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Kevin Gowdy, image- Jay Floyd Recently, I interviewed Phillies pitching prospect Kevin Gowdy .  In that interview the Phillies' 2nd round draft selection from 2016 talked with me about the current baseball hiatus, rehabbing teammates and much more.  Exclusively for Patreon members I've got a separate, less serious interview with the promising 22-year-old right-hander in which I asked him Nine Silly-ass Questions. To see what Kevin Gowdy had to say on the subjects of curse words, music, super powers and plenty more, head on over to Patreon.com/PhoulBallz and support my work.  You'll get exclusive interviews, early access to other material as well as my gratitude.

Kevin Gowdy, image- Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to  my Patreon page .  Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and early access to all of my other content.  Thank you. While baseball is on hiatus, I've been chatting with some pro baseball personnel to catch up and see how guys are using their time away from the diamond.  Most recently, Phillies pitching prospect Kevin Gowdy offered some time to let me know how he's staying fit, how he's killing time during quarantine and plenty more. Last year, after missing two seasons following UCL reconstruction in his pitching arm, the righty posted a 0-7 record with a 4.60 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP in 28 appearance for Class A Lakewood. Gowdy, a six-foot-four 170-pounder was the Phils' 2nd round draft selection in 2016. Read ahead for that complete interview with Kevin. -What was it like getting the news that the baseball season was being put on hold due to the Coronavirus pand...

Kevin Gowdy, image- Jay Floyd Season's greetings to all!  Around here, we surely adore 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 TENTH annual Christmas favorites survey are pitchers Albertus Barber , Tyler Carr , Keylan Killgore , Kevin Gowdy , Connor Hinchliffe and Jonathan Hennigan .  Additionally, outfielder Matt Vierling took time to share his thoughts as well. Inquiries and responses regarding each player's holly jolly favorites lie ahead... -What is your favorite Christmas song? Barber- It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas. Big fan of the song. Hinchliffe- ​All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey. Gowdy- My favorite Christmas song is Mele Kalikimaka by Jimmy Buffett. My parents have always been huge Jimmy Buffett fans, so it was always on d...

Kevin Gowdy, image- Jay Floyd Righty hurler Kevin Gowdy has a successful season as a member of the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws this year. After missing two full seasons following UCL surgery, the 2016 second round draft pick finally made it through a year totally healthy. In 24 games with the Claws, the California native posted a 0-6 record with a 4.68 ERA and a .281 batting average against. Recently, I talked with the 22-year-old about his off-season, his progress during the regular season and more. Read ahead for that complete interview. -What have you been up to since the season wrapped up as far as baseball work? So after the season wrapped up September 2nd, I went to instructs for two weeks to work on pitch design, I was out in Florida for another two weeks for strength camp and have also had some much-enjoyed time with friends and family. -How long do you rest and avoid picking up a baseball? And during that time are you doing any conditioning or other sorts...

Matt Hockenberry, image- Jay Floyd Recently, I sat down with Class A Lakewood pitching coach Matt Hockenberry to talk about his pitching staff. Hockenberry, in his second season as a professional coach, was the Phillies' 9th round pick out of Temple University in 2014.  He pitched for four seasons in the minors before making his coaching debut with the Gulf Coast League Phillies West team last year. Among the players discussed were left-handers Manuel Silva and Ethan Lindow along with right-handers Kevin Gowdy , Kyle Glogoski , James McArthur and Ben Brown as well as plenty more. Read ahead for all the exclusive remarks from Hockenberry. -What can you tell me about Manuel Silva (0-1, 4.50 ERA in 4g), who joined the team a few weeks into the season? To be honest I think he's got a bright future ahead of him.  He's the kind of guy that's just now starting to understand like the smart side of baseball.  Like actually thinking about what he'...

After nearly a month of minor league action, here is a rundown of some top names throughout the Phillies developmental ranks.  Some would be considered hot, while others are yet to warm up in the early stages of the long season. Class A Lakewood BlueClaws (8-18 record, last place in SAL Northern Division)... The team’s catchers have been contributors at the plate, each batting .300 or better.  Right-handed hitter Abrahan Gutierrez is batting .340 with three doubles and four RBI in 13 games while switch-hitter Rafael Marchan has a .310 average with six doubles and seven RBI in 17 games. Both backstops are natives of Venezuela. Kevin Gowdy, image- Jay Floyd Righty starter Kevin Gowdy has performed well for the BlueClaws, posting a 1.84 ERA with no decisions and a .140 batting average against through four starts.  He has, however, walked 13 while striking out 13 in 14 2/3 innings pitched.  Gowdy was the Phillies’ 2 nd round draft choice in 2...

Kevin Gowdy, image- Jay Floyd HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING ALL SEASON LONG BY BECOMING A PATRON!- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Recently, I wrote a feature on talented righty hurler Kevin Gowdy 's recovery from an elbow injury and mental hurdles .  Not featured in that piece are the interview excerpts below. Through four starts with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, the 21-year-old sports a 1.84 ERA with no decisions, a .140 batting average against while striking out 13 and walking 13 in 14 2/3 innings pitched. Read ahead for my exclusive quotes from Kevin. -Speaking on his and the team's excitement level for the new season... We’re really stoked.  It’s a really fun team with really good, really athletic team and we should be able to swing it a little bit and it’s gonna be a really fun year. -On the group of guys he bonded greatly with during the rehab process... It was Grant Dyer , who was here a couple years ago and Trevor...

HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING ALL SEASON LONG BY BECOMING A PATRON!- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Kevin Gowdy, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- After battling setbacks, both physical and mental, for the past two seasons pitching prospect Kevin Gowdy is back on the mound, competing in full-season baseball for the first time. The Phillies selected the right-handed California native in the second round of the 2016 draft.  Difficulties with his health held him to just nine professional regular season innings until this month. After appearing in four games with the Rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2016, Gowdy was assigned to extended spring training to open the 2017 season.  While there, the six-foot-four 170-pounder encountered some tightness in his right elbow.  Initially, the discomfort didn't strike Gowdy as serious pain, so he pitched through it.  The tightness soon became unbearable agony that he could no longer ignore...

Josh Stephen, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- Off to a hot start in the early going for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, outfielder Josh Stephen has used relationships, new and old, to build a level of comfort in the Phillies’ organization that he hopes will help him achieve his dream of playing in the big leagues. Hailing from southern California, a hotbed for young baseball talent, Stephen was selected by the Phillies in the 11th round of the 2016 draft and joined an organization that included some familiar faces. Even before signing his first professional contract with the Phillies, the six feet tall 185-pound lefty batter had guys that he already considered teammates in the system. Third base prospect Luke Williams, pitchers Kevin Gowdy and Bailey Falter along with first overall draft pick, outfielder Mickey Moniak are all individuals that Stephen competed with and against in his days playing youth baseball. “It makes the transition of being drafted as an 18-year-old nice...

Each year I compile my annual prospect rankings and count down the Phillies organization’s top 25 rising minor league talents. 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 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 already spent lengthy stretches in the big leagues. JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd For example, J.P. Crawford and Jorge Alfaro, who are both previously, highly-ranked Phillies prospects, graduated to the big leagues last season and spent a month or more at the top level and won't be included in this year's rankings. Others moving to the majors and progressing out of prospect status are pi...

Roman Quinn, image- Jay Floyd Phillies fans that have gotten recent doses of well-regarded prospects Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro may be wondering which other stars of the future could be making their way toward the big leagues when rosters expand in September.  A player that stands a chance at getting the call for the second year in a row is outfielder Roman Quinn. The 24-year-old has been on the shelf since late May dealing with a strain of his UCL in his non-throwing elbow.  However after a lengthy rehab period, Quinn is nearing readiness for full baseball activities in the coming days according to Phils director of player development Joe Jordan. The minor league schedule wraps up on Labor Day, so he won't be back with Lehigh Valley this year. "Quinny is feeling good," Jordan said.  "He's getting close to getting really amped up with his baseball activities.  I'm gonna guess that if we were pushing him to action, we could probab...