All across the system today, starters managed their games without throwing a ton of strikeouts. David Buchanan led the org with 5k/5.2IP, Perci Garner has 2K/6IP, Miguel Nunez 1K/6.2IP, and Tyler Viza 1K/6IP.

Quite a first impression Gabriel Lino is leaving on the Florida State League – 2-4 with a home run in his first game for Clearwater. Aaron Altherr was 3-4 with a 2B for Reading, while Logan Moore went 1-3 and also doubled in his AA debut. Moore was a JuCo draftee four years ago, and he’ll need to be protected this off season or exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. I have a hard time believing he’d make a big league club out of spring training in 2015, so I’d guess he’s safely a Phillie next year, protected or not.

And finally, J.P. Crawford hit his second long ball of the year, to go along with two bases on balls. He’s got 13 walks now, and just 15Ks in just shy of 100 PAs. His OPS in .931 over his last ten games, driven by a higher OBP than SLG. He’s walked nine times in those ten games, and managed 11 hits, but just two for extra bases. I’m not sure how he’ll hold up over a full year, but if he manages to OPS near the .794 he’s sporting right now, as a 19-year-old in Lakewood, he’ll make every top 100 list in the off-season, and possibly push his way into the Top 50 on a majority of those. You’re already allowed to get excited, but a full year of this will open up the floodgates of prospectorial gushing the likes of which Philly hasn’t seen since Dom Brown was beginning his ascent towards an eventual peak as BA’s mid-season #1 overall in 2010.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/27/2014 →

Jonathan Pettibone pitched well enough, but Cesar Jimenez and Phillippe Aumont gave up four runs in the seventh (all charged to Jimenez), to let the game get away from Lehigh Valley. Did you know Aumont is French for “Inherited Runners Score”? Versatile language, there. Maikel Franco was 0-5, while Steve Susdorf, Koyie Hill and Tyler Henson all had multi-hit games. That previous sentence really gets you excited about the future, doesn’t it?

Cameron Perkins had a hit and a walk in Reading’s shutout loss in New Hampshire. He’s got six walks on the year, a 7.5% pace, compared to 5.9% last year. We’ll see if he keeps that up. Jon Prosinski put up what was easily his best line of the year for CLR – 1R, 6H, 2BB, 4K in 7IP. The 2013 draftee out of Seton Hall had been hit around pretty hard before Saturday’s action.

Samuel Hiciano went 3-4 with his first home run of the year for Lakewood, while Carlos Tocci had two hits and J.P. Crawford drew two walks in support of another relatively dominant performance from Mark Leiter Jr., who allowed just four hits, two walks and struck out five in eight scoreless innings. And so begins the every-fifth-day ritual of talking about Mark Leiter Jr.

Leiter’s FIP is now under 3.00 on the year, a pretty good indicator of his status versus the league they’ve got him in. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him promoted the next time a rotation spot opens up in Clearwater, or for the club to just make a spot for him by mid-May otherwise. I don’t know that he’s much more than a middle relief prospect at best, but there’s little for him to prove against the mostly younger competition in the SAL. I was planning on trying to catch Lakewood in Hagerstown in a couple weeks whenever Lucas Giolito pitches for HAG, but now I may aim for Leiter. Ok, probably not, but that’s totally something I would do.

Continue reading Box Score Recap – 4/26/2014 →