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Thanks to the always-highly-touted-by-PhoulBallz baseball blogger Baseball Betsy , this weekend we got a firm look at the Phillies' workout groups at the start of minor league camp. The group listings will change throughout spring as certain players move down from big league camp and others are simply released. Noteworthy among the initial groupings are outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz with the 4th group as well as the returns of outfielder Samuel Hiciano and infielder Carlos Alonso . Ortiz, a Dominican native, was a big international signing last year.  The Phils invested $4 million in the powerful teenage outfielder last summer.  He was ranked among the top international free agents by MLB.com in 2015. Hiciano, a 22-year-old Dominican, missed the entire 2015 campaign after injuring his ankle with three days left in spring training last year.  He has posted a .262/.327/.428 slash line in three seasons at three levels.  Alonso underwent season-ending left kn...

Shawn Williams, image- Jay Floyd The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws got their season underway on Thursday with a new roster and a new manager. Shawn Williams, son of long-time big league coach Jimy Williams , takes over the reigns with the 'Claws after a year as skipper of the Class A Short-season Williamsport Crosscutters. Prior to their season opener on Thursday, I chatted with the 31-year-old about his club. Read ahead for comments from Williams about several names including Rhys Hoskins , Carlos Tocci , Deivi Grullon and many more. -Is there anyone on the roster that stood out in spring training as a guy that was a catalyst for the club? I look at our whole lineup and, really, all the guys are catalysts. There are guys that do the little things to help your team win. They're great guys in the clubhouse, they play hard, they give you 100 percent every night and they do everything to kind of help your team win. -Carlos Tocci returns to Lakewood for his third seas...

The Lakewood BlueClaws will have four representatives when the Class A South Atlantic League holds its 55th annual All-Star Game on June 17th in Hickory, NC. Standout performers for the BlueClaws all season, J.P. Crawford , Willians Astudillo , Samuel Hiciano and Cody Forsythe were selected to represent the team. Crawford, a shortstop, was the Phillies top draft choice a year ago when he was selected 16th overall. Through 49 games, the lefty batting 19-year-old has posted a .319 average along with three homers, 17 RBI and 10 steals. Astudillo, a Venezuela native, currently sports an 18-game hitting streak and is batting .341 with two homers and 32 RBI this year. The 22-year-old plays first base and catcher. Hiciano, the Claws' left fielder, is batting .273 with six home runs and 24 RBI. The 20-year-old is a native of the Dominican Republic. Forsythe, last year's 25th round draft pick by the Phillies, has been excellent as Lakewood's closer this season. The 2...