Weekly Off-season League Updates, 12/2/12

We’re back with another edition of the weekly off-season league rundown.  Check it out, as we take a tour around the globe for a look at Phillies talents participating in various autumn and winter league action.

Venezuelan League-

With La Guaira, right-handed hurler J.C. Ramirez (pictured, left) has posted a 2-1 record with a 10.80 ERA through 10 outings, while walking seven and striking out six in 6 2/3 innings.  The 24-year-old, who was acquired as part of the 2009 Cliff Lee trade with Seattle, pitched exclusively as a reliever in the Phillies’ system in 2012, sporting a 3-4 record with a 4.01 ERA and a .230 batting average against in 45 games at Double-A and Triple-A.

Freddy Galvis is batting .291 with six doubles, two triples and five homers in 40 games with Zulia.  Galvis, a 23-year-old shortstop, batted .226 with three home runs and 24 RBI in 58 games with the big league Phillies in 2012.

Second baseman Cesar Hernandez has posted a .286 average with a home run, nine RBI and a league leading 13 stolen bases in 28 games for Margarita.  Hernandez was an All-Star with Double-A Reading this year, prior to earning a promotion to Triple-A. The switch-hitting 22-year-old posted a .291/.329/.404 line in 133 combined regular season games in 2012.

Also with Margarita, shortstop Edgar Duran has tallied a .282 average with five doubles, one homer and eight RBI in 27 contests.  In 121 games for Class A Advance Clearwater in 2012, Duran sported a .253 batting average with seven homers and 49 RBI.

With Aragua, first baseman Cody Overbeck is batting .118 with one RBI through five games. The 26-year-old Overbeck, who was the Phils’ 9th round draft pick in 2008, posted a .716 OPS in 133 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year.

Infielder Andres Blanco is batting .169 with two doubles, a triple and five RBI in 21 games for Magallanes.  The 28-year-old Blanco posted a .235/.301/.346 line in 120 games for Lehigh Valley in 2012.

Righty Justin Friend has a 2-1 record with a save, a 5.19 ERA and a .268 batting average against in 20 games with La Guaira.  Friend, 26, was an All-Star closer for Reading in the Eastern League in 2012.  In 50 combined games at Double-A and Triple-A this year, Friend notched a 4-1 record with 25 saves and a 1.33 ERA.

Michael Cisco (pictured, right) has 3-1 record with a 6.04 ERA in 19 games with La Guaira.  The 25-year-old Cisco put together a 5-3 record with three saves and a 1.80 ERA in 40 combined outings with Reading and Lehigh Valley this year.

20-year-old right-hander Manaure Martinez has a 1-1 record with a 3.68 ERA in six relief outings for Aragua.  Martinez has struck out four and walked four in 7 1/3 innings.  During the 2012 regular season, with the Gulf Coast League Phils and the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters, Martinez sported a combined 4-5 record with a 3.53 ERA and an 8.55 K/9 mark.

Dominican League-

Outfielder Leandro Castro, playing mostly as a back up for Oriente, has posted a .280 batting average with no extra base hits, two RBI and two stolen bases in 21 games. The 23-year-old Castro batted .287 with 10 homers and 71 RBI in 133 games and was an All-Star for Double-A Reading this year.

Lisalverto Bonilla has a 1-4 record with two saves and a 7.50 ERA in 14 games for Escogido.  Bonilla has struck out 16 batters in 12 innings.  The 22-year-old righty posted a 1.55 ERA in 31 combined relief appearances with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Double-A Reading during the 2012 regular season, prior to suffering a season-ending injury in July.

Michael Martinez has his batting average up to .175 after putting together a four-game hitting streak this week with Oriente.  The 30-year-old utility man appeared in 45 games while batting .171 with the big league Phillies in 2012.

Veteran left-hander Juan Valdes has a 1-1 record with a 3.18 ERA in five starts with Este.  Valdes is also sporting an 8.47 K/9 mark along with a .203 batting average against.  The 35-year-old had a 2.90 ERA in 27 games with the Phillies this year.

Catcher Steven Lerud has a .231 average along with a double, a homer and three RBI in 11 games for Este.  Lerud, 28, was 2-for-10 in three big league games with the Phillies this year.

Juan Morillo has no decisions, a 2.16 ERA and a .286 batting average against in eight games for Escogido.  The 29-year-old Morillo pitched for both Reading and Lehigh Valley in 2012, posting a combined 1-2 record with a 5.34 ERA in 40 appearances.

Righty hurler Juan Sosa sports a 4.50 ERA along with no decisions while striking out six batters and walking none in six innings for Licey.  The 23-year-old had a 5-7 record with four saves and a 4.26 ERA in 46 games (five starts) for Clearwater this year.

Australian League-

Tim Kennelly (pictured, left) is batting .250 with a double and two RBI in four games as an offensive player for Perth.  Meanwhile, the 26-year-old has allowed three earned runs in two innings of work (13.50 ERA) on the mound.

University of Delaware product Carlos Alonso, who put together a five-game hitting streak this week, is batting .225 with a homer and two RBI in 12 games for Brisbane.  The 24-year-old infielder batted .278 with four home runs and 40 RBI in 93 games for Clearwater this year.

Liam Bedford, a 19-year-old catcher, is batting .200 with a double and 2 RBI for his hometown Melbourne Aces.  Bedford batted .130 in 19 games with the Gulf Coast League team during the 2012 season.

Puerto Rican League-

Julio Rodriguez has a 1-0 record and a 1.80 ERA while striking out 10 batters and walking just one in 10 innings for Carolina.  In 29 games (22 starts) for Reading in 2012, the 22-year-old was 7-7 with a 4.23 ERA and 9.13 K/9.

Mexican League-

Sebastian Valle has posted a .228 batting average with two doubles, two homers and eight RBI in 18 games with his hometown Los Mochis team.  The 22-year-old catcher was widely ranked as the Phillies’ top positional prospect headed into the 2012 season.