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Zach Green, image- Jay Floyd Corner infielder Zach Green is healthy after missing parts of a few straight seasons with different injuries and is having a solid campaign for the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.  Through 48 games this year, the righty batter has notched a .276 average with 10 homers and 30 RBI. Last week I sat down with Green, the Phillies' 3rd round draft pick from 2012, about his efforts this year, being healthy, what he's been working on and more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -You look really comfortable out there this season.  That could come with being healthy, but I'm just going by your look out there in the box.  Talk about your comfort level out there and your experiences thus far in the Eastern League this year. Yeah, I mean I think comfortable can be a very relative term, but yeah, a hundred percent.  I feel like I'm having a good time out here, like you said healthy, being able to be on the field and work on things an...

Here is a quick run down of how the Phillies' minor league clubs have fared through the first two weeks or so of the 2018 regular season. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (7-7 record, 4th place in International League North Division)- Mitch Walding with Reading last season, image- Jay Floyd Third baseman Mitch Walding is off to a strong start for the 'Pigs.  The 25-year-old is batting .300 with four doubles, two home runs, six RBI and and eight walks through 14 games played.  The lefty batter was a 5th round draft selection by the Phils in 2011. Hurler Enyel De Los Santos, acquired last off-season from San Diego in a trade for Freddy Galvis, has been very solid in the IronPigs' rotation.  Through three starts, the right-hander has tallied a 1-0 record with a 1.98 ERA while striking out 22 and walking five in 13 2/3 innings pitched. Outfielder Dylan Cozens entered action on Saturday batting .273, but an 0-for-4 night dropped the average to .250.  In 14 ga...

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...

Carlos Tocci, image- Jay Floyd Outfielder Carlos Tocci is having a solid season with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.  Honored as an Eastern League All-Star, the 21-year-old is batting .307 with a pair of homers, 33 RBI and 43 runs scored in 84 games.  Signed as an international free agent in 2011 on his 16th birthday, the six-foot-two, 160-pound righty batter has long been a promising player with a high ceiling.  I recently spoke with Carlos about his improvements, his family back home in his troubled home country of Venezuela, and plenty more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -It's been a great year for you.  What does it mean to you to get the All-Star nod? Yeah, I've been working this season very hard.  It's exciting to me because, you know, you work for that recognition and I feel really good.  -This week you went two straight games with a home run.  These were your first ones of the year.  As I mention it, you're s...

Eastern League home runs leader Mitch Walding will represent the Reading Fightins in the league’s All-Star Game this week in Manchester, NH and will also compete in the event’s Home Run Derby.   With 20 big flies thus far this season, the 24-year-old is enjoying a remarkable power surge. He was honored as Eastern League player of the month in June, when he launched 13 homers and sported a 1.246 OP in 25 games. Through 74 games, the California native has tallied a .240 average and 49 RBI with Double-A Reading this year.   Walding, the Phillies 5 th round draft selection in 2011, notched a previous career high in round-trippers last year, when he smashed 13 combined home runs in 123 games with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Reading last season. He credits a refined approach at the plate with his improved offensive production.   "I changed my swing a little bit," explained Walding.  "I got back to more of what I was doing last year in ...

Just a quick rundown of some noteworthy performers throughout the Phillies minor leagues. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs-  Hoskins & Kingery, image- Jay Floyd International League All-Star Rhys Hoskins went 1-for-2 with a single and was hit by a pitch in Sunday's MLB All-Star Futures Game.  In 88 games this season, the righty hitting first baseman has a .289 batting average with 20 home runs and 66 RBI. Also in the Futures Game, second baseman Scott Kingery went 0-for-1.  In 12 games since he was promoted to Triple-A, the 23-year-old is batting .306 with four homers, eight RBI and four steals. Right-handed pitcher Tom Eshelman sports a 7-2 record with a 1.96 ERA through 11 starts as a member of the Lehigh Valley rotation.  Eshelman was acquired as part of the Ken Giles trade to Houston in 2015. Double-A Reading Fightin Phils- Third baseman Mitch Walding has been ripping up the opposition of late.  Named the Eastern League player of the month...

On Friday, Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan took time to chat about several promising youngsters that have taken part in off-season leagues. Read ahead for the full interview. M Imhof, image- Jay Floyd - During the season, Threshers pitcher Matt Imhof drew a lot of attention after he suffered a significant injury that resulted in the loss of one of his eyes.  Do you have any updates to share on Matt's progress toward recovery? I really don't have a whole other than I've spoken with him, he's taking classes and it seems like he's adapting.  He seems to be doing well.  That's what he told me.  Right now, I think that's what matters.  You know, just taking some classes and trying to, you know, I would guess just trying to make the adaptations that he needs to make.  But I really don't have a lot more than that to offer. He seems to be doing well.  - Is the goal for him to return to the game? That will be something that if...

Hoskins, image- Jay Floyd Another off-season league got underway on Thursday with the Aguilas hosting the rival Gigantes, but it was the pitting of two teammates against one another that should be of interest to Phillies fans. The co-winners of this year's Phillies Paul Owens Award, an honor bestowed upon players chosen as the top developmental performers in the organization each year, Dylan Cozens and Rhys Hoskins , faced off in the contest. The two sluggers led their 2016 regular season club, the Reading Fightin Phils, to a division title in the Double-A Eastern League this year. It was Cozens, who went 0-for-4 in the game, and his Aguilas that were victorious by a score of 4-2 over Hoskins (1-for-3, HBP) and his Gigantes team. Also in that game for the Gigantes, Phillies starting pitcher Alec Asher tossed five scoreless frames for a no decision. The 25-year-old righty posted a 2-1 record along with a 2.28 ERA in five big league starts this year. Cozens, the East...

Frank Cacciatore, image- Jay Floyd Throughout the season, the Reading Fightin Phils' offense has been one of the biggest stories across minor league baseball. As the team's collection of strong hitters mashed for power and rocked opposing pitchers all season long in the Double-A Eastern League, the team's hitting coach, Frank Cacciatore, has gotten a good look at the best show in the sport. Over the weekend, I sat down with Cacciatore to gain some insight on the likes of the homer hitting duo Dylan Cozens and Rhys Hoskins along with emerging players such as Scott Kingery and Andrew Pullin . He also offered feedback on talented switch-hitter Roman Quinn as well as veteran Jake Fox and plenty more. Cacciatore played in the Detroit organization in the 1970's and has been part of the Phillies' developmental coaching staff since 2008. Read ahead for my full interview with Coach Frank. -Outfielder Dylan Cozens has had an outstanding season, leading the l...

Dylan Cozens, image- Jay Floyd Following a three homer effort in which he also added a triple on Wednesday, slugging outfielder Dylan Cozens launched a pair of long balls and another triple to help the Double-A Reading Fightins notch their third straight win with a 12-8 victory over Bowie on Thursday. The remarkable effort was capped off by Cozens' go-ahead grand slam in the 8th inning. It gave the 22-year-old 12 RBI in the two games and 101 RBI on the season. As if the power numbers weren't enough, the two triples were hits that many other players might have only gotten two bases on and he even stole a base on Wednesday, giving him 18 in 19 attempts this year. "It was some of the best two days of my life," Cozens said via text message. The six-foot-six 235-pound lefty batter was the Phillies' 2nd round draft selection in 2012. Cozens' teammate first baseman Rhys Hoskins kept pace with two homers of his own on Thursday, his 32nd and 33rd to...

In the midst of Monday's WWE Raw program on the USA Network, a tag team was billed as having the names of two Phillies prospects who were actually in the midst of a game at home in Clearwater, FL. The show, being broadcast live from nearby Tampa, featured a pair of new-comer, enhancement talents billed as Carlos Tocci and Mitch Walding who were set to face off against the rising superstar duo known as Enzo and Cass. The match ended in a squash with the known stars going over in a quick fashion. Around the time of the match airing on TV, the Threshers were heading toward extra-innings against division rival Daytona.  Clearwater would go on to lose 6-5 in 10 innings.  Tocci went 1-for-5 and Walding was 1-for-4 with a walk in the contest. Check out the embedded Instagram post below for video of the pair's announcement.  Below that is an image of the imposter Phils prospects. *UPDATE*- The players offered their thoughts .  See below for that also. Shout o...

Tyler Viza, image- Jay Floyd The Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers have enjoyed some solid success on the mound in the early going this season. Combined, four members of the team's starting rotation ( Tyler Viza , Elniery Garcia , Thomas Eshelman and Ranfi Casimiro ) have combined for a 6-1 record and a 1.19 ERA through eight starts (two each). Additionally, another of the team's starters, Will Morris , entered action on Monday with a scoreless five inning appearance in his game log. This week I asked the righty Viza about his own success as well as the great efforts by his teammates. Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan and Clearwater third baseman Mitch Walding also offered their thoughts. Read ahead for the exclusive comments. Viza, who was the Phils' 32nd round draft pick in 2013, remarked about his consistent output- My success through the early part of the season started around the all-star break last year. Aaron Fultz and I had a c...

Mitch Walding, image- Jay Floyd You've heard all the buzz names and how they're destined to help turn things around at the big league level for the Phillies, but an often overlooked prospect might be ready to claim his spot among those fast-rising impact players of the future. After making some necessary modifications at the plate with the help of a pair of former Phillies, third baseman Mitch Walding has been making quite a splash in the early going for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers. "I went to instructs for 10 days this off-season.  While I was there, Andy Tracy , Rob Ducey and I put together a hitting plan there.  We worked on a new load with my hands and worked on creating a better path through the zone," Walding explained this week. Tracy and Ducey, who both spent time in Phils pinstripes, are now coaches at the minor league levels. Ducey, the hitting coach for Clearwater, seemed to take special interest in the 23-year-old Walding, hel...

About a month ago, Phillies Nation featured a post with prospects Brian Pointer and Mark Leiter Jr. predicting the outcome of the entire WrestleMania 31 card. Now, as the biggest boxing match in history approaches, those two and others took time to offer their thoughts on Saturday night's huge title match between undefeated Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao with the unified welterweight championship on the line. Read ahead for comments from Pointer and Leiter as well as Phils relievers Justin De Fratus and Mario Hollands , Phillies backstop Cameron Rupp , pitching prospect Matt Imhof , Lehigh Valley righty hurler Tyler Knigge , top prospect J.P. Crawford, Clearwater third baseman Mitch Walding , Reading's speedy center fielder Roman Quinn along with former Phillies All-Star and current minor league coach Mickey Morandini . Pointer - Money Mayweather will win in a unanimous decision. Leiter - I'll take Pac-man. Turn it into a three-fight...

Baseball goes year-round.  All across the globe, Phillies players are in action and we've got the rundown on how they are performing.  Read ahead for all the details. Venezuelan Winter League- Willians Astudillo , a corner infielder and backstop who has been playing a lot of outfield of late, is batting .314 with a homer and four RBI in nine games for Anzoategui. The 23-year-old was the catalyst for the Class A Lakewood team this year, where he finished second in the South Atlantic League with a .333 average. Odubel Herrera , who was selected by the Phillies in this month's Rule 5 draft, leads the Venezuelan Winter League in average with a .373 mark.  He has also mashed five homers, driven in 25 runs and stolen seven bases in 52 games for La Guaira.  The 22-year-old played second base primarily in the regular season at Double-A Frisco, but has been playing center field in the VWL. Infielder/outfielder Cesar Hernandez is batting .307 with seven ...