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Cord Sandberg, image- Jay Floyd Following the organization's announcement that Double-A outfielder Cord Sandberg retired from baseball on Tuesday, the 23-year-old teased via a pair of social media posts that he's ready to pursue a dream in another sport. Sandberg, who was a well regarded quarterback in high school and was committed to Mississippi State prior to being selected by the Phillies in the 3rd round of the 2013 MLB amateur draft, posted images of himself on the gridiron playing quarterback. I want to thank the @Phillies for allowing me to chase a dream of mine for the last 6 seasons, but it’s time to chase another one. pic.twitter.com/TsFAiK2r3F — Cord Sandberg (@sandberg_cord) July 4, 2018 The lefty batting Florida native was hitting .231 with three homers and 11 RBI through 54 games with Reading this year. In his pro career Sandberg sported a .243/.298/.348 slash line. If the Twitter and Instagram teases prove true, he'll be the third Phillies ...

Last week I spoke with Triple-A Lehigh Valley pitching coach Dave Lundquist.  Among the topics of discussion were promising pitching prospects Enyel De Los Santos, Cole Irvin, Brandon Leibrandy, Drew Anderson, Tyler Gilbert and plenty others. Lundquist pitched in the major leagues with the White Sox and the Padres prior to joining the coaching ranks.  He has been with the Phillies developmental staff since 2008. Read ahead for the full interview... -You've got a couple International League All-Stars on your pitching staff.  Can you comment on those guys and the honor? Yeah, we got De Los Santos, who's been selected to be the starter for that game.  You know, that's a huge honor.  It goes back to his work ethic and what he's done, what he's accomplished all year.  The guy's had, you know, a tremendous first half.  Let him go enjoy that game and pick up the second half where he left off.   Cole Irvin, image- Jay Floyd With Irvin...

Williams with Lakewood in 2017, image- J. Floyd You would have a hard time finding a player that had a hotter offensive month in June than Clearwater's Luke Williams.  In 24 games the 21-year-old right-hander posted a .333 average with six doubles, a triple, six home runs and 20 RBI. The California native was the Phils' 3rd round draft selection in 2015.  Since then he's worked to improve and the time and patience has being paying off of late, as he has more than doubled his career home run total over the past month.  Also, as recently as June 3rd, his batting average dipped as low as .167, but has since shot up to .246 on the season in the Class A Advanced Florida State League. Strictly a third baseman until this season, Williams has added to his versatility by playing some outfield (left and center), some first base and a game at second base. Recently, I talked with Williams about his successful month of June.  Read ahead for that full interview.  ...

When the Twins put infielder Taylor Motter on the disabled list week, they needed a replacement.  What better man to answer the call than widely regarded multi-positional batsman Willians Astudillo? Oh, he's not highly regarded?  You don't even recall his playful attitude and ability to almost never strike out and almost never walk when he played in the Phillies organization?  Well, he's a .310 career hitter in Triple-A and he was the Rochester Red Wings leading batter this season. And in 2,342 plate appearances in the minors, Astudillo walked 80 times and walked in just 76 instances.  The infrequency of both occurrences is genuinely the reputation he's built for himself in his nine pro seasons.   Astudillo, a native of Venezuela, has played seven different positions (everything except center field and shortstop) in his minor league career.  When he made his big league debut at Chicago's Wrigley Field on Sunday, he split time in left field and center fi...

Wes Helms, image- Jay Floyd Former big league third baseman/first baseman Wes Helms took the dive into professional coaching this season as a coach in the Phillies organization for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The 42-year-old owns a .256 career average with 75 homers and 374 RBI in 13 season in the majors. With big league playing time for four organizations, Helms got to play with, against and for some legendary names.  I talked with Helms recently about which coaches inspired him, his path to a second career in professional baseball, which former Phillies teammates he keeps in touch with, his large souvenir collection and much more.  Read ahead for that full interview.  -You're new to this club this year and it's your first coaching in the Phillies' system.  What was your coaching background prior to taking this role? My last year playing was 2011.  I promised my wife I'd be home until my youngest got in school full time.  I waited til...

Zach Green, image- Jay Floyd The Double-A Eastern League announced it's  All-Star rosters on Friday and they included four representatives from the Reading Fightin Phils. Corner infielder Zach Green, outfielder Jan Hernandez, catcher Deivi Grullon and relief pitcher Edgar Garcia have all been named to the Eastern Division roster.  The game is slated to take place at Trenton's ARM & HAMMER Park on Wednesday, July 11th at 7PM. Green, the Phillies' 3rd round draft pick in 2012 has had an outstanding offensive campaign this year. In 57 games the 24-year-old righty batter sports a .290 batting average with 15 homers and 46 RBI. Hernandez was the Phils' 3rd round draft pick in 2013.  In 63 games this season, the 23-year-old righty hitter has notched a .286 average with seven homers, 35 RBI and five stolen bases. Grullon, a 22-year-old Dominican backstop, has come into his own this year, displaying plenty of progress.  In 48 games, the right-handed ...

Tyler Gilbert, image- Jay Floyd ALLENTOWN, PA-- Nerves can get the best of anyone in a high pressure situation or in a new or unfamiliar environment.  Right-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert is no different. Making his debut at the Triple-A level on Thursday night at Lehigh Valley's Coca-Cola Park, the 24-year-old struggled to find the strike zone.  Entering a game in which his team already trailed by two runs, Gilbert issued a four-pitch walk to the first batter he faced, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's Tyler Wade.  Two singles followed, an inherited runner scored, as did Wade, to give the RailRiders a four-run lead that they wouldn't relinquish. "I didn't feel like my legs were underneath me," Gilbert shared following the 6-3 IronPigs loss that gave S/W-B a split in the four-game set.  "I was a little nervous and kind of had a hard time finding the zone and ended up leaving balls over the plate that these guys can easily hit." In the following frame...

We're beyond the mid-season point for both full-season Class A teams and now would be as good a time as any to run down some of the top performers throughout the Phillies' minor league levels.  Class A Short-Season Williamsport Crosscutters-  Through four games, lefty hitting first baseman Edwin Rodriguez is batting .462 with two doubles and two RBI.  The 21-year-old Dominican spent the last two seasons playing in the Gulf Coast League. Outfielder Matt Vierling, who was the Phillies' 5th round draft selection out of Notre Dame this year, sports a .450 average with a triple, two RBI and two stolen bases through five contests.  The 21-year-old righty batter is a native of St. Louis.   Venezuelan born hurler Gustavo Armas had an outstanding start in his first appearance of the young season for the Cutters.  In seven innings of work he allowed no runs while striking out seven and walking none.  The righty, Armas, is 22-years-old. Class A ...

The Lakewood BlueClaws are sending six players to the Class A South Atlantic League All-Star Game, slated to be played on Tuesday evening at 7:05pm at First National Bank Field in Greensboro, NC. Following the last regular season game of the first half on Sunday, I talked with a pair of those BlueClaws All-Stars, third baseman Jake Scheiner and relief pitcher Addison Russ about representing their team in the mid-season exhibition, among some other things. Read ahead for quotes galore from this talented twosome. Jake Scheiner... -Some of the offensive guys I've talked to on the team have cited concern over a bit of under-performing at times this season.  Do you feel like you've performed up to personal expectations you may have had coming into the season? Yeah.  I felt like my numbers didn't show well in the beginning.  But, I stuck with my approach and kept it going and it led me to getting a nominated for the All-Star Game.  I think our whole line up ...

David Parkinson, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- It had been roughly four and a half hours since the Lakewood BlueClaws did what they needed to do on Sunday before they found out their first half fate.  With a start time of 5:05 PM for Kannapolis (White Sox affiliate), who were ahead of the BlueClaws in the Class A South Atlantic League North Division standings by .003 percentage points, it would be a few anxious hours, or more, until a trip to the 2018 postseason would be decided. Greensboro, the Marlins affiliate managed by former Phillies catcher Todd Pratt, completed a three-game sweep in Kannapolis to lock in a first half division title and a playoff spot for the BlueClaws. Lakewood's star on Sunday was lefty pitcher David Parkinson, the Phils' 12th round draft selection a year ago.  The 22-year-old struck out 11, walked none and allowed no runs on just three hits over seven innings of work to notch his sixth win of the season. The effort for Parkinson placed...

Dean Anna, image courtesy of Cheryl Pursell Lehigh Valley shortstop Dean Anna has been enjoying a strong month of June.  The 31-year-old veteran of 10 professional seasons sports a .291 average with three doubles and 10 RBI through 15 games this month.  Overall, on the season, the lefty batting Anna has notched a .262 average 63 contests to date. In 2008, Anna was a 26th round draft selection of San Diego.  He went on to reach the big leagues with both the Yankees and the Cardinals. Recently, I spoke with Anna about the 'Pigs' spot atop the International League division standings, being a veteran that can lead by example, which Yankee he viewed as a leader and plenty more.  Read ahead for the full interview.  -The team's been great.  Great record, first place. What are your thoughts on the group and the vibe? You know, the group here is amazing.  We've got really great team chemistry.  Everybody's pulling for each other.  It's ni...

David Parkinson, image- Jay Floys Starting pitcher David Parkinson is among the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws' collection of outstanding hurler this season.  Through 10 starts, the 22-year-old left-hander sports a 5-1 record with a 1.21 ERA, a .206 batting average against as well as a 10.9 K/9 mark. The Virginia native was a 12th round draft pick out of the University of Mississippi by the Phillies last year. Recently, I spoke with Parkinson about his wonderful results this year, lessons from his pitching coach Brad Bergesen, his game plan on the mound, meeting a big leaguer while competing in Little League and plenty more. Read ahead for that complete interview... -Your numbers, the whole pitching staff's numbers, have been remarkable.  Almost disgusting. Just an impressive season so far.  Talk about your efforts so far this season. I think us, collectively as a staff, are just controlling the games.  A small thing that "Bergy" teaches, our pitching coac...