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Micucci (right) with Luis Garcia in August, image- Jay Floyd Early on Monday, I tweeted a bit of a teaser about Phillies minor league staffing moves I had learned about from a pair of sources.  Unclear when the personnel had learned of their fates, I did not want to report the news until all parties had time to address the news in their own ways. As has been reported by at least another outlet to this point, I am able to confirm that 2019 Class A Lakewood manager Mike Micucci will not be returning to the organization.  Additionally, base running and bunting coordinator Rob Ducey , Gulf Coast League coach Charlie Hayes and Triple-A pitching coach Steve Schrenk are also done in the Phils system. Micucci was a north Jersey native in his youth and had been hired by the organization less than a year ago.  He worked with Phillies general manager Matt Klentak in Anaheim, which makes his termination even more surprising. Players that saw action for the BlueClaws thi...

Spencer Howard, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ- Only one team can with the last game and unfortunately it wasn't the home club at FirstEnergy Park on Friday night as the Lexington Legends (Royals affiliate) nabbed a 2-1 victory and, in the process, their second Class A South Altantic League championship. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, the Lakewood BlueClaws failed to plate a run and fell in the best-of-five series, three games to one. Lakewood's lone run came in the 6th inning on a Jhailyn Ortiz RBI single.  Manager Marty Malloy waved another runner home that was gunned down at the plate. Lexington took the lead back in the top of the 9th on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Cristian Perez, who doubled in the Legend's first run in the 5th.  The sac fly brought home left fielder Brewer Hicklen, who beat a close play at the plate. "We had two plays at the plate, one was our guy being out and the other was their guy being safe and that was the dif...

LAKEWOOD, NJ- The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws fell behind early and could not mount a comeback as they fell in game three by a score of 6-3.  The 'Claws not trail the South Atlantic League Championship Series two games to one in the best of five series and will need wins in the next two games of the series or Lexington will prevail as the league champions. On a night when a steady mist kept the grass and the baseballs damp, the BlueClaws struggled in the field.  Five Lakewood errors helped Lexington amass their run total. The 'Claws added a balk, two wild pitches and a passed ball to its collection of miscues on the losing effort. BlueClaws skipper Marty Malloy expressed frustration with his team following the defeat. "Obviously, we're not happy with the way we played.  It was a sloppy game," Malloy said in his office after a meeting with the team's coaching staff.  "It's not something that we've done very often this year.  It was very ...

Spencer Howard, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- Leaving his coaches struggling for words and forcing his tough guy manager to admit he was tearing up, Friday was the best day of Lakewood pitcher Spencer Howard 's life. The right-hander was electric, dominating division rival Kannapolis (White Sox affiliate) in a nine-inning complete game no-hit shutout that clinched a Northern Division Championship and a trip to the South Atlantic League Championship Series for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. Howard, a second round draft choice of the Phillies last year, struck out nine, walked one, hit a batter and tossed a wild pitch, but held the Intimidators without a hit or any runs, in an outing that was as impressive a performance as you could see. Waves of emotions came over everyone at FirstEnergy Park.  Some expressed their joy with excitement and cheering.  Others, like BlueClaws manager Marty Malloy , felt a little different. "I'm just at a loss for words," M...

Will Stewart (right), image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ - Will Stewart has a chip on his shoulder. It's not a hot-tempered, get-out-of-my-face chip.  Instead it's one that lies underneath, behind a calm demeanor and a steadily approachable mug and he unleashes it only on his opposition. The left-handed pitcher was taken by the Phillies in the 20th round of the 2015 amateur draft out of Hazel Green High School in Alabama.  Getting selected after 693 other guys gave the six-foot-two 175-pounder something to prove. "I think guys in the higher rounds, we have more to prove because we weren’t the guys that we going to come out of high school and get all the love," Stewart shared at Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park last week.  "There’s nothing wrong with that.  If you deserve it, you deserve it.  But the later round guys I feel like we’re hungrier.  We need it more.  We don’t have things, like a big signing bonus, to fall back on." Well, Stewart is d...

Marty Malloy, image- Jay Floyd The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws have a four-game win streak intact entering the weekend.  The team's pitching staff ranks third in the South Atlantic League with a 2.67 staff ERA.  Their offense, however, ranks last in the league with a .221 batting average.  On Friday, I talked with BlueClaws' manager Marty Malloy about a few of his key pitchers and some of the disappointments at the plate.  Prospect discussed include standout starters Will Stewart and Ramon Rosso as well as closer Addison Russ.  Position players Gregori Rivero and Daniel Brito were topics of discussion as were injured offensive contributors Jhailyn Ortiz, Simon Muzziotti and Cole Stobbe.  Read ahead for my full interview with Malloy.  -Left-hander Will Stewart is off to a great start with the team.  He's 20 years old and has a 4-0 record with a 1.46 ERA through six starts.  What can you share about how outstanding he has been? Al...

Jake Kelzer, image- Jay Floyd Righty hurler Jake Kelzer closed out a solid campaign this month, proving to be a key contributor out of the Class A Lakewood bullpen down the stretch. The 24-year-old, who stands six-feet-eight and is listed at 230 pounds, pitched in four game with the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters before he was promoted to the Sally League the week of Independence Day. In 14 outings for the BlueClaws, Kelzer posted a 1-1 record with a 3.74 ERA, a .235 batting average against and a 7.9 K/9 mark.  Prior to the end of the minor league regular season, I chatted with Jake, the Phillies' 18th round draft pick in 2016, about his season, his coaches, his pitch repertoire and more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -You seem to be closing out the season with a some good outings.  Has your 2017 been as successful as you would have liked it to be? I mean I think every athlete is going to say that they can do better.  This year's ...

The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws missed clinching the first half division title in the Sally League by mere percentage points in the Northern Division standings.  Team skipper Marty Malloy took time last week to sit down with me and chat about his team's success and commented on several of the Claws' key players, including first baseman Darick Hall, last year's top overall draft pick Mickey Moniak , outstanding reliever Will Hibbs, who was promoted to Clearwater since this interview, well regarded righty pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez and others.  Read ahead for that full interview... Darick Hall, image- Jay Floyd -Darick Hall missed a few weeks early in the season with an ankle injury and leads the league in RBI despite missing so many games.  What sort of difference has he made for the team? I mean he's had a big impact.  Obviously, hitting in the four hole every day, it doesn't matter right-handed pitching, left-handed pitching, he gives us a big pres...

Nick Fanti, image- Jay Floyd Lefty hurler Nick Fanti will represent the Phillies organization as the Northern Division's starting pitcher in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game on Tuesday night.  Through 11 games with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws this year, the 20-year-old has tallied a 5-0 record and a 2.25 ERA with a .182 batting average against while striking out 65 and walking 16 in 64 innings of work.  Fanti, who pitched with Team Italy in this year's World Baseball Classic, grabbed headlines in May when he tossed 8 2/3 hitless innings for Lakewood on the road at Columbia.  His room mate Trevor Bettencourt would log the final out to seal the no-hitter.  The six-foot-two 185-pound Fanti will return to the Spirit Communication Park mound in Columbia for the Sally League All-Star Game.  Last year in the rookie level Gulf Coast League, he garnered plenty of attention, sporting a 7-0 record with a 1.57 ERA and a .191 batting average against in ...

Will Hibbs, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- The Class A South Atlantic League's Northern Division enters the final weekend of the season's first half with four teams within one game of each other chasing one playoff spot. The Lakewood BlueClaws are among three teams sitting one game behind the Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox affiliate) for a playoff berth. In full-season A levels, leagues crown first-half and second-half division champions, with both clubs reaching the playoffs, following the conclusion of the regular season on Labor Day weekend. Just a couple days ago, the Hagerstown Suns (Nationals affiliate) led the division, but they were swept in double headers on back-to-back days on Wednesday and Thursday, allowing the Intimidators to leapfrog the group and take charge in the chase for a postseason spot. The BlueClaws put themselves behind the eight-ball, so to speak, with a recent road series in Hagerstown, with the visitors dropping three or four contest...

Darick Hall, image- Jay Floyd First baseman Darick Hall missed time in April with an ankle sprain but is fully healthy and back on track for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws.  This week, the 21-year-old slammed a home run in three straight games.  Overall in 11 games this season, Hall, who was the Phillies 14th round draft selection last year out of Dallas Baptist has tallied a .276 batting average with nine RBI. After debuting as a pro with the short-season A level Williamsport Crosscutters last season, Hall posted a .282/.372/.518 (slugging percentage was league best) slash line in 57 games. Last week I spent some time with Darick, who discussed team chemistry, his team's offensive inconsistency prior to locking down seven straight victories, coming from a baseball family and plenty more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -After returning from the injury, what are your early impressions of the Sally League? Well, you know, the pitchers pitch backwards and w...

Photo courtesy of Cord Sandberg, pictured 3rd from right It’s all part of it! Are you wondering what that means? That’s okay. You’ll be in the know soon enough. It's a simple saying that has become a slogan for baseball players for life inside and outside of the game.  In a sport where its competitors are faced with an immense amount of failure while life presents similar outcomes at times, It's All Part of It has become an important adage for scores of players to lean on for reassurance and motivation. “Whatever happens, the bus breaks down (or) you break a bat- hey, that’s all part of it,” Phillies outfield prospect Cord Sandberg excitedly shared in the home dugout of Lakewood’s FirstEnergy Park recently. Seems like an insightful thought process. The motto has really caught on quite a bit and seems to be making an impression at multiple levels, in various organizations and even across continents. The phrase “It’s all part of it” or sometimes referred to a...