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Trevor Bettencourt, image- Jay Floyd Right-handed reliever Trevor Bettencourt made a name for himself in 2017.  Opening the season as a member of the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, the California native would pitch into midseason there tallying a 3-2 record with a 3.28 ERA, eight saves and a 13.9 K/9 mark in 25 appearances.  A highlight of his season was helping his roommates Nick Fanti close out a no-hitter by notching the last out against Columbia on May 6 th .    Bettencourt, who stands six feet tall and is listed at 195 pounds, was promoted to Class A Advanced Clearwater in July and sported a 2-0 record, a 1.57 ERA and recorded two saves and a .157 batting average against in 16 outings.    The 23-year-old wrapped up his 2017 in the Arizona Fall League, where he would have a less-than-stellar performance (0-1 record, one save, 10.13 ERA in eight games).   Recently, I spoke with the Phillies’ 25 th round draft s...

Jake Kelzer, image- Jay Floyd Righty hurler Jake Kelzer closed out a solid campaign this month, proving to be a key contributor out of the Class A Lakewood bullpen down the stretch. The 24-year-old, who stands six-feet-eight and is listed at 230 pounds, pitched in four game with the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters before he was promoted to the Sally League the week of Independence Day. In 14 outings for the BlueClaws, Kelzer posted a 1-1 record with a 3.74 ERA, a .235 batting average against and a 7.9 K/9 mark.  Prior to the end of the minor league regular season, I chatted with Jake, the Phillies' 18th round draft pick in 2016, about his season, his coaches, his pitch repertoire and more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -You seem to be closing out the season with a some good outings.  Has your 2017 been as successful as you would have liked it to be? I mean I think every athlete is going to say that they can do better.  This year's ...

This week I spent some time chatting with Class A Lakewood hurler Nick Fanti, who has tossed two no-hitters this season , for John Stolnis' Felske Files Podcast. In the interview, the left-hander shares thoughts on his Nicky No-No nickname, how his pitching coach Brian Sweeney has helped his efforts this season and plenty more less serious subject matter. Also on the show, John talks with Phillies beat writer Steve Gross on the Phils' depth at shortstop and ESPN's Jerry Crasnick about the MLB trade deadline.  The Phillies cancelling Pete Rose's Wall of Fame induction is also discussed. Check out the player embedded below for the latest episode.

Nick Fanti, image- Jay Floyd Lefty starter Nick Fanti Jr. recorded another historical moment this season, as he went the distance, shutting down the Charleston RiverDogs’ (Yankees affiliate) offense to record a no-hitter on Monday at Lakewood’s FirstEnergy Park.   In nine innings of work, the 20-year-old struck out 12 and walked one on 113 pitches to put his name in the history books and improve his season record to 7-2 in 15 starts.    Fanti, the Phillies’ 31 st round draft selection in 2015, previously helped Lakewood notch a no-hitter this season when he tossed 8 2/3 innings without surrendering a safety against Columbia on May 6 th .  His roommate at the time, reliever Trevor Bettencourt, entered the game to record the final out.  Bettencourt has since been promoted to Class A Advanced Clearwater.    The six-foot-two 185-pounder, Fanti, stated that he received a congratulatory text message from Bettencourt after Mo...

Brian Sweeney oversees Ranger Suarez On Sunday, Class A Lakewood pitching coach Brian Sweeney took time to discuss his club's staff with me.  Among the topics of discussion were starting pitchers Ranger Suarez, Sixto Sanchez, Nick Fanti and JoJo Romero.  Additionally, we chatted about his attention toward young fans at the ballpark and plenty more. Sweeney pitched in the majors for the Mariners and the Padres before joining the Phillies' developmental staff in 2015. Read ahead for this full interview with Coach Brian. -Thanks for taking some time for me.  Before games, I often see you having a catch with children in the crowd while your starting pitcher for that day loosens up.  Today I also saw you go back and talk to a group of kids a bit more as well.  Can you tell me what was going on there? You know, every kid wants a ball, of course, and sometimes they say, "please".  Most times they don't.  And, but before the game, before the pitch...

Brian Sweeney, image- Jay Floyd Last week I sat down with Class A Lakewood pitching coach Brian Sweeney to chat about his new collection of hurlers as his BlueClaws were opening their home schedule. Among the topics of discussion were highly regarded right-hander Sixto Sanchez, starting pitchers JoJo Romero, Adonis Medina and Bailey Falter as well as returning relievers Zach Morris and Harold Arauz and others. Read ahead for the full interview. -I missed Sixto Sanchez’s start in the home opener on Thursday. He had a good outing, going five innings, striking out five on one earned run. What are your early impressions of him as a guy who has gotten a lot of attention? You know, he garners that attention. He goes about his business the right way, pitching well, working hard, just getting his experience in, here in full-season. -I got to meet JoJo Romero for a second in the clubhouse. He’s got 11 strike outs in nine innings so far this season. What are your thoughts on ...

Alberto Tirado, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ- Alberto Tirado struck out 10 batters over six scoreless frames on Thursday night as the BlueClaws downed Kannapolis by a score of 2-0 at FirstEnergy Park. The win, along with second place Hagerstown's loss, put the 'Claws ahead by four games with four left to play, placing Lakewood's magic number to clinch the second half South Atlantic League North division title at one. Righty Blake Quinn threw two innings and closer Sutter McLoughlin pitched a frame to wrap up the one-hit shutout for the home club. The effort by Tirado marks his second straight outing with double-digit strike outs. In his previous start against Greensboro, he struck out 11. "He did a great job using his fastball and then his slider when necessary and when he had some traffic in that one inning (the 2nd inning, in which the first two batters reached base on a hit by pitch and a walk), he really slowed the game down and showed some me...

Brian Sweeney, image- Jay Floyd Last week I sat down with Lakewood pitching coach Brian Sweeney to chat about his Class A BlueClaws pitching staff. He talked about the progress of his hurlers, the improvements made by rising prospect Franklyn Kilome , Alberto Tirado changing roles and levels this season and plenty more. Read ahead for that full interview... -The starting rotation has had some good success lately. What are your thoughts on that? We’re on a good little roll right now. Guys are doing things right, attacking the zone with clean deliveries and confidence. They’re fun to watch and I’m glad to see them succeed. -Is there anyone on the staff you have noticed making the most progress since the season opened? Everybody’s made improvements and that’s really exciting. At the beginning of the year we had our struggles, so really any step forward was an improvement, but these guys are really embracing the process and I see good things especially from guy...

Mitch Gueller, image- Jay Floyd A supplemental opening round pick in the 2012 draft (54th overall), righty pitcher Mitch Gueller has taken a considerable amount of time to reach a full-season level of pro ball. This year he made that jump and opened the season with Class A Lakewood. The six-foot-three 220-pounder has struggled somewhat in the early going, posting a 0-1 record with a 9.58 ERA through three starts. He entered 2016 fresh off a strong campaign last year with short-season A level Williamsport, where he helped lead the team to the playoffs with his 10-1 record, 2.23 ERA and .229 batting average against in 12 starts. Last week I spoke with the 22-year-old about his time table for reaching Lakewood, his pitch repertoire, his BlueClaws team, New Jersey and more. Read ahead for that full interview. -Some people would feel that after you were drafted you took a long time to reach Lakewood. How would you reply to that type of assertion? That's true, I guess. I wou...

With a new season underway, the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws' pitching staff is being led this year by a brand new coach, former big leaguer Brian Sweeney . Following the 'Claws' home opener on Thursday, Sweeney sat down to talk about his pitching staff including prospects Tyler Gilbert , Franklyn Kilome , Alberto Tirado and several others. Read ahead for that full interview. Tyler Gilbert, image- Jay Floyd -Tyler Gilbert had some moments, despite taking the loss in the home opener. What are your thoughts on his outing? He was fantastic for four innings. I mean, I love what I saw. Four pitches for strikes, in command and attacking the zone. And the wheels fell off after a few hits in the fifth inning. You know, that’s unfortunate because he had a pretty good outing going for him. -Is Gilbert dealing with any changes, such as updates to his grips or repertoire after a successful debut as a pro last year? Yeah, everything’s— we’re always building. We’re buil...