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On Friday, Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan took time to chat about several promising youngsters that have taken part in off-season leagues. Read ahead for the full interview. M Imhof, image- Jay Floyd - During the season, Threshers pitcher Matt Imhof drew a lot of attention after he suffered a significant injury that resulted in the loss of one of his eyes.  Do you have any updates to share on Matt's progress toward recovery? I really don't have a whole other than I've spoken with him, he's taking classes and it seems like he's adapting.  He seems to be doing well.  That's what he told me.  Right now, I think that's what matters.  You know, just taking some classes and trying to, you know, I would guess just trying to make the adaptations that he needs to make.  But I really don't have a lot more than that to offer. He seems to be doing well.  - Is the goal for him to return to the game? That will be something that if...

Image- Tug Haines Earlier this week, Phillies Nation's minor league reporter Jay Floyd (follow on Twitter @PhoulBallz ) was interviewed on the Philadelphia Sports Table Podcast. The weekly program, hosted by Jeff Warren and Len Hunsicker, focuses on the big four pro sports teams in Philly, touches on local Division 1 college athletics and more. The pair embraces the passion of the Philly sports fan base along with what the fans bring to each game, online discussions, talk radio and more. On the latest edition of the PST Podcast, Jay phoned in to discuss the Phillies' rising prospects, key story lines among the non-roster invitees heading into spring training, the future of the catcher position, a possible future ace among the organization's young talents, along with the Phils' upcoming number 1 overall draft pick as well as plenty more. The interview with Jay kicks off at about the 46:30 mark of the show and you can check it out by clicking this link .

The off-season is moving along and it’s almost time for "Hot Stove" excitement. With the Phillies not expected to be a major factor in the MLB free agent market, their time to shine at next week’s Winter Meetings will likely come in the annual Rule 5 draft. Last December the Phils selected Odubel Herrera , in the 9th slot, from Texas and the youngster proved to be a talented contributor for the team in a clear rebuild mode. As a 23-year-old big league rookie, Herrera tallied a .297 average with eight home runs and 16 stolen bases. Selecting first this year, the Phillies have a chance to really utilize their professional scouting department and take another player ready to impact a big league roster. Positionally, the spots to target may be the outfield or pitching, with depth or a lineup slot locked up in just about every other place on the roster. With their eyes on finding another Herrera, some players the Phils should be considering are listed below: Jabari Blas...

Zach Eflin, image- Jay Floyd Righty hurler Zach Eflin fired six shutout innings to lead the way as the Double-A Reading Fightins notched a win in the opener of the best-of-five Eastern League Championship Series on Tuesday night. In his second win of the post-season, Eflin, who was acquired last off-season in the trade that sent Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers, struck out five Bowie Baysox batters while walking none on five hits. He left the game after surrendering a lead-off single that ricocheted off his leg in the 7th inning. League MVP Brock Stassi got the scoring started in front of the home crowd, leading off the home half of the 4th inning with a home run to give Reading a 1-0 lead. Reliever Edubray Ramos tossed a scoreless 7th inning, retiring the side in order with two strike outs. Designated hitter Art Charles would slam his own solo homer in the 7th to pad the lead. Catcher Andrew Knapp would plate another run that inning on a sacrifice fly. Righty p...

Brock Stassi, image- Jay Floyd In the opening game of the Eastern League Division Series, the Double-A Reading Fightins dropped the Binghamton Mets by a score of 9-4. League MVP Brock Stassi led an 18-hit barrage, collecting a double and a three-run home run while walking three times and driving in four total runs while outfielder Dylan Cozens launched a pair of doubles and drove in three runs. Additionally, shortstop J.P. Crawford , catcher Andrew Knapp and third baseman Harold Martinez each notched three safeties. Righty pitcher Zach Eflin notched the win with seven strong innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits, while striking out four and walking one. Initially, the contest was delayed about an hour by rain. The teams will face each other again in Binghamton on Thursday in game 2 of the best-of-three series. In the Florida State League, the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers were swept in a best-of-three series by Daytona. Newly acquired righty John R...

Brock Stassi, image- Jay Floyd Via a press release, the Double-A Eastern League announced on Saturday that Reading Fightins All-Star first baseman Brock Stassi has been honored as the league's most valuable player for the 2015 season. The Eastern League of Professional Baseball is pleased to announce that Reading Fightin Phils first baseman Brock Stassi has been selected as the winner of the 2015 Eastern League Most Valuable Player Award. Stassi is batting .312 (138-for-442) with 32 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 88 RBIs, 73 runs scored, three stolen bases, a .484 slugging percentage and a .402 on-base percentage in 124 games while helping lead Reading to first place in the Eastern Division standings. The 26-year old has reached base safely in 108 of the 122 games in which he's had a plate appearance this season for the Fightin Phils, including reaching base safely in 25 straight games from May 24th-June 22nd. He also has 40 multiple hit games this season, including ...

Brock Stassi chats with a teammate, image- Jay Floyd First baseman Brock Stassi has been a top offensive performer all season long for the Double-A Reading Fightins. While helping to keep his team in the Eastern League playoff hunt, the 25-year-old lefty batter has posted a .317 average with seven home runs while leading the league in RBI with 52. Stassi,the Phillies' 33rd round draft pick in 2011, entered the 2015 season as a .246 career hitter with 15 homers in four professional seasons. Recently, I spoke with Stassi about his solid success at the plate this year and plenty more. Read ahead for that interview. -You've had quite a season to date and have really increased your offensive numbers compared to previous seasons. What do you attribute to the improvements you've made? This off-season it all started with breaking down my swing from the ground up. Me and my brother Max, who's with the Astros, live together and the way last year ended, and the wa...

Brock Stassi, image- Jay Floyd The Reading Fightins will be well represented at the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game later this month in Portland, Maine when five members of the team head to the annual exhibition. Shortstop J.P. Crawford , outfielders Cam Perkins and Roman Quinn along with starting pitcher Zach Eflin as well as first baseman Brock Stassi have been named to the Eastern Division roster for the game set to be played on July 15th. Crawford, the Phillies' top prospect, joined Reading just over a month ago and has posted a .267/.377/.405 slash line in 31 games with the Fightins. The lefty batting 20-year-0ld was the 16th overall draft pick in 2013. Perkins, who is currently on the disabled list with a back issue, has a .252 average with eight home runs and 33 RBI in 61 games. The 24-year-old was the Phillies' 6th round draft choice in 2012. Quinn, also on the disabled list, sported a .306 average with four homers and 15 RBI along with a league-leadi...

Morandini, image- Jay Floyd During the Double-A Reading Fightins' road series at Trenton last week, former Phillies All-Star second baseman and current minor league coach Mickey Morandini sat down for the Phillies Nation TV cameras.  During the interview, he spoke on various topics including Reading's recent home stand in which they played three consecutive extra inning games and were forced to use position players to pitch.  Morandini, who was part of the famed 1993 Phillies, also spoke of what type of clubhouse the Fightins have this season.  Read ahead for those interview excerpts.  -On his club tallying 45 innings over a three-game stretch including an 18-inning affair against Altoona on June 11th in which first baseman Brock Stassi played 15 innings on defense, collected four hits and threw three scoreless innings to earn the win... It's tough.  We played a stretch there where we went 18, 13 and 15 (innings) and the 18 inning game was long enough wh...

Dusty Wathan, image- Jay Floyd This week I spent some time chatting with Double-A Reading Fightins skipper Dusty Wathan . The club is well touted this year with a collection of excellent pitching prospects along with some solid producers on offense. In the interview excerpts below, Wathan shares some thoughts on Cam Perkin's dip in production this year, if the Fightin Five rotation makes his job easier and if the offense coming from his bench presents any difficulty in his role. Read ahead for this exclusive interview from the farm. -Off the top, I've got a two part question. Do you feel in any way that the solid production from some of your guys that haven't played every day, like Art Charles and Harold Martinez , makes your job more difficult? On the other side, does the starting rotation, which includes last year's top draft pick Aaron Nola along with Jesse Biddle , Zach Eflin , Tom Windle and Eastern League Pitcher of the Week Ben Lively , make your spot ...

On the 76th edition of the PhoulBallz Podcast, Jay and Tug chat about the brand new baseball season, running down the hot starts of prospects such as Brock Stassi , Jesse Biddle , Roman Quinn , Zach Eflin , Carlos Tocci , Rhys Hoskins and others. The show also features two exclusive interviews as "El Sangre" Jake Fox talks about leaving the Phillies organization and Temple University product Matt Hockenberry participates in the fun segment Nine Silly-ass Questions. 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 .

It's another weekly rundown of the Phillies' minor leagues with details on some recent noteworthy performers... Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs- Cesar Hernandez w/ Reading in 2012 International League All-Star Cesar Hernandez is back in action after missing a few weeks with a wrist injury.  In three games since rejoining the Pigs' starting lineup, Hernandez has gone 3-for-9.  Overall this season, the switch-hitting 23-year-old has posted a .315 average with two homers, 35 RBI and 31 stolen bases in 95 minor league games. Righty hurler Tyler Cloyd in his last seven starts has tallied a 4-1 record with a 0.77 ERA while striking out 32 and walking five in 47 innings.  In 12 big league starts, the 26-year-old is 4-4- with a 4.14 ERA.  Cloyd was the Phils' 18th round draft selection in 2008. Double-A Reading Fightin Phillies- Left-hander Jesse Biddle struck out seven and walked none while allowing three earned runs in six innings in his latest star...

As part of our weekly spring training series, Phillies third base prospect Cody Asche is back once again to check in, directly from spring training in Clearwater, FL. A 4th round draft selection in 2011 out of the University of Nebraska, Asche has been a fast rising prospect since joining the Phillies organization. Last year, the 22-year-old, in his first full professional season, tallied a .324 batting average with 12 home runs, 72 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 130 combined games with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Double-A Reading. Asche followed that up with a .281/.343/.438 line with Peoria in the Arizona Fall League, then went 5-for-14 (.357 average) with two doubles in eight big league spring games this year. In the latest edition of The Cody Chronicles, Asche talks about the change in attendance going from big league camp back to the minors, bonding with people on Twitter, his ties with teammates from his draft class and plenty more. On the topic of playing in ...

I'm back with another semi-weekly minor league review, where we take a look at the various developmental levels of the Phillies' organization and some noteworthy players from each club. This time, it's a glance at some top performers of late, as well as those that aren't doing so well. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs… Who’s hot: RHP Jonathan Pettibone (pictured, right) has posted a 3-0 record with a 1.80 ERA in three starts this month for the IronPigs. Overall, combined with his time at Double-A Reading this season, Pettibone has tallied a 12-7 record with a 3.10 ERA and 100 strike outs in 142 1/3 innings. The 22-year-old was the Phillies' 3rd round draft selection in 2008. Who’s not: IF Cesar Hernandez is 5-for-31 (.161 avg) in his past eight games. In 16 games since his promotion to Lehigh Valley, the 22-year-old Hernandez has posted a .231 batting average. Right-handed starting pitcher Scott Elarton has gone 0-3 with a 6.98 ERA in four starts this month...