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I invite you to visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz in order to support my work and get access to material like this before anyone, plus you'll get interviews as well as other exclusive content you won't be able to consume anywhere else.  I could use and I would appreciate your backing. At long last, Phillies minor league coaching staffs began to trickle out via each team's news feed on Friday with a few notable additions to the organization's developmental field staffs.  Here is a complete rundown of each team's coaching staff. The Class A Short-season Williamsport Crosscutters will be headed by Milver Reyes.  The 37-year-old Venezuelan played as high as the Triple-A level during his playing career before turning to coaching.  Reyes played with the CrossCutters in 2003 and 2004 as a member of the Pirates organization, before Williamsport was affiliated with the Phillies. The Cutters' pitching coach is set to be a returning Hector Berrios while hittin...

Bryson Stott, image- Jay Floyd Shortstop Bryson Stott , the Phillies' first round draft selection this year, has enjoyed a successful initial pro campaign.  En route to being recognized as an All-Star for the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters the 21-year-old UNLV product has tallied a .295 average with six home runs and 25 RBI in 45 minor league contests. Last week I spoke with the lefty hitting Stott to discuss his transition to professional baseball, joining the Phillies organization and plenty more.  Read ahead for that interview.  -Obviously, your performance and the production on the field is going well, but how do you feel you have adapted to the pro life? It feels good.  You hear about the everyday grind, but you don't really believe it till you feel it. I would say that's the difference between college and the pros, is you're not practicing, you're playing games every day.  I would say that's the biggest difference.  But I...

Corbin Williams, image- Jay Floyd Corbin Williams  was the Phillies' 24th round draft selection in 2018. A year into his professional career, the 21-year-old became an All-Star in the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters. Through 53 games, the righty batting Williams has tallied a .222 batting average with three doubles, a triple, six RBI and 28 stolen bases. Last week I talked with Corbin about his All-Star nod, his trip to New York for the game, sneakers, competing for the league lead in steals and more! This interview is available exclusively for Patreon members. Head on over to Patreon.com/PhoulBallz to support my work and gain access to loads of material unseen and unavailable any place else.

HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING ALL SEASON LONG BY BECOMING A PATRON!  Get early access to articles like this, EXCLUSIVE interviews and bonus quotes from Kendall Simmons in the Patreon version of this piece- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Simmons (center) w/ Bryson Stott (left) & Corbin Williams (right) The 26th of July stands out as a date that Kendall Simmons thinks he’ll remember for the rest of his playing career. It was on that day that his coaching staff offered some guidance that made a difference and helped the young infielder turn his season around. On that day, the talented 19-year-old was batting .169 with two home runs and nine RBI through 21 disappointing games with Class A short-season Williamsport. It was a funk that Simmons couldn’t shake until a reality check from a pair of former big leaguers allowed some things to start clicking for the second baseman/shortstop/third baseman. Crosscutters manager Pat Borders , a Worl...

Josh Stephen, image- Jay Floyd Last week I wrote a feature on Lakewood outfielder Josh Stephen getting off to a hot start this season and using his bonds in the game to his advantage.   An 11th round draft pick in 2016, the 20-year-old has posted solid numbers (.263/.378/.474 slash line) through 13 games with the BlueClaws. I talked with Stephen, a six feet tall 185-pound left-handed batter, at length.  Below are some interview excerpts from the California native that didn't make the original piece. -Speaking on his initial impressions of Lakewood’s FirstEnergy Park during the team’s initial homestand… I think it's a beautiful stadium. I was blown away when I got here with how nice it is. It looks like a big league stadium. The fans come in real nice, a lot of fans, so that's new to me. Last year in Williamsport, we came in with a couple thousand and here to see 5,000 on the board was pretty crazy. It's exciting to play out here. -Stephen shared s...

Josh Stephen, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- Off to a hot start in the early going for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, outfielder Josh Stephen has used relationships, new and old, to build a level of comfort in the Phillies’ organization that he hopes will help him achieve his dream of playing in the big leagues. Hailing from southern California, a hotbed for young baseball talent, Stephen was selected by the Phillies in the 11th round of the 2016 draft and joined an organization that included some familiar faces. Even before signing his first professional contract with the Phillies, the six feet tall 185-pound lefty batter had guys that he already considered teammates in the system. Third base prospect Luke Williams, pitchers Kevin Gowdy and Bailey Falter along with first overall draft pick, outfielder Mickey Moniak are all individuals that Stephen competed with and against in his days playing youth baseball. “It makes the transition of being drafted as an 18-year-old nice...

Pat Borders, image- Jay Floyd First year manager of the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters (35-19, 1st place in the New York-Penn League's Pinckney Division) Pat Borders took time recently to answer questions about his club, his history of crushing Phillies fans' hopes in 1993 and much more. Read ahead for my full interview with him. -The team got off to a hot start this year and has maintained a lead in the division standings all season. What can you tell me about this 2015 Crosscutters team? They’re a pretty energetic bunch of guys. They play hard. Seems like they’re always banged up because they’re really go-getters. They go the extra step. They’re really energetic. They’re the kind of team that anybody likes to coach. -You’ve got a great pitching staff on this team. We talked about Franklyn Kilome , but what other pitcher has stood out to you. Mitch Gueller …changes speeds really well. He throws like a veteran pitcher. He knows how to...

Franklyn Kilome, image- Jay Floyd STATEN ISLAND, NY- Coming into the 2015 season, Franklyn Kilome wasn't among the buzz names in the land of Phillies prospects. But as some of the top ranked talents in the organization have successfully climbed the developmental ladder, the 20-year-old righty pitcher has begun to stand out. With an excellent season thus far for the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters, Kilome has begun to draw plenty of attention. In seven starts, the six-foot-six 175 pounder sports a 2-1 record with a 1.74 ERA and a 7.26 K/9 mark. It's not just the numbers that have caught people's eyes. It's his blazing fastball and solid secondary offerings, a strong change up and a curve ball that features good break, as well. "Kilome throws upper-90's, touching 100 every once in a while," Crosscutters manager and former big league catcher Pat Borders stated. "He's got some velocity. He's very talented and one to...