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Jay and Tug return with episode 49 of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast and are joined by Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp , who chats about the Phillies' heavy amount of activity at the backstop position this off-season, debuting in the big leagues this year, Carlos Ruiz as a mentor and leader as well as the NFC East rivalry between the Eagles and the Cowboys.  The guys also talk about recent transactions involving Sebastian Valle and Lou Marson , Roy Halladay 's retirement plus much more. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

In recent seasons, the Phillies have parted ways with a considerable collection of well-regarded prospects in efforts to acquire established big league players. As time passes, those young players get closer to contributing for their new organization at the highest level and some are already doing so. As this year's trade deadline approaches, here’s a glance at how many of those former Phils’ farm hands have performed throughout the pros thus far in 2012. Jonathan Singleton , 1B, traded to Houston in the 2011 Hunter Pence deal- In 82 games with the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, the 20-year-old has posted a .271 batting average with 18 doubles, 3 triples, 12 HR and 49 RBI. Jarred Cosart , RHP, also dealt in the Pence trade- In 13 starts for Corpus Christi, the righty hurler is sporting a 4-5 record with a 3.91 ERA and a .273 batting average against. Cosart, 22, made 1 start for Triple-A Oklahoma City in May, allowing 4 earned runs in 6 innings of work. Overall in 79 2/3 innin...

In recent seasons, plenty of well-regarded prospects have been traded by the Phillies to acquire established MLB talent and other key contributors. Many of those minor leaguers have been spending time with their respective clubs' big league teams this spring training. Here's a glance at how many of those former Phils' farm hands have done thus far in the exhibition season. Jonathan Singleton , 1B, traded to Houston in 2011 as part of the Hunter Pence deal- 9 games, 4-for-10 (.400 avg.), 1 double, 3 runs scored. Jonathan Villar , SS, traded to Houston in 2010 as part of the Roy Oswalt deal- 4 games, 0-for-2, with 2 walks. Anthony Gose , OF, traded to Houston in 2010 as part of the Roy Oswalt deal (subsequently flipped to Toronto)- 11 games, 4-for-15 (.267 avg), 1 double, 1 RBI. Travis d'Arnaud , traded to Toronto in 2009 as part of the Roy Halladay deal- 7 games, 3-for-15 (.200 avg), 2 doubles, 1 HR, 4 RBI. Kyle Drabek , traded to Toronto in the 2009 Roy Halladay deal...

Both Phillies split squad games were rained out today. It's a nice day off for all players in major and minor league camps to shop, spend time with family, catch up on rest, hit a movie or do whatever else they like. Looking forward, tomorrow's home game against Jim Thome's Twins will be televised in the Philadelphia area on PHL 17 and will be broadcast on the Phils' radio network. Clay Condrey is also now with Minnesota. Speaking of former Phillies, let's take a look around spring training baseball and see how some of our favorite ex-Phils are doing thus far. Minnesota- Nick Punto...4 games, 2-for-9, 3 walks, 1 triple, 2 runs, .222 avg. Jim Thome...3 games, 0-for-6, 2 walks, .000 avg. Clay Condrey...2 games, 2 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed, 0 runs allowed, 0.00 ERA. Cleveland- Carlos Carrasco (traded in July Cliff Lee trade)...has not pitched Lou Marson (traded in July Cliff Lee trade)...3 games, 2-for-6, 3 runs, 1 RBI, .333 avg. Jason Donald (traded in July Cliff...

Plenty of news worthy items popped up over the weekend. Here are some nuggets you shouldn't miss. Carlos Ruiz officially signed a multi-year contract with the Phillies, avoiding arbitration. The deal is for 3 years/$8.85 million with a team option for a fifth year at $5 million. More on Ruiz's deal can be found here . The Phillies also signed former White Sox and Rockies pitcher Jose Contreras to a 1 year contract. Info about the signing can be found here . Contreras projects to fill a vacancy out of the bullpen that the absences of Clay Condrey and Chan Ho Park will leave. The addition of Contreras adds to the list of 2005 World Champion White Sox that have gone on to sign with or play in the Philadelphia Phillies organization...Aaron Rowand, Tadahito Iguchi, Freddy Garcia, Ross Gload & Pablo Ozuna are others. Former Phillies #1 draft pick Greg Golson was designated for assignment by the Rangers last week. This move was made necessary as Texas signed Khalil Greene to ...

Phillies catching prospect Travis D'Arnaud was selected as a supplemental first round pick in 2007, with the 37th overall pick, out of high school in California. He currently is the starting catcher for the Lakewood BlueClaws and leads the team with 25 RBI. Baseball America ranked Travis as the 7th best prospect in the Phillies organization prior to this season. Fresh off his various dancing performances around FirstEnergy Park in recent days, Travis made time for some questions from PhoulBallz.com. First, I asked Travis about playing against his brother, West Virginia Power short stop Chase D'Arnaud, at the professional level- It's an incredible feeling. A feeling I want everyone to feel....being able to play in the same profession. Especially something as hard as baseball. I love it every day. Every second he's out there, I love it. It's kind of like being home away from home, ya know what I mean? And my dad's here too (father Lance attended last week's...

Carlos Ruiz strained his right oblique during Friday's game against the Rockies and was replaced in the game by Chris Coste. As of this writing it is still morning in Colorado and a decision has not been made by the team whether or not to place Ruiz on the disabled list. However, team representatives have confirmed that Lou Marson is traveling to Colorado to be with the team, in case Ruiz is not able to stay on the active roster. **************** The Phillies are off to their usual slow start, with a 1-3 record after their loss in the Rockies' opener. There is plenty for phans to be concerned about at this point. I am not suggesting we all go into a panic, I am simply stating that the "they always do this and bounce back" attitude should not be the prevalent motto of the week. I am also not suggesting that the Phillies don't deserve some slack after winning the World Series, I am only saying that those sorts of passes should be limited to how critical we might get...

Chris Coste can rest a little easier now that the Phillies have traded away Coste's prime competition for the back up catcher spot. Ronny Paulino was traded twice last night. First, by the Phillies to the Giants for lefty reliever Jack Taschner. Later, the Giants traded Paulino to the Marlins for Hector Correa. Coste told reporters this morning that he is a little relieved, after learning of Paulino's departure. However, he won't feel like his job is guaranteed, and acknowledged a "constant fight to survive" in order to keep his job. It is likely also, that this trade clears an easier path for prospect Lou Marson to climb above both Coste and starter Carlos Ruiz, during the season. ******* Links for you to enjoy... PhilliesFlow has a solid post comparing "Jay" Happ & Chan Ho Park. IronPigPen has content worth reading, as always, today, reviewing IronPigs and R-Phils points of interest. More Hardball is weak on promises, but strong on the World Seri...

It's January, and for me that means prep time for fantasy baseball. It's true. I really do start running scenarios and draft strategies in my head this early. January is a good time for that. My fantasy football teams have usually recently made an early exit in the playoffs, and my fantasy basketball teams tend to be struggling at this stage. As I've now just traded away my prized power forward, as a desperation move in my salary cap auction hoops league, just about all that will calm my nerves is looking forward to fantasy baseball. While the other sports tend to stress me out, fantasy baseball soothes me. I don't always win, as my uncle will testify to, but I always enjoy it. My yearly interest increase in the fantasy game coincides with the releases of various fantasy baseball magazines and guides. The Sporting News annual Fantasy Source guide is on news stands, and Phillies phans should be pleased to know that in the Sporting News experts' mock draft, three Phi...

Cowbells, mohawks, bad math equations...these things all await the Phillies in St. Petersburg. The Rays' fan base is mostly Johnny Come-Lately's. Their stadium is a mess. But the team has made history. The Rays have 37 more wins this year than they had last year. That is the biggest increase, from one year to the next, in modern baseball history. World Series note of the day #1- Phillies 25th man So Taguchi is the only player on either team to record a base hit in the World Series. Both teams are not required to set their rosters till Wednesday morning. There has been some speculation that catcher Lou Marson would make the World Series roster for the Phils, so that back up catcher Chris Coste could be used as a designated hitter against lefties, and that would cut the risk of leaving the Phillies in a stuck position if starting catcher Carlos Ruiz were to become injured during a game. MLB rules state if your DH plays the field, the team loses their DH, and the pitcher ...

From time to time, this guy right here known as Jay Ballz is happy to give himself a little pat on the back. Since my last post, where I suggested that Jimmy Rollins was just about to turn it on for the big playoff push, the reigning league MVP has performed like his old self. In the last 14 games, Rollins is 24 for 60 (.400 batting avg.) with 2 homers, 12 RBI, 8 runs scored and 10 steals. Oh, pat on the back #2...my Brett Myers prediction seems to be holding true also. Tom Gordon not returning from the disabled list, did surprise me, however. A big welcome back shout out goes out to every Phillies phan's phavorite Asian born player..."The Gooch" Tadihito Iguchi. Iguchi batted .304 in 42 games for the NL East Champion Phillies last season. Iguchi was released last week by the Padres, and won't be eligible for the Phillies' post season roster, should they clinch a post season berth. Konichiwa, Gooch. Kyle Kendrick has been making a good case for his own remo...

Your statement of the week is not really to ponder. It's an assertion that should just be printed out and shoved in the face of Charlie Manual. The Phillies' right handed bats off the bench are lacking, and the team needs help. Eric Bruntlett, who somehow gets starts at 3rd base, for the injured Pedro Feliz, against right handed pitchers instead of Greg Dobbs, is hitting a juicy .218 (41 for 188) this year. Bruntlett has 7 doubles, 2 homers and 13 RBI this season with a .601 OPS. Bruntlett has only 1 RBI since May 8th. Yes, ONE run batted in, in more than 3 months. Bruntlett has a .205 batting average vs. righties. By comparison, Dobbs, a lefty, has already set the Phillies' single season record for pinch hits in a season, with 21. Dobbs against righties is hitting .311. Another righty off the bench is So Taguchi. In 73 games, this year, So is batting .221 (17 for 77) with 5 doubles, no homers, 6 RBI and a .571 OPS. Taguchi has 1 extra base hit since May 26th. ...