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Tug and Jay are back with the 47th edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast.  On this episode the guys talk about the Phillies' additions to their 40-man roster as well as the signings of free agents Marlon Byrd and Carlos Ruiz .  They also take some time to cut some silly radio bumpers for BaseballPodcasts.net and share some thoughts about some of the other programs the site offers. 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 .

Rice with Lakewood in 2011 On Thursday, Sewell, NJ's Bill Rice was released by the Chicago White Sox.  Rice, a Washington Township High School product who played at Gloucester County College prior to transferring to the University of South Carolina-Aiken, was signed previously by the Phillies out of a tryout camp at Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park in 2010. The Phils decided to part ways with Rice during spring training last year.  The 5-foot-11 185-pounder quickly signed with the Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League and was later inked by the White Sox and assigned to their Class A Kannapolis club.  This year, Rice made the leap to Class A Advanced Winston-Salem and hadn't produced to the best of his abilities.  Through 12 contests, Rice posted a .171 average along with three doubles, one triple and four steals.  According to the 24-year-old Rice his weekend plans were ruined by the release, as his Winston-Salem Dash were set to begin a series against ...

Chris Duffy, photo- Jay Floyd First baseman/designated hitter Chris Duffy is ready to get back out on the field after being released by the Phillies last month. The 25-year-old lefty batter will open his 2013 season in just over two weeks with the independent Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League. Duffy, who was the Phillies' 26th round draft choice in 2010 out of the University of Central Florida, had a strong season last year as a member of the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. In 60 games in the South Atlantic League, Duffy sported a .384 batting average while mashing 11 home runs and driving in 56 runs. Additionally, in two separate stints with Class A Advanced Clearwater last season, Duffy batted .236 with two homers and 15 RBI in 44 games. Due to their depth at the first base position after acquiring the younger Art Charles from Toronto during the spring exhibition season, Duffy was given his walking papers by the Phils on March 17th. Just across the Delaware Rive...

It's the season 2 premiere of the show (episode 18). In this edition Tug and Jay discuss Tug's wedding, some surprising releases from Phils minor league camp, Roy Halladay 's health, fast rising prospects Roman Quinn and Carlos Tocci , the Reading rebranding, Lehigh Valley's new alternate jersey, and much more! Check out the media player below to hear the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

In recent days a prospect that had considerable buzz about him last season, Chris Duffy , was released by the Phillies.  Billed by many coaches within the system as a very good hitter, the 26th round draft choice in 2010 out of the University of Central Florida had an outstanding season in 2012 with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws.  In 60 games in the South Atlantic League the lefty batting slugger sported a .384 batting average with 11 homers and 56 RBI.  Additionally, in two different stints with Class A Advanced Clearwater last year, Duffy sported a .236 average with two home runs and 15 RBI. Credited by prospects like highly regarded third baseman Maikel Franco with being an inspiration, the 25-year-old Duffy built a reputation of being a leader among toward players.  Now, faced with free agency, the well-mannered and steadily lighthearted spoke this week about the circumstances surrounding his release, - Okay, so clearly there was some big news t...

Eldemire and Duffy with Lakewood in 2012 Following releases last week that didn't catch many off guard (details here , here and here ), the Phillies began some more house cleaning on Sunday when they cut ties with a pair of players that many people thought were not at risk of losing their spots in the system, as first baseman Chris Duffy and outfielder Gauntlett Eldemire were both released by the Phils, making each man a free agent. Duffy, a 26th round draft choice in 2010 out of the University of Central Florida, had an outstanding season in 2012 with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws.  In 60 games there, the lefty batting slugger posted a .384 average with 11 homers and 56 RBI.  Additionally, in two different stints with Class A Advanced Clearwater last year, Duffy sported a .236 average with two home runs and 15 RBI.  The 25-year-old was credited with helping some of his younger Lakewood teammates excel at the plate as well. Eldemire, a 6th round draft select...

Truby with Lakewood in 2011- Photo by Jay Floyd Former big league third baseman Chris Truby is entering his fifth season as a manager in the Phillies' developmental ranks.  The 39-year-old began his coaching career in 2008 in the Pittsburgh organization after retiring from playing a year earlier. He joined the Phillies in 2009, spending two seasons as the manager for Class A short-season Williamsport prior to managing Class A Lakewood in 2011, then earning another promotion to be the skipper with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers last year. During his playing days, Truby saw time with Houston, Montreal, Detroit and Tampa Bay.  The Indiana native batted .231 with 23 homers and 107 RBI in 263 career big league games. This week I spoke with Chris about several subjects, among them the Phils' well regarded third base prospects, how he balances his goals to excel as a coach while helping his players improve and other players on the rise.  Read ahead for tha...

This week I spoke with Class A Lakewood BlueClaws manager Mickey Morandini regarding several matters related to his club. Firstly, according to Morandini, six BlueClaws are headed to Fall Instructional League in Florida. "Instructs" last about four weeks, from mid-September to mid-October. The Lakewood players assigned there are pitchers Hoby Milner and Zach Cooper , catchers Josh Ludy and Gabriel Lino as well as third baseman/first baseman Willie Carmona and third baseman Maikel Franco . Morandini also spoke on the following topics... 21-year-old newcomer and Dominican native Felix Santos , a righty hurler, who has a 0.60 ERA through seven relief appearances with the BlueClaws: "He's come in here and he's done a great job for us. Live fastball, breaking ball's been above average, he's getting outs. He's come in there and made a statement and pitched well and I think he's turning some heads here." The very solid offensive seco...

It's another sometimes-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. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs… Who’s hot- Tyler Cloyd (pictured, right) continued his dominance of the year 2012 in his latest start. The 25-year-old righty notched the win against Pawtucket on Thursday, allowing just one earned run in seven innings of work. The victory took Cloyd’s record to 14-1 and his ERA in 1.91 in 22 combined starts at Double-A and Triple-A this season. The Phillies’ 18th round draft pick in 2008 has been making it extremely difficult for the Phillies to not promote him to the big league roster. Recently promoted second baseman Cesar Hernandez headed into action on Saturday posting the following numbers over the previous week- .476 batting average, three doubles, one triple and the RBI. Additionally, Hernandez hit safely in seven consecutive games beginning last Friday. Th...

It's time for another edition of our semi-weekly minor league round up, where we take a look at some top performers from each team. Venezuelan Summer League Phillies- Shortstop Deiber Olivera has been on fire for the VSL club. Through 42 games this season, the 5-foot-11-inch 155-pounder has posted a .400 batting average (2nd in the league) with 15 doubles, 2 triples and 26 RBI. The 19-year-old righty hitter was signed by the Phillies in May 2011. Left-handed hurler Douglas Parada , who threw a 9-inning no-hitter on Saturday, has a 7-0 record with a 0.69 ERA through 11 starts with the VSL Phils. The 19-year-old has struck out 63 and walked just 7 in 65 2/3 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .158 batting average against. Last year in the same league, Parada posted a 5.40 ERA with 4 strike outs and 4 walks in 5 relief outings. Dominican Summer League Phillies- Righty hurler Jorge Serrano has posted a 1-0 record and a 1.08 ERA over his past three starts. The 18-year-old...

First baseman Chris Duffy has been excellent this season for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. Through 41 games in the South Atlantic League, the 24-year-old has tallied a .373 batting average with 5 HR and 32 RBI. Additionally, the lefty hitting slugger has reached base via hit or walk in all but one of his 41 games for the BlueClaws this season. On Monday, Duffy was named the Topps South Atlantic League Player of the Month for June, a month in which he batted .420 in 23 games. The 26th round draft pick out of the University of Central Florida in 2010 also spent some time at Class A Advanced Clearwater this year, but after posting a .205 average with 2 HR and 9 RBI in 20 games, Duffy returned to Lakewood. Prior to this year, the 6-foot-2-inch 210-pound Duffy posted a .281 overall batting average with 12 HR and 59 RBI in two seasons with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. Recently, I spoke with Chris about his success in Lakewood, time spent with the Phillies' Ryan Howard , his men...

Ryan Howard continued to test his recovering Achilles tendon as he rehabbed for the second time in as many nights with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws on Friday. The 32-year-old slugger has been sidelined following off-season surgery to repair the tendon he ruptured in the final at bat of the Phillies' 2011 postseason. In game action on Friday, facing highly regarded Nationals prospect Alex Meyer , who throws a fastball that ranges from 96-98 MPH, Howard went 1-for-2 with a single and a strike out. Howard played first base for five innings and looked good, moving laterally with no problems and completing the end of three different BlueClaws double plays with ease. The efforts on Friday followed his 2-for-4 effort on Thursday, in which laced two singles, hit a Sac fly and drove in three runs as the Lakewood designated hitter. Following the game on Friday, Howard told the media that he is slated to return to Lakewood for another rehab game on Saturday, in which he will again ser...