more.  Read ahead for my full interview with Seth. -I hear good things about you.  That you're a helper and an educator and you share grips and pitches with other guys t...