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Mickey Moniak, image- Jay Floyd Despite what overly critical fans online say, Phillies minor league outfielder Mickey Moniak has taken considerable strides and is a genuine prospect on the rise. This year, he opened the regular season as a 20-year-old in the Double-A Eastern League. As a member of the Reading Fightins, Moniak notched a .252 average in 119 games while leading the league in triples with 13, ranking 2nd in extra base hits with 52 and coming in 4th in RBI with 67. In recent weeks, the lefty hitting Moniak tallied a .186 average with four doubles, two triples and three stolen bases in 17 games for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League. A while back I talked with Mickey to discuss some of his interests off the field including food, music, Star Wars and more.  To hear this exclusive interview , head on over the Patreon.com/PhoulBallz to support my work and get access to this audio and so much more material that you won't find anywhere else.  

Over the off-season, sometimes this site can go stretches of several days without a post or an update, but if you're looking for constant news, stats and insight on what is taking place with Phillies developmental talents throughout the autumn and winter months, follow me on Twitter or simply bookmark my Twitter profile page ( https://twitter.com/PhoulBallz ) to get daily alerts and details. In the Dominican Winter League thus far, catcher Deivy Grullon and shortstop Malquin Canelo have each posted a .143 batting average in four games for their respective teams. In the Arizona Fall League, where Phils prospects are playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions, corner infielder Alec Bohm is sporting a .361 batting average with a pair of homers, nine RBI and five walks in 19 contests. Righty pitcher Spencer Howard has notched a 1-1 record with a 2.11 ERA and an 11.4 K/9 mark in six starts. In eight appearances left-hander JoJo Romero has posted a 1-0 record, a 0.84 ERA and ...

Continuing with my multi-part exclusive interview with 2019 Lakewood pitching coach Matt Hockenberry, here's another entry. In this post, Hockenberry talks about the success of his young staff and their improvements throughout the season this year.  He also discusses exciting 19-year-old right-hander Francisco Morales , his ceiling and what the future could hold for the talented Venezuelan.  He also discusses hurler Victor Santos and plenty more. Morales, who stands six-foot-four and is listed at 85 pounds, notched a 3.82 ERA, a .226 batting average against, a 1.32 WHIP as well as a 12.0 K/9 mark in 27 appearances for the BlueClaws. Read ahead for this portion of my interview with Matt Hockenberry that can't be found anywhere else! Here's a brief sample of "Hock" chatting about his team keeping momentum going throughout the 2019 campaign: You’ve got guys like Manny Silva, Francisco  Morales, you’ve got (Victor) Santos that have continued to tak...

Matt Hockenberry, image- Jay Floyd Over on my Patreon page , I am serving up a multi-part interview with 2019 Class A Lakewood pitching coach Matt Hockenberry. Part one features Big Hock talking about 22-year-old Dominican righty Rafi Gonell and his progress.  Part two includes quotes from Hockenberry discussing righty reliever Albertus Barber 's story of reaching the pro ranks and excelling as an undrafted free agent and his progress.  Also in part two, the subject of pitches thrown in two-strike counts by the BlueClaws and improving their walk rate throughout the season is addressed. Part three will land later this week and will include insight on promising hurler Francisco Morales . To access exclusive content such as these quotes from Hockenberry, please visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz and support my work. Sample of the material included in the Hockenberry interview excerpts... I think it’s a great story.  The fact  that (Barber) played some ju...

A couple of weeks into action, here's a rundown of how Phillies players are performing in the Arizona Fall League. Each Phillies prospect plays for the Scottsdale Scorpions. The team has a 6-6 record through 12 games this year.   Alec Bohm, image- Jay Floyd Third baseman Alec Bohm in eight games sports a .387 batting average with two doubles and five RBI.  The righty hitting Bohm was the Phillies' first round draft selection in 2018. In four games, Josh Stephen has tallied a .455 average with a triple and one RBI.  The 22-year-old lefty batter was an 11th round draft selection in 2016 by the Phils. Center fielder Mickey Moniak has notched a .161 batting average with a double, a triple, four RBI and a stolen base in seven contests with Scottsdale.  The 21-year-old lefty hitter was the first overall selection in the 2016 draft. In three games, infielder Nick Maton is batting .333 with a double a home run and a pair of RBI.  The lefty batting ...

Jimmy Smith, image- Jay Floyd Jimmy Smith was an outfielder in the Phillies organization during the during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. A Central Washington product, the righty batting Smith wassigned by the Phils as an undrafted free agent. In 65 combined games in the Gulf Coast League and with Class A Lakewood, the 24-year-old notched a .250 average with four home runs and 27 RBI. After dealing with an injury and difficulties improving on offense this year, Smith was released. However, prior to his departure from the Phillies organization, I spent some time with Jimmy talking about hip hop music, television, liking the Eagles and Allen Iverson and some more. This is one of my favorite interviews I have done in a while as Jimmy and I had a good time. I was initially saving this for a different outlet, but I can't hold it back any longer. I have posted this audio as an exclusive for Patreon members.  You can support my work by heading over to Patreon.com/PhoulBallz ...

Nick Maton, image- Jay Floyd A few weeks ago I talked with infielder Nick Maton about his 2019 regular season, his assignment to head out and get extra work in the Arizona Fall League and more. The 22-year-old was the Phillies' 7th round draft selection in 2017.  The lefty batting Maton opened the year with Class A Advanced Clearwater.  In 93 games for the Threshers, he notched a .276 batting average with 14 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 45 RBI. Promoted to Double-A Reading in early August, Maton would post a .210 average with three doubles, a pair of round-trippers and six RBI in 21 games for the Fightin Phils. Primarily a shortstop, Maton also saw action at second base and third base this year. For complete audio of my interview with Maton, please head on over the Patreon.com/PhoulBallz and support my work.  Patreon members get exclusive content and early access to other posts.  You won't be disappointed.

Arquimedes Gamboa, image- Jay Floyd Prior to the end of the regular season, I spoke with Double-A Reading manager Shawn Williams about several topics including outfielders Cornelius Randolph and Josh Stephen (click each of those individuals' names for those features).  Among other things the team's skipper discussed with me were the assignment of several of his players going to the Arizona Fall League this month, what he saw from infielder Arquimedes Gamboa despite a lackluster offensive stat line as well as the progress of top prospects Alec Bohm and Spencer Howard .  Read ahead for those quotes. -Your team has several guys going to the Arizona Fall League.  I just wanted to get your opinion of how that can help their development. It definitely does.  It's a really competitive league.  You've got all the best players, pretty much, from all the organizations.  I was fortunate enough to be out there two years ago.  I think it's a lot o...

Micucci (right) with Luis Garcia in August, image- Jay Floyd Early on Monday, I tweeted a bit of a teaser about Phillies minor league staffing moves I had learned about from a pair of sources.  Unclear when the personnel had learned of their fates, I did not want to report the news until all parties had time to address the news in their own ways. As has been reported by at least another outlet to this point, I am able to confirm that 2019 Class A Lakewood manager Mike Micucci will not be returning to the organization.  Additionally, base running and bunting coordinator Rob Ducey , Gulf Coast League coach Charlie Hayes and Triple-A pitching coach Steve Schrenk are also done in the Phils system. Micucci was a north Jersey native in his youth and had been hired by the organization less than a year ago.  He worked with Phillies general manager Matt Klentak in Anaheim, which makes his termination even more surprising. Players that saw action for the BlueClaws thi...

HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING YEAR ROUND BY BECOMING A PATRON!  Get early access to articles like this, EXCLUSIVE interviews and plenty more- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Jonathan Hennigan, image- Jay Floyd It was a solid campaign in 2019 for lefty pitcher Jonathan Hennigan .  He opened the season with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers and earned a promotion to Double-A Reading in May. As Clearwater's closer, Hennigan tallied a 0-1 record with seven saves, a 2.25 ERA and a .178 batting average against in 14 appearances.  After joining the Fightin Phils, the 25-year-old was a key contributor in the bullpen, notching a 3-4 record with two saves, a 4.47 ERA and a .275 batting average against.  Overall, the six-foot-four 190-pounder sported a 9.5 K/9 mark and averaged 4.6 BB/9. Prior to the end of the minor league season, I talked with Hennigan, a 21st round draft pick by the Phillies in 2016, about his season, his g...

Alec Bohm, image- Jay Floyd Mike Drago, who covers the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils for the Reading Eagle, is back with his annual prospect survey. Each August, Mike surveys a collection of writers, broadcasters and media types that cover the Phillies minor league levels closely to collect each person's list of ranked Phillies prospects. Using a point system, awarding points based on rank, he will tally out a complete list of all the organization's best developmental talents. Per Mike, third baseman/first baseman Alec Bohm was listed as the top prospect on two-thirds of the submissions. Here is a sample of the list, the top 10, right from the Reading Eagle piece. 1. Alec Bohm: Batted .367 at Lakewood. Scored a .395 on-base percentage at Clearwater. Slugged .500 at Reading. Pretty good for his first full season as a pro. Charlie Manuel gives him high marks for his approach as a hitter and thinks he could hit 40 bombs in the big leagues some day. What's not...

HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING YEAR ROUND BY BECOMING A PATRON!  Get early access to articles like this, EXCLUSIVE interviews and plenty more- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Warren w/ Lakewood in 2018, image- J. Floyd Lefty pitcher Zach Warren is fresh off another solid season in the Phillies' developmental ranks and is headed to the prestigious Arizona Fall League this off-season to work on his craft. In 40 contests this year with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, Warren had a 1-3 record with seven saves, a 3.30 ERA and a 12.0 K/9 mark.  Last year he was a force at Class A Lakewood where he notched a 3-2 record with 15 saves, a 1.91 ERA and a 15.9 K/9 mark. Warren, a Vineland, NJ native, was selected by the Phillies in the 14th round of the 2017 draft out of Tennessee. Last week I chatted on the phone with Zach about his 2019 season, his pitch repertoire, his anticipation for AFL action, growing up as a Phillies fan and p...