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  • PHuture Phils

    don't know how much info some of you have received on the minors, so here you go




    Tug Haines, Don Holohan/Reading Fightin Phils
    Future Phillies Report: Power from Alfaro, Cozens; Crawford settles in at AAA

    By Corey Seidman | CSNPhilly.com May 26, 2016 2:15 PM


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    J.P. Crawford is settling in at Triple A, Jorge Alfaro and Dylan Cozens continue to show power, and Zach Eflin threw seven more shutout innings for the IronPigs.
    All of that and more in this week's Future Phillies Report:
    C Jorge Alfaro (AA)
    The home run Alfaro hit Monday in Reading was such a no-doubter that Erie centerfielder JaCoby Jones didn't even turn around. Alfaro's blast landed on the top of the hill in center at FirstEnergy Stadium, his third of the season.
    The hard-hitting catcher continues to impress at Double A. He's gone 11 for 29 (.379) with a homer and five RBIs since our last check-up, posting four multi-hit games in his last seven. Alfaro is up to .353 on the season with an .897 OPS that would be higher if he had walked more than twice on the year.
    Alfaro has never been the most patient hitter. He has one goal at the plate and that's to do damage, and so far this season he's been Reading's top run producer. Alfaro has 11 extra-base hits and 21 RBIs in 24 games.
    He also continues to stand out behind the plate. Alfaro has thrown out three more base-stealers over the last week to make him 8 for 18 on the season.
    Alfaro finds himself in a tricky situation. He's hitting enough to warrant a call-up to Triple A, but the Phillies aren't going to promote him and create a logjam behind the plate at Lehigh Valley with Andrew Knapp. And even if Knapp may eventually have to switch positions, it's in the Phils' best interest to keep developing both players as catchers in the meantime.
    Instead, look for Alfaro to stay at Double A, where the Phillies will hope he can stay healthy and build confidence by continuing to torch Eastern League pitching.
    SS J.P. Crawford (AAA)
    Six games into his Triple A career, the Phillies' top prospect is 6 for 20 (.300) and has walked four times. Of course he has. Crawford's walked nearly once a game this season, with 34 in 42 games, one every 5.6 plate appearances.
    He's converted all 20 defensive chances in his first week with the IronPigs.
    Crawford earned the promotion last Friday after hitting .265 with a .398 on-base percentage for Double A Reading. This is his last stop before the majors, which Crawford figures to get a taste of this September. From there, you could see him battle for the Phillies' opening day shortstop job next spring.
    Crawford has been batting second for the IronPigs, a lineup spot he figures to occupy once he sticks in the majors. Crawford doesn't have a ton of speed, but his ability to work counts, make contact and reach base at a high clip make him a prototypical No. 2 hitter.
    He's faced some solid pitching prospects so far at Triple A. Crawford went 3 for 4 Friday in a game started by lefty Henry Owens (Red Sox). Earlier in the series against Pawtucket he faced left-handers Eduardo Rodriguez and Roenis Elias (Red Sox). Crawford went 1 for 2 with two walks over the weekend against Toledo's Daniel Norris (Tigers).
    RHP Zach Eflin (AAA)
    Ho-hum, another dominant start from the Phillies' 22-year-old right-hander speeding toward The Show. Seven more shutout innings from Eflin Tuesday at Pawtucket improved him to 5-0 with a 2.05 ERA in eight starts. He's struck out 45 and walked eight in 52⅔ innings and held his opponents to a .182 batting average.
    Lefties are hitting just .191 against Eflin with one extra-base hit in 71 plate appearances. In fact, he's allowed just seven extra-base hits all season, or one every 28.3 plate appearances.
    Eflin's 0.80 WHIP leads the International League.
    The 6-6 sinkerballer just continues to go deep into games and pitch low-stress innings. In his last three starts, Eflin has pitched 21 innings and allowed one run on just 10 hits. He's walked one batter each game and struck out 17. He's been very efficient, averaging 14.7 pitches per inning.
    Eflin is six months younger than Aaron Nola, who debuted with the Phillies last season a month after turning 22. Eflin could follow suit this summer. If he keeps rattling off performances like this, he could eventually crack the Phillies' rotation. A spot would open if a pitcher is injured, if Jeremy Hellickson is traded, if Adam Morgan struggles or if the Phillies limit Vince Velasquez's innings.
    RHP Jake Thompson (AAA)
    Thompson gave up three home runs last Friday and another on Thursday, but all were solos. He followed an eight-inning, three-run, eight-strikeout performance last Friday by allowing three runs in 5⅔ innings Thursday.
    After allowing 13 earned runs in his first four starts, Thompson has given up just seven in his last five. He has a 1.93 ERA and a .193 opponents' batting average over that span, and his groundball rate has risen from 35 percent to 48 percent.
    The homers Thompson allowed last Friday were to Casey McGehee, Tyler Collins and Chad Huffman. The one he allowed Thursday was to Rusney Castillo. All have played in the big leagues at some point.
    Thompson was not sharp early on Thursday but eventually settled in, as he did last week, jamming lefties in and utilizing a two-seam fastball that broke down and in to righties.
    In nine starts with Lehigh Valley, Thompson is 3-4 with a 3.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 7.0 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.7 walks.
    RHP Mark Appel (AAA)
    Though Appel was having some early-season success in his first year in the Phillies' system, the number of men he was putting on base and stranding foretold some eventual regression and that's been the case his last four starts. Appel recorded just two outs on Sunday before exiting for Lehigh Valley.
    Appel's velocity was down to the 88 to 90 mph range, which is problematic given the relative flatness of his fastball. If he's sitting in that range he is going to get hit around, period.
    The trouble began when he walked Anthony Gose on a full count to start the game. Dixon Machado followed with a double down the left-field line on a high, 88 mph fastball. After a groundout, Appel hung a curveball that was nearly hit out of the park by Huffman for an RBI double. Three of the next four batters reached and Appel was removed for Severino Gonzalez, having allowed four runs on four hits and two walks in just two-thirds of an inning.
    There was just nothing special about Appel's stuff. His velocity early in games had been 93 to 95 mph, which helped him avoid allowing any runs in the first inning prior to last weekend. But if you were to just arrive at the ballpark Sunday and watch Appel without knowing his name, you'd have never guessed he was a former first overall pick. Is it fair to mention his draft status after each start? Probably not, but that's part of the deal when you get taken first overall and make all that money before reaching the bigs. Appel is aware of that and doesn't fight it — he's learned to accept it.
    Through eight starts with Lehigh Valley, Appel is 3-3 with a 4.46 ERA and 1.57 WHIP, and he's trending in the wrong direction. Let's put it this way: It's no fluke that he's put 60 men on base in 38⅓ innings.
    OF Nick Williams (AAA)
    Williams went 0 for 7 with four strikeouts in a 15-inning game for the IronPigs earlier in the week but has hit in all five games since, going 8 for 18 with three doubles and a homer. Good to see him finally striking the ball with authority. Prior to the last four nights, Williams had just one extra-base hit in his previous 33 plate appearances.
    The 22-year-old is hitting .276/.311/.428 this season with seven doubles, two triples, four home runs, 20 RBIs, eight walks and 38 strikeouts.
    He's holding his own against righties, batting .295 with an .807 OPS, but the left-handed hitting Williams was just 8 for 44 (.182) with one walk and 14 K's against lefties prior to Thursday. That continued a theme from last year, when Williams hit .330 against righties and .210 against lefties.
    That's why his game Thursday was so promising. Williams went 3 for 3 with a double, a walk and a hit by pitch, reaching base five times against three different left-handers.
    OF Dylan Cozens (AA)
    From Williams we go to Cozens, who will not stop crushing the baseball. Since having his 11-game hit streak snapped last Thursday, Cozens has gone 6 for 23 (.261) with three doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs in his last six games.
    The season numbers for the giant lefty are startling: 14 doubles, 13 home runs, 39 RBIs and a .938 OPS in 45 games. Cozens leads the Eastern League in homers and slugging percentage (.587) and is second in doubles and OPS.
    Cozens is just 21, but he's powering himself up to Triple A. His success is adding intrigue to the Phillies' future outfield picture.
    C Andrew Knapp (AAA)
    Knapp is settling back in after a two-week slump, going 6 for 17 with three doubles and a homer in his last five games. The homer came against Tigers lefty prospect Matt Boyd, who went to Detroit from Toronto along with Norris in last summer's David Price trade.
    It's pretty apparent that Knapp is going to hit his way up at some point. He has a hit in 12 of his last 13 games, and over the last two seasons is batting .321 with a .574 slugging percentage and 77 RBIs in 90 games combined between Double A and Triple A.
    Knapp is working every day behind the plate to get better defensively. Reading manager Dusty Wathan has said his blocking has improved faster than his throwing. Base stealers are 15 for 18 this season against Knapp, who had Tommy John surgery in 2013.
    RHPs Ben Lively, Nick Pivetta (AA)
    Lively, the 24-year-old pitcher the Phillies acquired from the Reds for Marlon Byrd prior to the 2015 season, followed up his 12-strikeout effort with a quality start and win on Sunday. He allowed three runs on four hits over six innings to improve to 7-0 with a 1.87 ERA. He's struck out 49 batters in 53 innings and allowed just one home run.
    Pivetta, 23, is 4-3 with a 3.99 ERA in nine starts for Reading with 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Lively and Pivetta, who was acquired from the Nationals last summer for Jonathan Papelbon, have flown under the radar the first two months because of how many other top prospects the Phils have acquired. But they add to the organization's list of capable young right-handed pitchers.
    At some point in the next few years, some of these guys could be shifted to the bullpen. The Phillies won't have enough room in the rotation if most or all of their right-handers pan out.
    We're looking for people that are fundamentally different,” vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl said Saturday night. “The love and passion for football, it's non-negotiable. They're caring, their character, they do the right thing persistently, and they have a relentless playing style that you can see on tape. The motor, it burns hot. You see them finishing plays. They have a team-first mentality. They're selfless individuals.

  • #2
    Thanks mm. Don't get to keep up too much with the minors but it does look like th Phils have young talent, both at the major league level and some at the minor league level. Of course their play has let them get better picks. But you have to do well with those picks (and with plucking from other team rosters) so I do give them credit for turning things around.
    It sounds like they may not go for the Groom kid from Barnegat. My brother went to see him pitch at Campbell's Field a couple weeks back and was real impressed.
    Wait until next year is a terrible philosophy
    Hope is not a strategy
    RIP

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    • #3
      I'm bullish on the Phils based on their pharm system. The major league team is quickly coming back to earth but the options in the minors are really strong. They just need a little bit more seasoning before they are ready. Lehigh Valley and Reading are really good squads. We will have a little bit of a logjam in the OF here shortly which is hard to imagine based on the dregs we've been sending out in the corners. Altherr hopefully heals up well and then you have Nick Williams, Cam Perkins (who isn't on prospect lists but should be up NOW), Dylan Cozens, and Roman Quinn all at AAA or AA.

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      • #4
        I've watched the Cubs a couple of times this year and think what could be with the Phils soon as far as building with youth. These kids the Phils have look like they may actually be major league ball players and not bottom rung players. Not sure what the answer is at first but it definitely isn't Howard. Wouldn't mind seeing he and the team agreeing that he has an injury that forces his retirement so we can see if Tommy Joseph is ever going to be a major league player or if he is Dominic Brown in disguise.
        Wait until next year is a terrible philosophy
        Hope is not a strategy
        RIP

        Comment


        • #5
          I doubt Joseph is our 1B of the future. I'd hedge with it being one of

          Andrew Knapp (catcher who has struggled at times behind the plate)
          Jorge Alfaro (huge bat that we may want to get out from behind the plate)
          Maikel Franco (limited range at 3B may force the move to 1st)

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          • #6
            Future Phillies Report: Speedy Roman Quinn hitting for power from both sides
            By Corey Seidman | CSNPhilly.com June 02, 2016 11:45 AM


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            NL East Team W L Pct GB Washington 33 22 .600 - NY Mets 30 23 .566 2 Miami 29 26 .527 4 Philadelphia 27 28 .491 6 Atlanta 16 38 .296 16.5 Full Standings

            Copyright © 2016 by STATS LLC.
            All rights reserved.








            It took a little while, but the Phillies' top leadoff prospect is in a nice groove at Double A Reading, which is where this week's Future Phillies Report begins:
            CF Roman Quinn (AA)
            Quinn, the switch-hitting speedster who impressed last season and in his first big-league camp this spring, got off to a slow start for Reading in his return from a 2015 hip flexor tear. He hit .248 over his first 31 games with nine extra-base hits and 13 steals in 142 plate appearances.
            But over the last 15 games, Quinn's hit .354 with five doubles, two homers, 11 steals and 21 runs scored. He's had three hits in three of his last four games, punctuating the hot stretch Wednesday with a leadoff homer, two RBI doubles and a sacrifice fly in a lopsided Reading win in Portland.
            All three of Quinn's extra-base hits Wednesday came from the left side. He barreled the leadoff homer to right-center, lashed his first double to the opposite field and hit the second double over Red Sox CF prospect Andrew Benintendi's head.
            It's been a strong week for Quinn, who also homered and drove in three runs on Tuesday.
            Quinn is hitting .284/.360/.421 in 214 plate appearances this season. He's 24 for 29 in stolen base attempts and is on pace to reach double-digits in doubles, triples and home runs. He's struck out a lot, though, for a top-of-the-order bat, whiffing 51 times.
            Reading manager Dusty Wathan said at the end of April that Quinn was still trying to find his timing as a left-handed hitter. He is naturally right-handed. It's safe to say he's found that timing — in 159 plate appearances this season as a lefty, Quinn has hit .279/.365/.436 with all four of his triples and all three of his home runs.
            For Quinn, 2016 is all about staying healthy and remaining consistent at the plate. In five minor-league seasons, he has yet to exceed 88 games or 382 plate appearances.
            If the hot hitting continues, he could find himself later in the season at Triple A, where fellow prospect Nick Williams has played center field the majority of the time. Williams can play all three outfield spots, so if the Phils eventually deem Quinn ready for the next step on the minor-league ladder they could shift Williams to a corner outfield spot currently occupied by veteran Cedric Hunter or Cam Perkins.
            With his blazing speed and strong arm, Quinn is expected to stick in CF. It's the only position he's played in the Phillies' system since moving off shortstop early in the 2014 season.
            SS J.P. Crawford (AAA)
            From one leadoff man to another — Crawford went 6 for 20 (.300) with four walks in his first six games with Lehigh Valley before taking four straight 0-for-4s. He's hitting .195 through 11 games with the IronPigs with five walks and nine strikeouts.
            Defensively, Crawford is showing real signs of improvement. He has no errors in 95 innings and 43 defensive chances at Triple A. His fielding percentage for the year is .970, up from last year's .953 mark. Crawford committed 27 errors last season but is on pace for around 20 this year. The Phillies wanted to see him remain focused and make more of the routine plays this year and he has. They wanted to see the same thing at the major-league level from Freddy Galvis, who is having his best defensive season as Crawford zeroes in on taking his job some time soon.
            Crawford batted second when he first got to Lehigh Valley but has led off five games in a row, with Cody Asche batting second.
            In his last game Tuesday, Crawford singled in each of his first two at-bats and came around to score both times. He led off the game with a sharply hit line drive up the middle. In his second at-bat, he crushed a 1-2 pitch in between first and second base for another base-hit. It was a much-needed multi-hit game that Crawford is hoping breaks him out of the mini-skid.
            RHP Jake Thompson (AAA)
            Thompson had his worst start of the season on Tuesday, allowing eight runs (six earned) in 3⅔ innings in a start that pushed his ERA from 3.48 to 4.23.
            It started in the first inning when Thompson allowed a double and a single to the first two hitters he faced. He appeared to be on his way to getting out of the jam, but he was squeezed on a full-count pitch to put two men on with one out, and power-hitting Orioles prospect Christian Walker hit a three-run homer with two strikes on an up-and-in fastball that caught too much plate.
            Thompson was actually given a two-run lead when the IronPigs scored six runs over the first two innings, but he ran into two-out trouble in both the third and fourth innings. After striking out the first two hitters he faced in the third, Thompson allowed a double, two straight singles and a walk to Norfolk before stranding the bases loaded. In the fourth, he got two quick outs and then went single, single, single and was lifted after Asche made an error in left field to bring in two runs.
            The minor leagues are less about results and more about development. Thompson continues to show plus pitches, and he's tough to hit when he's commanding his curveball and has his two-seam fastball jumping back inside to a right-handed hitter. In that third inning, both strikeouts came on curveballs that had different looks. The first strikeout was on a slower hook in the high-70s that caused an awkward, late swing from a left-handed hitter. Thompson then pumped the next batter he faced with curveballs that ranged from 78 to 82 mph, striking him out on a sharp breaker that plummeted out of the zone.
            RHP Zach Eflin (AAA)
            Eflin was also hit around his last time out, allowing six runs on a season-high nine hits in five innings. It was his first loss of the season and raised his ERA from 2.05 to 2.81.
            It was a strange night for Eflin. He allowed back-to-back doubles to start the first, fourth and sixth innings. All six players came around to score. He had just one 1-2-3 inning but was able to work out of a few jams.
            Eflin allowed six doubles on the night after surrendering just five doubles and seven extra-base hits total in his first eight starts. It was an off night for the right-hander against a Louisville Bats (Reds' affiliate) lineup that doesn't have a ton of pop.
            Still, Eflin has a 0.88 WHIP and .207 opponents' batting average this season that both rank toward the top of the International League. He's responded well after both of his previous poor outings this season, following a five-run game with 6⅓ shutout innings and another five-run game with three straight brilliant seven-inning performances.
            Let's see how he responds this time. Eflin next pitches Friday night in Charlotte against the White Sox Triple A affiliate.
            OF Nick Williams (AAA)
            Williams had a nine-game hit streak snapped on Tuesday. In those nine games he went 14 for 33 (.424) with three doubles and two homers. The power is starting to arrive for Williams as the weather heats up.
            He's still striking out a lot, with 18 in his last 11 games and 48 in 187 plate appearances this season. He's walked three times in his last six games but still has just 10 for the year, a number the Phillies would like to see increase.
            At .279, Williams' batting average is 15 points below his career mark, and at .747 his OPS is 79 points lower. But this is, after all, his first stint at Triple A, and these first two months were also his first experience playing on the East Coast during a chilly spring. Prior to coming to the Phillies' system, all of Williams' minor-league stops with the Rangers were in hotter cities: Hickory (N.C.), Myrtle Beach (S.C.) and Frisco (Texas).
            Williams, a left-handed hitter, has been better lately against lefties, hitting his first home run against one on Memorial Day. On a 2-2 count, Williams drove a hanging slider out to right-center against former Phillie Andy Oliver, who had just been taken deep by left-handed hitting Asche.
            OF Dylan Cozens (AA)
            The power-hitting corner outfielder had his quietest week in quite a while, but still has a double, a homer and five RBIs in his last five games.
            Cozens continues to hit the ball hard when he makes contact — 30 of his 53 hits this season have been for extra bases (16 doubles, 14 home runs).
            He's hitting .272/.348/.569 at Reading this season, and in 62 games there dating back to the end of 2015, Cozens has hit .285 with 17 homers, 53 RBIs and a .933 OPS.
            Like several other Phillies prospects, Cozens strikes out a lot — 64 in 221 plate appearances and 19 in his last 11 games. A left-handed hitter, he's struck out in one-third of his plate appearances against lefties, but he does have six extra-base hits against them.
            It will be interesting to see which Reading outfielder — 23-year-old Quinn or 22-year-old Cozens — makes it up to Lehigh Valley first.
            C Jorge Alfaro (AA), C Andrew Knapp (AAA)
            Alfaro continues to be a key run producer for Reading. Through 30 games, he's hit .328 with a .500 slugging percentage, eight doubles, a triple, four homers and 26 RBIs.
            Alfaro, who has a hit in 12 of his last 14 games, got a bit lucky with his last extra-base hit Tuesday. He hit a towering shot to left field in Portland that appeared to be well foul, but the wind blew it back into fair territory and it caromed off the Green Monster-like wall for a double.
            Alfaro makes a lot of loud contact, something that stood out in spring training — against major-league pitching — when the ball just made a different sound coming off his bat.
            With offense pretty much nonexistent from the catcher position league-wide, Alfaro has the chance to be a unique player if he can stay healthy. There are not many catchers in the majors these days who have power, a strong arm and the ability to call a game.
            As for Knapp, he's not having nearly the season he had last summer with Reading, when he hit .360 with a 1.050 OPS in 55 games, but he's still hitting well for a catcher at Triple A. Knapp is batting .246/.325/.444 with 15 extra-base hits, 22 RBIs and 16 walks in 160 plate appearances for Lehigh Valley.
            With five errors and 15 stolen bases allowed in 20 attempts, Knapp is developing slowly defensively.
            RHP Mark Appel (AAA)
            Appel hit the DL last Friday with a shoulder strain. It was not much of a surprise after watching his fastball average 88-89 mph in the first inning of his last start. Prior to that, Appel was throwing 93 to 95 mph early in games.
            It was a much-needed break, both physically and mentally. Appel is 3-3 with a 4.46 ERA in eight starts. In his last four, he had an 8.27 ERA and put 32 men on base in 16⅓ innings.
            RHP Ben Lively (AAA)
            Appel's loss was Lively's gain. The right-hander took Appel's place in the Triple A rotation and has given the IronPigs two quality starts.
            Lively, 24, is 8-0 with a 2.18 ERA in 11 starts at Double A and Triple A this season. He's struck out 58 batters in 66 innings while walking 17. He's been taken deep just three times.
            At Lehigh Valley, Lively's lines have been: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K and 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K.
            Lively has a simple delivery and does not overpower hitters. His fastball sits in the high-80s for the most part. That lack of heat is why he's never really been regarded as a top prospect despite solid minor-league results.
            Let's see how long it lasts. The beauty of having so many right-handers close to the majors is that even if they all can't sustain their success or live up to the hype, the Phillies should still be able to fill out their future rotation with a few of them.
            We're looking for people that are fundamentally different,” vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl said Saturday night. “The love and passion for football, it's non-negotiable. They're caring, their character, they do the right thing persistently, and they have a relentless playing style that you can see on tape. The motor, it burns hot. You see them finishing plays. They have a team-first mentality. They're selfless individuals.

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            • #7
              Quinn is going to force a move for Odubel (probably LF I would think). Guy just needs to stay healthy.

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