April Minor League Report
Despite the team’s recent struggles, the Philadelphia Phillies are off to a decent start. Several current Phillies are homegrown, so it is important to keep an eye on some potential future Phillies. Here are the latest updates from the minor leagues:
Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs: AAA (7-10, 3rd in International League North)
The IronPigs find themselves three games under .500 despite having a 3.60 team ERA and .274 team batting average, which are better than the league average.
John Mayberry Jr. and Chris Duffy have been the two best hitters for IronPigs. Both have 13 runs batted in. Mayberry is batting .288 with two home runs, but he still continues to strike out at a high pace. Cody Ransom has provided most of the power for the ‘Pigs, crushing a team-leading four home runs.
Nate Bump has been the most consistent starter, posting a 1.35 ERA in 20 innings. He has been pitching to contact; he has allowed a lot of hits, and has a low total of strikeouts.
Scott Matheison has done well in 8.2 innings. Opponents are batting just .179 off the right-hander who is returning from Tommy John surgery. On the other hand, Drew Carpenter (7.15 ERA) has been rocked.
Reading Phillies: AA (8-9, 5th in Eastern League)
The Reading Phillies are a game below .500, despite having several of the Phillies’ top prospects. Domonic Brown has yet to disappoint though. Brown is batting .325 with a .936 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Phillipe Aumont had his troubles during spring training, but he threw six no-hit innings on Sunday. Overall, Aumont is 1-1 with a 3.32 ERA.
Yohan Flande is 0-2, but that is mainly due to a lack of run support. Flande’s ERA is 0.96 in 18.2 innings. He has allowed a lot of hits, but he has not walked many batters.
Lakewood Blue Claws: A (9-9, 4th place in Northern South Atlantic League)
The Blue Claws were the 2009 South Atlantic League champions, so they will have some expectations for 2010.
Darin Ruf has opened some eyes this April. The first baseman is batting .328 with a .921 OPS. 2008’s first round draft pick, Anthony Hewitt, has two home runs and a .282 average.
Nicholas Hernandez is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in four starts. Jarred Cosart is 3-1 with a 3.26 ERA and has 0.88 walks and hits per innings pitched.
Clearwater Threshers: A+ (11-6, 1st place in Florida State League North)
Record-wise, the Threshers have been the best team of all the Phillies affiliates. Cody Overbeck leads the team in home runs (3) and RBI (11). The third baseman also has a .333 average and .965 OPS.
Anthony Gose has struck out a lot, resulting in a .247 average, but he has six stolen bases to lead the team.
Austin Hyatt is 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA and 0.75 WHIP. Also, he has struck out 27 batters in 22.2 innings. Other pitchers to watch are J.C Ramirez and Trevor May, who have both pitched well so far.
