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Micucci (right) with Luis Garcia in August, image- Jay Floyd Early on Monday, I tweeted a bit of a teaser about Phillies minor league staffing moves I had learned about from a pair of sources.  Unclear when the personnel had learned of their fates, I did not want to report the news until all parties had time to address the news in their own ways. As has been reported by at least another outlet to this point, I am able to confirm that 2019 Class A Lakewood manager Mike Micucci will not be returning to the organization.  Additionally, base running and bunting coordinator Rob Ducey , Gulf Coast League coach Charlie Hayes and Triple-A pitching coach Steve Schrenk are also done in the Phils system. Micucci was a north Jersey native in his youth and had been hired by the organization less than a year ago.  He worked with Phillies general manager Matt Klentak in Anaheim, which makes his termination even more surprising. Players that saw action for the BlueClaws thi...

Ke'Bryan Hayes, image- Jay Floyd Pirates prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes has become a hot name among rising baseball prospects.  Fresh off a Double-A Eastern League All-Star appearance the son of former Phillies and Yankees third baseman Charlie Hayes slammed a home run in Sunday's MLB All-Star Futures Game. With the Altoona Curve this season, the righty batting Hayes sports a .293 average with 21 doubles, six triples, four homers and 21 RBI in 74 games. He was a first round draft selection of Pittsburgh in 2016.  Last week at the Eastern League All-Star festivities, along with Trentonian reporter Kyle Franko, I spoke with the 21-year-old who also plays third base.  We talked with Ke'Bryan about the influence of his father and his brother Tyree, who pitched in the Reds system, what the All-Star nods mean to him, his biggest goal and more.  Read ahead for that interview. -Do you feel like you were building toward this All-Star moment with the season you've h...

Cam Perkins, image- Jay Floyd Outfielder Cam Perkins is having another remarkable season for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.  Fresh off an All-Star campaign in the International League last year in which he posted a .292/.329/.419 slash line, the 26-year-old Purdue product is proving to be consistent, as he is batting .303 with seven doubles, a triple, three HR and nine RBI in 23 games. Perkins, a 6th round draft pick of the Phillies in 2012, spent the off-season playing baseball in the Dominican Republic.  This year in big league spring training, the six-foot-five 195-pound right batter tallied a .355 batting average with three doubles, two homers and six RBI in 14 games. Last month I talked to Cam about winter ball, his spring training experience, his current IronPigs team and more.  Read ahead for that interview. -You enjoyed a very successful spring campaign, which may have been a surprise to some, but probably was not a surprise to you.  What ...

Roman Quinn, image- Jay Floyd Rising Phillies prospect Roman Quinn got a taste of the big league as a September call-up last year and had a successful spring with the big league team this year.  Opening the 2017 regular season with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the talented outfielder is hopeful to return to the Phillies soon. The 23-year-old was a second round draft selection of the Phils in 2011.  Through six games with the IronPigs thus far, Quinn sports a .320 batting average with two doubles, three RBI and a stolen base. Last week, prior to Lehigh Valley's season opener, I spoke with Roman about his spring, the IronPigs' roster, new coach Charlie Hayes and more.  Read ahead for that interview. -Talk about your time in the Grapefruit League this year.  You got time with the big club in spring training, had some success down there (.289 avg., three doubles, a homer and six RBI in 21 games), looked exciting. It was exciting, man.  Always, ...

Wathan, image- Jay Floyd This week Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Dusty Wathan spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on many topics including top prospects Roman Quinn , Jorge Alfaro and J.P. Crawford .  Additionally, I spoke with new Phillies minor league coach Charlie Hayes (feature at this link ) about his playing days in Philadelphia. Read ahead for quotes from both coaches. -Dusty on how important staying healthy is for OF Roman Quinn to have a big year... I mean, well I think that's the biggest thing with Roman.  I mean, we've seen when Roman's on the field, it's a special thing and he can do special things.  He can impact the game in so many ways, you know with his speed, his power, his defense, his arm.  It's a big year for him, just to stay healthy and get him back to Philadelphia and let him contribute at that level. -Dusty on where Quinn will play in the Lehigh Valley outfield... Roman, he'll play a majority of center, b...