Weekly Off-season League Updates, 11/4/12

It’s time for another edition of our off-season league updates. Each week, we’ll take a tour around the globe for a look at Phillies talents participating in various autumn and winter action.

Arizona Fall League (all Phillies talent plays for Peoria)-

Catching prospect Tommy Joseph (pictured left) is batting .152 with a double and an RBI in 10 games. The 21-year-old participated in Saturday’s AFL Rising Stars Game, and went 1-for-2 in the contest.  Joseph was acquired by the Phillies in the Hunter Pence trade last July.

Third baseman Cody Asche also played in the Rising Stars Game, going 0-for-2.  The 22-year-old has posted a .271 average with seven doubles, a homer and seven RBI through 17 games in the AFL. The University of Nebraska product was the Phils’ 4th round draft pick last year.

Outfielder Zach Collier has tallied a .295 batting average with three doubles, two triples and seven RBI through 13 games. The lefty hitting Collier was a supplemental round draft choice in 2008 out of high school. Collier, who began the regular season serving a suspension for banned substances, posted a .269/.333/.399 line in 78 games with Class A Advanced Clearwater in 2012.

Kyle Simon, has a 2-2 record with a 9.00 ERA through five starts. The righty, who was acquired in the Jim Thome trade from Baltimore, posted a 1.36 ERA through 20 regular season appearances after joining the Phillies organization in 2012.

Left-handed reliever Jay Johnson has no decisions and a 12.00 ERA in eight appearances thus far. The 22-year-old Canadian spent some time on the disabled list this season with a shoulder ailment, but posted a 2-1 record with a 4.24 ERA in 33 combined contests at three levels.

Righty Tyler Knigge is sporting a 7.88 ERA with no wins and a loss in seven appearances. Knigge has walked four and struck out seven in that time as well. The 24-year-old was a 12th round draft pick by the Phillies out of Lewis & Clark State College in 2010.

Right-hander Colby Shreve has a 0-1 record with a 4.50 ERA in nine outings.  The 24-year-old College of Southern Nevada product has tallied a 3.54 ERA with a 7.24 K/9 mark in three regular seasons as a pro since he was selected by the Phillies in the 6th round of the 2008 draft.

Former Phillies prospect Travis Mattair joined Peoria this week, replacing Cincinnati’s Donald Lutz, who suffered a broken finger.  “Moose”, taken by the Reds in last year’s Rule 5 draft, is 4-for-8 through his first three games.  Normally a third baseman, Mattair manned first base for the Javelinas in one game thus far.

Mexican League-

Sebastian Valle (pictured right) is batting .235 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI in 10 contests for Los Mochis. Valle has played some outfield in the Mexican League the past couple years, to prevent extra wear and tear on his knees, but the 22-year-old has strictly played catcher thus far this season.

Venezuelan League-

Shortstop Freddy Galvis is batting .342 with four doubles, a triple and three home runs through 20 games with Zulia. The switch-hitter is batting .396 from the left side.

Infielder Harold Garcia has been playing some third base for Zulia, but hasn’t seen game action since October 20th. The 26-year-old is 4-for-12 with a double and a triple through five contests.  Garcia has missed significant time in each of the past two seasons with injuries.

Outfielder Tyson Gillies, who has been out of action with an undisclosed ailment since October 26th (his second stretch of time missed in this league), is batting.385 with a double, a triple and two RBI in seven games for Lara.  Plagued by injuries since he was acquired from Seattle in 2009, Gillies’ recurring hamstring issues are generally a safe bet when trying to figure out why he’s on the shelf.

For La Guaira, Justin Friend has a 3-1 record with a 1.80 ERA and a .200 batting average against in 11 relief outings. Additionally, Friend has struck out 10 and walked five in 10 innings pitched. The right-hander, was a minor league Rule 5 selection by the Phillies, from Oakland, in 2010.

Another Phils hurler made his debut for La Guaira last week, as right-hander J.C. Ramirez appeared in two games, notching a win with a scoreless frame against Zulia, then allowing an earned run in 2/3 of an inning versus Aragua.  Ramirez, who was acquired along with Gillies and Phillippe Aumont from the Mariners for Cliff Lee, tallied a 3-4 record with a 4.01 ERA in 45 combined relief appearances at Double-A and Triple-A this year.

Also pitching for La Guaira, Michael Cisco had a rough outing this past week, allowing five earned runs in 1 2/3 innings during his most recent effort.  Cisco, 25, now sports a 1-1 record and a 5.00 ERA through six games.  The right-hander was a 35th round draft pick by the Phillies in 2008 and is the grandson of former Phils pitching coach Galen Cisco.

Through 19 games, Darin Ruf (pictured left) has posted a .250 batting average with two doubles, nine home runs and 18 RBI for La Guaira. The 26-year-old righty slugger’s HR and RBI marks are tops in the league. Ruf, the Phils’ 20th round draft selection in 2009, mashed a club record 38 homers for Double-A Reading and was an Eastern League All-Star in 2012. Ruf has been playing left field and first base while getting some at bats as a designated hitter for La Guaira as well.

Eastern League All-Star second baseman Cesar Hernandez is batting .196 with two doubles, a triple and a home run in 15 games for Margarita. The 22-year-old switch hitter has also stolen a league leading seven bases.

Infielder Edgar Duran is batting .289 with three doubles, a homer and three RBI in 14 games for Margarita. Following off-season finger surgery last year, the 21-year-old defensive wiz spent the 2012 regular season with Class A Advanced Clearwater, posting a .253 average with seven homers and 49 RBI in 121 games.

20-year-old righty Manaure Martinez has a 1-1 record with a 3.68 ERA in six relief appearances for Aragua. The 6-foot-1 155-pound Martinez spent time during the 2012 regular season with the Gulf Coast League Phillies and the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters.

Left-hander Yoel Mecias has appeared in one game, recording a scoreless 1/3 of an inning for Aragua.  The 20-year-old was signed by the Phillies in December 2010 and made his pro debut with the Gulf Coast League Phillies (0-2, 2.16 ERA in 14 games) this year.

Dominican League-

Outfielder Leandro Castro (pictured right) is 2-for-10 with one RBI and a stolen base through seven games with Oriente. The right-handed hitting Castro, 23, batted .287 with 10 homers and 71 RBI in 133 games and was an All-Star for Reading in the Double-A Eastern League this year.

Hector Neris, a right-handed pitcher, has not allowed a run in two relief outings for Este.  The 23-year-old posted a 4-2 record with a 3.55 ERA in 50 games for Clearwater this year.

Third baseman Maikel Franco has appeared in one game for Cibao, striking out in his only at bat. The 20-year-old batted .280 while slugging 14 home runs and driving in 84 runs with Class A Lakewood during the 2012 regular season.

Righty hurler Lisalverto Bonilla has struggled for Escogido. Through five appearances, Bonilla has allowed six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings (14.73 ERA).  The 22-year-old posted a 1.55 ERA in 31 games at two levels during the 2012 regular season, but injured himself while horsing around at the MLB All-Star Futures Game festivities in July and missed the remainder of the regular season.

Australian Baseball League-

Playing first base, Tim Kennelly is 3-for-10 with a double and two RBI for the two-time defending champion Perth Heat. As a pitcher, Kennelly has tossed one inning, during which he walked two, allowed an unearned run and struck out the side.

Infielder Jeremy Barnes has gone 2-for-9 with two walks in three games for Canberra.  In 48 games at three levels of the Phillies developmental ranks this year, Barnes, a Notre Dame graduate, posted a .170 batting average.

Check back throughout the off-season for updates and interviews.