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Rhys Hoskins, image- Jay Floyd At long last, it is Opening Day for the Phillies.  The delayed season, a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, gets underway for the Phils and Marlins on Friday, as the two teams open a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. Entering the 2020 campaign with new manager Joe Girardi at the helm, the Phillies hope this is the year they can return to the postseason for the first time since 2011 after under-performing and faltering down the stretch in each of the past two seasons. On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced arrangements for an expanded playoff format this year, increasing the amount of post-season teams from 10 to 16. Coming off back-to-back last place finishes in the National League East division, Miami looks to surprise many and contend for one of those spots.  The Marlins lost 105 games last year. Read ahead for specifics on the pitching match ups and more from this series.  Friday, 7/24/20...7:05PM....

Sanchez with Lakewood in 2017, image- Jay Floyd We interrupt this Phillies prospect countdown to offer up some breaking news.  Reports have surfaced on Thursday that the Phils have agreed to a trade that would send highly touted pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez , big league catcher Jorge Alfaro along with hurler Will Stewart and international bonus slot to Miami for backstop J.T. Realmuto . Sanchez, a much-raved-about 20-year-old right-hander that reaches triples digits with his fastball, was the key to the deal and had long been mentioned in trade talks. A native of the Dominican Republic, Sanchez has missed time in each of the past two seasons with injuries and sat out of the prestigious Arizona Fall League this off-season due to an ailment. Last season in eight starts with Class A Advanced Clearwater, Sanchez posted a 4-3 record with a 2.51 ERA and an 8.7 K.9 mark. Alfaro, a 25-year-old righty batter, posted a .262 average with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 108 g...

Throughout the off-season months, this site will offer a roundup of how many Phillies prospects and players are performing around the world in fall and winter leagues. Read ahead for the lowdown on various leagues. Trevor Bettencourt, image- Jay Floyd Puerto Rico/Roberto Clemente League- Trevor Bettencourt and Bailey Falter have wrapped up their efforts abroad, returning home to enjoy the holidays.  Both hurlers performed exceptionally for their club, the Indios.  Bettencourt, 24, posted a 1-0 record with a 1.42 ERA while striking out 12 and walking three in 12 2/3 innings over nine relief appearances.  The right-hander was a 25th round pick in 2016.  Falter, a lefty, sported a 2-0 record with a 0.42 ERA in five starts for the Indios.  The 21-year-old was a 5th round draft selection by the Phillies in 2015. Also in PR, 1b/3b Damek Tomscha , 27, is batting .301 with five doubles and three RBI in 23 games.  Tomscha has been batting leadoff...

Throughout the off-season, I'll offer a roundup of how some Phillies prospects and players are performing around the world in fall/winter leagues. Here are the latest noteworthy details. Colombian League- Jorge Alfaro, image- Jay Floyd Catcher Jorge Alfaro is batting .271 with a pair of home runs in 13 games for the Toros.  Alfaro, 25, posted a .262 average with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 108 games with the Phillies this year.  Arizona Fall League- With the AFL wrapping up play last week, the following stats are final for the month-long campaign with each of the players having competed for the Scottsdale Scorpions. First baseman Darick Hall batted .238 with four homers and 12 RBI in 18 games.  Hall, 23, was the 14th round pick of the Phillies in 2016 out of Dallas Baptist.  Hall blasted 26 homers and drove in 87 runs in 128 combined games with Clearwater and Reading this year. Outfielder/first baseman Austin Listi batted .250 and OPS'd .6...

Luke Williams, image- Jay Floyd Third baseman  Luke Williams is enjoying success this off-season in Colombia following a difficult-at-times regular season with Class A Lakewood.  The 21-year-old has posted a .297 batting average with two doubles, a home runs, 10 RBI and five stolen bases through 30 contests as a member of the Toros.   In the midst of an eight game hitting streak, Williams is 12-for-29 (.414 avg) during that stretch. A 3rd round draft selection of the Phillies in 2015, the righty hitting Williams tallied a .216 batting average with a home run, 27 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 115 games this year for the BlueClaws.  Recently, I spoke with Luke who commented on the competition in Colombia, the difference in cultures, playing alongside Phils backstop Jorge Alfaro and plenty more.   If all goes well, the experience playing abroad will really help Williams reach the top levels of the sport and he'll ...

As the Dodgers and Astros worked their way to the Fall Classic, it became very clear that they were two of the best teams of the last twenty years. These aren’t the 2011 Cardinals or the 2014 Giants – Wild Card teams that got hot at the right time and rode that momentum to a title. These are complete teams set up for long-term success, and much of the league, Phillies included, have a long way to go to catch them. To put it in perspective, the Astros, who pair a dominant starting rotation led by Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel with a historically good offense  that led the league in runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, are 5/4 underdogs against LA, according to mytopsportsbooks.com. ( Click here for odds and essays on the 2017 World Series .) That’s just how good the 104-win Dodgers are. Heading into 2018, the hope from the Phillies front-office likely isn’t a World Series appearance, or even a playoff berth next year. T...

JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd One of the primary stories out of the Phillies developmental levels in the early going this season is the weak offensive production of minor league shortstop J.P. Crawford and two poor outings from promising hurler Jake Thompson . Crawford, the organization's first round draft choice in 2013, is among the youngest players in the Triple-A International League, at 22 years old. Through 10 games for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the talented lefty batter sports a .086 average with a triple and one RBI. Thompson, who was a significant part of the return from Texas in the 2015 Cole Hamels trade, has been alarmingly ineffective in two starts for Lehigh Valley. In both outings he has lasted just 2 1/3 innings, while allowing nine earned runs on opening night and being tagged for six earned runs in his second game. In 4 2/3 total innings, the 23-year-old has allowed 15 hits and three walks while striking out three. Entering the season, Crawford ...

Wathan, image- Jay Floyd This week Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Dusty Wathan spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on many topics including top prospects Roman Quinn , Jorge Alfaro and J.P. Crawford .  Additionally, I spoke with new Phillies minor league coach Charlie Hayes (feature at this link ) about his playing days in Philadelphia. Read ahead for quotes from both coaches. -Dusty on how important staying healthy is for OF Roman Quinn to have a big year... I mean, well I think that's the biggest thing with Roman.  I mean, we've seen when Roman's on the field, it's a special thing and he can do special things.  He can impact the game in so many ways, you know with his speed, his power, his defense, his arm.  It's a big year for him, just to stay healthy and get him back to Philadelphia and let him contribute at that level. -Dusty on where Quinn will play in the Lehigh Valley outfield... Roman, he'll play a majority of center, b...