PhoulBallz.com

For anyone wondering, "What's up, PhoulBallz.com?"... Well, interviewing players with COVID related restrictions is difficult to make happen.  I'm still not permitted on the field, in the locker room or any other place that the Phillies of the future do their things.  I still reach out to players and without knowing me, the players aren't as swift to provide me with the feedback I desire.   With that said, I don't have the stories to tell, like I once did.  I am hopeful that we'll get back to that, as things return to normal down the line.   Pitcher Adam Leverett , who has moved between levels with some frequency of late, has promised to set aside some time for me to do an interview.  We just haven't made that happen yet.   The 22-year-old right-hander was a 15th round draft choice in 2019.  Combined at three levels this year, Leverett sports a 4-5 record, a 3.54 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP and a 9.6 K/9 mark in 20 games primarily as a starter...

Stepping up to the plate with the bases loaded, trailing by a pair of runs in the 11th inning, Clearwater first baseman D.J. Stewart did so 0-for-5.  His focus at the plate was no different that time than it had been the previous handfull of turns.  Make loud contact was the approach.  The contact was loud, the reaction from his team and the approximately 1,100 fans in attendance was louder.   A convincing round-tripper in that moment plated Edgar Made, Johan Rojas, Luis Garcia and Stewart.  It gave the Class A Threshers their first win on the young season by a score of 13-11 over the Tigers affiliate Lakeland.  The grand slam was the 22-year-old's first ever four-run homer as well as his first ever walk-off hit as a professional. Describing the feeling of walking a game off in such a remarkable fashion as unreal and realizing that his teammates were as hyped for him as he felt personally, Stewart also described the "loud contact" mindset as a new focu...

Signed for a measly bonus of $10,000 in 2018, outfielder Johan Rojas has begun to prove himself as a steal in his short professional career to date. The righty hitting Dominican made a splash in the Dominican Summer League in 2018, recording an impressive .320 batting average with 12 doubles, four triples, a pair of home runs, 31 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 68 games. The following year, Rojas made his United States debut, opening his campaign in the Gulf Coast League where he tallied a .920 OPS through 18 games before he was promoted to short-season Class A Williamsport.  With the Crosscutters, the six-foot-one 165-pounder posted a .244 average with a pair of homers, 11 RBI and 11 steals in 42 games.  Remarkably, he did most of that damage before his 19th birthday. If you like raw power and considerable bat speed, Rojas is your guy.  He is touted as a hitter that makes hard contact and is praised for his hand-eye coordination.  He has a chance to develop into a formid...

Subscribers of my Patreon site have gotten some details from the Phillies' Fall Instructs in recent days.   The Florida Instructional League is an annual month-long off-season combine that will feature workouts as well as practices and regularly pits players from different organizations against one another in exhibition games.  This year's version in a pandemic impacted world won't see different teams facing one another, but the Phillies' players will see exhibition competition, as the organization is slated to have some intrasquad games in the coming weeks. Players that are currently in Clearwater, FL seeing some long overdue time on the field include this year's first round draft selection Mick Abel.  The high school hurler inked a deal for over $4 million dollars after  being taken with the 15th overall pick in June. Francisco Morales, image- Jay Floyd Highly touted Venezuelan pitcher Francisco Morales is also in attendance.  The 20-year-old right-han...

I encourage you to head on over the Patreon.com/PhoulBallz in order to support my work and get access to material like this before anyone else and get access to interviews as well as other exclusive content you can't get anywhere else.   Each winter I compile prospect rankings and count down the Phillies organization’s top 25 minor league players. In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting reviews for each of the top developmental talents that appear to have the brightest futures for the Phils organization. Taken into consideration when compiling the list is age, minor league performance relative to levels played to date, value to the organization as well as each player's future potential along with proximity to the big leagues. These rankings will not include players over the age of 25 or individuals that have already spent lengthy stretches in the big leagues. For example, hurlers such as Edgar Garcia and Cole Irvin as well as outfielder Adam Haseley will ...