Minor League Phillies: A Season in Review
Throughout the past couple of seasons, the plan for the Phillies organization has been to cut ties with the players that produced in the heydays of the mid-2000’s and early 2010’s and to replace them with the players that will perform in the future. Many of the newly acquired players have not yet made the jump to the major leagues, but are making their presence known in the minors. This flurry of talent in the farm has made the Phillies one of the winningest organizations in sports, despite the struggles of the guys at Citizens Bank Park. A closer look at the obscure:
Gulf Coast League Phillies (Rookie League), 43-15, Lost in championship series: The most successful “Phillies” in the organization, the team was one of the most exciting within the system, led by #1 overall pick Mickey Moniak and a lights-out pitching staff that was virtually untouchable throughout the season. The starting rotation had a combined ERA of 2.04 and boasted a 4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In addition to the impressive stats as a group, the starters dominated the major individual pitching stats; the top-3 in wins and WHIP were all Phillies; 2 of the top-3 in saves, strikeouts, and ERA were also Phillies. In the hitting category, 17 year-old Jhailyn Ortiz, who received a $4.2 million signing bonus as the team’s top international prospect in 2015, finished 3rd in the GCL with 8 home runs. Despite the championship loss, it was an extremely successful campaign for the rookies, many of whom will look to make their way through the higher levels of the organization next season.
Top Performers:
Nick Fanti (7-0, 1.57 ERA in 51.2 innings)
Sixto Sanchez (5-0, 0.50 ERA in 54 innings)
Daniel Brito (.284/.355/.421, 25 RBIs)
Williamsport Crosscutters (Short-Season A), 39-36, Missed Playoffs: Although they were one of only two teams in the organization, there were still plenty of reasons to be excited about this team. Despite the fact that the starting pitchers were not as dominant as their subordinates in rookie ball (which would have been a near-impossible mark to top), they still led the team, which lacked a high-powered offense (averaged only 3.84 runs per game). Perhaps that number might have been better had outfielder Mark Laird not been called up to Lakewood after batting .358 through his first 19 games of the season, and it is safe to assume that he would have been the Cutters’ best hitter. The pitchers’ 2.70 ERA was the 2nd best throughout the New York-Penn League, and the 3 complete games pitched were 1 less than the rest of the league combined. As the players in the GCL make their way to Williamsport, the Crosscutters will likely be looking at a playoff appearance in the near future.
Top Performers:
Darick Hall (.282/.372/.518, 9 HRs)
Cole Irvin (5-1, 1.97 ERA in 45.2 innings)
JoJo Romero (2-2, 2.56 ERA in 45.2 innings)
Lakewood BlueClaws (Low-A), 74-65, Lost in championship series: Another victim of a championship loss, Lakewood’s succeeded in a different aspect of the game than the two aforementioned teams. The BlueClaws were carried by a deadly combination of a strong offense, which led the South Atlantic League in hits and placed second in batting average, as well as a reliable pitching staff, which finished 5th in the league in ERA. Mark Laird, a 9th round pick in 2015 out of LSU, batted .355 between Williamsport and Lakewood. The Phillies’ 8th ranked prospect Franklyn Kilome redeemed himself after a slow start to the season, and went 4-1 with a 1.98 ERA over his last 10 starts. If 2015 1st round pick and top-5 organizational prospect Cornelius Randolph can stay healthy in 2017, he will provide an offensive spark significant enough to bring Lakewood to another championship.
Top Performers:
Jose Taveras (8-8, 3.28 ERA in 137.1 innings)
Josh Tobias (.304/.375/.444, 7 HRs, 55 RBIs)
Damek Tomscha (.283/.369/.428, 5 HRs, 54 RBIs)
Clearwater Threshers (High-A), 82-54, missed playoffs: I know what you’re thinking: “How can you finish 28 games over .500 and not make the playoffs?” Well, there is a rule in Florida State League that splits the season into two separate halves, and the Threshers’ first half play was bad enough so that they’re dominant second half did not make up the ground to get them into the playoffs. In fact, they even won the division as a whole for the season, but still did not make the playoffs. This feat was accomplished after two of the team’s most productive players, outfielder Andrew Pullin (late June) and second baseman Scott Kingery (late July), were called up to AA. Although there was no postseason for Clearwater, they led the league in hits, total attendance, and WINNING PERCENTAGE. Yes, the Threshers had the best record in the league and did not make the playoffs. Maybe there should be a rule change in the future.
Top Performers:
Chace Numata (.308/.377/.393, 35 RBIs)
Scott Kingery (.293/.360/.411, 26 SBs)
Elniery Garcia (12-4, 2.68 ERA in 117.2 innings)
Reading Fightin’ Phils (Double-A), 89-52, Lost in first round of playoffs: Amongst all the excitement of this season’s farm system, the Fightins found a way to stick out. Not only did they finish with the second best record in professional baseball (Cubs), but the players with the two most home runs in all of the minor leagues stacked the middle of the Reading lineup. Dubbed the “Smash Bros,” outfielder Dylan Cozens and first baseman Rhys Hoskins combined for a whopping 78 homers hit this season. Among pitchers with at least ten games starts, Reading combined to have a 4.18 ERA, which gives some insight into how dominant the offense must have been for the team to finish 37 games over .500. Ben Lively was the ace of the staff (7-0, 1.87 ERA), before being promoted to Triple-A. Both of the Phillies’ high-profile September call-ups, outfielder Roman Quinn and catcher Jorge Alfaro, were also a part of the offensive juggernaut. Manager Dusty Wathan was promoted to manager of Lehigh Valley after the season ended, but his absence should not stop Reading from finding success in 2017.
Top Performers:
Dylan Cozens (.276/.350/.591, 40 HRs, 125 RBIs, 21 SBs)
Rhys Hoskins (.281/.377/.566, 38 HRs, 116 RBIs)
Jorge Alfaro (.285/.325/.458, 15 HRs, 67 RBIs)
Nick Pivetta (11-6, 3.41 ERA in 124 innings)
Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Triple-A), 85-58, Lost in first round of playoffs: The Pigs may have had the most interesting of seasons amongst the minor league teams. Although they lost early in the playoffs, that result can be blamed more on the amount of impact players promoted to the Phillies than the quality of the team. The hype surrounding top prospects JP Crawford and Nick Williams brought plenty of attention, despite the fact that they disappointed at the Triple-A level. The bullpen was basically a revolving door of pitchers called up to the bigs then just getting sent down again (i.e. Elvis Araujo, Severino Gonzalez, Colton Murray, and more). After first baseman Tommy Joseph was called up, and in the corresponding move Darin Ruf was sent to Lehigh Valley, Ruf performed about as well as he could have, batting .294 with 20 home runs, leading the way in a lineup lacking power bats. The team’s rotation was quality, but it is difficult to recover from losing two aces. Lively’s arrival from Reading helped, and he pitched well in Lehigh Valley, but he could not replace these two. Zach Eflin was the team’s best starting pitcher before receiving his call up to fill the injured Vincent Velasquez’s spot in the Phillies’ rotation, and Jake Thompson filled Eflin’s role at Citizens’ Bank after his injury. Going into next season, the hype should stay with the Pigs, as Crawford and Williams will keep the spotlight while they attempt to make their jump to the bigs.
Top Performers:
Darin Ruf (.294/.356/.529, 20 HRs, 65 RBIs)
Jake Thompson (11-5, 2.50 ERA in 129.2 innings)
Ben Lively (11-5, 3.06 ERA in 117.2 innings)
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