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Jake Scheiner, image- Jay Floyd Following hours of speculation about what the Phillies would be sending to Seattle in a reported impending trade, news broke on Sunday that the team would send righty batting prospect Jake Scheiner in exchange for Jay Bruce . Scheiner, a versatile fielder, had played left field, center field, third base and first base this year for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers.  In 45 games in the Florida State League, the 23-year-old sported a .256 average with a pair of home runs and 20 RBI. Bruce, 32, is a three-time All-Star.  In 37 games with the Mariners this season, the lefty slugger possesses a .212/.282/.533 offensive slash line. The Phillies will use Bruce to fill the void left by Odubel Herrera, who was placed on administrative leave last week following an arrest for a domestic violence related accusation. According to Phillies.com's Todd Zolecki, the Phillies are to be responsible for just $2.75 million of Bruce's remainin...

Season's greetings!  Everybody loves the holidays and, of course, baseball players are no exception. Every year at Christmas time, I survey a group of Phillies prospects about what they get excited for during the holiday season. Players taking part in this year's ninth annual player survey include the 2018 Paul Owens Award winner OF Austin Listi , slugging first base  prospect Darick Hall , Class A All-Stars (CI/OF) Jake Scheiner and (SP) Will Stewart , Triple-A reliever Tyler Gilbert and short-season rookie level backstop Logan O'Hoppe .  Additionally, taking part is Double-A Reading Fightin Phils broadcaster Mike Ventola. Questions and answers listing each individual’s holly jolly holiday favorites are listed below… -What is your favorite Xmas movie or TV special? Austin Listi: For the longest time my favorite Christmas movie has been The Santa Claus 2. However, I love just snuggling up on the couch with my wife and crushing Hallmark's Countd...

Jake Scheiner, image- Jay Floyd Jake Scheiner is a prospect that really made a name for himself last season.  The 23-year-old was a 4th round draft selection in 2017 and became an All-Star in his first full season in the minors. In 122 games for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws last year, the righty batting University of Houston product posted a .296 average with 13 home runs, 67 RBI and 10 stolen bases while manning several positions on defense.  Scheiner played second base and third base fresh out of the draft in 2017, but added left field and first base to his repertoire during the regular season this year. Last week I talked with Jake about his thoughts on his first complete professional campaign, giving the catcher position a whirl in the Florida Instructional League this off-season, how he's preparing for next year and plenty more.  Read ahead for my interview with him. -In hindsight, what are your thoughts on your 2018 season?  What were the best ...

LAKEWOOD, NJ- The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws fell behind early and could not mount a comeback as they fell in game three by a score of 6-3.  The 'Claws not trail the South Atlantic League Championship Series two games to one in the best of five series and will need wins in the next two games of the series or Lexington will prevail as the league champions. On a night when a steady mist kept the grass and the baseballs damp, the BlueClaws struggled in the field.  Five Lakewood errors helped Lexington amass their run total. The 'Claws added a balk, two wild pitches and a passed ball to its collection of miscues on the losing effort. BlueClaws skipper Marty Malloy expressed frustration with his team following the defeat. "Obviously, we're not happy with the way we played.  It was a sloppy game," Malloy said in his office after a meeting with the team's coaching staff.  "It's not something that we've done very often this year.  It was very ...

Nick Maton greeting a fan, image- Jay Floyd The grind of a full season is one of the first true measures for a minor leaguer.  An everyday player in his first year out of the draft can commonly endure a grueling campaign packed with lengthy bus rides, minimal days off and very few comforts of home over a five-month stretch.  For Lakewood shortstop Nick Maton it's proving to be a true test, one that may benefit him in the long run. The Illinois native has been a contributor to the playoff bound Class A BlueClaws for the entire season.  Through 108 games this season, the 21-year-old Maton sports a .262 batting average with 25 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and 47 RBI. With less than two weeks left before the BlueClaws will open the 2018 South Atlantic League postseason, a spot they clinched when they won the first half Northern Division title back in June, Lakewood, as a whole, seemed to be feeling the effects of a long season.  The club dropped four ...

The Lakewood BlueClaws are sending six players to the Class A South Atlantic League All-Star Game, slated to be played on Tuesday evening at 7:05pm at First National Bank Field in Greensboro, NC. Following the last regular season game of the first half on Sunday, I talked with a pair of those BlueClaws All-Stars, third baseman Jake Scheiner and relief pitcher Addison Russ about representing their team in the mid-season exhibition, among some other things. Read ahead for quotes galore from this talented twosome. Jake Scheiner... -Some of the offensive guys I've talked to on the team have cited concern over a bit of under-performing at times this season.  Do you feel like you've performed up to personal expectations you may have had coming into the season? Yeah.  I felt like my numbers didn't show well in the beginning.  But, I stuck with my approach and kept it going and it led me to getting a nominated for the All-Star Game.  I think our whole line up ...

David Parkinson, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- It had been roughly four and a half hours since the Lakewood BlueClaws did what they needed to do on Sunday before they found out their first half fate.  With a start time of 5:05 PM for Kannapolis (White Sox affiliate), who were ahead of the BlueClaws in the Class A South Atlantic League North Division standings by .003 percentage points, it would be a few anxious hours, or more, until a trip to the 2018 postseason would be decided. Greensboro, the Marlins affiliate managed by former Phillies catcher Todd Pratt, completed a three-game sweep in Kannapolis to lock in a first half division title and a playoff spot for the BlueClaws. Lakewood's star on Sunday was lefty pitcher David Parkinson, the Phils' 12th round draft selection a year ago.  The 22-year-old struck out 11, walked none and allowed no runs on just three hits over seven innings of work to notch his sixth win of the season. The effort for Parkinson placed...

Will Stewart, image- Jay Floyd The Class A South Atlantic League announced its All-Stars on Tuesday and the roster for the Northern Division includes six Lakewood BlueClaws. The team will send four pitchers, including lefty starter Will Stewart, righty starter Ramon Rosso, left-handed reliever Kyle Dohy and right-handed reliever Addison Russ.  Additionally, third baseman Jake Scheiner and shortstop Nick Maton are also on the team.  Stewart, 20, holds the league's best ERA among qualified players with a 1.23 mark.  The Phillies' 20th round draft pick from 2015 also sports a 5-0 record and a .197 batting average against through nine starts this season. Rosso, a native of the Dominican Republic, has a 2-1 record with a 1.44 ERA and a .191 BAA.  The 21-year-old has garnered a lot of attention this season with his seemingly out-of-nowhere, surprising contributions. Dohy, a 16th round draft pick last year, has a 3-3 record with a 1.00 ERA and a .157 BAA in 19 a...

As minor league teams have reached roughly a third of the way through the minor league season, here's a quick run down on some of the standouts at all four full-season levels of the Phillies system.   -Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (28-20, 1st place in the International League North Division)... Cole Irvin with Reading last season, image- Jay Floyd Thus far in the 2018 campaign, the IronPigs' Cole Irvin leads all Phillies minor leaguers in innings pitched with 54.  Through nine starts, the 24-year-old has a 5-1 record with a 3.17 ERA and an 8.2 K/9 mark.  Irvin, a lefty, was the Phils' 5th round draft choice in 2016. His rotation mate Enyel De Los Santos has a 5-2 record with a 1.40 ERA and a .194 batting average against in nine starts.  The right-handed native of the Dominican Republic also sports a 9.8 K/9 mark.  De Los Santos was acquired from San Diego last off-season in a trade for Freddy Galvis. First baseman Joey Meneses has been incredible ...

Tyler Henson, image- Jay Floyd The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws are off to a fair start, posting a 7-7 record through the first couple weeks of the season.  The guy in charge of the offense (2nd lowest OPS in the South Atlantic League entering action on Friday, with a .636 mark) is former Phillies farm hand Tyler Henson. A 5th round pick of Baltimore in 2006, Henson, 30, took the field in the Phillies organization from 2013-2015 on the end of a 10-year playing career. Henson began his coaching tenure in 2016 fresh out of retirement.  Last year, he coached with short-season Class A Williamsport.  During his time in affiliated minor league baseball, Henson posted a .263/.323/.393 slash line. Last week I talked with Coach Henson about his team's lineup, including outfielders Josh Stephen, Jhailyn Ortiz and Simon Muzziotti, along with infielders Daniel Brito, Cole Stobbe, Jake Scheiner and first baseman Quincy Nieporte, plus more about his transition into coaching. ...