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Bryson Stott, image- Jay Floyd To the surprise of not one single person, shortstop Bryson Stott has been promoted from Class A Advanced Jersey Shore to Double-A Reading.   The Phillies' first round draft pick from 2019 was outpacing the opposition in the High A East League, posting a .288 average with five home runs, 10 RBI and three steals in 22 games.   An offensive spark will be welcome for a Reading team that has recorded the worst record in the Double-A Northeast League at 4-20.  The club's .644 OPS ranks 11th in the 12-team league.  Stott's 1.001 OPS to date this season is tops among Phils minor leaguers.   The 23-year-old was the 14th overall draft selection two summers ago.  Upon debuting as a professional that year, he was honored as a short-season Class A All-Star as a member of the Williasmport Crosscutters.  A personal friend of Phillies slugger Bryce Harper, the Las Vegas native spent time last year with the organization's ...

What a day it was for Ben Brown . The right-handed pitcher showed why he’s considered a standout on the Gulf Coast League Phillies West team in a 5-0 victory over the Tigers East team on Tuesday afternoon in Lakeland, FL.  In six innings of work, the 18-year-old Brown looked dominant, holding the opposition to two singles and a walk while recording 16 strike outs. “Ben Brown to me has been my most consistent starter,” said GCL West pitching coach Matt Hockenberry. “He has been a guy that he’s a leader on the field. He gets outs. He gets quick outs. He pitches to contact. He’s just a guy that’s going to be exciting to watch in the future.” Contact wasn’t truly on the docket for Brown on Tuesday, though, as he missed a ton of bats.  The Phillies’ 33rd round draft selection last June, Brown sports a 3-0 record with a 1.80 ERA and a .193 batting average against and a 13.5 K/9 mark in six appearances (five starts) for the GCL West team. Brown, whose repertoire feat...

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...

From the bottom of the developmental ranks to the upper levels here's all the latest this week... At the Class A level for the Lakewood BlueClaws , as I reported on Twitter on Thursday, infielder Tim Zier is out for the year after undergoing season-ending left knee surgery on Monday. The San Diego State product was injured during pre-game fundamentals/infield work recently. Zier, last year's 21st round draft pick, was batting .264 with two RBI in 15 games with the BlueClaws this year. Reliever Matt Hockenberry , a Temple product, returned from the disabled list on Thursday, after a stint on the disabled list with a right arm strain. In 11 appearances this season, the 23-year-old sports a 1-0 record with six saves, a 1.06 ERA and a .148 batting average against. Outfielder Jiandido Tromp return to action this week as well, after being on the disabled list with a hamstring strain. The 21-year-old Aruba native is batting .183 with three doubles, three triples and eig...

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd The six-man rotation that has been so reliable for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws this season is facing a possible shake up in the coming week. Barring any weather disruptions, the BlueClaws will play their 50th game of the season on Tuesday. That's also the day the Phillies' 2012 first round draft pick, Shane Watson , who is serving a 50-game suspension due to a positive banned substance test, will make his last scheduled rehab start for the organization's extended spring training team. Watson, a right-hander, is on his way back from his second shoulder surgery and had his most recent outing on Thursday. Facing the Pirates' extended spring team, the 21-year-old threw four innings, notching two strike outs and surrendering one run. Additionally, Watson picked a runner off first base and saw his fastball velocity range from 88-93 MPH. It was Watson's first game throwing all three of his offerings. As he has increased his i...

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd Phillies righty pitching prospect Shane Watson was back on the mound on Monday, throwing four innings worth of action for the team’s extended spring training club in Clearwater, FL. Against the Yankees XST team, the 21-year-old tossed 12 outs, pitching three innings, but staying on the mound for an additional three outs, to reach his predetermined pitch count of 45. Watson, who mixed in his change up for the first time, after throwing strictly fastballs in his previous two outings, walked one, struck out one and reached 92 MPH, sitting mainly at 90 MPH. The six-foot-four 200-pounder expressed that his secondary pitch felt good, but needs a lot of work. Watson, who underwent his second shoulder surgery last year, is slated to make three more starts in the coming weeks, in an effort to stretch him out and return his arm to full strength, before he’s eligible to be activated from a 50-game suspension for a positive banned substance test. His next...

Lehigh Valley IronPigs backstop Tommy Joseph was placed on the 7-day disabled list on Tuesday, diagnosed with a concussion. Tough luck for @IronPigs C Tommy Joseph, who's been placed on DL w/ another concussion. Entering season, he appeared in just 22% G past 2 yr — Matt Provence (@PigsRadio) May 12, 2015 Joseph was removed from Monday's game after being hit in the mask with a foul tip. In 20 games this season, he was batting .123 with four doubles and six RBI. The 23-year-old was acquired in 2012 from San Francisco in the deal for Hunter Pence and had played in 63 total games the past two seasons, missing time with multiple concussions and a wrist injury. This instance marks the sixth stint on the disabled list for the six-foot-one 250-pounder since joining the Phillies organization in July 2012. In an interview with Phillies Nation for a planned television segment last month, Joseph cited growing displeasure with spending so much time on the shelf. "I sig...

Shane Watson, image- Jay Floyd For the first time since Independence Day 2013 righty pitcher Shane Watson took the mound in a game on Tuesday. The Phillies' top draft selection (40th overall) in 2012, Watson was sidelined with a shoulder ailment in the middle of what was a pretty good campaign (4-7, 4.44 ERA, .230 BAA) for a player in his first full professional season with Class A Lakewood. The injury would result in two surgeries along with 22 months of downtime and rehab. Finally back to full health, Watson took the mound for the Phillies' extended spring training team, tossing an inning against the XST Yankees. According to the 21-year-old, he was satisfied with his effort. "Went great," said Watson. "I think I was 88-92 (MPH), gave up some base knocks, but that was expected since I was throwing only fastballs." The six-foot-four 200-pounder threw one inning and is expected to appear in a game again with the extended spring club in five o...