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Last year's top Phillies draft choice righty pitcher Shane Watson did not see much action during his initial pro stint.  Many in the organization and around baseball are extremely high on the 6-foot-4-inch 195-pounder, as he possesses skills that earned him considerable regard and made him the 40th overall pick.   Pitching for Lakewood High School, located in the suburbs of Los Angeles, CA, last year, Watson posted a 4-3 record with a 1.19 ERA in 11 games. In 53 innings of work, he allowed just 36 hits while striking out 79 batters. Watson wasn't the first player who attended Lakewood High School taken by the Phillies in the opening round of the MLB amateur draft.  Travis d'Arnaud, who played with Shane's older brother, Scott, was the Phillies' 1st round selection (37th overall) in 2007 out of Lakewood as well. Although he was committed to pitch for USC, Watson signed his first pro contract, reportedly worth $1.3 Million, and later debuted with the Gulf ...

Larry Greene Jr., quietly began his ascension upward in the developmental ranks last season, after being selected in the supplemental 1st round, 39th overall, by the Phillies in 2011. In his senior year of high school, the lefty batting Greene became an All-American, posting a .536 average in 30 games with 11 doubles, 19 home runs, 52 RBI and 37 walks. Greene worked out with the Gulf Coast League Phillies late in the 2011 season, after signing his first professional contract, which came with a reported $1 million signing bonus.  He also spent some time at the Florida Instructional League as well that year. Despite sitting out a good deal of time at Instructs with a groin injury, the slugger was able to take in plenty of batting practice and put himself on display for the brass in attendance, who were there to see many of their newly drafted prospects.  The ailment resulted in some downtime through the winter months and Greene wasn't in the best shape when he re...

Swift footed outfielder Ender Inciarte was picked up by the Phillies this past December in the MLB Rule 5 draft. The lefty batting Venezuelan looked extremely promising in his days in the Diamondbacks system, which drew the interest of the Phils. Signed as a amateur free agent in 2008, Inciarte began his professional career in the Dominican Summer League, batting .300 with minimal power (seven doubles were his only extra-base hits) while stealing 22 bases in 28 opportunities in 62 games. The 5-foot-11-inch 160-pounder then moved on to the rookie level Pioneer League, where he batted .325 with 14 doubles, a triple and a homer in 66 contests for Missoula in 2009. He also stole 10 bases in 14 chances. The following year, Inciarte split time at low A and full season Class A, posting a .229 average with 13 doubles, seven triples and one home run while utilizing his speed even less, swiping seven in 12 chances. In 2011, Inciarte spent the entire season with Class A South Bend of t...

Infielder Kevin Frandsen proved to be one of the most pleasant surprises for the Phillies in 2012.  In a season that saw the infield struggle with injuries, the team called up the California native to fill a void at third base and he proved to be a worthy addition.  Frandsen, who was an International League All-Star last year for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, joined the Phillies in late July and proceed to notch a .338 average with two homers and 14 RBI in 55 contests. The 30-year-old Frandsen, who is a .267 career big league hitter, is slated to be the key reserve for a Phils infield that projects to be at full health headed into the 2013 season.  Last week, I spoke with Kevin about his success with the Phillies, his two managers from last season, his unique foundation and more.  Read ahead to check out the full interview. -Kevin, you had a lot of success last year at the Triple-A level and in the majors.  I just wanted to get some thoughts from you on wha...

In order to clear space on their 40-man roster, following the signing of free agent pitcher Chad Durbin this week, the Phillies designated righty hurler J.C. Ramirez for assignment. The 24-year-old was originally acquired by the Phillies in the December, 2009 trade that sent Cliff Lee to Seattle. The Nicaragua native showed some promise at times, but had not been consistent in the Phillies organization, tallying a 21-22 record along with a 4.53 ERA over 95 appearances at three levels. Additionally, Ramirez struggled this off-season, producing a 12.38 ERA in 12 relief outings with La Guaira of the Venezuelan League. During the 2012 season, Ramirez had been moved from the bullpen, after serving as a starter with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Double-A Reading over the previous two seasons. Ramirez, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, long wanted to prove his worth to Phillies fans, after the organization had dealt away a prominent star in a trade to acquire him alo...

Right-hander Tyler Knigge (pronounced kuh-NIG-ee) proved himself to be a fast rising pitching prospect last year, as he dominated with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers and later earned a promotion to Double-A Reading. Drafted in the 12th round of the 2010 draft out of Lewis-Clark State College, Knigge made his pro debut that year, pitching with the Gulf Coast League Phillies and the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters, sporting a 0-4 record along with a 5.28 ERA in 11 outings (four starts). He would pitch in the Florida Instructional League that year as well. The following season, Knigge was a strong performer with Class A Lakewood, pitching exclusively out of the bullpen, where he looked tougher on opposing batters, tallying a 4-3 record, four saves and a 3.32 ERA. In an effort to increase his own stamina, Knigge lost approximately 15 pounds over the 2011-2012 off-season. With improved conditioning, Knigge was amazing with Clearwater last year, posting a 0...

Widely recognized as the Phillies' top prospect, lefty hurler Jesse Biddle can't wait to get his 2013 season going. In attendance for the Phillies winter charity banquet at Lakewood's Woodlake Country Club last week, Biddle looked forward to the event for weeks, as he feels rubbing elbows with Phils brass like assistant general manager Benny Looper, director of player development Joe Jordan, and manager Charlie Manuel , as well as seeing the fans, kicks things into baseball mode after a lengthy stretch of winter weather all throughout his home region in western Pennsylvania and New Jersey. "I love coming back for events like this," Biddle said with a smile. "This is my Lakewood family. Being around the whole environment here, everybody is just so excited to be talking baseball again right now. It's January, so there's not a lot of baseball stories right now and to be able to come to something like this, it just gets me ready for the seaso...

Kelly Dugan was the Phillies' top draft pick (2nd round, 75th overall) back in 2009.  Since then, it's been a bit of a slow progression in the pro ranks, but after a solid season with Class A Lakewood in 2012, the California native has shown that he is ready to make an impact in the organization. Much hype surrounded Kelly upon being drafted to the Phillies, as an image of him on the set of his director father Dennis Dugan's film Grown Ups, with many of Hollywood's comedy elite, made the rounds.  Through his career, though, Dugan has dealt with a collection of injury concerns that have prevented the 6-foot-3-inch 195-pounder from fully establishing himself as a potential rising star. After signing his first professional contract, Dugan, who was working on being a switch-hitter at the time, debuted with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, posting a .233 average with eight doubles, a triple and eight RBI in 45 games.   The following year, with the GCL team and short-se...

This week, at the Phillies' winter charity banquet in Lakewood, NJ, I had the opportunity to speak with Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan about many matters related to the Phillies developmental system.  Included in the topics of discussion were the depth at the catcher position, the team's plans for some of their youngest prospects and two former top draft picks among other things. Prior to joining the Phils last off-season, the former pro catcher held the position of director of scouting with the Baltimore Orioles.  The University of Oklahoma product also previously worked in scouting with the Expos and Marlins. Read ahead for that full interview. - Looking back on last year, it seems the system underwent a bit of a refined approach since you were hired, with several players from the 2012 draft class quickly made their debuts with Class A full season Lakewood.  In previous seasons that was rather rare.  Can you speak on that a bit? ...

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel grows older each year, but you'd never know it from the gusto he exudes when talking about a new season ready to blossom. Decades of the baseball grind, thousands of miles worth of annual travel, countless ups and downs and the pressure that comes with coaching in the most demanding sports city in the nation simply don't take a toll on the 69-year-old. Appearing at the annual charity winter banquet held at Lakewood, NJ's Woodlake Country Club on Wednesday, Manuel smiled and expressed considerable enthusiasm toward what's to come. The baseball lifer, whose days in pro ball date back to 1963, beamed as though he was slated to begin his coaching career instead of heading into what some deem as potentially being his final year leading a team, as his contract is up following the season. Manuel, who is entering his ninth season as the skipper of the Phils, is excited about many aspects of the current team, despite finishing last seaso...

The Phillies announced today that six additional non-roster players have been invited to big league spring training.  The list of new names extended the invitations includes former big leaguer Joe Mather , third baseman Cody Asche , lefty hurler Adam Morgan , catcher Tommy Joseph and right-handed pitchers Justin Friend and Kyle Simon . Mather, an outfielder who was signed recently as a free agent on a minor league deal, batted .209, with five homers and 19 RBI in 103 games with the Cubs last season. A third round draft pick in 2001, Mather also has Major League experience with the Braves and the Cardinals. Asche, the Phils' 4th round pick in 2011, posted great numbers in his first full pro season in 2012. The 22-year-old University of Nebraska product tallied a combined .324 average with 12 home runs and 72 RBI in 130 combined games at Class A Advanced Clearwater and Double-A Reading last season. Morgan, who was selected in the 3rd round of the 2011 draft, progre...

Tyler Cloyd dominated in the minors last season thanks to a refined repertoire and top-level command. Running through Eastern League and International League competition, Cloyd reached the big leagues by season's end and is in a position to potentially help the big club in the coming season. An 18th round draft selection in 2008, Cloyd began his pro career that  year, posting a 7-4 record with a 3.91 ERA in 14 outings combined with  the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies and short-season Class A Williamsport. Since then, the 6-foot-3-inch  210-pounder has had winning records every season, while alternating  between starting and relief duties. In 2009, splitting time between Class A Lakewood and Class A  Advanced Clearwater, Cloyd went 12-9 with a 3.54 ERA in 27 games (26  starts).  In 2010, Cloyd made 31 relief appearances and four starts for Clearwater, posting a 4-3 record with a  5.32 ERA.  He also made two appearan...