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Last season the Phillies selected catcher Josh Ludy as a senior out of Baylor University in the 8th round of the MLB amateur draft.  The 22-year-old righty hitter had a solid debut as a pro.  Serving mainly as a backup, the Indiana native sported a .271 batting average along with 11 doubles, one triple, a homer and 12 RBI in 32 games for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. Following the regular season, Ludy was among a group of prospects selected to spend an extra month in the Florida Instructional League. This week, I spoke with Josh to get his thoughts on his transition from college to the pro's, time spent at instructs, his off-season training regimen and plenty more.  Read ahead to check out the full interview. - You performed well last season with Lakewood after signing your first professional contract.  How would you assess your first go of it in the professional ranks and was the adjustment from college to the minors what you expected? I feel the first...

The Phillies announced this past week that the manager of the short-season Class A level Williamsport Crosscutters will be 36-year-old Nelson Prada.  As a catcher, Prada played four seasons in the Minnesota organization from 1995 through 1998. Prada, a Venezuela native, went on to manage in the minors for the Twins and was skipper in the rookie level Gulf Coast League as well as in the Class A Midwest league over the past eight seasons, compiling a .511 winning percentage over that stretch. The presence of Prada at the helm of the Cutters gives the Phillies a manager fluent in Spanish at each of the two lowest levels of their developmental ranks in the United States, as Roly deArmas enters his tenth season as manager of the Gulf Coast League Phillies.  The pair will help the club's collection of strong young Latin talent, including names like Carlos Tocci , Francisco Herrera and Wilson Garcia , adapt more quickly to baseball and life in America, with a leader they can ...

Today at PhilliesNation.com, the staff there pitched in for a roundtable entry, proclaiming their bold Phillies predictions for 2013.  My standout thought on what's to come next season was not specifically about the Phillies, so it was not included in the post by the prevailing site editor, but it's still related to the team, if you ask me. Check out my bold prediction for the coming season and then click the link below, to see what Brian, Corey, Ian and the gang had to say about what they expect from the likes of Charlie Manuel , Carlos Ruiz , Ben Revere and others in 2013. Prediction not specifically for the Phils, but related- Former Phillies first round draft pick Travis d'Arnaud, acquired from Toronto in the R.A. Dickey trade, claims the starting catcher job for the Metropolitans by June and is named National League Rookie of the Year in November.  d'Arnaud has posted a .320 batting average while slugging 37 HR in 181 games the past two years, com...

Last season with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, Kelly Dugan put together a solid season in which he batted .300 while slugging 12 homers and driving in 60 runs in 117 games as a 21-year-old in the South Atlantic League.  Primarily an outfielder, Dugan spent time at first base to assist with recovery from leg and ankle issues during the early portion of the season. Overall, in his minor league career, Dugan has posted a .292 batting average in 237 games.  He was the Phillies' top draft selection back in 2009 (2nd round) out of Notre Dame High School in California. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Kelly about his off-season workout routine, what his film director dad Dennis has in store for the movie-going public and plenty more.  Read ahead to check out that full interview. - What is your workout routine like lately and how much time off from hitting do you take during the off-season? I took about a month and a half off.  I pretty much follow...

It's another edition of our weekly off-season league review. Read ahead, as we take a tour around the globe for a look at Phillies talents including Antonio Bastardo , Raul Valdes and plenty of others, who are participating in various winter league action.  Venezuelan League- Second baseman Cesar Hernandez (pictured, left) ended his VWL regular season batting .226 with a home run, 16 RBI and 14 steals in 44 games for Margarita, as his team did not advance to the semi-final round.  The 22-year-old switch-hitter batted a combined .291 with two homers and 57 RBI in 133 games for Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley during the 2012 regular season. Shortstop Edgar Duran , also with Margarita, batted .240 with a home run and nine RBI in 36 games.  In 121 games for Class A Advanced Clearwater in 2012, Duran, 21, sported a .253/.310/.357 line. Shortstop Freddy Galvis wrapped up his regular season with a 10-game hitting streak, during which he posted ...

Left-handed pitcher Austin Wright has been a fast rising performer since he was selected by the Phillies in the 8th round of the 2011 draft, out of the University of Mississippi. In his first season of pro ball that year, the 6-foot-4 235-pounder tallied a 4-3 record with a 3.03 ERA and an 11.2 K/9 mark combined with short-season A level Williamsport and Class A Lakewood. In 2012, Wright, 23, became an all-star and was honored as the Florida State League pitcher of the year, as he posted an 11-5 record, a 3.47 ERA and an 8.11 K/9 mark with Class A Advanced Clearwater. Recently, I spoke with Austin about his off-season routine and how he uses his time during the colder months, during which the Illinois native issued a challenge to any gamers that might see this material. Read ahead for that full interview. - How much time off from throwing do you take during the off-season? When do you begin a throwing program to prepare for spring training? I took off October and Nov...

It's that time of year that gets you in the mood to be jolly. The biggest of all holidays is loved by all, for many reasons. Baseball players don't feel any differently.  In recent weeks, I have checked in with several Phillies players, from the bottom to the top of the system, to find out what stands out for them as reasons to get excited for Christmas. Players that took part include Phillies rookie OF/1B Darin Ruf (pictured), lefty pitching prospect Austin Wright , former supplemental 1st round draft pick, outfielder Zach Collier , right-handed minor league pitcher David Buchanan , third base prospect Cody Asche , former top draft pick, outfielder Kelly Dugan , whose father Dennis Dugan is a film director, and, lastly, catcher Josh Ludy , who was drafted by the Phils in the 8th round this year. Questions and answers detailing each player's holly jolly holiday favorites are ahead... What's your favorite Christmas movie or TV special? Darin R...

We're back with another edition of the (usually) weekly off-season league rundown. Read ahead, as we take a tour around the globe for a look at Phillies talents participating in various autumn and winter league action. Venezuelan League- Freddy Galvis (pictured, right) is batting .296 with 11 doubles, two triples, five homers and 28 RBI along with four steals through 57 games. The switch-hitting 23-year-old is riding a nine-game hitting streak, during which he is 13-for-39 (.333 avg). Galvis has been playing shortstop exclusively with Zulia. Catcher Humberto Quintero , 33, has posted a .314 batting average with five doubles, one home run and nine RBI in 23 games for Zulia. The righty hitting Quintero was signed by the Phillies last month after playing in 43 games with the Royals last season. Rule 5 draft choice Ender Inciarte , 22, is batting .234 with five doubles and a triple along with three steals through 44 games for Zulia. The lefty hitting center fielder b...

Throughout the off-season, I have checked in with various players from around the Phillies organization to gauge their thoughts on fall/winter leagues they've played in and what their outlooks are going forward.  Recently, I heard from right-handed pitcher Tyler Cloyd , who won the 2012 Paul Owens Award, an honor bestowed upon the most outstanding pitching and offensive players in the Phillies minor league system each year. This year combined with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, the Nebraska native posted a 15-1 record with a 2.26 ERA and a .214 batting average against.  Cloyd, the 18th round draft choice from 2008, was promoted to the Phillies late in the season, and sported a 2-2 record along with a 4.91 ERA in six starts in the big leagues.  Tyler was nice enough to offer his thoughts on his off-season routine, his potential to claim a spot in the starting rotation next year and plenty more.  Read ahead for that full interview. - What ...

BA ranked Jesse Biddle as the Phils' #1 prospect On Monday, Baseball America released its annual list of top 10 prospects in the Phillies organization . The rankings feature some plenty of names that are deserving of considerable regard, but also includes some debatable placement. Generally, I feel that prospect rankings issued by national writers or their publications are a somewhat questionable, as such members of the media do not get to see many of the same players on a regular basis and, as such, must rely on other people's accumulated scouting reports and other material to publish full reviews.  Limitations of how frequently a player is viewed over a season can prevent an analyst from witnessing development or getting to see the type of work individuals put in outside the lines.  A player's progress is key in reviewing his potential and in ranking him among other prospects, as are his age, his proximity to helping the big league team and other factors as well. ...

It's another edition of the (usually) weekly off-season league rundown.  Check it out, as we take a tour around the globe for a look at Phillies talents participating in various autumn and winter league action. Dominican League- Antonio Bastardo (pictured, right) made his DR League season debut on Saturday, throwing a scoreless frame and allowing no baserunners for Cibao.  Bastardo tossed a 1-2-3 inning against Este, closing it out by getting Phils catcher Steven Lerud to fly out.  The 27-year-old lefty was 2-5 with a 4.33 ERA and a save in 65 games for the Phillies in 2012. Lerud sports a .200 batting average with a double, a home run and four RBI in 19 games.  The 28-year-old made his big league debut with the Phils during the 2012 regular season. Veteran lefty Raul Valdes has tallied a 1-2 record with a 3.81 ERA in seven starts for Este.  The 35-year-old had a 2.90 ERA and held opponents to a .168 batting average against in...

Throughout the off-season, I have checked in with various players from around the Phillies organization to gauge their thoughts on fall/winter leagues they've played in and what their outlooks are going forward.  Recently, I spoke with outfielder/first baseman Darin Ruf , who mashed 38 home runs and drove in 104 runs for Double-A Reading before making his major league debut with the big league Phils in September, when he batted .333 and added another three homers in 12 games. A 20th round draft selection out of Creighton University in 2009, the righty hitting Ruf played for La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League, posting a .258 batting average with 10 home runs and 27 RBI in 32 games.  Ruf's long year of baseball, that began with spring training, ended the week of Thanksgiving Day, so the 26-year-old could rest up for next season, when he is expected to compete for an opening day roster spot with the Phillies. Read ahead to check out what the man they call "Babe...