PhoulBallz.com

Gone too soon; Chace Numata (left) w/ the late Roy Halladay, image- Jay Floyd In extremely sad news, catcher Chace Numata succumbed on Monday to injuries sustained in an apparent skateboarding accident last week. Numata, a switch-hitting Hawaii native, was originally a 14th round draft selection by the Phillies in 2010.  He was named an All-Star with Class A Lakewood in 2013 and with Class A Advanced Clearwater in 2016.  He would play in the Phils organization through the 2017 and left to free agency, later playing in the Yankees system and then this year with the Tigers organization. In 77 combined games this season at Triple-A and Double-A, the 27-year-old has tallied a .244 average with four home runs and 28 RBI. Per a release from the Erie Seawolves , Numata's family issued the following statement: It is with deep sorrow that the Numata Ohana announces that Chace Kekoa Kenji Numata, our beloved son, brother, and a friend to all, has passed away on September...

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd Right-handed pitcher Shane Watson was the Phillies’ compensatory round draft pick (40th overall) in the 2012 draft. Since then, the six-foot-four 235-pounder has undergone two shoulder surgeries and has slowly tried to get healthy and climb through the minor league ranks. After reaching the Double-A level to open the 2017 season with the Reading Fightin Phils, the California native has recorded two weak starts. Overall, Watson sports a 1-0 record with a 7.71 ERA and has struck out five while walking five in 9 1/3 innings. Recently, I spoke with Shane about reaching the Eastern League, his infant daughter, his battery mate Chace Numata and plenty more. Read ahead for that full interview. -I think some people might feel it’s been a long road for you to reach the Double-A level. Maybe you feel that way too? It was a long road. From the first surgery in 2013 to another one 10 months after. I don’t even know, I don’t care to keep track of it....

Chace Numata, image- Jay Floyd Reading catcher Chace Numata is off to a terrific start to the young season.  Through three contests, the 24-year-old is 6-for-12 (.500 avg) with two doubles a homer and three RBI. Originally a 14th round draft choice by the Phillies in 2010, the Hawaii native is excited to be playing in the Double-A Eastern League this year.  Prior to Reading's exhibition game last week at the Phils' Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley, I chatted with Chace about this season, his past and his time in big league camp this year.  Read ahead for that full interview. - I playfully wanted to ask you about being the Phillies' leader in batting average during spring training... I was? - Yeah, you batted .500! That's right.  That's right.  I only got two at bats, but I think just being in big league camp and having those big league at bats, it was incredible.  The first at bat I struck out, obviously, but for some reason I was still ki...

Elniery Garcia, image- Jay Floyd Class A Advanced Florida State League All-Star rosters were announced on Friday and among those honored were seven from the Phillies affiliate Clearwater Threshers. Pitchers Elniery Garcia , Alexis Rivero and Tom Eshelman will be part of the Northern division roster along with second baseman Scott Kingery , outfielder Carlos Tocci , catcher Chace Numata and 1B/3B Zach Green . Garcia, a lefty, has been excellent this year. The 21-year-old Dominican has a 4-2 record with a 2.08 ERA in eight games (seven starts) while striking out 40 and walking 14 in 47 2/3 innings. Rivero, the team's closer, has a 3-1 record with four saves, a 1.09 ERA and a 10.2 K/9 mark. The right-hander is 21-years-old. Eshelman, a righty, was acquired from Houston in the Kenny Giles trade, sports a 3-2 record with a 3.61 ERA and a 9.1 K/9 mark in nine starts. The 21-year-old was a 2nd round draft selection by the Astros last year. Kingery, the Phils' 2nd r...

On the 73rd edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast Tug and Jay are joined by lefty pitching prospect Matt Imhof , who was the Phillies' 2nd round draft choice this year. Additionally, the guys talk about the Phils' rebuild mode kicked off by the team trading former National League MVP Jimmy Rollins and what Rollins', as well as other core team members', places in team history should be. Wondering if Cole Hamels is next to go and the organization's cranky fan base are also a topics of discussion. 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 .

Once again, we're back with another weekly rundown of how Phillies players are performing in fall and winter leagues around the globe. Read ahead for all the latest stats and updates. Venezuelan Winter League- Cesar Hernandez, image- Jay Floyd After going 17-for-37 (.459 avg) in his last nine games, infielder Cesar Hernandez is batting .356 with five doubles, 13 RBI and three stolen bases for Lara. In 66 games with the Phillies this year, the 24-year-old switch-hitter batted .237 with a homer, four RBI and a stolen base. Catcher Gabriel Lino is batting .265 with five doubles, four RBI in 19 games for Lara. The 21-year-old, who was acquired from Baltimore in the 2012 Jim Thome trade, played in 90 combined games with Class A Lakewood and Class A Advanced Clearwater this year, posting a combined .215 average with five home runs and 34 RBI. In 13 appearances (six starts) with Lara, lefty hurler Cesar Jimenez has a 2-4 record with a 3.48 ERA while striking out 29 and w...

Baseball never stops and neither does Phillies Nation. It's another weekly edition of the Phillies off-season league rundown featuring updates on players from around the globe. Read ahead for all the info with activity through Saturday. Venezuelan Winter League- Aaron Altherr, image- Jay Floyd Aaron Altherr is done with his time in Venezuela. The righty batting outfielder hit .286 with four home runs, 27 RBI and a stolen base in 31 games for Zulia. The 23-year-old played in two games with the big league Phillies this year. In 127 minor league games in 2014, the Phillies' 9th round pick in 2009 posted a .237 average with 14 HR, 59 RBI and 13 stolen bases. In 31 games with Zulia, shortstop Freddy Galvis is batting .254 with seven doubles, a triple, a homer and eight RBI. In 43 big league contests this year, the 25-year-old switch-hitter batted .176 with four home runs and 12 RBI. Elvis Araujo sports a 2-0 record with a 0.66 ERA in 11 relief outings for Zulia. Th...

Chace Numata, Image- Jay Floyd Just a few quick notes on some injuries throughout minor league camp… Catcher Chace Numata confirmed with me today that he will miss at least a few months following a fractured hamate and surgery to repair triangular fibrocartilage in his left wrist. The 21-year-old Hawaiian was a South Atlantic League All-Star for Class A Lakewood last season, posting a .231/.307/.305 line in 94 contests. Third baseman Mitch Walding is on the shelf as he continues to deal with the rib issue that shortened his season last summer. Walding was dealing with a misdiagnosed fracture when he suffered a more severe break while getting off the couch in the Lakewood locker room last August. Walding told me today that he is scheduled for surgery to fully remove the rib and is likely to miss at least six weeks. The 21-year-old was the Phils’ 5th round draft pick in 2011. Outfielder Jiwan James , who missed a considerable portion of last season following knee surgery, ...

Roy Halladay and Chace Numata talk prior to Tuesday's game, image- Jay Floyd These quotes, from prior to Phillies hurler Roy Halladay 's rehab appearance with Class A Lakewood, were initially intended to be posted on the site before Tuesday's game got underway.  WiFi connection issues at the ballpark resulted in some delay, but here they are, in a delayed fashion. Questions for Halladay's battery mate Chace Numata , BlueClaws manager Mickey Morandini and pitching coach Aaron Fultz are all included.  Chace Numata... - You're probably the most excited guy out here on the side of the field, being paired up with Roy Halladay for his rehab game.  Talk about that a bit. Most definitely.  I get to catch Roy Halladay.  He's a great pitcher and he's coming back off his injury.  I'm hoping to learn a lot tonight.  You know, just how he throws and what his thinking is about the game and how he throws. - Typically, batteries will meet prio...

According to a press release from the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, who will host the South Atlantic League All-Star game on June, 18th... Catcher Chace Numata and reliever Steven Inch will represent the BlueClaws on the field at the 54th South Atlantic League All-Star Game, held at FirstEnergy Park on June 18th. The announcement of 50 South Atlantic League All-Stars was made Tuesday by League President Eric Krupa. BlueClaws manager Mickey Morandini and athletic trainer Mickey Kozack have also been named to the staff of the Northern Division. Chace Numata, Photo- Jay Floyd Numata, a 20-year-old Hawaii native, is slumping as of late, going through a 4-for-31 (.129 avg) stretch in his last nine contests, but had sported a .298 average prior to his recent cold streak. Numata, a catcher, has slugged eight doubles, mashed two homers and driven in 20 runs in 42 games for the 'Claws. The 6-foot tall 175-pounder was selected by the Phillies in the 14th round in the 2010 d...

On the latest edition of the program Jay and Tug talk about hot prospects Jesse Biddle , Cesar Hernandez and Chace Numata and offer some thoughts on highly touted shortstop Roman Quinn 's cold spell.  The guys also chat with call-in guest "Baseball Betsy", who offers insight from the teams in Florida, and a memorable exclusive interview with former Phillies first round draft pick Anthony Hewitt is featured.  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 .

One of the more consistent bats in the Class A Lakewood lineup in the early going this season has been that of catcher Chace Numata .  The 20-year-old sported a .280 batting average entering the weekend through 14 games for the BlueClaws. A 14th round draft pick in 2010 out of Pearl City High School in Hawaii, Numata sported a .224 batting average with two home runs and 30 RBI through 84 professional games entering the 2013 season.  Now, the 6-foot 175-pounder is leading a pitching staff that includes last year's top Phils draft pick Shane Watson and trying to help solidify an offense that is tied for the least amount of runs scored in the South Atlantic League. Last week, I spoke with Chace about his transition from playing infield and pitching in high school, the hamate fracture that forced him to miss a great majority of the 2011 season, his progress in the minor leagues and plenty more.  Read ahead for that full interview. - Chace, you seem to be producing...

Here are a few batting practice videos I shot in Lakewood for the Class A BlueClaws this past week. 17-year-old OF Carlos Tocci - 22-year-old first baseman Art Charles - 20-year-old catcher Chace Numata -