Aaron Altherr made his big league debut, popping out as a pinch hitter in the twelfth inning. Maikel Franco was 2-4 with a double. Roman Quinn played his first pro game in centerfield. For Williamsport, fifth round pick Rhys Hoskins got his first professional hit, Cord Sandberg hit in his fourth straight game, and Ricky Bielski struck out two in a clean inning of work.
The SAL all-star game is Tuesday, and J.P. Crawford will be joining Clearwater on Wednesday.
Roman Quinn’s long-awaited debut in center field was delayed an additional 53 minutes tonight due to rain. However, once the game started, he did not have to wait long for his chance. The Lakeland Flying Tigers’ Chad Wright drove Ryan Demmin’s second pitch hard into the left-center field gap. Quinn closed ground with a nice, easy gait and caught the ball in front of the warning track. Continue reading Threshers; June 16, 2014
It was a mediocre 2-3 week for the Fightins over these past five contests, with a rainout thrown in against New Britain on Thursday. Let’s get to the big stories of the week, including one man on the comeback trail, and another getting his first taste of the Bigs.
You never know when the call will come. Just ask Aaron Altherr who was told today that we would be joining the Phillies as Tony Gwynn Jr. was placed on the bereavement list after the death of his father. As the only healthy OF on the 40 man roster, this was the easy way out for the Phils, however no other OF in the upper reaches of the organization stood out enough to warrant serious consideration right now.
Altherr, 23, was the Phils 9th round pick in the 2009 draft. After the starting the season on the DL (wrist) , and then slowly when he came off the DL, Altherr has been red hot as of late, hitting .392 with 1HR 9RBI and 2SB’s thus far in June for Reading. Altherr is a plus fielder and will fill in just fine in center field. At bat, Altherr struggles with a long swing at times, increasing his strikeout rate. He fits into the “toolsy” OF mold and can legitimately hit for power, show speed and hit for average when his swing is compact. On the year, Altherr is at .246/.302/.377 with 4HR 25RBI and 6SB. I wouldn’t expect Altherr to hang around with the Phils for long because he needs to continue playing every day, but I dont think he will embarrass himself any more than the next guy over the next few days.
Maikel Franco went 1-3 with a double and a walk to raise his OBP for the month to a whopping .408. Oh wait, that’s his OPS for the month. That’s not so whopping. But I may be weeping for a minute.
David Whitehead threw six hitless innings in his professional debut. The 2013 34th round pick, who missed last year after having Tommy John surgery a couple months before the draft, walked two and struck out five. Whitehead was #89 on BA’s 2013 pre-season Top 100 Eligible College Prospects, (one spot ahead of Andy Knapp), so he’s got more talent than round 34 would suggest. So everyone freak out.
Also in WIL, Cord Sandberg had his third two hit game to start the year. Perci Garner walked six in five+ innings for Reading, while Tyler Viza gave up nine hits in three+ for Lakewood. Willerker Isava went 3-4 in the VSL. The 2012 six-digit signee has been used sporadically this year, like he was last year.
A look at the production of catchers around the system. Next up, starting pitchers…
Lehigh Valley
Koyie Hill, 35, Signed as a free agent in 2014; .244/.344/.389 in 131 AB’s; 3HR 16RBI; 13%bb/21% k rates; .111 vs. LHP; .295 vs. RHP; .314 with RISP; Hitting .186 since May 1. 32 games caught with 1 error (.995); 3 passed balls; Has thrown out 48% (11/23) of base stealers.After a fast start during which he was forced to play alot of games due to Rupp’s injury, Hill has slowed considerably with the bat. Still calls a good game and is excellent defensively.
Cameron Rupp, 25, Phils 3rd round pick in 2010; .158/.295/.356 in 101 AB’s; 6HR 16RBI; 15%bb/35%k rate; .176 vs. LHP; .149 vs. RHP; .200 with RISP; Hitting .133 since coming off the DL. 28 games at C without an error; 1 passed ball; Has thrown out 37% (10/27) of base stealers; Rupp’s year has turned into quite a battle first with the oblique injury and now with significant struggles after coming back off the DL. Still playing very well defensively.
Reading
Logan Moore, 23, Phils 9th round pick in 2011 draft; .248/.307/.329 in 148AB’s between CLearwater and Reading; 0HR 15RBI; 7%bb/23%k rates; 45 games caught with 2 errors (.993); 3 passed balls; Has thrown out 33% (24/73); Moore has not embarrassed himself with the bat in Reading, forced to prematurely move up because of injuries. Moore legitimately profiles as a major league back up if he can produce even in a very limited fashion with the bat. Continue reading Around the System–Catcher
Jim Salisbury reports that Crawford will report to Clearwater Wednesday. Quinn to move to CF Monday.
http://www.csnphilly.com/baseball-philadelphia-phillies/phillies-promote-top-prospect-jp-crawford
Leandro Castro was 2-4 with two doubles and a walk. He turns 25 Sunday, and I think he’s next in line for an outfield spot at this point. He’s improved his game this year and I’d say he’s earned a shot ahead of any of the other options. Hoby Milner struck out six in seven innings, and Kyle Simon and Seth Rosin worked scoreless innings of relief to beat Altoona. Carlos Tocci stays hot with two hits on the night. I didn’t include the box from the FSL All-Star game, but I can tell you Art Charles was 0-1 with a K as a reserve.
Cord Sandberg had two his as well, his second straight multi-hit game. He also stole a bag. 20-year-old Venezuelan Ricardo Pinto struck out eight in 5.2IP in his stateside debut. Mitch Rupert had him touching 95 with his fastball. Things kind of fell apart for him in the sixth, but an eye-opening performance nonetheless.
Lehigh Valley got to Twins’ stud Alex Meyer early, knocking him out after two shaky innings where he threw 55 pitches, but only 29 for strikes. The Pigs’ staff made it hold up, shutting out the Rochester lineup on 10 hits and three walks. Brad Lincoln has an 18 inning scoreless streak going, and Luis Garcia hasn’t allowed a AAA run since April. He did have that little blip in there where he went to the bigs and got absolutely blasted over four appearances, but still.
Aaron Altherr, AKA “The Rhineland Rocket”, (yeah, almost no chance that sticks), continues to hit like a man possessed – his June OPS is up to 1.183. His hitting streak has cracked double digits, and he’s hitting .474 over the life of the streak. Goodness. And speaking of goodness, Severino Gonzalez struck out 10 over 6.1IP, though he also allowed nine hits, one of them of the “four bag” variety, and four runs. Take the goodness with the badness I suppose.
Every Blueclaw reached base safely, led by a rehabbing Cody Asche with two homeruns, and Carlos Tocci, Andrew Pullin and Andy Knapp, who all had three hits. Tocci’s OPS is back to .600, after an abysmal May had pulled it below. I notice also that he’s been caught stealing seven of the nine times he’s tried. That’s kinda lousy. Or all the way lousy. Or around 78% lousy, I guess.
Cord Sandberg had two hits in his NYPL debut, and Rhys Hoskins became the first 2014 draftee to take the field for the organization. Clearwater is on their all-star break, with Big Art Charles getting the team’s spot on the roster. The FSL is back Monday, as Lakewood’s break begins, with Crawford, Astudillo, Hiciano and Forsythe invited to that showcase.
Exiting the excitement that surrounded draft week, now is as good as time as any to look at how the Phils Top 5 prospects have changed since the beginning of the season. This is how it goes now from my perspective.
1. JP Crawford–I had Crawford ranked second pre-season and his continued excellence has only increased enthusiasm. He should shortly be moving to Clearwater and remains on target to hit Philadelphia late in 2016.
2. Aaron Nola–With his college pedigree, Nola is as “cant miss” as you can get in the draft. He isn’t a can’t miss superstar, but as close to a can’t miss #2 or #3 starter as possible. Those kind of players are clearly at a premium in any organization, let alone the Phillies.
3. Maikel Franco–I am still very high on Franco, but this years early season struggles make it clear that he has a few glaring weaknesses that need continued work at the minor league level. I expect Franco to have a long and successful career in Philadelphia, just not as soon as originally expected. Franco drops from #1 to #3.
4. Jesse Biddle–I am ready to buy in to the question marks. I have seen Biddle live look simply awesome in his 15+K performance against Harrisburg last year and also seen him struggle mightily with his command, while becoming clearly flustered by the occasional lack of defense behind him. He has the talent of a #2 starter. It is up to Biddle and the Phils to continue to develop it. He has dropped from #3 to #4 in my book.
5. Kenny Giles–Just to the majors last week, Giles still qualifies as a prospect with just a third of an inning of major league experience. As I am not about to put the label of #5 prospect on Carlos Tocci, who, albeit at 18, still struggles to hit the ball out of the infield or Kelly Dugan, who has had a half season filled with injuries. So, it becomes Giles who after a difficult year last year became the talk of the town for the first two and a half months of the season. He was lights out in Reading and did a decent job in Lehigh Valley with some notable command issues. His upside is very high as back-end of the bullpen guy who will strike out a ton of hitters. From from a finished product, best case scenario would have had him in Lehigh Valley until September.
Looking forward to the discussion….
Phuture Phillies 