Clearwater Threshers Recap – 7/23/2018

Box Score Recap

The Clearwater Threshers (50-48) beat St. Lucie, 3-0.  Alejandro Requena (3-2, 3.75) pitched six, two-hit innings, walking two, and striking out four.  Jonathan Hennigan (0.00) pitched two, shutout innings.  Addison Russ (3.29) picked up his third save with a perfect inning.

The Threshers scored a run in the third inning on Mickey Moniak’s sacrifice fly.  They added 2 insurance runs in the eighth on Edgar Cabral’s RBI triple and Kyle Martin’s RBI double.

Moniak (.248) went 1-4 with a double, RBI, SF.  Cabral (.245) went 2-3 with a run scored, triple, RBI, walk.

GCP Phillies East (16-12) postponed, rain.

GCL Phillies West (14-12) lost to the Pirates, 7-5.  Rafi Gonnell (2-1, 4.87) dug an early hole by giving up 5 runs in the first two innings.  He lasted 1.2 IP and gave up 4 hits and 3 walks. He struck out three.  Leonel Aponte (4.41) stranded an inherited runner and struck out five in 4.1 innings.  He gave up one run on 3 hits and walked none.  Jaylen Smith (7.36) pitched an inning and gave up a run on one hit and 3 walks.  Adam Cox (1.80) pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two.

The Phillies battled back but fell a couple runs short.  They scored a run in the second on a wild pitch following Logan O’Hoppe’s two-out triple.  They scored another run in the third on a bases-loaded double play.  And, another single run in the sixth on Luis Matos’ RBI single.  They concluded their scoring with 2 runs in the eighth on Logan O’Hoppe’s 2-run HR (1), his first as a professional.  (Actually, his triple was his first as a professional, too.)

Rather than list some of the day’s outstanding performers, here’s the box score.  I can’t get over the team and individual batting averages of the prospects on this team.

GCL Phillies West
Player Pos AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG*
Yerwin Trejo CF 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .310
Luis Garcia SS 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 .368
Abrahan Gutierrez C 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .326
Stoney O’Brien 1B 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .233
D.J. Stewart 3B 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .344
Logan O’Hoppe DH 4 2 3 0 1 1 2 0 1 .525
Christian Valerio 2B 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 .290
Luis Matos LF 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 .294
Corbin Williams RF 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .309
Totals 36 5 12 1 1 1 3 4 13 .318

Even with all the hitting above, they only went 1-11 with RISP.

They stole 3 bases – Valerio (3), Matos, L (2), and Trejo (11).

Trejo picked up an outfield assist at third base.  Ironically, it was the Pirates LF who was caught.  He returned the favor by throwing out our LF, Luis Matos, at third base … twice.

Lehigh Valley (60-39) no game scheduled.

Reading (47-53) beat New Hampshire, 9-3.  Felix Paulino (3.60) made his first AA start and pitched five innings.  He gave up 2 runs on 4 hits, walked four, and struck out six.  Kyle Dohy (2.08) struck out three in two perfect innings.  Alexis Rivero (4.19) walked one in one inning.  Aaron Brown (5.40) gave up a run in a mop up inning.

Roman Quinn led off and went 1-3 with 2 runs scored, a double, and walk.

The Phils scored 2 runs in the first inning on a sac fly by Darick Hall and an RBI single by Austin Listi.  They added 3 runs in the third on Damek Tomscha’s 2-run HR (12) and Austin Listi’s solo HR (6).  They added 2 more runs in the fifth on Deivi grullon’s 2-run HR (15). They completed their scoring with 2 runs in the sixth on a wild pitch and an RBI single by Darick Hall.

Adam Haseley (.389) went 4-5 with 2 runs scored.  Listi (.303) went 2-4.

Lakewood (60-39) beat Greensboro, 7-6 in ten innings.  Gustavo Armas (2.77) pitched six innings and gave up 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk,  He struck out seven.  Luis Ramirez (6.14) gave up 3 runs that gave the Grasshoppers a 5-2 lead in the eighth.  After the BlueClaws fought back to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, Zach Warren (2-1, 2.32) struck out 4 in two innings and allowed just the OT runner to score as the Claw won in a walk off.

The BlueClaws took a one-run lead with 2 runs in the first inning on Simon Muzziotti’s one-out triple, Jake Scheiner’s RBI triple, and an RBI ground out.  They tied the game in the eighth on Scheiner’s 2-run triple and Jhailyn Ortiz’ RBI double.  And, they won with 2 runs in the tenth on a double play ground out to tie the game and Nick Maton’s RBI single.

Jake Scheiner (.287) went 3-4 with 3 runs scored, 2 triples. 3 RBI, and a walk.

Williamsport (13-22) no game scheduled.

DSL Phillies Red (17-26) beat the Nationals, 11-9.

DSL Phillies White (25-16) lost to the Tigers1, 7-2.

Here’s the affiliate scoreboard from MiLB.

The rosters and lists are up to date as of July 20th.

Transactions (newest transactions in bold text)
7/23/18–Philadelphia activated RHP Zach Eflin from the 10-day DL
7/23/18–Philadelphia optioned RHP Mark Leiter Jr. to Lehigh Valley
7/23/18–Philadelphia optioned RF Aaron Altherr to Lehigh Valley
7/23/18–Reading placed RHP Harold Arauz on the 7-day DL
7/23/18–C Gabriel Lino assigned to Clearwater from Reading
7/23/18–CF Roman Quinn assigned to Reading from Clearwater
7/22/18–Philadelphia placed RHP Edubray Ramos on the 10-day DL. Right patella tendon strain.
7/22/18–Philadelphia activated RHP Luis Garcia from the 10-day DL
7/22/18–Philadelphia recalled RHP Yacksel Rios from Lehigh Valley
7/22/18–RHP Ranfi Casimiro assigned to Lehigh Valley from Reading
7/22/18–RHP Felix Paulino assigned to Reading from Clearwater
7/22/18–RHP Robinson Martinez assigned to Williamsport from Lakewood
7/22/18–RHP Efrain Morales assigned to DSL Phillies White from DSL Phillies Red.
7/21/18–RHP Adam Cox assigned to GCL Phillies West from GCL Phillies East.
7/21/18–GCL Phillies East placed LHP Anton Kuznetsov on the 60-day DL retro to 7/18/18
7/20/18–Reading placed LHP JoJo Romero on the 7-day DL. Oblique strain

63 thoughts on “Clearwater Threshers Recap – 7/23/2018”

  2. Haseley is hitting .389/.542/.694 with a 1.236 OPS in 12 games in AA. I’m not calling for bump up or anything like it, just admiring the work.

    2. Yeah, Haseley is the prime prospect breakout we’ve been waiting for all season. The biggest thing is that the hit tool looks entirely real and his plate discipline seems to be developing too. The power is coming and should continue to come. If he does this for another 3 weeks, they might consider allowing to finish the last few weeks of the season with Lehigh Valley.

      And below the radar, Listi keeps hitting and Grullon may be a legitimate power threat. I hate to draw too many conclusions because Reading stats have a tendency to deceive a little bit, but the hitting is certainly encouraging.

      And how about Maikel Franco? Not a prospect story and he’s also not out of the woods, but evidence that sometimes guys need several years in the majors to develop. At the very least it improves his trade value.

  3. There is so much hitting on the GCL teams, I wonder if the league’s pitching is down this year.
    Roman with a hit and a walk and two runs scored. Seems like a daily occurrence with him. Stay healthy Roman! And make your way to Philly by mid August.

    2. Can we place him in bubble wrap between games? I cannot imagine how frustrating it must be for him!! He’s so talented but his body just won’t cooperate. In any event, his performance is an unexpected gift so they should ride it and him as far as they can. I wouldn’t mind at all seeing play right field in CBP – I’ll bet he’s better right now than Nick Williams.

      1. To give credit where it is due, Williams has been a league-average bat this year and is having a really nice July at the plate. It’s not like he’s that bad. That said, Quinn would appear to be an upgrade over Williams on the basepaths and in the field.

        1. Yeah, I don’t hate Nick Williams but he has a Jeff Francoer type of problem in that he’s a good athlete and looks great when he hits and runs and throws, but he just doesn’t do the little things well (at least not yet) and those little things add up. He’s been a -.40 bWAR this year – so he hasn’t played as well as a replacement level player and I honestly can’t tell how much Williams will improve – it’s a complete mystery to me. So, right now, do I think Quinn would be a better player in right? Yeah, I actually do. He’s a plus fielder with a plus arm and a plus base runner and at the bat I think he’d be okay so, in total, I think he might be better right now. But I don’t think they need to choose right now – they can get both players some time and let thing sort themselves out.

  4. How’s Haseley grade as a fielder?

    Either way, very encouraging. Some of these young guys are really making it easy to possibly get some trades for the big club.

  5. Terrific job by Haseley stepping up after his promotion. He deserves kudos. Mickey Moniak has been doing well and watch for Roman Quinn to be up in the Majors soon.

  6. Why can’t Listi and Meneses be the Phillies version ‘from- the -unknown and- obscure- to- the- big time’ of the Dodgers’ Muncy and Turner!

    1. Muncy is on the juice. Guys don’t just come out of nowhere to be league leaders in homers.

      1. Who knows…maybe he is,
        …but then again, maybe he is on Ageless Male….’the natural testosterone body boost’. 🙂

      2. It’s rare, but breakouts like this for guys in their late 20s does happen. One thing about Muncy that has been a constant has been his walk rates. Also, I’ve watched his at bats – he’s not just a muscle man – he has very good and disciplined at bats – nothing about how he looks at the plate appears to be fluky.

        1. I’m just jealous that the Dodgers seem to pluck these guys out of nowhere and they become stars. Turner, Muncy, even late career Matt Kemp. So, I blame it on the juice.

          1. The Dodgers’ greatest brilliance is in finding guys in the high minors or struggling major league players, acquiring them and quickly turning them into plus, cost-controlled, players. Turner, Taylor, Muncy, and even Kemp are just the latest examples. The Dodgers seem to do this nearly every year. The Phillies really haven’t done this since they acquired Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino (I guess you could count Odubel – I’ll give them that one, although it’s a slightly different category of acquisition). I don’t know if it’s a scouting issue or a development issue or both – but other teams have been MUCH better at this than the Phillies who always seem to find the longest distance between two points.

            1. chris taylor’s minor league high was 8 homers- never hit for Seattle- Dodgers trade Zach Lee for him and he’s got 33 for LA since start of last year, and think credited Turner talking to him about launch angle.

            2. Actually, Victorino was also acquired in the Rule 5 draft, just like Odubel. The Phillies offered him back to the Dodgers, they declined and the Phillies sent him to the minors that first year.

            3. Very true – just goes to show how horrible the Phillies have been at scouting other team’s young major leaguers. By the way, the Yankees and Nationals are also especially adept at this type of player acquisition.

  7. Roman did look a little tentative last night, both in CF as well as on the bases. He did swing a good bat despite a couple really bad calls from the home plate umpire. I’m hearing he’ll be in Allentown tonight.

    Haseley is a ball player. Plain and simple. I don’t think they’ll promote him outright, but if 40-man guys like Walding and Cozens and Quinn are in Philly Sept 1, I can see him getting added to the IronPigs playoff roster as Walding was last season.

    Listi can swing the bat. Really need to find that kid a position.

    1. Listi’s , who turns 25 in four months, rise thru the system is pretty amazing…in less than 13 months he has gone from short-season Williamsport up to Reading, and a good chance he could be in LHV next month sometime..

    2. I don’t want to dump on Listi at all, given his inspiring life story and success this year, but he has really tailed off the last ten games and strikes out a ton. I hope he is just a little fatigued and can bounce back soon.

      1. He does strike a bit and he’s had a slight downward streak but, in all fairness to him everyone has small slumps and he’s gone from college ball to AA in a year so, like almost everyone else, it’s fair to give him some adjustment time whether he’s 21 or 24 and it’s not like he hasn’t done well in AA – on the whole he certainly has.

        1. He’s done well but not great. He has time to show that he can make adjustments but he’ll have to do that. Remember that he’s a 24 year old DH type. Putting up “good” numbers in Reading isn’t enough.

          1. Nobody said “good” numbers would ultimately be enough, but any player needs a reasonable opportunity to adjust and he’s done fine in that regard. And it’s not like this guy is stalled at a level – he’s moved most of the way through the minors in a single year. He’s moving very quickly.

          2. Dude has been at AA for 32 games, 119 ABs and .303/.363/.504 is “not great?”

            He could walk more in AA and strike out less. All I said is that we need to find him a position. He seems like a good athlete. I hate to chalk it up to “DH-type” I’d rather either continue to move him around, or have him concentrate on one spot. He’s played 143 games of minor league baseball–barely a AAA season from years gone by. He wouldn’t be in AA if he couldn’t hit. I sat 40 feet from him last night as he went 2-for-4 with a home run. I’m not going to worry about 10 game micro samples.

            I don’t want him promoted; I don’t want him traded. I want to find him a spot in the field.

            2. You know what, I thought about that. I’ll be at Allentown tonight, and I don’t often trade on my press credential at Reading, but it might be worth an ask if I have the opportunity with him or someone else in the know. That’s the other problem with 24 though–not a ton of time for the catching learning curve.

            3. Yeah….changing positions for him now would be a tough road for him to navigate.
              If he were to do it…..he would have to start it in the FIL

            4. It’s very good – it’s not great just because it’s Reading where guys like Matt Rizzotti put up crazy statistics, but it’s really good and especially good for so soon after the promotion.

            5. I got a lot of flak about a month and a half ago when I called him a top 30 prospect in our system. Of course he is. I believe I was completely right.

            6. When you factor in the walk and strikeout numbers, no it’s not great for a player his age with his defensive limitations. And I didn’t call him a DH for any reason other than that’s what I’ve read. I’m not saying don’t give him a chance but we should be realistic even though I know people want to root for a good story.

              I’m also countering present and future arguments to have him in our top 30, since I just made up my own mid-season top 50 and left him out of it. That could change by the end of the year if he makes certain adjustments, but there’s a lot of pressure on his bat and he’s already teetering on the edge of prospect age.

            7. Kram amd Romus, I hinted before his promotion to Reading that a position change might be in his future. Catcher was among the positions I suggested. I listed a few others to protect a source. If it is really going to happen, he will be at Instructs. I heard he’s not thrilled with the position change, but he’s a good soldier. No pun intended.

            8. Thanks Jim. I’m sorry that I missed that post. That’s good stuff.

              You know, when your relationship with the players is just a name in a box score—and I’m speaking for myself here with regard to Clearwater because I never get a chance to see the games—you sometimes picture a player differently. Anyway, for whatever reason, I had a different picture of Listi. My original comment was just that he can really hit—not getting into what is great or good or where he might land in my own top 30. It’s a small sample not just in Reading but overall, and he can hit.

              From a developmental standpoint I wonder if it would be better to just put him in one spot and have him work on that one position, or move him around so that he could maybe become passable at a few spots and have some utility upside? I’d be more on board with the catching idea if he were gung ho to do it. We’ll see I guess.

              That Reading lineup is fun to watch now and may have a couple if guys who can help the IronPigs playoff roster once the Phillies take the 40-man guys in September.

  8. Haseley on a major role. It just goes to show you that even a little bit of an unorthodoxed swing works for certain people. I watched him in spring training and it looked like he chops at the ball…chop away Kid! Wow. Listi is a hitter. After completing Navy SEAL training I think this kid isn’t afraid of anything especially a pitcher standing 60 ft 6 in away!

  9. Roll not role! I also forgot to mention I was listening to some of the Threshers game on the milb internet and had to listen to the other teams announcer. He had mentioned how moniak has look better every time they have faced him and yesterday he pissed on some balls again with nothing to show for it. The sac fly to left was a line drive. The only reason it got the runner in was because it went so deep I guess. Then the ball over the center Fielder’s head for a double was crushed you could hear it. Then he hit a line out to Center his third time up. Even the announcer said how hard he is hitting the ball. Like I said in a previous post the other day if there was a category for hard hit balls with nothing to show for it, moniak would lead the league. And I don’t think it’s just when I’m watching. Or listening … Finish strong mickey mo

  10. Also flying under the radar is Rando. A swtich got flipped in July as he looks like a completely different player. In April-June he struck out twice as much as he walked and he hit under .200. In July, he has 12 BBs vs 7 Ks and is hitting .354. Let’s hope he figured something out. He is 10 months younger than Haseley, so still young and prospect-y

      2. Sorry, couldn’t remember the nickname people use for him. Cornelius indeed.

  11. I’m not the first to say something about him, but Luis Garcia in the GCL looks exciting. He is 17, playing SS, hitting .368/.415/.487. No doubt he will cool off (.418 BABIP) but so far so good.

    1. The GCL team is doing great – and I’m very happy with O’Hoppe (yes, it’s pronounced O-Hoppy).

    2. Luis Garcia’s best stat IMO..11% K rate

      second best stat…7.3% walk rate.

      small sample, but good to see a 17 year old have command of the strike zone.

      1. Last year’s NY day three draft special Ben Brown is off to a stupendous start today. The 6’6″ RHP so far is 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 6 K’s (Wow !!!)

    1. Wow – that’s exceptional. Any report on the stuff? We have like 3 pitchers named Brown in the system (Ben, Aaron and Andrew, right?0 so I get them a little confused.

      2. The only thing I could find was that his fastball was sitting at 88-90 towards the end of high school. But, I also saw on a few other sites that his fastball averaged out at 83. So…

          1. Nope. Saw that in two different, completely unrelated sites. One of which was perfect game.

            1. Now that is odd.
              Jim Peyton will probably get an accurate reading on his velo at some point.

            2. Brown runs 89-91 touching 92 mph on the few occasions I’ve seen him and also checked the radar gun. FYI, I usually don’t pay attention to a starter’s first inning velocity when he’s likely amped up. I do like to see what he’s throwing in his last inning to see if he lost velocity.

              Brown looks like he knows how to pitch, much like Fanti and Young who come from the same area on Long Island. (O’Hoppe is from the same area. Pay that scout his money.)

            3. Day 3 NY specials – though drafted by Johnny A., looks like Sal A. find from his baseball academy in Long Island area.

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