Threshers’ and Affiliates’ Recap – 5/18/2021

Box Score Recap

Our affiliates went 3 for 4 last night.  Clearwater won in sudden-death overtime (bottom of the tenth) against their biggest rival, Dunedin.  Over the years, the Blue Jays have played the Marlins to the Threshers’ Phillies.  Lehigh Valley won behind some solid pitching.  Reading lost a close one to Akron.  And, Jersey Shore one-hit Winston-Salem.

Clearwater (7-6) beat Dunedin, 5-4 in ten innings.

This was a very exciting game.  Tense, edge of your seat drama.  And finally, exhilaration.

Clearwater scored first.  Johan Rojas doubled off the centerfield wall to lead off the first inning.  He scored on D.J Stewart’s RBI single.

Eduard Segovia pitched solidly during his 3.2 innings.  He was relieved after striking out the leadoff batter in the fourth.

  • Segovia – 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 63 pitches, 39 strikes

J.P. Woodward came in and finished the inning pitching around a couple base runners.  He gave up a leadoff single to start the fifth but rehabbing Matt Joyce would take over the inning after that.  The next batter lifted a high fly ball to leftfield.  Joyce retreated to the wall and timed his jump to bring the ball back.  He landed on the warning track and threw to the cutoff.  The base runner had rounded second on the play and was unable to get back before he was doubled off first.  The next batter lifted a ball into the LCF gap.  Joyce caught the ball on the run.  Only a jerk would point out that he slightly overran the ball and almost missed it.  Okay, I’m a jerk.  The only reason I feel it is necessary to point out is that there were some other balls to left that he seemed to lack the speed to get to.

  • Woodward – 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 18 pitches, 10 strikes

The Threshers tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on Stewart’s ground out.  Victor Vargas took over and gave up 2 runs in the sixth.  He retired 6 of 7 batters in the next two innings.

  • Vargas – 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 45 strikes, 28 strikes

After falling behind by 2 runs in the sixth, Carlos De La Cruz cut the deficit to one run with a solo HR into the leftfield terrace.  The Threshers tied the game in the eighth.  Casey Martin worked a walk with one out.  Martin stole second and scored the tying run on Rixon Wingrove’s RBI single.

Carlo Reyes pitched the rest of the way.  He worked out of a little jam in the ninth and struck out two batters in the tenth after the ghost runner reached third with one out.

  • Reyes – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 39 pitches, 23 strikes

Abrahan Gutierrez ended any drama in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single.

  • Rojas went 1-5 with a R, double, and 5 hard-hit balls; .220
  • Luis Garcia went 0-4 with a R, BB; .222
  • Joyce went 1-2 with a BB
  • Stewart sent 2-4, 2 RBI, BB; .370
  • Gutierrez went 1-4 with an RBI, BB; .394
  • Martin went 0-3, BB; .231
  • Radcliff went 0-3 with a BB
  • De La Cruz went 2-4 with a R, RBI, double, HR (1); .350

Martin had a stolen base (7).  Joyce had an outfield assist.

More observations.

  • We had an active ABS system last night.  Matt Joyce gave the umpire a couple looks during his first at bat.
  • I find it funny that catchers are still framing and holding their glove behind the plate waiting for the call.
  • Rojas made solid contact in all 5 of his at bats
  • Rojas double went to centerfield, the fielder had over shifted toward right and couldn’t get to the hard-hit ball
  • Stewart’s RBI single in the first inning was sooo smooth into CF
  • Funny how a pitcher can look so dominant in one inning and not the next
  • Garcia made a great stop on a ball far to his right in the hole but no chance at first base.  His throw was strong and on target though
  • CDLC’s HR was a scorching line drive
  • With the Threshers rallying in the fifth, Joyce was doubled off second on a line drive to the third baseman.  I think this is scored wrong on GameDay.
  • Of three early walks, two scored.  Throw strikes.

Lehigh Valley (8-5) beat Syracuse, 7-3.

Solid start from Bailey Falter and solid back-end relief allowing the IronPigs to rally for the win.

Lehigh Valley tied the game in the fourth inning when Edgar Cabral was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.  They took a short-lived lead on Mickey Moniak’s sac fly in the fifth.

Trailing 3-2, the IronPigs scored five times in the seventh.  They tied the game on a fielder’s choice and fielding error.  They went ahead on a wild pitch.  Austin Listi’s 2-run single padded the lead.  Cabral’s RBI double capped the scoring.

  • Travis Jankowski went 2-3 with a run scored.  He’s hitting .310 for the season.
  • Luke Williams went 0-4 with a run scored and walk.  He’s hitting .340.
  • Cornelius Randolph went 2-4. He’s hitting .257.
  • Cabral went 1-2 with 2 RBI, a walk, and HBP.  He’s hitting.300.
  • Listi went 1-3 with a run scored, 2 RBI, and a walk.  He’s hitting.196.

IronPigs batters only struck out 3 times.

Falter gave up a 2-out, solo HR in the first inning.  Hew pitched around a couple base runners and was lifted in the fifth inning after a strikeout, 2 outs, and a runner on first.

  • Falter – 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HR, 72 pitches, 51 strikes

Bryan Mitchell got the final out in the fifth and went on to surrender 2 runs in the sixth.

  • Mitchell – 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 29 pitches, 20 strikes

Damon Jones took over in the seventh.  He gave up 2 singles but Cornelius Randolph gunned down the lead runner at third.

  • Jones – 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K, 16 pitches, 10 strikes

Kyle Dohy came in for the eighth.  He retired the first batter then walked the bases loaded and was lifted.

  • Dohy – 0.1 IP, 3 BB, 18 pitches, 4 strikes

Neftali Feliz relieved and struck out the next two batters to escape the inning.  He gave up two singles to start the ninth, then struck out the side.

  • Feliz – 1.2 IO, 2 H, 5 K, 26 pitches, 20 strikes, stranded 3 of 3 inherited runners

With baseball’s weird rules, Mitchell was awarded the win.

Reading (2-11) lost to Akron, 3-1, their 8th straight loss.

The Phils only run came in the fourth inning on Nick Matera’s solo HR (3).  It tied the game for a couple innings.

  • Dalton Guthrie went 2-5; .170
  • Matera went 1-3, R, RBI, BB, HR (3); .292
  • Stephen went 1-4; .125
  • Miller went 1-3, BB; .222
  • Fitch went 1-3, HBP; .278
  • Hearn went 1-4, HBP; .133

James McArthur got the start and allowed a run on a wild pitch in the first inning.  After the wild pitch, he retired 10 batters in a row.

  • McArthur – 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 50 pitches, 31 strikes

Colton Eastman retired the side in order in the fifth and seventh, but gave up 2 runs in the sixth.

  • Eastman – 3.0, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 42 pitches, 27 strikes

Jonathan Henningan pitched the eighth and navigated around a two-out walk successfully.

  • Hennigan – 1,0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K, 17 pitches, 8 strikes

Fitch and Guthrie successfully stole bases.

Jersey Shore(5-8) beat Winston-Salem, 5-0.  They held the Dash to one hit.

Josh Hendrickson pitched four, one-hit innings striking out seven.  Jared Hughes picked up the win with three scoreless innings.  Riley Wilson and Billy Sullivan pitched clean innings.

  • Hendrickson – 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 7 K, balk, 57 pitches, 37 strikes
  • Hughes – 3.0 IP, 3 K, 49 pitches, 31 strikes
  • Wilson – 1.0 IP, 1 K, 10 pitches, 7 strikes
  • Sullivan – 1.0 IP, 1 K, 8 pitches, 5 strikes

The Phils scored the only run they would need in the first inning on Jhailyn Ortiz’ RBI double.  They added 2 more runs in the fifth on Bryson Stott’s 2-run HR (4).  They tacked on 2 more runs in the seventh on Rudy Rott’s 2-run single.

  • Stott went 2-4 with 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (4); .263/1.067
  • O’Hoppe went 2-4 with a R, double; .267/.787
  • Ortiz went 1-3 with a R, RBI, BB, double; .234
  • Rott went 1-3 with an RBI, BB; .233
  • Chris Cornelius went 1-4 with a R, triple; .174
  • Hunter Markwardt went 1-4; .429/.978

GCL Phillies East and GCL Phillies West (runs 6/28 thru 9/12)

DSL Phillies Red and DSL Phillies White (starts 7/12 thru 10/2)

Here’s the affiliate scoreboard from MiLB.

The rosters and lists are up to date as of May 18th … there are 303 players in the org

Today’s Transactions in bold text.

5/18/2021 – Phillies activated SS Ronald Torreyes
5/18/2021 – Phillies placed SS Scott Kingery on the 7-day IL, concussion
5/18/2021 – Phillies placed LHP JoJo Romero on the 60-day IL, left elbow sprain
5/18/2021 – Phillies placed SS Didi Gregorius on the 10-day IL, right elbow impingement
5/18/2021 – Phillies sent RF Matt Joyce on a rehab assignment to Clearwater
5/18/2021 – Phillies activated RHP Archie Bradley
5/18/2021 – 2B Ruben Tejada assigned to Lehigh Valley
5/18/2021 – C Chris Burke assigned to GCL East from Clearwater
5/18/2021 – SS Sal Gozzo assigned to Reading from Lehigh Valley
5/18/2021 – RHP Mark Potter assigned to Jersey Shore from Reading

39 thoughts on “Threshers’ and Affiliates’ Recap – 5/18/2021”

  1. Sam McWilliams took the loss for Syracuse against LHV. Jim, one of your phomer phavorities.

  2. That would be 3 for 4, but still very good. Stott looking better plus some encouraging pitching. Also, DJ Stewart again…

  3. Stott and O’Hoppe doing yeoman’s work down the Shore……bucking for a promo to Reading soon, along with Hunter Markwardt.
    Also glad to see Falter and McArthur pitch well. Maybe Falter will be the Phillies’ back of the rotation LHP later this season.

    1. I expect quicker promotions this year after the lost year, especially with Reading clearly needing help.

      1. Yeah agree,
        …..Reading does not seem to have the over all prospect load I was hoping.

    2. I was about to make the same comment regarding Stott and O’hoppe.

      In other fronts Casey Martin’s 70 graded speed seems legit, does anybody have thoughts on his swing and approach?

  4. Yes, Stott is already 23 and missed all last year’s developmental games, he needs to be in Reading ASAP.

    1. I don’t know about ASAP, but he’ll be in Reading soon enough. He’s a former first round pick, he’s already 23, and he’s walking a ton which means he’s not getting fooled in High A.

    1. Rojas was not a high signing bonus kid, and appears to be a gem in the finding, like Sixto a few years back. You could say the Phillies are playing with house money with Rojas.
      Like to see the Phillies challenge him to see if he can handle better pitching at the next level or even at Reading. In spring training he seem to adapt fairly quickly.

    2. Rojas has really good upside, but really high risk too. A really good prospect. Exactly what we need. High ceiling guy.

      Interesting that you have Marchan over Stott. Why did you rank them that way?

      1. Age (Marchan is a year-and-a-half younger than Stott)
        Position (I don’t think Stott is a SS, more a 2Bman or 3Bman)
        And Marchan’s floor (plus defensive C) is always going to hold value around the league.
        Also love the fact that Marchan is a switch hitter.

        1. I hear you and understand your points. I guess it all depends on how high you see their ceilings to be and how likely they are to achieve modest projections. What I really don’t know is how far you can project Marchan’s bat. If you think as I do, that Stott has a decent chance to be a first division regular middle infielder for me it’s hard to put him behind Marchan, who I really have a hard time projecting as a starter. And, yes, he’s younger (which definitely matters a lot), and yes, he’s like to be a major leaguer, but back-up catchers are always available on the cheap, so I’m not putting that much value in Marchan’s floor.

          One more thing about Marchan – Gutierrez might overtake him as a prospect before the summer is over.

          1. Also … I consider projection. Stott is already maxed out. If he gets any more physical/bigger, it’s just going to make it more likely he’s moved off SS. Marchan will likely gain more good weight. That should add more power to his profile/already plus bat-to-ball skills (<10% K-rate MiLB career). Might even add to his already plus arm.

            Look … this is no knock on Stott. It's more of a "Marchan doesn't get enough respect" thing. If Marchan had been available as a 21 YO college Jr in last summer's draft, he would have been a first round pick.

            1. Yes, I get the physical projection thing, but that’s only one aspect of player growth and projection. I don’t think Chase Utley filled out a lot as a minor leaguer, but he still developed like crazy. I am not comparing Stott to Utley, I just wanted to point out that there’s a lot more to development than filling out or getting a lot stronger and, as such, I don’t necessarily believe that Stott is maxed out in any way and, so far this year, it looks like he’s developing some more power.

            2. catch … you could be 100% right. Maybe Stott outpaces Marchan as a prospect. These are just opinions Time will tell. That’s the fun of following young players.

      2. I have the same question. Marchan is advanced with the glove but the bat is a little light. He’s ticketed to be JT’s backup in 2023 after Knapp leaves for FA.

        1. Guru……Marchan would be a very nice trade chip for Dave D to include in a package deal. And it isn’t too difficult getting back-up veteran catchers for Knapp if he does leave for another team after 2022.
          Plus if OHoppe, Duran and Gutiérrez keep advancing there is the possibility one of them may be knocking on the door in 2023……but I would not one of them to sit the bench as a back-up and a once- a- week catcher.

          1. Not sure what you think Marchan will get you. I’m not sure he can hit enough to be starter level. His career consists of 4 games. He might be able to get you a reliever but that’s it. And in a package deal, he’s more or less a throw in.

            You have to figure that at least 1 of O’Hoppe, Duran, Gutierrez won’t make it. And JT will be around for another 4 more years. There’s absolutely no reason to aggressively push any of the catchers unless you have to.

            1. Because of his youthfulness, his value may rise at the Triple A level if he does well in LHV.
              His only real drawback is lack of power….but for MLB catchers…..that is a rarity anyways.
              And outside of Royals Perez and Cubs Contreras, this season there, aren’t many with a lot to show in HRs.

  6. Jim, can you give a synopsis of De La Cruz the of’er for Clearwater? How is Moniak doing in LHV? Thx

    2. Not Jim, but I’ve always felt De La Cruz had as high a ceiling as any prospect in the Phillies’ system. The chance he ever gets to that ceiling is minuscule, but there’s a lot to dream on.

      1. Thanks. He stood out, physically during spring training. I think he is around 6’5″ and thin but looks like potential is in his tool bag.

  7. Reading looks pretty awful this year. I have a 20 game ticket bank that I’m going to start using soon. Hopefully they improve by the time I start going to game – gotta make that 60 mile drive worth it. 😀

    -jeff

  8. It’s unclear to me whether Marchan will be a major league starter. Stott certainly has a chance as does Rojas and Martin. Unfortunately the system has very few (none!) future major league starters at the upper two levels (I don’t see Moniak reaching that level). A surprise is the fact that Randolph has been hitting better since his game winning homer (more confidence?). That would be quite the shocker if he continued to improve.

  10. For what it’s worth, I went to a SJ game last week. I saw a play that makes me question Stott at shortstop.

    The play was a slow chopper to short. He charged it but didn’t field the short hop cleanly. It was ruled an error. But to me it seemed to be more limited athleticism. Some guys (often Latin players) looks smooth fielding grounders. Not Stott. He looks like a big, bulky athlete. Not a slight on him. There is certainly a role for a big athlete like him. Just saying I don’t see that role at shortstop. As Hinkie noted above, I see him more as a third baseman or a corner OF. I think his bat will play. He’s got pop and will get stronger for sure. That said, Brandon Crawford isn’t exactly a silky smooth infielder. And he stuck at shortstop. So who knows.

    1. They said the same thing about ARod and Cal Ripken, two big guys. Give Stott a chance to play SS, he’ll be moved if he has to be.

      1. Hi Murray

        My name is Steven. I am a Phillies fan. I have zero control over where Stott or any other player plays. I just share my POV on a Phillies prospect blog.

        1. All good, I haven’t seen him play in person yet but I wouldn’t say he can’t play SS because of one play or because he’s too big. You could be right but his value is much less if he can’t play SS so he’ll get a long leash there.

      2. I will be really interested to see how Maton plays, The stats say he will not hit but he has a nice swing, and really good against lefthanders so far, I look back and remember a guy who couldn’t field or hit at shortstop , became a switch hitter and had a nice career Don Kessinger for the cubs, So did Larry bowa,

  11. Great to be reading all of everyone’s comments about minor leaguers. What a lost year last year was.

  12. What’s the deal with Leverett? Anyone have eyes in him? He’s up to 9 shutout innings with 2 hits over 3 games. Very impressive start

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