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I invite you to visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz in order to support my work and get access to material like this before anyone, plus you'll get interviews as well as other exclusive content you won't be able to consume anywhere else.  I could use and I would appreciate your backing. At long last, Phillies minor league coaching staffs began to trickle out via each team's news feed on Friday with a few notable additions to the organization's developmental field staffs.  Here is a complete rundown of each team's coaching staff. The Class A Short-season Williamsport Crosscutters will be headed by Milver Reyes.  The 37-year-old Venezuelan played as high as the Triple-A level during his playing career before turning to coaching.  Reyes played with the CrossCutters in 2003 and 2004 as a member of the Pirates organization, before Williamsport was affiliated with the Phillies. The Cutters' pitching coach is set to be a returning Hector Berrios while hittin...

Luis Garcia, image- @BaseballBetsy Youth and talent are two key things that stand out with Phillies shortstop prospect Luis Garcia . After the team signed the Dominican Republic native for a reported $2.5 million (second highest international signing in Phils history) in July of 2017, Garcia participated in the Florida Instructional League as a 16-year-old. He made his official professional debut last season. In the short-season Rookie level Gulf Coast League, the youngster was tops in batting average with a .369 mark and posted a .433 OBP with an impressive .921 OPS. He was also named to the GCL’s post-season All-Star roster. The five-foot-11 170-pounder was rated by Baseball America as the best prospect in that league last year. Defensively, Garcia is said to have an accurate, plus arm with quick feet. He fields his position smoothly. At the plate, the switch-hitter displays a mature approach with quick hands that could translate into more power as he ages. Garcia’...

Photo via Logan O'Hoppe's Twitter The Phillies Gulf Coast League West team saw a promising backstop emerge last summer as 18-year-old Logan O'Hoppe impressed with his statistics and his work behind the dish. Selected in the 23rd round of last year's draft by the Phillies, O'Hoppe quickly signed and made an impact in the Rookie level short-season GCL. In 34 games, the righty batting Long Island native sported a .367/.411/.532 slash line and was a standout leader for his pitching staff according to coaches. If O'Hoppe continues to pile on the production and enjoys some swift progress, it won't be long before the youngster is impacting betting odds, like those found on this page . Recently, I chatted with O'Hoppe about his thoughts on his initial professional campaign, an injury he suffered at Fall Instructs, how he's preparing for his first full professional season in 2019 and more.  Read ahead for that complete interview. -In hinds...

On Thursday, the Phillies announced their minor league coaching staff for the 2018 season, including a few big additions.   At the top of the developmental levels, Gary Jones has been hired as the manager of the Phils’ Triple-A affiliate the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.  Jones, 57, spent the previous four seasons as the third base coach for the Cubs.  He has also coaches in the A’s, Padres and Red Sox organizations. Jones makes the third individual that the Phillies have hired away from the 2016 World Series champions this off-season.  John Mallee, the team's new hitting coach at the big league level, held that position with the Cubs for the previous three seasons and new first base coach Jose Flores served as Chicago's minor league field coordinator (virtually a second-in-command of the minors) for a handful of seasons.     Former Phillies infielder Wes Helms will also be added to the IronPigs’ staff as a coach.  Hitting coach Sal R...

As a new year begins, so does my annual prospect ranking, which counts down the Phillies organization’s top 25 rising minor league talents. Over the next several weeks, with the organization in the midst of a rebuild, primed to give many young talents the opportunity to break into the major leagues and show what they can do, I’ll be serving up reviews for each of the top developmental talents that appear to have the brightest futures for the Phillies. Taken into consideration when compiling the list is age, minor league performance relative to levels played, value to the organization as the player’s future potential and proximity to the big leagues. These rankings will not include players over the age of 25 or individuals that have spent lengthy stretches in the big leagues. For example, left-handed reliever Joely Rodriguez, who spent the final month of the regular season on the big league Phillies roster, will not appear on this countdown. Tyler Goeddel (12th on this list a ye...

In the midst of several playoff races, a handful of injuries popped up at multiple levels over the weekend. Williams, image- Jay Floyd For Triple-A Lehigh Valley, lefty batting outfielder Nick Williams was struck in the leg by a pitch in the first inning on Saturday and did not take the field in that contest after coming around to score in the frame. As I reported on Twitter, Williams should return to action soon and a stint on the disabled list won't be required, according to the 22-year-old, who sports a .265 average with 12 homers and 62 RBI in 118 games this season for the IronPigs. Nick Williams says pitch hit him in awkward spot & "dead legged" him- Instant swelling. Thinks he should be good to go tomorrow. #PigsFly — Jay Floyd (@PhoulBallz) August 28, 2016 The IronPigs appear to be in line for a Wild Card berth in the International League playoffs as they are four games behind division leading Scranton and 4 1/2 games ahead of third place Rochest...

Despite a hefty amount of bad results out of the Phillies' minor league hurlers on Monday, it was 2013's most impressive hurler who made a return to the mound and picked up right where he left off last year. On a night when this year's top draft pick Aaron Nola made his pro debut and looked quite mortal, top pitching prospect Jesse Biddle didn't look deserving of that type of hype as he struggled mightily and recently demoted reliever Ethan Martin was touched up while another young standout in Tyler Viza had a weak effort, it was lefty Yoel Mecias ' return from Tommy John surgery that should make it all seem better. Aaron Nola's pro debut, Image- @BaseballBetsy Nola, the 7th overall selection in this month's MLB amatuer draft, made his first professional start as a member of the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers. On the mound against the Lakeland Tigers, the 21-year-old right-hander allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits in 2 1/3 inni...

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...

The Phillies continued locking in last week's draft picks on Friday as the team came to terms with their second round pick Andrew Knapp and officially announced the signing of their third round selection Cord Sandberg. Knapp, taken 53rd overall, is a switch-hitting 21-year-old. The University of California product led the Golden Bears in batting average this year with a .350 mark while mashing eight homers with 41 RBI. Knapp's deal is said to be for $1.03 million. Reports last week stating that Sandberg has signed almost immediately for the amount of $775,000 seemed to be fully on point as the amount proved accurate with details released by the Phils. High school prep catcher Jake Sweaney, who was selected in the 4th round with the 121st pick out of Garces Memorial High School in California, signed for a reported $400,000. Other signees include 25th rounder Cody Forsythe, a lefty pitcher out of Southern Illinois.  In his senior season this year, the 22-year-old spo...

Carlos Tocci- AP Photo Outfielder Carlos Tocci was signed by the Phillies for a reported signing bonus of $759,000 in the summer of 2011 on his 16th birthday. The native of Maracay, Venezuela participated in the Florida Instructional League that year, but made his official pro debut in 2012 as a member of the Gulf Coast League Phillies. Last season, Tocci posted a .278 average with two doubles and nine RBI in 38 contests in the GCL, with all but one of his games played before his 17th birthday. Having displayed little power in his debut season, Tocci, who hits from the right side, developed a bit of a reputation for being too skinny. The player known as "Toch" added a good amount of muscle this off-season, thanks to a training routine provided by the Phillies. He now has his 6-foot-2-inch frame up to a more desirable 170 pounds. On defense, Tocci has very good range and appears to glide to the ball, easily covering a lot of ground to track down fly balls. Tocc...

Jon Pettibone took great strides in 2012 On Tuesday, several additions to the 40-man roster were announced by the Phillies, as outfielder Zach Collier as well as pitchers Trevor May , Jonathan Pettibone , and Ethan Martin were all added. Collier, was a supplementary round draft choice by the Phillies in 2008. The lefty hitting California native performed extremely well in the recently wrapped up Arizona Fall League. To read my interview with Zach from last weekend, which includes more info on the 22-year-old, click here. May, a righty hurler, had an up-and-down 2012 after entering the regular season ranked by many outlets as the Phillies’ top prospect. May posted a 10-13 overall record along with a 4.87 ERA and a 9.09 K/9 mark with Double-A Reading this year. The 23-year-old was a 4th round draft pick in 2008. Pettibone had a strong 2012 campaign following a troubling start that saw him post a 1-3 record and a 4.78 ERA in his first six outings. In the 13 starts wh...

Tropical Storm Debby swept through Florida this weekend and impacted the home of the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, Brighthouse Field. In these images tweeted by rehabbing Phillies reliever Justin De Fratus , the flooding left by the heavy rains can be seen. With lingering effects of Debby expected to continue to drop moisture on Florida through Monday, it is unclear exactly how the team's schedule will be affected, as the Threshers are on the road until Thursday. The Gulf Coast League Phillies, who also play in Clearwater, have home games scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. The GCL team plays most of its games on the neighboring Carpenter Complex field. Reportedly, other ballparks in the region were affected in similar fashion as well. De Fratus, a right-hander, who is recovering from a strain in his throwing elbow, threw from a mound on Thursday and Saturday and is progressing well. The 24-year-old De Fratus is feeling just fine and is happy to be taking his rehab...

As we do each week, Tug Haines and I bring you another new edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast! The latest edition features a big time Twitter focus with a lot of Latin flavor, as we talk about potential Phils' opening day second baseman Freddy Galvis, another Chooch story and Ruben Amaro Jr's impact on acquiring foreign born players. We also have some fun with several team personnel's social networking accounts and there's plenty more. Check out the player below, to listen or download the show. And don't miss our previous two episodes. ________________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE .

For the second consecutive week, you can read breaking news of Phillies' minor league cuts here on PhoulBallz.com first. Early Sunday morning, the following players were informed that the Phillies no longer required their services: Luis Unda , Ian Durham , Paul Cusick , Chase Johnson , Juary Gomez and Rye Davis . Unda (pictured, right), a 22-year-old infielder had been signed by the Phillies in 2008 and played as high as Class A Lakewood, where he went 0-for-8 in 3 games played last season. The Venezuelan native was a member of the Phils' championship Gulf Coast League team in 2010. Durham, 23, was a 28th round draft choice in 2011. The righty pitcher went 1-0 with a 3.62 ERA and 2 saves in 18 appearances for the Gulf Coast League Phillies last year. Cusick, a 23-year-old right-hander, was also selected in last year's draft. In 18 combined appearances (1 start) with the GCL team and Williamsport in 2011, the University of Penn product went 3-2 with a 3.79 ERA. Johnson (pic...

The Phillies' top draft pick from 2011, Larry Greene Jr., has the type of power that already has many within the organization and around baseball buzzing. After inking his first professional contract close to the signing deadline last year, Greene Jr. has yet to play in his first organized professional contest. The power hitting outfielder from Berrien County High School in Georgia is expected to make his pro debut in just a few short months. Greene Jr., who got a $1 million signing bonus, worked out with the Gulf Coast League Phillies late in the season last year and spent some time at the Florida Instructional League as well. Despite sitting out with a groin injury, the lefty batting slugger was able to take in plenty of batting practice and put himself on display for the brass in attendance to see many of their newly drafted prospects. Already, Greene Jr. has begun to impress and has proven himself worthy of the buzz that led to him becoming the 39th overall selection in last...

Recently, PhoulBallz.com featured a piece on New Jersey resident Bill Rice , who attended an open Phillies tryout in Lakewood in 2010 and was signed to a professional contract by the team he grew up rooting for. The 5-foot-11-inch 185-pound Rice performed well this season with the Gulf Coast League Phillies (.306 batting average) and earned a promotion, up two levels, to the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. Through 24 games with the two-time defending South Atlantic League champions, Rice has posted an impressive .324 average with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 1 homerun and 14 runs scored. The lefty hitting Rice was a star player at Washington Township High School and later became a standout contributor at Gloucester County College prior to transferring to the University of South Carolina-Aiken. These days, the 22-year-old outfielder is living his dream. Check out the media player below to hear excerpts from my exclusive interview with Bill. _____________________________________...

On Saturday morning, supplemental first round draft pick, Larry Greene Jr., dressed and took part in baseball activities as a Phillie for the very first time. Along with second round draft choice Roman Quinn, Greene took batting practice in Clearwater at the Gulf Coast Phillies facility. The two youngsters are sharing schedules for practice, trainer sessions and more. Reports from multiple pitchers who were present at BP stated that Greene was driving balls for great distance during his first day on a pro diamond. Australian right-hander Josh Warner claimed that Greene nearly hit one over the light tower beyond the outfield fence. At this stage, it is unclear when Greene or Quinn will see game action with the GCL Phillies, but both players look forward to the opportunity to face suitable competition. Both players could be expected to take part in instructional ball from mid-September through mid-October in order to play more and to be evaluated further. Greene, an 18-year-old...

Stephen Malcolm, the Phillies' 8th round draft pick in last year's MLB amateur draft, has been sent home from extended spring training by the Phillies. The situation is described as a suspension based on a violation of team rules related to alcohol consumption, according to a source. Malcolm, who turned 21-years-old earlier this month, remains under contract with Philadelphia and hasn't been in Clearwater, at the organization's training facility, since the punishment was handed down roughly two weeks ago. The 6-feet tall, 170-pound shortstop signed with the Phillies for a reported $125,000 last summer after being selected out of San Joaquin Delta Community College in California. Malcolm made his professional debut last season with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. In 27 games, Malcolm posted a .253 batting average with 3 doubles, 10 RBI and 7 steals. ____________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . You can also connec...