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Steve Schrenk, image- Jay Floyd This week, I sat down with Double-A Reading pitching coach Steve Schrenk, who spoke about his team pitching staff, including Shane Watson, All-Star Drew Anderson, Victor Arano, Austin Davis and Cole Irvin, who is already enjoying success in the Eastern League one year after making his professional debut. This marks the third interview this week with Phillies' organization developmental pitching coaches.  My interview with Triple-A Lehigh Valley coach Dave Lundquist can be found at this link , while my interview with Class A Lakewood coach Brian Sweeney can be viewed at this link . Read ahead for that latest full interview with "Schrenky"... -I want to ask you about several guys.  First guy that pops in my mind is Shane Watson, who went through a transition, moving from the starting rotation to a relief role.  He's been successful there, outside of one outing maybe.  Can you talk about that switch for him? It's been gr...

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd Righty pitcher Shane Watson , a supplemental 1st round draft pick of the Phillies back in 2012, is having a lackluster season thus far for the Double-A Reading Fightins.  Through 10 starts, the 23-year-old has posted a 2-4 record along with a 5.52 ERA while striking out 24 and walking 26 in 44 innings pitched.  I recently spoke with Watson about his feelings on his output, what needs to change to improve, the possibility of consulting the Phillies mental skills staff and more.  Read ahead for that full interview. -What are your thoughts on your output, thus far this season?  I know the starting rotation likely as a group wouldn't be pleased with each of you having high ERA's. Yeah, all of us don't want to be above five.  Even though the parks are pretty small-- every field I've been at in Double-A so far has been small-- um, working some kinks out.  All of us are competitive and want to do well, like you said, so it'...

Occasionally, Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan takes time to chat with me about the organization's rising prospects and he was generous once again this week to offer his insight.  With some top names like J.P. Crawford and Dylan Cozens struggling out of the gate and other well-regarded prospects like Nick Pivetta and the talented pitchers at Class A and High-A doing great jobs, Jordan discussed those players as well as first round draft picks outfielder Cornelius Randolph and RHP Shane Watson . Outfielders Jose Pujols and Andrew Pullin , lefty pitcher Austin Davis and others were also among the topics. Read ahead for all the exclusive comments. Franklyn Kilome, image- Jay Floyd -Joe, thus far this season the Threshers pitching staff was been excellent, with great ERA's at 2.28 or under from Franklyn Kilome , Jose Taveras, Alberto Tirado, Seranthony Dominguez and company. How pleased are you with the production from this group? They're of...

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd Right-handed pitcher Shane Watson was the Phillies’ compensatory round draft pick (40th overall) in the 2012 draft. Since then, the six-foot-four 235-pounder has undergone two shoulder surgeries and has slowly tried to get healthy and climb through the minor league ranks. After reaching the Double-A level to open the 2017 season with the Reading Fightin Phils, the California native has recorded two weak starts. Overall, Watson sports a 1-0 record with a 7.71 ERA and has struck out five while walking five in 9 1/3 innings. Recently, I spoke with Shane about reaching the Eastern League, his infant daughter, his battery mate Chace Numata and plenty more. Read ahead for that full interview. -I think some people might feel it’s been a long road for you to reach the Double-A level. Maybe you feel that way too? It was a long road. From the first surgery in 2013 to another one 10 months after. I don’t even know, I don’t care to keep track of it....

Cam Perkins and Dylan Cozens paced the offense for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs as they defeated the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils by a score of 5-3 in the Rt. 222 Showcase exhibition contest at Allentown's Coca-Cola Park on Tuesday night. Perkins, a 26-year-old righty batting outfielder, drilled a two-run single in the 7th to give the IronPigs a lead they would not relinquish.  Cozens, a 22-year-old lefty slugger, launched a solo home run deep to right field earlier in the contest off of left-hander Brandon Liebrandt to lead off the 2nd inning. Lehigh Valley starting pitcher Mark Appel was tagged for three runs early, as he surrendered four hits, allowed a walk and hit one batter while striking out two.  Harold Martinez knocked in a pair for Reading with a single in the top of the 2nd inning. A fun subplot to the preseason finale saw childhood friends Shane Watson and J.P. Crawford facing one another for the first time since each signed with the Phillies after b...

November is the time of year when the Phillies begin to refine their 40-man roster in preparation for the annual MLB Winter Meetings and the corresponding Rule 5 draft. Fans will see players "activated" from the 60-day disabled list, players opting for free agency as well as minor leaguers added to the roster in order to protect them from being scooped up by the competition. Players are initially eligible for selection in MLB's Rule 5 draft when they are not on their major league organization's 40-man roster and 1) were signed to a contract at age 19 or older and have played in professional baseball for four years, OR 2) were signed at age 18 or younger and have played in pro ball for five years. Like the annual amateur draft, teams draft in reverse order of the regular-season standings. A team that does not have any vacancies on its 40-man roster may not make a selection in the Rule 5 draft. Once a player is chosen, that player is automatically assigned to his...

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd Righty starter Shane Watson is quietly having a good season. Following a successful first seven starts to his season, the 23-year-old, who was the Phillies' top draft selection in 2012, earned a promotion and has looked solid helping Clearwater push into playoff contention in the second half. Overall in 20 combined starts for Class A Lakewood and Class A Advanced Clearwater, the six-foot-four 235-pounder sports a 6-7 record with a 3.76 ERA while striking out 88 and walking 38 in 105 1/3 innings through 20 starts. Watson, who missed two years while recovering from two shoulder surgeries, took time this week to chat about his efforts this season, the Threshers' playoff hopes, his recent stint on the disabled list, his 2015 drug suspension and more. Read ahead for that full interview. -I wanted to ask you about your disabled list stint in July, because you mentioned to me at that time that it was diabetes related. Was there fatigue, o...

Tommy Joseph, image- Jay Floyd The standout player on any hotlist of late should be the man that I receive daily tweets from fans about, asking when he’ll be called up to replace Darin Ruf or Philadelphia legend Ryan Howard . The man who was recently an afterthought or a player most fans thought was a fizzled out prospect who had been ravaged by concussions. The player that had to abandon his catching position due to those injuries and moved elsewhere on the diamond in order to continue his career. The guy that was acquired from the Giants in a trade for Hunter Pence back in 2012, Tommy Joseph . The 24-year-old first baseman/designated hitter has been on fire, excelling at the plate all season. In 23 games for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, he sports a .392 average and a 1.126 OPS, both of which lead the Triple-A International League. Joseph a right-handed hitter, has slammed seven doubles and six homers while driving in a team-best 17 runs. He’s playing like someone very deser...

Shawn Williams The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws have been exciting to watch this season, despite a disappointing 6-16 overall record thus far this season. This week I spoke with team skipper Shawn Williams about several talented young prospects such as righty pitcher Shane Watson , outfielder Jose Pujols and infielder Josh Tobias . Additionally, I asked him about the injuries his team has dealt with so far in the early going. Read ahead for the exclusive comments. -The BlueClaws have had quite a few injuries with some key offensive contributors like Deivi Grullon , Zach Coppola and Cornelius Randolph missing time. How is the team able to deal with this kind of shake up? For me, it gives an opportunity for a lot of these other guys to get a chance and they've taken full advantage of it and we've still-- I mean, we've been swinging the bats well overall all season and, like I said, it's giving them a chance to get in there and show what they can do and they...

With a new season underway, the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws' pitching staff is being led this year by a brand new coach, former big leaguer Brian Sweeney . Following the 'Claws' home opener on Thursday, Sweeney sat down to talk about his pitching staff including prospects Tyler Gilbert , Franklyn Kilome , Alberto Tirado and several others. Read ahead for that full interview. Tyler Gilbert, image- Jay Floyd -Tyler Gilbert had some moments, despite taking the loss in the home opener. What are your thoughts on his outing? He was fantastic for four innings. I mean, I love what I saw. Four pitches for strikes, in command and attacking the zone. And the wheels fell off after a few hits in the fifth inning. You know, that’s unfortunate because he had a pretty good outing going for him. -Is Gilbert dealing with any changes, such as updates to his grips or repertoire after a successful debut as a pro last year? Yeah, everything’s— we’re always building. We’re buil...

This past week I spoke with Class A Lakewood manager Shawn Williams and the team's pitching coach Aaron Fultz . Below are interview excerpts from both men as we check in on a few familiar names like catching prospect Deivi Grullon , this year's second round draft choice Scott Kingery as well as 2012 first round pick Shane Watson , plus more. Williams... Grullon, image- Jay Floyd - Catcher Deivi Grullon has had some ups and downs at the plate this year. Has he made solid progress and are you pleased with his seeason? I am pleased. I know the numbers aren’t there offensively, but he’s had some tough luck, he’s had some tough outs. But, for me, more importantly, he’s finishing the season strong. His RBI’s and power numbers have come here lately. He’s gotten better, he’s having better at bats, but more importantly for a catcher, that comes first. He’s done an outstanding job all year. He’s done an outstanding job. He’s learning a lot. For me, he’s grown up a l...

On Sunday, Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan took time to answer questions about many topics throughout the minors, including injured players Jonathan Pettibone , Roman Quinn , Zach Green and Aaron Brown . He also provided feedback on the rise of pitching prospects Aaron Nola and Franklyn Kilome , the return of 2012 top draft pick Shane Watson and the release of lefty pitcher Yoel Mecias . Read ahead for the full interview with Joe... Quinn, image- Jay Floyd -Outfielder Roman Quinn was having a great season in Double-A prior to missing time to due a hip tear. He's been named an Eastern League All-Star. Will he have to stay in Florida and continue rehabbing during the All-Star festivities? He's staying in Florida to continue his rehab. Very disappointing that it happened, 'cause he, I mean everything was coming together for Roman. He was starting to figure himself out as a player. But, you know, he's getting better. It's going to take a f...

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd In a return two years in the making, right-hander Shane Watson returned to the mound for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws on Sunday night. Going 3 2/3 innings, the 21-year-old gave up seven runs (one earned) while striking out seven, walking none and surrendering seven hits. He was also charged with an error in the field. Watson has been sidelined since he went down with a shoulder injury on July 4th, 2013. He has undergone two shoulder surgeries since that time. The visiting Hagerstown Suns (Nationals affiliate) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening frame and held off a BlueClaws rally, locking down a 7-5 victory at FirstEnergy Park. Despite being tagged with a loss, Watson impressed BlueClaws manager Shawn Williams, who had not seen the youngster pitch before. "This was the first time I've seen him pitch and I was very impressed with what I saw," Williams stated. "I thought he threw the ball very well. If you look at...