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On the 67th edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, Tug and Jay are joined by former minor league slugger Tagg Bozied, who chats about his college career, his time in the Phillies system, playing in China and much more. The guys also discuss the releases of Brody Colvin and Jiwan James , Jesse Biddle 's struggles as well as the hot output from the Williamsport Crosscutters' offense. 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 .

Jiwan James with Reading in 2012, Image- Jay Floyd For the third straight week the Phillies have cut a former well-regarded prospect that has fizzled at the upper levels, as outfielder Jiwan James was released by the Phillies on Thursday. The 25-year-old was a 22nd round draft choice in 2007 and was originally a pitcher, going 0-4 with a 7.71 ERA in his initial season as a pro with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. After missing 2008 with a right biceps injury, the athletic James shifted to the outfield, where he became a promising talent. A member of the 2010 South Atlantic League champion Lakewood BlueClaws team, James set that club's hit streak record when he notched at least one safety in 24 consecutive contests. James joins former "Baby Ace" Brody Colvin and 2008 first round draft pick Anthony Hewitt on a list of names the Phillies have given up on this month. After returning from a knee injury that kept him on the shelf for the opening two months of th...

With the new year upon us, it’s time to kick off our annual countdown of the top 25 prospects in the Phillies organization. In the coming weeks, as a fresh season approaches, I will be unveiling player reviews for each of the top developmental talents that you, as Phillies fans, should be familiar with. Taken into consideration when reviewing these developing talents will be age, minor league performance relative to levels played, value to the organization as well as future potential and possible proximity to the big leagues. These rankings will not include players over 25 years of age or individuals that have spent lengthy and multiple stretches in the big leagues. Some very talented youngsters did not make the cut simply because other individuals ranked higher. Players that drew consideration included righty pitcher Mitch Gueller , lefty hurler Hoby Milner , and catcher Andrew Knapp . Gueller, the Phils' supplementary first round pick in 2012, has failed to crack the r...

Dave Lundquist and Jesse Biddle, Image- Jay Floyd Over the weekend, I spoke with Double-A Reading Fightin Phillies pitching coach Dave Lundquist. A former big leaguer with the White Sox and Padres, "Lundy" has been coaching in the Phils system since 2008. The 40-year-old spoke openly about nearly his entire pitching staff including top prospect Jesse Biddle , David Buchanan , Mike Nesseth , Seth Rosin , Austin Wright as well as Brody Colvin . Read ahead for that full interview... - Jesse Biddle came out in Trenton over the weekend and had somewhat of a bounce back effort, following a pair of poor outings. He says it's not a good result unless he wins, but overall it's gotta be a positive step for him, right? Absolutely. If you look at his last two outings, two-thirds of an inning and then an inning and a third, to come out (on Friday) night and really to have the command, much, much better than he's had. The confidence level was much highe...

On Saturday, Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez took on the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils as he prepares for a possible return to the majors.  In the contest, the 38-year-old three-time MVP faced righty Brody Colvin three times and right-handed reliever Juan Sosa once.  In all four trips to the plate, Reading hurlers issued a walk to A-Rod.  To check out video footage of the foursome of free passes, see the media player below.

This weekend I chatted with Reading manager Dusty Wathan about the recent output of star prospect Jesse Biddle as well as changes of roles for hurlers Austin Wright and Brody Colvin .  Additionally, I spoke with Wright, the Phillies' 8th round draft selection out of the University of Mississippi in 2011, about his move to the bullpen after steadily being a starter throughout his pro career. Full Q&A with both men lies ahead... Dusty Wathan: - Can you share some thoughts on Jesse Biddle's effort out there against the Trenton Thunder on Friday (Biddle allowed three earned runs in five innings, after allowing nine earned runs in two total innings in his previous two outings)? I thought he did a lot better.  I mean, I think the biggest thing was he went out there and struggled, obviously, throwing strikes the last two outings, but the biggest thing was we got him back into a routine and he got himself out of a jam in the 1st and, you know, he's still a guy...

On Sunday, prior to Reading's game in Trenton, I spent some time chatting with Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan regarding as many subjects as I could, before I felt like I might be keeping him from something important on his chiming cell phone.  The topics included the Maikel Franco and Cody Asche 3rd base prospect jam, lefty hurler Adam Morgan 's upcoming return to action, the possibility of moving Brody Colvin out of the Reading rotation, and much more. That interview lies ahead... - Outfielder Kelly Dugan joined the Double-A Reading team this weekend and looks to be very deserving of the promotion.  How about his 2013? Kelly's done really well.  You know, he came- he had a wonderful spring training and had an oblique pull right at the end of camp and so he didn't get to break camp with the club.  But ever since he's gotten back on the field, he's done nothing except hit and he's played good in the outfield.  It's bee...

Following Friday's night's 8-0 loss by the Reading Fightins at the division rival Trenton Thunder (Yankees affiliate), I spoke with several players.  Righty starter Brody Colvin , who took the loss in the contest after being charged with eight earned runs over two innings, offered his thoughts on a discouraging season, catcher Tommy Joseph spoke about dealing with and recovering from his third career concussion, outfielder Kelly Dugan shared his thoughts on making his Double-A debut as well as his 2013 success and outfielder Zach Collier gave some feedback on his 3-for-34 (.088 avg) slump in his last nine contests. Read ahead for all the quotes from these Phillies prospects... Brody Colvin: - I wanted to get your thoughts on what would probably be the exact opposite of what you would find to be an ideal outing for you... The best thing to say is, (stuff) like that happens.  You know, I've been pretty inconsistent lately.  Up and down.  I guess tha...

From all throughout the Phillies' developmental ranks, here's our weekly rundown of top performers and those players that have struggled recently. Triple A Lehigh Valley IronPigs- Who's hot... Outfielder Darin Ruf has picked up the production with his batting average of late, but has displayed minimal power during that stretch. The 26-year-old righty hitting slugger is batting .306 with only one extra-base hit, a double, while driving in seven runs in his past 10 games.  In 75 games with the 'Pigs, Ruf is batting .270 with seven homers and 42 RBI. Who's not... Righty pitcher Tyler Cloyd took his 7th loss of the season on Saturday, when he allowed six earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old is 0-3 with a 10.69 ERA in three starts for the IronPigs since returning from the majors this month. Double-A Reading Fightins- Who's hot... Outfielder Tyson Gillies has been on a tear, batting .400 with three homers, seven RBI and two steal...

I spent some time this week chatting with the Phillies minor league pitching coordinator Gorman Heimueller , who offered his thoughts on several talented young hurlers in the Phils' system. Heimueller, who has been the Phils' minor league pitching coordinator since 2002, pitched 14 seasons as a pro, including parts of two with the Athletics. Prior to his current position, Heimueller was a pitching coach at the Double-A and Triple-A level for the Phillies. Gorm shared his opinions on several prospects including Brody Colvin , Austin Wright , Shane Watson , Jake Diekman and he even danced around a question about when Phils fans might expect to see Phillippe Aumont back with the big club after his recent demotion to Triple-A.  Read ahead for the full interview. - Austin Wright's been a guy that missed some time with an injury and has allowed a lot of runs in his two starts (0-2, 22.22 ERA) with Reading since being activated.  Is there much concern with h...

It's another round of our weekly minor league notes, featuring key performers from each full season level.  Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs- In 23 contests this month, second base prospect Cesar Hernandez is sporting a .241 batting average, after he posted a .375 mark in 24 April games.  The switch-hitting Venezuelan turned 23 years old last week. OF Steve Susdorf is batting .346 with five doubles and seven RBI in 18 May games.  The 27-year-old lefty hitter was a 19th round draft pick by the Phillies in 2008. OF Darin Ruf has been out of action since Thursday, sidelined with a jammed thumb.  The slugger batted .195 in his previous 10 games prior to the ailment. Double-A Reading Fightin' Phillies- Top prospect Jesse Biddle had a weak outing (4 IP, 6R/5ER) on the mound against Harrisburg for the Fightins on Sunday, but his two hits raised his season batting average to .556.  The 21-year-old left-hander saw his season ERA go from 2.50 up to 3...

Tops on the Phillies' developmental hot list is Double-A Reading Ace Jesse Biddle , who, in his last two outings, has thrown 13 scoreless innings, while allowing just two total hits and striking out 26 batters.  Overall this season, Biddle, who was the Phils' 1st round draft selection in 2010, has a 2-1 record with a 1.74 ERA and a .114 batting average against. Last week, Biddle locked down a win against Harrisburg, when he struck out 16 and allowed only one hit and no runs over seven innings. On Sunday, in Reading's 2-1 win over New Hampshire, the left-handed 21-year-old fanned 10 New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto affiliate).  The video clip below features Biddle striking out the side in the 5th inning and speaking to the media following his second consecutive tremendous effort.  Also performing extremely well lately is Class A Advanced Clearwater third baseman Maikel Franco , who notched a two homer/seven RBI game on Friday and smacked another home run on Sun...