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Erik Miller, image- MiLB.com Lefty hurler Erik Miller is widely regarded as one of the Phillies most promising prospects.  Selected in the 4th round in last year's draft out of Stanford, he quickly made an impact as a professional and was promoted twice in his brief stint in the minors. At three levels as a 21-year-old, Miller notched a 1-0 record with a 1.50 ERA, a .188 batting average against, a 1.11WHIP along with a 13.0 K/9 mark in 11 appearances in the minors.   Listed at six-feet-five, 240-pounds, Miller was outstanding in college as well.  In his junior season (2019), Miller was named as a Baseball America second team Preseason All-American. In 16 starts that season, he posted an 8-3 record with a 3.48 ERA, a .224 batting average against and an 11.1 K/9 mark.   Miller likely could have made it to the Double-A level this year, if the pandemic had not preempted the minor league season. Recently, I spoke with the 22-year-old Missouri native about his ...

For an extended version of this interview, please consider supporting my work by subscribing to my Patreon page .  Members get exclusive interviews and early access to my other work. Jimmy Smith, image- Jay Floyd Former Phillies minor leaguer Jimmy Smith , along with some family, participated in the recent March on Washington and spoke about his experience at the event and what it meant to him to be there.  The march, set up by Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network, was designed as a way for citizens to stand up to racial injustices in our country. Prior to his release by the Phillies last year, the Central Washington University product tallied a .250/.305/.337 slash line at two levels.  Read ahead for my interview with Jimmy.  -Why was it important to you to be present for this Commitment March, as it was called? It was the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s "I Have a Dream" speech. Growing up, my parents shared how impactful the original March on W...

Image- MiLB.com Out of action since last May when it was determined he required Tommy John surgery, righty pitching prospect Ben Brown is using the downtime of the pandemic hiatus to continue his physical recovery.  A 33rd round draft selection of the Phillies back in 2017, Brown made his professional debut that same year, posting a 2.57 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in 10 appearances in the rookie level Gulf Coast League.  The following season, Brown began to make a name for himself in the GCL, striking out 16 batters in one July appearance.  He would post a 3.12 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 10 games (eight starts) before earning a promotion and finishing the season with a pair of outings with Class A short-season Williamsport. Brown, a Long Island, NY native, opened last year with Class A Lakewood.  In four appearances with the BlueClaws, he struck out 20, walked four and allowed no runs in 13 2/3 innings and looked well on his way to making an impact on betting odds and avai...

Jose Pujols, image- Jay Floyd It was announced that the Phillies released outfield prospect Jose Pujols along with two minor league pitchers on Wednesday. The 24-year-old righty hitting Dominican missed all of the 2019 regular season following a reported Achilles tendon injury. Pujols made a name for himself during his first campaign in full-season Class A in 2016,  when he set Lakewood's single season home run record at the time, at that time, with a mark of 24. Overall in 128 games in the South Atlantic League that year, Pujols tallied a .241 batting average with 82 runs batted in. In six minor league seasons, the six-foot-three 180-pounder notched a .238/.304/.406 slash line.  The father of two posted a message about the release on his Instagram account on Wednesday night.  An image of that statement is embedded below. Tip of the cap to OF Jose Pujols, who was released yesterday by the #Phillies . He posted a statement about it on his Instagram a...

Logan O'Hoppe, image- Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and via my Patreon page .  For a small monthly fee, your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this feature.  Thank you.   On Friday, the Phillies added a pair of catchers to their 2020 player pool.  Minor leaguers Logan O'Hoppe (pronounced Oh-HOP-ee) and Henri Lartigue arrived in Philadelphia to help catch bullpen sessions for the team's collection of approximately 30 pitchers. The call to O'Hoppe was extremely welcome as the 20-year-old had been staying as active as he possibly could, working out with other players that have been been waiting out quarantine due to the current pandemic at his home on Long Island.  However, he had been very eager to step back onto an actual baseball field. "I just hope I can play soon.  Where ever that is or whatever form that is, that'd be aw...

On Tuesday, Minor League Baseball announced that its 2020 season would be cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . For me, it's worth mentioning that supporters of my work through Patreon got that news six weeks ago. Per a press release from the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, team general manager Kurt Landes had this to say: It’s with great disappointment and sadness to inform you that the IronPigs 2020 season has been officially cancelled. Earlier today, Major League Baseball informed Minor League Baseball that it will not be providing its Minor League affiliates with players for the 2020 season. As such, there will not be a 2020 Minor League season. On behalf of the entire IronPigs organization, I promise that when the 2021 season arrives it will be our best season ever. More promotions, more fun and more entertainment. We’ll honor our front-line heroes, recognize our essential workers and heal together – all while taking in our national pastime. From a ...

Hunter Stovall, image- Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to  my Patreon page .  Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content.  Thank you. Infielder Hunter Stovall was acquired by the Phillies in a trade with Colorado in the opening month of the 2019 and from there he enjoyed some success with the Class A full season Lakewood BlueClaws. Overall in 138 games last year, the righty hitting Mississippi State product notched a .264/.326/.438 slash line. Primarily a second baseman, Stovall has also played third base and outfield during his professional career. He was a 21st round draft pick of the Rockies in 2018. Over the weekend, I talked with Stovall about how he is spending his time during quarantine, what he's doing to stay in baseball shape and more. Read ahead for that complete interview. -Did you watch the UFC event and are you exper...

Greg Giombarrese, image via Greg's Twitter profile Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to  my Patreon page .  Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content.  Thank you. Greg Giombarrese has been one of my favorite people in baseball for roughly a decade.  Currently the Director of Communications for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, he's the long-time radio voice of the club as well.  Sharp and rousing, Greg is always a standout among professional baseball play by play talents. Recently, Giombarrese was kind enough to answer several questions about his career, how he got his start in broadcasting, horse racing and more.  Read ahead for this wonderful interview. - Do you recall your earliest memories of broadcasting and what appealed to you most? I never really did much before I got to college, except for the occasional calling of plays in my h...

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...

Albertus Barber, 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 content. If you simply mind the masses on social networking platforms, you'd think minor league players are really getting the shaft as baseball, among other sports, has shut down completely while the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic.  That's not the case in every prospect's mind. While there were recently loads of people advocating for teams to pay their minor league talent as it became clear that members of each big league club's 40-man roster won't miss a payday and that stadium staffers can expect to be taken care of as well, some individuals in the minors already feel like they are being compensated quite well. Pitcher Albertus Barber is perfectly happy with every single bit of treatment by his parent club to date, as the Phillies are still hosting many out...

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 exclusive interviews as well as other content you won't be able to enjoy anywhere else.  I could use, and I would value, your backing. Francisco Morales, image- Jay Floyd Right-handed pitcher Francisco Morales has emerged as not only one of the Phillies' best prospects but quite possibly one of the best young arms in the sport. Signed by the Phils in 2016 at age 16, for a reported $900,000, the Venezuela native participated that year in the Florida Instructional League. He would make his regular season minor league debut the following year with the Rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies, posting a 3-2 record with a 3.05 ERA, a .225 batting average against and a 9.6 K/9 mark in 10 games (nine starts). In 2018 the six-foot-four 185-pounder stepped up to the Class A short-season New York-Penn League.  The...

Please 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 enjoy anywhere else.  I could use, and I would value, your backing.   Left-handed pitcher Erik Miller was a 4th round draft selection by the Phillies last year and was immediately held in regard as one of the organization's most promising up-and-coming prospects. A starter in college, Miller struggled the previous summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League, posting a 7.71 ERA.  The Stanford product was reportedly signed for $428,300 following the draft. Once signed, he promptly debuted in the minors and moved up two more levels. Initially, with the Rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies West team, Miller allowed an earned run in three innings over two appearances.  He was then promoted to Class A short-season Williamsport.  In six games (...

Luis Garcia, image- Jay Floyd I invite you to visit 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.  Despite a down season in 2019, Phillies infield prospect Luis Garcia is still one of the organization's most promising prospects. After the team signed Garcia 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 later that year. The Dominican Republic native would make his official professional debut in 2018. In the short-season Rookie level Gulf Coast League, Garcia was tops in batting average with a .369 mark.  Additionally, he posted a .433 on-base percentage with an impressive .921 OPS. The five-foot-11 170-pounder was named to the GCL’s post-season All-Star roster and was rated by...

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 ...

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...

Continuing with my multi-part exclusive interview with 2019 Lakewood pitching coach Matt Hockenberry, here's another entry. In this post, Hockenberry talks about the success of his young staff and their improvements throughout the season this year.  He also discusses exciting 19-year-old right-hander Francisco Morales , his ceiling and what the future could hold for the talented Venezuelan.  He also discusses hurler Victor Santos and plenty more. Morales, who stands six-foot-four and is listed at 85 pounds, notched a 3.82 ERA, a .226 batting average against, a 1.32 WHIP as well as a 12.0 K/9 mark in 27 appearances for the BlueClaws. Read ahead for this portion of my interview with Matt Hockenberry that can't be found anywhere else! Here's a brief sample of "Hock" chatting about his team keeping momentum going throughout the 2019 campaign: You’ve got guys like Manny Silva, Francisco  Morales, you’ve got (Victor) Santos that have continued to tak...

Matt Hockenberry, image- Jay Floyd Over on my Patreon page , I am serving up a multi-part interview with 2019 Class A Lakewood pitching coach Matt Hockenberry. Part one features Big Hock talking about 22-year-old Dominican righty Rafi Gonell and his progress.  Part two includes quotes from Hockenberry discussing righty reliever Albertus Barber 's story of reaching the pro ranks and excelling as an undrafted free agent and his progress.  Also in part two, the subject of pitches thrown in two-strike counts by the BlueClaws and improving their walk rate throughout the season is addressed. Part three will land later this week and will include insight on promising hurler Francisco Morales . To access exclusive content such as these quotes from Hockenberry, please visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz and support my work. Sample of the material included in the Hockenberry interview excerpts... I think it’s a great story.  The fact  that (Barber) played some ju...