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I've got a quick rundown here of how some Phillies players are performing in the off-season/Winter leagues that are underway so far.  Keep in mind that, down under, the Australian Baseball League kicks off later this month and that league is jam packed with Phils.  The Puerto Rico League is set to start action this week. Darick Hall, image- Jay Floyd In Mexico, first baseman Darick Hall is ripping up the opposition.  In 10 games, he's posted a .324/.409/.595 slash line.  The 25-year-old lefty slugger has a double, three homers and 16 RBI to date for Los Mochis.  Hall, a 14th round pick in 2016 out of Dallas Baptist, has reportedly been playing some left field in Mexico. In the Dominican Republic, for Licey, RHP Adonis Medina has appeared in two games.  In three innings of work, the 23-year-old has allowed four hits and two earned runs while striking out three and walking two.  Also with Licey, Enyel De Los Santos has also appeared in a pair of game...

Gary Jones, image- Jay Floyd HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING ALL SEASON LONG BY BECOMING A PATRON!  Get early access to posts like this, EXCLUSIVE interviews and plenty more- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Last week I sat down with Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Gary Jones to talk about some of his team's players. Below are some excerpts from my chat with him in which he discusses backstop Deivy Grullon , lefty starting pitcher Damon Jones , infielder/outfielder Austin Listi and more. -Deivy Grullon has been a key contributor for the 'Pigs this year. An All-Star for you guys. What have you seen from Deivy this year? I mean Deivy’s doing a good job. He’s working his tail off every day. He’s improving behind the plate. The relationship with the pitchers is good. He goes out on a daily basis and those guys work and talk about the game plan, so he’s getting better and he’s doing what all these guys are doing. They’re here developi...

Alec Bohm, image- Jay Floyd News landed on Thursday evening that third baseman Alec Bohm would be moving up from Class A Advanced Clearwater to Double-A Reading. Bohm, the Phillies' first round draft choice last year, opened the season with Class A Lakewood and was promoted to Clearwater after a scorching April in which he batted .367 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 22 games.  In 40 games with the Threshers, the 22-year-old batted .329 with four homers and 27 RBI.  At the rate he is progressing, it won't be long before Bohm is making an impact with the best sportsbooks . A move to make room with Reading saw Austin Listi moving up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Overall this season, Listi's offensive efforts (.220/.339/.364) aren't great, but he has been hot in June, slashing at a .328/.406/.552 clip in 19 games this month with the Fightins. The 25-year-old righty hitter was a 17th round pick by the Phillies in 2017.  Listi was honored as the Phils' ...

Austin Listi, image- Jay Floyd The Phillies' top offensive performer in the minors last year, Austin Listi truly made a name for himself with a bust out season. A 17th round pick out of Dallas Baptist in 2017, Listi was a career .300 hitter with a .407 OBP in 236 career college games for the Patriots. Generously listed at six-feet tall, 218 pounds, Listi made his professional debut with short-season Class A Williamsport in 2017, batting .293 with three homers and 17 RBI in 22 games before earning a promotion to Class A Lakewood.  There, with the BlueClaws, he sported a .242 average with four home runs and 11 RBI in 31 contests. Last year he took a step up and opened his campaign at Class A Advanced Clearwater.  In 58 games with the Threshers, Listi notched a .344 batting average with nine home runs and 45 RBI.  Promoted to Double-A Reading in June, Listi would continue to succeed, batting .281 with nine home runs and 39 RBI in 65 games. Listi's combined aver...

This weekend, the Phillies announced news of eight players that will be included in big league camp during this year's upcoming Spring Training workouts.  The list includes mostly familiar names including the top overall pick from the 2016 MLB draft. Left-handed pitchers Tyler Gilbert , JoJo Romero and Cole Irvin will join the team from the start as will outfielder Austin Listi , the organization's offensive Paul Owens Award winner from last season.  Backstop Deivi Grullon , infielder Malquin Canelo as well as outfielders Adam Haseley and Mickey Moniak are also set to take part in sessions with the big league team. Romero and Irvin, both starters, are steadily ranked among the Phillies top pitching prospects.  Gilbert, a reliever, has flown under the radar a bit, but took advantage of his 2018 campaign and made a name for himself.  The Southern California product sported a combined 7-2 record with five saves a 3.25 ERA and a .211 batting average ag...

Season's greetings!  Everybody loves 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 ninth annual player survey include the 2018 Paul Owens Award winner OF Austin Listi , slugging first base  prospect Darick Hall , Class A All-Stars (CI/OF) Jake Scheiner and (SP) Will Stewart , Triple-A reliever Tyler Gilbert and short-season rookie level backstop Logan O'Hoppe .  Additionally, taking part is Double-A Reading Fightin Phils broadcaster Mike Ventola. Questions and answers listing each individual’s holly jolly holiday favorites are listed below… -What is your favorite Xmas movie or TV special? Austin Listi: For the longest time my favorite Christmas movie has been The Santa Claus 2. However, I love just snuggling up on the couch with my wife and crushing Hallmark's Countd...

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...

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 ...

I'll be posting rundowns throughout the off-season to shine a light on Phillies prospects making an impact in various leagues around the world.  This is the first of my regular updates throughout the colder months touching on action in the Arizona Fall League, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and other places.  Statistics are current through games on Saturday. Arizona Fall League (all Phillies representatives here play for the Scottsdale Scorpions)- Luke Leftwich, image- Jay Floyd Righty pitcher Luke Leftwich has not allowed a run in 5 2/3 innings over four appearances.  He has notched eight strike outs and surrendered two walks.  Leftwich, 24, posted a 3.73 ERA in 44 appearances for Double-A Reading this year.  The Wofford College product was a 7th round draft choice of the Phils in 2015. Lefty hurler Jonathan Hennigan has allowed two hits and an earned run in three innings of work.  He tallied a 2.39 ERA in 37 combined games for Class A La...

Austin Listi, image- Jay Floyd On Monday the Phillies announced that outfielder/first baseman Austin Listi and starting pitcher David Parkinson have been named the organizations top minor league performers and earned this year's Paul Owens Award. Instituted in 1986, the Paul Owens Award is named after the man who spent 48 years in the Phillies organization as a scout, farm director, general manager, manager and senior advisor. The award is given to the organization's most outstanding minor league position player and most outstanding minor league pitcher each season. Listi, 24, was a 17th round draft selection last year out of Dallas Baptist. This year, in his first full season as a pro, the righty batter opened the campaign with Class A Advanced Clearwater. In 58 games with the Threshers, Listi tallied a .344 average with nine home runs and 45 RBI. Promoted to Double-A Reading in mid-June, List would notch a .281 average with nine home runs and 39 RBI in 65 game...

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...

Here we go with a rundown of top performers of late throughout the Phillies minor league levels.  Statistics and standings are current through games on Wednesday.  Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (57-38, 1st place in the International League North Division)- Joey Meneses, image- Jay Floyd Outfielder Joey Meneses continues with his strong efforts for the 'Pigs.  Among the league leaders in batting with a .304 mark, the 26-year-old Mexico native has 17 home runs and 55 RBI through 87 games.  The righty batter was a free agent signing over the off-season. Left-handed starting pitcher Cole Irvin continues to rank among the top three in ERA this season in the International League with his 2.73 mark.  Through 18 starts, the 24-year-old is holding opponents to a .233 batting average while posting an 8-3 record and a 7.5 K/9 mark. Since he was signed as a free agent this month, infielder Ryan Goins has tallied a .300 average with three doubles, a homer a...

We're beyond the mid-season point for both full-season Class A teams and now would be as good a time as any to run down some of the top performers throughout the Phillies' minor league levels.  Class A Short-Season Williamsport Crosscutters-  Through four games, lefty hitting first baseman Edwin Rodriguez is batting .462 with two doubles and two RBI.  The 21-year-old Dominican spent the last two seasons playing in the Gulf Coast League. Outfielder Matt Vierling, who was the Phillies' 5th round draft selection out of Notre Dame this year, sports a .450 average with a triple, two RBI and two stolen bases through five contests.  The 21-year-old righty batter is a native of St. Louis.   Venezuelan born hurler Gustavo Armas had an outstanding start in his first appearance of the young season for the Cutters.  In seven innings of work he allowed no runs while striking out seven and walking none.  The righty, Armas, is 22-years-old. Class A ...

As minor league teams have reached roughly a third of the way through the minor league season, here's a quick run down on some of the standouts at all four full-season levels of the Phillies system.   -Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (28-20, 1st place in the International League North Division)... Cole Irvin with Reading last season, image- Jay Floyd Thus far in the 2018 campaign, the IronPigs' Cole Irvin leads all Phillies minor leaguers in innings pitched with 54.  Through nine starts, the 24-year-old has a 5-1 record with a 3.17 ERA and an 8.2 K/9 mark.  Irvin, a lefty, was the Phils' 5th round draft choice in 2016. His rotation mate Enyel De Los Santos has a 5-2 record with a 1.40 ERA and a .194 batting average against in nine starts.  The right-handed native of the Dominican Republic also sports a 9.8 K/9 mark.  De Los Santos was acquired from San Diego last off-season in a trade for Freddy Galvis. First baseman Joey Meneses has been incredible ...