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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 ...

Ben Lively, image- Jay Floyd Right-hander Ben Lively notched a highly successful season last year, helping to garner loads of attention as one of the Phillies' most promising young pitching prospects. Originally selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, Lively would begin his pro career as a member of the rookie level Billings Mustangs in the Reds organization. In 12 starts that year the talented hurler posted a 0-3 record with a 0.73 ERA and an 11.9 K/9 mark. He was promoted to Class A Dayton to close out the season with a single start, allowing one earned run in four innings of work while striking out seven and walking one. This was fresh off his junior season at the University of Central Florida where, in 15 games, he went 7-5 with a 2.04 ERA and an 8.6 K/9 mark as the team’s ace. Lively would follow up his exceptional year by becoming the Reds’ minor league player of the year in 2014. Opening his first full professional season with Class A Advanced Bakersfield, ...

Ben Lively, image- Jay Floyd None of the names honored as the 2016 Paul Owens Award winners were a surprise, as each of the men dominated throughout the season. It was announced on Friday that right-hander Ben Lively was named the top pitcher while Dylan Cozens and Rhys Hoskins were co-winners on the offensive side. Lively, who opened the season at Double-A Reading and helped lead the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs into the postseason following a promotion in May, tallied an 18-5 record along with a 2.69 ERA and a .192 batting average against in 28 combined starts at the two levels. The 24-year-old was acquired from the Reds in the 2014-2015 off-season in the trade for Marlon Byrd , who won the Paul Owens Award in 2000 and 2001. Cozens, the Eastern League's Most Valuable Player, sported a .276 average with 40 home runs and 125 RBI in 134 games with Reading this season. The lefty batting 22-year-old right fielder was the Phillies' 2nd round draft pick out of hi...

Ben Lively, image- Jay Floyd The Reading Fightins announced a transaction this afternoon, as righty starting pitcher Ben Lively has earned a promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Lively, a 4th round pick of Cincinnati in 2013, was acquired by the Phillies in a trade for Marlon Byrd two 0ff-seasons ago. In nine starts for Double-A Reading this season, the 24-year-old posted a 7-0 record with a 1.87 ERA while striking out 49 and walking 15 in 53 innings pitched. Last season with Reading, Lively sported an 8-7 record with a 4.13 ERA in 25 games. Recently, I spoke with Lively , who noted that the key to his success this year was throwing more quality pitches early in at bats. He'll make his Triple-A debut, starting on Friday night for the IronPigs. Mark Appel has been placed on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain. The 24-year-old left his most recent start for the IronPigs on Sunday after being charged with four earned runs in just 2/3 of an inning. Appe...

Logan Moore, image- Jay Floyd Last week prior to his promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill the void left by J.P. Arencibia , I spoke with minor league backstop Logan Moore , who began the season with the Double-A Reading Fightins. The 25-year-old was a 9th round draft selection by the Phillies in 2011 out of Northeastern Junior College. Serving mainly as a backup to catching prospects Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp , Moore has posted a .239 average with a home run and seven RBI in 23 games overall this season. Moore shared thoughts on filling the void during Alfaro's injury this season, playing off-season ball and some of the Figthins' top starting pitchers. Read ahead for that interview. -During Jorge Alfaro's recent time on the shelf with an oblique strain, you served as the team's only true catcher, with Jake Fox , who has caught in the pros before, serving as the emergency option, for some time. What was that stretch like? I mean, I knew comi...

JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd Recently, I spoke with a pair of top performers from the Double-A Reading Fightins in shortstop J.P. Crawford and starting pitcher Ben Lively . Crawford, of course, is the Phillies' top prospect and their top draft pick from 2013. In 34 games this season, the 21-year-old sports a .262 average with two home runs and 11 RBI also sporting a strong OBP at .389. The 24-year-old Lively has been the ace of the Reading staff, posting a 6-0 record with a 1.53 ERA and an 8.8 K/9 mark through eight starts. Read ahead for interview excerpts from each player. Crawford- -He spoke on his manager Dusty Wathan 's comments ( click here for those ) that he expects Crawford to be promoted to Triple-A in the coming weeks and if he thinks he's ready for that move... Yeah, I think I’ve been playing good and I’m ready to prove what I can do if I get moved up and if I don’t, I’ll just keep doing what I do and keep performing. -Talking about what he ...

Ben Lively, image- Jay Floyd TRENTON- Righty pitcher Ben Lively struck out a career-high 12 batters in an excellent performance, helping the Reading Fightins (24-13) win by a score of 7-2 and clinch a series split in a four game set on the road against the division rival Thunder (19-16). In the outing, the 24-year-old gave up four hits while walking four over seven scoreless frames. With the win, Lively's record this season goes to a gleaming 6-0. In eight starts for the first place Fightins, the six-foot-four 190-pounder sports a Double-A Eastern League best 1.53 ERA, an 8.8 K/9 mark and a 0.96 WHIP. The numbers are a nice improvement over his efforts last year that saw Lively post an 8-7 record with a 4.13 ERA, a 7.0 K/9 and a 1.43 WHIP in 25 starts for Reading. The Florida native feels a change of approach is what has helped him improve. "I'm just making more quality pitches early in at bats this year and it's just been helping me a lot," L...

Steve Schrenk, image- Jay Floyd Following a terrific outing in which Ricardo Pinto flirted with a no-hitter into the 7th inning in Trenton on Thursday, I spoke with his Reading Fightins pitching coach Steve Schrenk , who offered thoughts on the young hurler's effort and several other pitchers on his staff as well... -Talking about Pinto's seven shut out inning performance... You know, he gets his first win this year. He's been fighting to get one his last four outings but it's just nice to get him a win tonight. He had his good change up working for him and I like the way he pitched against a good hitting Trenton team. -Sharing more thoughts on the potential for a historic game... Obviously, you'd like to see a no-hitter. I would have loved to have seen one last night. But they hit the ball and they got their hits. I think the most important thing for me is to make sure he got that first win under his belt. I think that's important for a kid a...

Tommy Joseph, image- Jay Floyd The standout player on any hotlist of late should be the man that I receive daily tweets from fans about, asking when he’ll be called up to replace Darin Ruf or Philadelphia legend Ryan Howard . The man who was recently an afterthought or a player most fans thought was a fizzled out prospect who had been ravaged by concussions. The player that had to abandon his catching position due to those injuries and moved elsewhere on the diamond in order to continue his career. The guy that was acquired from the Giants in a trade for Hunter Pence back in 2012, Tommy Joseph . The 24-year-old first baseman/designated hitter has been on fire, excelling at the plate all season. In 23 games for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, he sports a .392 average and a 1.126 OPS, both of which lead the Triple-A International League. Joseph a right-handed hitter, has slammed seven doubles and six homers while driving in a team-best 17 runs. He’s playing like someone very deser...

Ben Lively, image- Jay Floyd Acquired last off-season from Cincinnati, righty hurler Ben Lively quickly joined the ranks of the top Phillies prospects. Originally selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, Lively would begin his pro career as a member of the rookie level Billings Mustangs. In 12 starts, he posted a 0-3 record with a 0.73 ERA and an 11.9 K/9 mark. He was promoted to Class A Dayton to close out the season with a single start, allowing one earned run in four innings of work while striking out seven and walking one. This was fresh off his junior season at the University of Central Florida where, in 15 games, he went 7-5 with a 2.04 ERA and an 8.6 K/9 mark as the team's ace. Lively would follow up his exceptional year by becoming the Reds' minor league player of the year in 2014. Opening his first full professional season with Class A Advanced Bakersfield, Lively tallied a 10-1 record with a 2.28 ERA, a .201 batting average against along ...

The Reading Fightins could not overcome an early deficit and dropped game 4 of the Eastern League Championship Series to the Bowie Baysox by a score of 9-1. Bowie scored three runs led by a Garabez Rosa two-run double off of Reading starting pitcher Ben Lively in the bottom of the opening frame to jump out to a 3-0 lead. Reading scored their only run in the 4th inning, when outfielder Cam Perkins came home on a wild pitch. The Baysox would clap back in the bottom of the 5th inning, with a run-scoring single by first baseman Trey Mancini . Lively, was charged for three additional runs in the 7th inning without recording an out, as he left the game with the bases loaded and reliever Ryan O'Sullivan would allow all three inherited runners to cross the plate. The 23-year-old Lively, who was acquired from Cincinnati for Marlon Byrd last off-season, let up seven earned runs in six innings while giving up seven hits and four walks, notching four strike outs in the process. ...

JP Crawford, image- Tug Haines The Double-A Reading Fightins are headed to the Eastern League Championship Series for the first time since 2001 folowing a sweep of the Binghamton Mets in the opening round of the playoffs. Top prospect J.P. Crawford led the offense, slamming a solo home run and reaching base three times via a walk. Outfielder Nick Williams , acquired in July's Cole Hamels trade, slugged a two-run homer, his second of the series. Infielder Angelo Morda plated the other Reading run with a sacrifice fly. Right-hander Ben Lively notched the win, tossing five innings while allowing two earned runs on four hits, striking out six and walking one. The 23-year-old was acquired last off-season from Cincinnati in a trade for outfielder Marlon Byrd .

Ben Lively, image- Jay Floyd Activated on Thursday from the disabled list after dealing with a shoulder strain, right-hander Ben Lively will help the Double-A Reading Fightins push toward the postseason. In 22 starts this year for Reading, the 23-year-old sports a record of 8-7 with a 4.17 ERA while striking out 96 batters and walking 42 in 127 1/3 innings. Lively was acquired last off-season from Cincinnati for Marlon Byrd . Earlier this month, I spoke with Ben about some ups and downs this season, his excitement level to be chasing the Eastern League crown and more. Read ahead for that interview. -You've mostly been consistent this season, but have had some shaky outings. What are your thoughts on your 2015 thus far? We've been working on a lot of stuff this year. I kind of got in a little funk and that got me down, and that's what kind of got me up and down and I haven't been consistent. But, this past outing we were watching stuff from last year, kind...

Over the weekend I chatted with Double-A Reading pitching coach Dave Lundquist, who spoke about his staff. Among the topics are new addition Jake Thompson , standout starter Zach Eflin , team saves record holder Stephen Shackleford the injured Ben Lively (shoulder strain) and more. Read ahead for all the exclusive remarks from "Lundy"... Jake Thompson, image- Jay Floyd -Since being acquired in the deal for Cole Hamels , Jake Thompson has gone 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three games started. In his latest out, he kept the team in it and earned a win despite walking five. If I asked him, he probably wouldn't like his output, based on the walks. What are your thoughts on his latest effort? They never want to see that, but you’ve got a situation where a guy can command four pitches and the misses, the fastball was moving a little too much off the plate. But, you have a guy that’s able to find a way to limit the damage to just two runs on a solo home run and you do...

During the Double-A Reading Fightins' recent road series in Trenton, I sat down with the team's pitching coach Dave Lundquist to chat about his pitching staff. "Lundy", who pitched in the big leagues with the White Sox and the Padres, is in his eight season coaching in the Phillies' organization after spending three years in the Pirates' system. Lundquist spoke about his group of well-touted starting pitchers including specific comments on Zach Eflin , Jesse Biddle and recently promoted righty Aaron Nola . He also shared some thoughts on his bullpen hurlers and how a player like Tyler Knigge , who gets moved up and down between levels could be impacted by the movement, among other things. Read ahead for that full interview... Lively, image- Jay Floyd -We talked back in April about the group of five starters you entered the season with that included Tom Windle , Jesse Biddle, Zach Eflin and Ben Lively . Almost halfway into the season, what can you sh...

Ben Lively, image- Tug Haines On Monday, Ben Lively became the second Reading Fightins hurler in three weeks to be named as the Double-A Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week. Lively, who was acquired last off-season from Cincinnati for Marlon Byrd , notched two wins along with a 2.08 ERA while striking out 16 and walking just two in 13 innings for the Fightins during the week of April 27th through May 3rd. The 23-year-old attributes his recent success to learning from his own mistakes. "I've just been working on some stuff," Lively explained. "I was all over the place my first few games, it felt like to me. I mean I did alright, but I expected to do better, so I worked harder and it paid off." According to Reading skipper Dusty Wathan , Lively is able to make improvements when and where others aren't able to, which has helped the Florida native make an impact. "The biggest thing was he went into the sixth inning (on Sunday) and that...

We're back at it with another rundown of all the top performers from the Phillies' developmental ranks. Triple-A Lehigh Valley- OF Brian Bogusevic currently sports a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .346 during that stretch. The 31-year-old is hitting .310 with a home runs and five RBI through 21 games this season. Bogusevic batted .306 in 22 spring games with the Phillies this year. Infielder Chase d'Arnaud is batting .324 and has four multi-hit games in nine games played this year. The righty batting 28-year-old is the older brother of former Phils prospect Travis d'Arnaud . Double-A Reading Fightins- Righty starter Ben Lively has a 2-0 record with a 2.16 ERA while striking out 24 and walking seven in 25 innings over four starts thus far this season. The 23-year-old struck out nine while allowing three earned runs in six innings when he notched his second win of the season on Sunday. Lively was acquired last off-season from the Reds in the tr...

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...

Ben Lively, image- MiLB.com Acquired this off-season from Cincinnati, righty hurler Ben Lively would quickly land among the ranks of top Phillies prospect. He'll enter this coming season looking to prove why. Originally selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, the Florida native would begin his pro career as a member of the rookie level Billings Mustangs. In 12 starts, Lively would tally a 0-3 record with a 0.73 ERA and an 11.92 K/9 mark. He was promoted to Class A Dayton to close out the season with a single start, allowing one earned run in four innings of work while striking out seven and walking one. This was fresh off his junior season at the University of Central Florida where, in 15 games, he went 7-5 with a 2.04 ERA and an 8.57 K/9 mark as the team's ace. Lively would follow up his exceptional year by becoming the Reds' minor league player of the year in 2014. Opening the season with Class A Advanced Bakersfield, Lively posted a 10-1 record wi...