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Carlos Tocci, image- Jay Floyd Just as the big league postseason is heating up, minor league players have gotten action rolling in the international off-season leagues, with top outfield prospect Carlos Tocci and promising backstop Gabriel Lino leading the way in the Venezuelan Winter League. With Aragua on Wednesday, the 20-year-old Tocci went 3-for-6 with a stolen base. All of his hits were singles. Tocci, widely ranked among the Phillies' top 10 prospects, posted a .287/.339/.363 combined slash line in 127 games with Class A Lakewood and Class A Advanced Clearwater in 2015. Also for Aragua in the VWL, outfielder Herlis Rodriguez went 1-for-1 with two RBI as a pinch hitter and later played right field. The 21-year-old lefty batter tallied a .284 average with 10 home runs, 61 RBI and 16 steals in 120 games for Lakewood this season. Lino, who was acquired from Baltimore in 2012 for Jim Thome, went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strike out for Lara in the VWL on Wednesday...

Reading shortstop Edgar Duran is among the ranks of prospects that is better known for his defense that he is for his efforts at the plate. Featuring great range and a quick throwing release, the 23-year-old Venezuelan often makes pressing plays look easy. After flashing his leather in a contest in Trenton on Saturday night, Duran had the key hit in a 7-1 Fightins victory. In the 8th inning after top Yankees draft pick right-hander Jacob Lindgren loaded the bases while issuing three walks and was removed in favor of lefty Francisco Rondon , the righty hitting Duran slapped a bases clearing double down the left field line. He clearly can do things with the bat as well. See the video player below for footage of Duran's big hit. In 104 games with Double-A Reading this season, the 5-foot-11 155-pounder is batting .224 with four homers and 25 RBI. He also played in 14 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season. Also captured on video is this clip, seen in the media pla...

Throughout the autumn and winter months, we'll have a weekly review of how Phillies players are performing in the various leagues around the globe.  Read ahead for he latest on many familiar names, some top prospects and plenty more. Dominican Winter League... 3B Maikel Franco -  The trial of Franco at first base continued as the slugger played his fourth straight game there on Monday.  Franco played eight games at first in the closing weeks of the 2013 regular season with Double-A Reading.  The 21-year-old sports a .328 average with four doubles and seven RBI in 17 games with the Gigantes.  The righty batting Franco had a bust-out 2013, slamming 31 homers and droving in 103 runs in 134 games with Clearwater and Reading this year. LHP Antonio Bastardo - In two appearances, the 28-year-old has pitched two scoreless innings, striking out four and walking one without surrendering a hit.  In 48 big league games this year, before m...

In his second year with the team, former pro catcher Dusty Wathan has led the Double-A Reading Fightin Phillies to a 12-10 record thus far in the early going. After his 14-year playing career, Wathan began the next leg of his career, managing, with the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters in the Phillies organization in 2008. Since then, the son of former Royals manager John Wathan has climbed up the Philadelphia developmental ranks, making stops with Class A Lakewood, Class A Advanced Clearwater and, of course, Reading. As a player, Wathan was signed by Seattle in 1994 and went on to compete in the Florida, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Kansas City and Philadelphia organizations. With the Royals, Wathan appeared in three big league games in 2002. This week, I sat down with Dusty to discuss the collection of well-regarded talent on his roster including top prospect Jesse Biddle , catcher Sebastian Valle , outfielders Anthony Hewitt and Zach Collier , plus plenty more. Read ...

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...

It's another edition of our off-season league updates. Each week, we'll take a tour around the globe for a look at Phillies talents participating in various autumn and winter action.  Venezuelan League- Shortstop Freddy Galvis (pictured, left) is batting .321 with two doubles, a triple and three home runs through 14 games with Zulia. The switch-hitter is just 2-for-16 (.125 avg) against lefty pitchers. Infielder Harold Garcia has been playing some third base for Zulia. The 26-year-old is 4-for-12 with a double and a triple through five contests. Outfielder Tyson Gillies returned to action on Wednesday after missing nine days with a hamstring strain.  Gillies, who turns 24-years-old this week, is batting.385 with a double, a triple and two RBI in seven games for Lara.  Gillies has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, since joining the Phillies organization as part of the Cliff Lee trade with Seattle in December, 2009. Phillies rookie Dar...

The Venezuelan Winter League got underway on Thursday and Phillies infielder, Freddy Galvis saw organized game action for the first time since June, when he was sidelined with a back injury.  The 22-year-old played shortstop and laced four hits in five at bats, while slugging a homer and driving in two runs en route to helping Zulia lock down a 10-3 victory over Aragua. As a rookie with the Phillies this year, Galvis, who was signed as an amateur free agent in 2006 at the age of 16, batted .226 with 3 home runs and 24 RBI in 58 games.  Galvis tested positive this year for a banned substance and was suspended for 50 games as a result.  He was able to serve the suspension while on the disabled list and would be eligible for game action at the start of the 2013 regular season. Other Phillies players participating in the VWL include second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who went 1-for-3 in Margarita's 7-4 win over La Guaira.  Hernandez, 22, had a breakout season in 201...

The big league Phillies weren't the only ball players kicking off their 2012 campaign on Thursday. Here's a glance how the Phillies' minor league clubs and their players did on opening day... In a rain-shortened 8 inning affair, the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws dropped their South Atlantic League season opener by a score of 4-2 against the Red Sox affiliate Greenville Drive. Lefty hurler Lino Martinez got the start on the mound and allowed 1 earned run in 5 2/3 innings while striking out 4 and walking none. Righty reliever Gabriel Arias took the loss, allowing 3 earned runs in 1 2/3 innings. On the offensive side, Kelly Dugan , the Phillies' top draft pick from 2009, notched 2 hits in his full season Class A debut. Third baseman Maikel Franco (pictured, right) went hitless in 4 at bats, lowering his batting average in the SAL to .116 in 19 games, including time spent with Lakewood last year. The Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers fell to Dunedin (Toronto af...

On Monday, the annual Florida Instructional League got underway for Phillies minor leaguers at the team's spring training home in Clearwater. Instructs, as they are commonly known, is a month-long off-season league, generally consisting of recently drafted players, those that missed time due to injury, or those that participated in a short-season league, allowing those individuals to refine their skills or add innings/at bats to their season. It also serves as an opportunity for a greater number developmental coaches and managers to see newly signed players in action. Below is a full roster of Phillies minor league players and coaches in attendance for the instructional league. Pitchers: Gabriel Arias , Jesse Biddle , James Birmingham , Lisalberto Bonilla (pictured), Ranfi Casimiro , Lendy Castillo , Brody Colvin , Jesen Dygestile-Therrien, Perci Garner , Kenneth Giles , Steven Inch , Ulises Joaquin, Jay Johnson , Colin Kleven , Ervis Manzanillo , Lino Marti...

The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws announced on Tuesday that left-handed pitcher Jesse Biddle and first baseman Jim Murphy were each named to the South Atlantic League Post-season All-star Team. Murphy, a right-handed hitting slugger, represented the 'Claws in this year's mid-season All-star Game as well. The 25-year-old Murphy, who is the all-time homeruns leader for Lakewood and a massive fan favorite in the Jersey Shore town, expressed his appreciation for the recognition of his 2011 efforts. "It means a lot. To be recognized for the full season means- full body of work, full season numbers and a full season of consistency. My second half hasn't been quite as consistent as the first half, but I'm proud of the year that I've had. Hopefully, I'll finish strong and put up some more numbers and just end the season able to reflect on a good year and move on from there." This marks the sixth straight season in which Lakewood has been represen...

With a strong showing at the plate on Tuesday night, first baseman Jim Murphy accomplished a feat rarely seen. When he flew out to the warning track in the bottom of the 8th inning, he received a rousing ovation from the crowd on hand to see the Class A BlueClaws take on Yankees affiliate Charleston RiverDogs. "It was surprising for sure," Murphy said of the nod he received from the appreciative home crowd of 3,644 after his attempt to mash a third homerun in the game fell short. Murphy, who stands 6-feet-3-inches tall and weighs in at 230 pounds, went 3-for-4 on the night while driving in a career-high 6 runs with a single and 2 powerful homeruns. The Phillies' 17th draft selection in the 2007 amateur draft, Murphy, played with Lakewood in 2009 and was with the High A level Clearwater Thresher in 2010. With his 5th and 6th dingers of the season, Murphy is positioned just 2 homeruns from tying the all-time Lakewood lead in homeruns, 22 currently held by Juan Richardson...