PhoulBallz.com

Michael Martinez, Image- Jay Floyd Following a pair of roster moves on Saturday, in which the Phillies traded veteran infielders John McDonald and Michael Young to playoff contenders, vacancies on the big league roster have been filled with the returns of Michael Martinez and Cesar Hernandez , as the duo has been promoted from Lehigh Valley. Martinez, who turns 31-years-old this month, has posted a .300 average along with three home runs and 21 RBI for the Triple-A IronPigs in 71 games this year. Conversely, the switch-hitting Dominican sported a .171 average in 21 big league contests over several stints with the Phillies this season. Hernandez, who projects as one of the best Phils positional prospects, was an All-Star second baseman this season but has been dabbling in the outfield quite a bit of late. His offensive numbers in the developmental ranks (.314/.378/.406) are much more impressive than his defensive performance at the new positions (four errors in 64 chances on ...

We're back with our (usually) weekly developmental rundown.  As you expect, here's a rundown of who is hot and who is not throughout the Phillies' four full season minor league teams. Triple-A Lehigh Valley... Who's hot- Utility man Michael Martinez has been scorching hot this past week, when over a seven-game stretch, the 30-year-old Dominican went 13-for-23 (.565 avg) with two homers and five RBI.  The success follows a month in which he batted .204 in 15 games with the IronPigs and a hitless stint with the big league team in the month of May. First baseman Cody Overbeck also had a very good seven-game stretch, as he went 11-for-26 (.423 avg) with five doubles, two home runs and nine RBI.  The 27-year-old, who was a 9th round draft pick in 2008, is batting .247 overall with 11 homers and 31 RBI in 52 games this season with the 'Pigs. Closer Jake Diekman threw four scoreless outings and notched two saves while striking out eight batters and walki...

On the 28th edition of the program, Jay and Tug are joined by Phillies relief pitcher Justin De Fratus who talks about seeking guidance from Phils closer Jonathan Papelbon , having a place in team history, his weight lifting prowess and much more. The guys also discuss Domonic Brown 's hot month, Michael Martinez 's lack of big league impact, Cesar Hernandez 's call up and plenty more from the bottom to the top of the Phillies organization. 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 .

Regularly throughout the off-season, we'll take a look at Phillies players who are participating in various winter leagues around the world. As you might suspect, the time has come once again to provide updates on the prospects and big leaguers staying active in foreign professional leagues. - Wilson Valdez , playing with the Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican League, has posted a weak .213/.255/.301 line in 35 games. In addition, Valdez has slugged 2 homers, driven in 18 runs and stolen 6 bases. The 33-year-old infielder batted .249 in 99 games with the big league Phillies in 2011. -Phillies utility man Michael Martinez has not seen action since December 9th with the Estrellas del Oriente in the Dominican League. Through 19 games, Martinez posted a .113 batting average with just 1 extra base hit, a double. The 29-year-old has been playing shortstop for the Estrellas. Martinez batted .196 in 88 games with the Phillies in his first MLB season in 2011. -Lefty reliever Juan Pe...

Obviously, this was a bit easier to do after the Phillies defeated the Metropolitans by a score of 9-4 on Sunday to end their 8-game losing streak. As the Phillies traveled from New York to Atlanta, for the final series of the regular season, the annual rookie hazing costumes returned. The image was brought to the world via the glorious Twitter account of Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence. Pictured from left to right- team massage therapist Ichiro Kitano, catcher Erik Kratz, Justin De Fratus (kneeling), Joe Savery, Vance Worley, Michael Martinez, Michael Schwimer, Mike Stutes and Domonic Brown. ________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE