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I spent some time this week chatting with the Phillies minor league pitching coordinator Gorman Heimueller , who offered his thoughts on several talented young hurlers in the Phils' system. Heimueller, who has been the Phils' minor league pitching coordinator since 2002, pitched 14 seasons as a pro, including parts of two with the Athletics. Prior to his current position, Heimueller was a pitching coach at the Double-A and Triple-A level for the Phillies. Gorm shared his opinions on several prospects including Brody Colvin , Austin Wright , Shane Watson , Jake Diekman and he even danced around a question about when Phils fans might expect to see Phillippe Aumont back with the big club after his recent demotion to Triple-A.  Read ahead for the full interview. - Austin Wright's been a guy that missed some time with an injury and has allowed a lot of runs in his two starts (0-2, 22.22 ERA) with Reading since being activated.  Is there much concern with h...

It's time, once again, for our weekly glance around the Phillies' developmental ranks, taking a look a some exceptional performers and those that have raised some eyebrows for different reasons. Class A Lakewood hot list- Art Charles First baseman Art Charles , who was acquired from Toronto this spring in the Michael Schwimer trade, has hit in six straight games, going 9-for-22 (.409 avg) with two doubles, two homers and seven RBI in that stretch. Overall, the lefty batting 22-year-old is hitting .239 in 13 games this season. Righty reliever Nic Hanson , who celebrated his 21st birthday this week, has struck out 10 batters while walking two in eight innings of work through three appearances. Additionally, he has a save and a 3.38 ERA during that time as well. The six-foot-seven 210-pounder was drafted by the Phils in the 16th round last year out of Golden West College. Lakewood red flags- OF Brian Pointer is batting .174 this season, despite a current t...

Mario Hollands Lefty hurler Mario Hollands , who is on the disabled list for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, is not currently ailing and is spending time with the Phils’ extended spring training team until further notice. Pitching at four levels of the organization’s developmental system last season, the 24-year-old posted a 7-9 record with a 4.55 ERA and a .282 batting average against in 27 outings (18 starts). Right-handed reliever Kenny Giles , who also opened the 2013 season on the disabled list for the Threshers, is dealing with an oblique strain. There is no known time frame for the Phillies’ 2011 7th round draft selection's return. Last season, with Class A Lakewood and Clearwater, the 22-year-old tallied a 4-3 record with eight saves, a 3.51 ERA and a 12.18 K/9 mark in 39 contests. Left-handed starting pitcher Nick Hernandez made his official return to the mound for the Threshers on Tuesday evening. Out since 2010 with repeated shoulder injuries, t...

Left-handed pitching prospect Nick Hernandez has experienced another bump in the long road to recovery, following two years of shoulder troubles. Hernandez confirmed exclusively with PhoulBallz.com that he will require another surgery and be out of action for the remainder of the season. Hernandez, a 12th round draft selection in 2009, became an All-Star in the South Atlantic League with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws in 2010 by posting a 3-1 record with a 1.61 ERA while striking out 52 and walking just 8 in 56 innings pitched. Following his exceptional start to his pro career, the 6-foot-5-inch 205-pounder began experiencing discomfort in his throwing shoulder and was shut down for much of the remainder of the season. He rehabbed that year, making four starts with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, but experienced recurring pain and did not return to action until the Florida Instructional League that fall. Last April, after being diagnosed with another labrum issue, rest and re...

A few quick injury notes here from around the Phillies' system.... - Kelly Dugan (pictured), who nastily twisted his ankle last month, has returned to action after missing nearly three weeks of playing time.  On April 20th, the Phillies' top draft pick from 2009 sprained his ankle when he stepped on first base awkwardly, taking a throw on a ground out. According to Lakewood manager Mickey Morandini, Dugan played in extended spring training games on Thursday and Friday and is feeling much improved, running and hitting with no difficulties. For an image of Dugan's awfully bruised and swollen ankle, from the time of the injury, click here . In 15 games with Lakewood this season, the 21-year-old Dugan posted a .245 batting average with 2 doubles, 2 homeruns and 9 RBI. -Lefty pitcher Nick Hernandez is still roughly a month away from facing hitters.  The Phils' 12th round draft pick from 2009 has been out of action for nearly two years.  The 6-foot-5-inch 2...

As we do each week, Tug Haines and I bring you another new edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast! The latest edition features a big time Twitter focus with a lot of Latin flavor, as we talk about potential Phils' opening day second baseman Freddy Galvis, another Chooch story and Ruben Amaro Jr's impact on acquiring foreign born players. We also have some fun with several team personnel's social networking accounts and there's plenty more. Check out the player below, to listen or download the show. And don't miss our previous two episodes. ________________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE .

Earlier this week, I ran a feature on lefty hurler Nick Hernandez , who is recovering from surgery on his throwing shoulder. Hernandez, an All-Star with Class A Lakewood in 2010, has been relatively out of action since May of that season with repeated shoulder issues. Aside from his four rehab outings with the GCL Phillies in 2010, in which he struggled, Hernandez has posted tremendous professional numbers with an 11-2 record and a 2.25 ERA in 23 starts. I spoke with Nick, a 12th round draft choice of Philadelphia in 2009, about several subjects related to his down time and recovery. Here are some questions and answers that didn’t appear in the previous story about this promising young pitcher. Where would you rate your health right now and what are you working on until you can throw from a mound? Health wise, I feel I'm about 80-85 percent right now. I still have some arm strength and stamina to build up in my shoulder but that will come within the next month or so. Since you’re...

After undergoing shoulder surgery last April, lefty pitcher Nick Hernandez has been striving to get healthy so that he can continue living his dream of playing professional baseball. A 12th round draft selection in 2009 out of the University of Tennessee by the Phillies, Hernandez expects to return to the mound soon after being out of action for a lengthy stretch. Hernandez, the nephew of Major League umpire Angel Hernandez and the son of former Brewers 1st round draft pick Nick (father is Nicolas, son is Nicholas) Hernandez, became an All-Star in the South Atlantic League with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws in 2010 by posting a 3-1 record with a 1.61 ERA while striking out 52 and walking just 8 in 56 innings pitched in 2010. Following his tremendous start that year, Hernandez began experiencing discomfort in his throwing shoulder and was shut down for much of the remainder of the season. He rehabbed that year, making four starts with the Gulf Coast League Phillies but experienc...

Need some more minor league information in your life? Jay Floyd and Tug Haines have you covered. On a weekly basis, we will be focusing our brand new podcast on the developmental side of the Phillies organization. Check us out each week as we bring you news and details on all the top Philadelphia prospects as well as insider stories that you can't get anywhere else. On this week's edition, Tug and I spoke about the recovery of a few ailing prospects, Zach Collier's suspension and his presence in spring training, promotional giveaway highlights throughout the organization's affiliates, some cool stuff about Carlos Ruiz's ice cream connection and more. We also have a fun announcement for Twitter savy and media focused Phils fans as well. Click HERE to check out episode 2 of the PhoulBallz minor league podcast.

Phillies left-handed pitching prospect Nick Hernandez underwent successful shoulder surgery on Wednesday in Delaware. The Phillies' 12th round pick in the 2009 amateur draft out of the University of Tennessee, Hernandez, described the current issue as a flare up of his labrum. He began the 2011 season on the disabled list with Lakewood, but stayed behind in Clearwater, FL when the team came north, while members of the training staff continued to evaluate his progress. The surgery, conducted by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Craig Morgan, will force Hernandez to miss the entire 2011 season. Hernandez, 22, was an All-star last season with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws in the South Atlantic League, as he posted a 3-1 record with a 1.61 ERA and a .197 batting average against, through 8 starts. However, he was sidelined with a shoulder strain in May. Later in the summer, he made two rehab appearances with the Gulf Coast League Phillies and experienced a setback that kept him from compet...

22-year-old pitching prospect Nick Hernandez's father helps him stay fit during the off-season Phillies pitching prospect Nick Hernandez spent much of the 2010 regular season on the disabled list with an injury to his throwing shoulder. The 6'4", 215 pound lefty, who was named a mid-season South Atlantic League all-star with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, attempted comebacks twice during the season, making rehab outings for the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies, but experienced setbacks that curtailed his return to the mound and kept him from helping his teammates lock down a second consecutive league championship for Lakewood. In 8 starts with the BlueClaws last season, the 12th round draft pick from 2009 posted a 3-1 record with a 1.61 ERA and averaged 7 innings per start. Hernandez's strength is throwing a lot of strikes and he owes some of his success to his father, also named Nick (Dad's full first name is spelled Nicolas, while son's name is spell...

This post was featured as part of PhilliesNation.com's annual Top 25 Phillies Prospects countdown. Now that the first 75, or so, days since the Phillies' 2010 journey ended have flown by and as we begin the painfully slow crawl of the 40-something days until spring training, PhilliesNation.com will deliver its 2011 top 25 Phillies prospects list, in count down fashion. Gradually, over the coming week that lead to the dawn of a fresh campaign, with hopes higher than Lawrence Taylor while surfing online personal ads, we will be unveiling prospect rankings with reviews of all the players that our readers should be familiar with. These rankings will not include Domonic Brown, Vance Worley or Antonio Bastardo, as each of those players spent considerable amounts of time with the Major League club last year. Those individuals all project to make the big league roster in the coming season as well. In addition, some remarkably talented young players did not make the cut simply because ...

On behalf of myself and The Shore Sports Network, I'd like to wish a happy Christmas to all of our readers that celebrate it. In recent weeks I've checked in with a several Phillies minor leaguers from various levels of the organization, as holiday spirit was building, to inquire about some of the players' favorite Christmas things. Check out the list of answers from the players I spoke with below. Santa De Fratus FAVORITE CHRISTMAS FOOD- RHP Jarred Cosart..."Favorite food during Christmas is chicken, ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, okra, salad. Ha ha...you name it, I'll eat it." RHP Justin De Fratus..."My favorite holiday food would have to be tamales. I don't know how many Phillies fans would know what those are, but if you are ever in Southern California during Christmas time, you have to have some." RHP Jake Borup..."Father-in-law makes red chile enchiladas!" LHP Nick Hernandez..."My favorite food, or dessert I should say, now wh...

Nick Hernandez CLEARWATER, FL- For most Phillies minor leaguers, the season ended weeks ago. For a few dozen of them, this month is set aside for additional training and work. One of those players is 22-year-old lefty pitching prospect Nick Hernandez, who was sidelined for much of this season with a shoulder injury. As a result, Hernandez, a South Atlantic League All-star with the Lakewood BlueClaws this year, is putting in extra time in Clearwater Florida, to increase his 2010 innings total. After Wednesday's instructional league exhibition game, Hernandez and ten teammates, including Jarred Cosart, Jacob Diekman, Derrick Loop, Mike McGuire and Jake Borup, went out to a local Florida establishment to view the Phillies playoff opener against the Reds, on television. Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay went on to make history in game 1 of the National League Division Series. Making his very first career postseason appearance, Halladay shut down the Cincinnati Reds, hurling a no-hit, no-ru...

Nick Hernandez, a 22-year-old pitching prospect, has had an injury plagued 2010 season. In 8 starts with the Phillies Class A affiliate Lakewood BlueClaws, Hernandez posted a 3-1 record with a 1.61 ERA and a .197 batting average against. A 12th round draft pick out of the University of Tennessee in the 2009 amateur draft, Hernandez was sidelined in May with a shoulder injury. Despite that, Nick was selected to represent Lakewood in the mid-season South Atlantic League All-star game. Nick had a pair of brief stints with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies in July and August, while he rehabbed his shoulder, but experienced a set back and wasn't able to display the same dominance in Florida as he did with Lakewood earlier in the year. Recently, I spoke with Nick about the status of his shoulder, his rehab work, his outlook for next season and more. Check out the media player below to listen to the full interview. To read my previous interview with Nick, click here . __________...

Plenty of noteworthy happenings are going on all around the Phillies organization. The Phillies are the leaders for the National League wild card after defeating the Giants in the first two games of their series in Philadelphia. Something I've pondered regarding this...should the Phillies enter the playoffs for the first time in team history as the league's wild card entrant and advance no further, would they fly a flag to honor it like they do for their other post-season achievements and, if so, what color would it be? The Phillies currently fly red flags for World Championships, blue flags for League Pennants and white flags for division titles. Expect "Bet your sweet ass" to be this season's quote of the year, a la " Get me to the plate, boys !" If you missed Jayson Werth's remarks about what Charlie Manuel had to say recently about Jimmy Rollins' ability to hit, check out the media player below. Ryan Howard (sprained ankle) is targeting a Mon...

A report from Yahoo! Sports states that Astros hurler Roy Oswalt has named 3 different teams he'd like to land with if Houston decides to trade him this season. On Oswalt's short list were the Phillies, the Cardinals and the Yankees. Oswalt, who has a career 140-77 record with a 3.21 ERA and is in his 10th Major League season with Houston, could join "Mr. Perfect" Roy Halladay in the Phillies' starting rotation. This sort of news should make the hardcore guys over at The 701 Level very happy, as they declared their desire to have TWO ROY'S in the Phillies' starting rotation a couple weeks back. Keep in mind that Ed Wade, general manager of the Astros, is very familiar with the entire Phillies organization. Wade has put together a collection of ex-Phillies during his time there, including guys like Brett Myers, Pedro Feliz, Jason Michaels and Mike Bourn. So, perhaps working out a deal to send Houston some more Phillies cast-offs might not be very difficult...

On a beautiful day for morning baseball in New Jersey, Wednesday saw two shining prospects from last year's World Series opponents facing off in front of a matinee crowd at Lakewood's FirstEnergy Park. The Low-A level Yankees affiliate, the Charleston RiverDogs, are in town visiting the defending South Atlantic League Champions, the Phillies' affiliate BlueClaws, and as might be expected if the parent clubs met up again, a pitcher's duel broke out. 22-year-old Graham Stoneburner, a starter for the Yankee's Low-A level Charleston RiverDogs, came into the game leading the South Atlantic League in strikeouts with 43 K's in 38 innings pitched. Although, he was winless through 5 starts, Stoneburner had become somewhat of a darling among Yankees farm followers, because of his name and the high strike out rate. He entered the game sporting a 2.61 ERA, so the win issue was certainly not his fault. The RiverDogs had been shut out twice in Stoneburner's 5 starts. St...