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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...

Yoel Mecias, image- Jay Floyd After missing about a full year of action, pitcher Yoel Mecias returned to the mound by mid-season last year and proved why he's been a highly regarded hurler in the Phillies system. After he was recognized as a South Atlantic League All-Star in 2013 with the Class A BlueClaws, it was determined that the left-hander would require reconstructive surgery to repair the damaged UCL in his throwing arm. That season in 13 games (11 starts), Mecias tallied a 4-3 record with a 3.79 ERA, a .244 batting average against and an 11.05 K/9 mark. That campaign followed his 2012 season in which he made his professional debut with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2012, tallying a 0-2 record with two saves and a 2.16 ERA in 14 games (four starts). Following the Tommy John surgery, Mecias returned to game action last June, when he posted a 0-1 record with a 4.76 ERA while striking out 10 and walking eight in 17 innings. A promotion back to La...

On Sunday, I sat down with Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan.  As usual, I bounced as many names as I could his way until I felt as though I may be keeping the former pro catcher and longtime scout from doing the work that he was at the ballpark to do.  Topics of discussion included Adam Morgan 's recovery from shoulder surgery, Cameron Perkins ' slow start at the Triple-A level, Maikel Franco 's turnaround, Dylan Cozens ' emergence and several more prospects. Read ahead for all of Jordan's remarks about some highly regarded prospects. Adam Morgan, image- Jay Floyd -Are there any updates you can share on lefty pitcher Adam Morgan (3rd round pick, 2011), who underwent shoulder surgery last off-season? He's throwing, progressing well. You know, I mean, we're hopeful that during instructional league we may have actually him on the mound, participating. But really, right now, he's doing well. -And righty Shane Watson (suppl...

From time to time I'll post video clips of rising prospects in action or doing pregame work. This round of clips features bullpen footage of Class A Lakewood hurlers Yacksel Rios and Yoel Mecias . Rios, a righty, sports a fastball that has regularly been clocked at 91-92 MPH this season and features nice movement, a quality change up that registers in the low 80's and an improving slider that sits in the upper 80's. BlueClaws pitching coach Les Lancaster asserts that opposing batters generally don't often get good swings against the 21-year-old Puerto Rican, as he hides the ball well with his wind up. Rios was the Phils' 12th round draft choice in 2011. After beginning the season in the Lakewood bullpen, Rios has notched a 3-0 record with a 3.76 ERA in eight starts. Mecias, a left-hander, is a well touted pitching prospect for the Phillies that is bouncing back after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer. The 20-year-old Venezuelan sports a low 90...

Yoel Mecias, Image- Jay Floyd As prevalent as reconstructive elbow surgery has become for baseball players, it just comes with the territory, if you ask Phillies lefty pitching prospect Yoel Mecias . The Venezuela native was an All-Star last year for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws when the team hosted the South Atlantic League's annual showcase of its top players. As a 19-year-old Mecias was impressive, posting a 4-3 record with a 3.79 ERA with 70 strike outs in 57 innings through 13 outings (11 starts) in 2013 for the 'Claws, prior to being sidelined with an elbow issue that resulted in Tommy John surgery. As a rising prospect that had begun garnering plenty of attention throughout the Sally League, Mecias was disappointed to have his breakout campaign cut short, but he didn't let the negative feeling settle in too deeply. "In the beginning the injury was hard on me, but I knew it was all mental. I just tried to take that away. For me, I just had to be pa...

We're back with another rundown of top performers from the Phillies' developmental ranks, with some less than stellar performers mixed in for good measure. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs... Tyler Henson with coach Mickey Morandini Infielder Tyler Henson is batting .448 with a home run and eight RBI over his last 10 games played. In 90 games this season, the 26-year-old sports a .282 average with six homers and 36 RBI. 3B/1B Maikel Franco has tallied a .365 batting average with nine doubles, two triples, a homer and 15 RBI in 15 games played this month. Franco went 0-for-2 in last week's All-Star Futures Game. The 21-year-old Dominican has a .236/.286/.370 overall slash line in 96 contests this season. Tyler Knigge let up 10 earned runs over five innings (18.00 ERA) in his most recent four games with the Pigs. The troublesome stretch earned Knigge a demotion back to Double-A Reading this weekend. The 25-year-old sported a 2.69 ERA in his first 11 Tripl...

Prior to Class A Lakewood's home contest against Delmarva on Friday, I talked with pitching coach Les Lancaster about several hurlers on the BlueClaws' pitching staff. Lancaster, who pitched seven season in the majors with the Cubs, Tigers and Cardinals, joined the Phillies as a coach in 2011 after managing in the independent leagues for 11 seasons. Pitchers discussed by Lancaster were right-hander Yacksel Rios , who sports a 2-0 record with a 3.52 ERA and a .198 batting average against in six starts since joining the 'Claws' rotation, 19-year-old Tyler Viza and his progress this season, Temple product Matt Hockenberry , last year's 24th round pick righy Will Morris , injured starter Drew Anderson , righty closer Ulises Joaquin and the returning 2013 BlueClaws All-Star Yoel Mecias , who is fresh off Tommy John surgery. Read ahead for Lancaster's comments on the listed topics. Yacksel Rios- Yacksel Rios, Image- Jay Floyd Yeah, Yacksel, I had him...

On the 67th edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, Tug and Jay are joined by former minor league slugger Tagg Bozied, who chats about his college career, his time in the Phillies system, playing in China and much more. The guys also discuss the releases of Brody Colvin and Jiwan James , Jesse Biddle 's struggles as well as the hot output from the Williamsport Crosscutters' offense. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

Despite a hefty amount of bad results out of the Phillies' minor league hurlers on Monday, it was 2013's most impressive hurler who made a return to the mound and picked up right where he left off last year. On a night when this year's top draft pick Aaron Nola made his pro debut and looked quite mortal, top pitching prospect Jesse Biddle didn't look deserving of that type of hype as he struggled mightily and recently demoted reliever Ethan Martin was touched up while another young standout in Tyler Viza had a weak effort, it was lefty Yoel Mecias ' return from Tommy John surgery that should make it all seem better. Aaron Nola's pro debut, Image- @BaseballBetsy Nola, the 7th overall selection in this month's MLB amatuer draft, made his first professional start as a member of the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers. On the mound against the Lakeland Tigers, the 21-year-old right-hander allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits in 2 1/3 inni...

Yoel Mecias, Image- Tug Haines Despite having his 2013 campaign shortened due to a severe elbow injury, Venezuelan born hurler Yoel Mecias made a name for himself as a notable prospect in the Phillies system last year. The lefty, who turned 20 years old this off-season, underwent Tommy John surgery in June after an impressive stint with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. Signed as an amateur free agent in December 2010, Mecias made his pro debut with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2012, tallying a 0-2 record with two saves and a 2.16 ERA in 14 games (four starts). In his 10 relief outings, Mecias sported a 1.90 ERA. Overall, he struck out 34 batters and walked 11 in 41 2/3 innings that year after some time in extended spring training. Mecias also made an appearance for Aragua of the Venezuelan Winter League in 2012 as well. In 13 games (11 starts) with Lakewood last season, Mecias posted a 4-3 record and a 3.79 ERA along with an 11.05 K/9 mark. His efforts were enough to gai...

As the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws wrapped up their regular season with a rain out on Monday, I spoke with manager Mickey Morandini about several of his players' progress this year.  Additionally, first baseman Art Charles and outfielder Jiandido Tromp shared some thoughts on their 2013 season and what the off-season might hold.  Read ahead for quotes from all three men. Mickey Morandini: Off the top, Morandini shared a list of BlueClaws that will be participating in the Florida Instructional League- RHP Zach Cooper , RHP Delvi Francisco , RHP Kevin Walter , RHP Shane Watson , SS J.P. Crawford , 1B Art Charles, OF Larry Greene Jr. and OF Carlos Tocci . Morandini spoke about which of those players would benefit most from more time on the field with the Phillies' coaches and minor league staff... Larry needs to go down there and continue to work on his swing.  Tocci really needs to go down there and get stronger.  I don't think he needs a...

Prior to Lakewood's 4-3 walk-off victory over Greenville on Sunday, I spoke with a couple of the team's coaches and a pair of players. Manager Mickey Morandini shared his thoughts on several of his players, while pitching coach Aaron Fultz talked about how big confidence is for pitchers and injured hurler Yoel Mecias . Corner infielder Willie Carmona and outfielder Larry Greene Jr. each discussed their improvements at the plate. Read ahead for all the exclusive quotes straight from Lakewood. Mickey Morandini... On guys like Mitch Walding , Chace Numata and Art Charles having trouble keeping their batting averages in respectable ranges- I mean, the averages aren't good overall. Take Willie (Carmona) out of the mix, I mean, throughout the lineup the averages aren't where they want them to be. In Art's defense, he's hit a lot of balls hard, right at people, so I don't think his average is truly reflective of how he's hit. The...

I spoke with Class A Lakewood manager Mickey Morandini on Friday about several of his players including 20-year-old shortstop Roman Quinn (2nd round pick, 2011), who was placed on the disabled list this week, 21-year-old OF Brian Pointer (28th round pick, 2010) who is hitting at a .325/.400/.500 clip in his last 10 games, and 20-year-old RHP Severino Gonzalez , who joined the BlueClaws' starting rotation this week after posting excellent stats (1-1 record, 1.65 ERA, 33 K, 3 BB in 27 1/3 IP) with Class A Advanced Clearwater, plus plenty more. Yoel Mecias, photo- Jay Floyd Most importantly, Morandini confirmed that Lakewood's lone lefty hurler, Yoel Mecias , who represented the 'Claws in last week's South Atlantic League All-Star Game, is facing Tommy John surgery.  Mecias struck out eight batters over 3 2/3 innings in his most recent outing against West Virginia last Saturday, but left the contest after experiencing elbow pain.  An MRI conducted on Thursd...