Phillies Minor League Update: Lakewood is on a roll

Let’s run through the minor leagues and check in on the Phils’ top prospects.

LEHIGH VALLEY: A couple good games, a couple bad games, and the Pigs are now 15-13 staring up at the Buffalo Bisons and a couple others.

The hitters:

• Jorge Alfaro: .319/.347/.484, 7 XBH, 26 K, 2 BB, 91 AB
• Jesmuel Valentin: .238/.291/.313, 4 XBH, 14 K, 5 BB, 80 AB
• Rhys Hoskins: .337/.426/.641, 14 XBH, 16 K, 14 BB, 92 AB
• Roman Quinn: .245/.299/.306, 5 XBH, 32 K, 8 BB, 98 AB
• Cameron Perkins: .280/.372/.500, 12 XBH, 12 K, 11 BB, 82 AB
• Nick Williams: .275/.330/.429, 10 XBH, 28 K, 5 BB, 91 AB
• Dylan Cozens: .167/.248/.354, 7 XBH, 42 K, 10 BB, 96 AB
• J.P. Crawford: .156/.283/.189, 2 XBH, 24 K, 16 BB, 90 AB

So when does Hoskins make the team? If he keeps this up (especially the walk rate) it’ll be much sooner than later. Meanwhile Perkins continues to quietly have a good season, and both Cozens and Crawford got to work a little this past week.

The pitchers:

• Jake Thompson: 23 IP, 6.65 ERA, 23 K, 11 BB (promoted to Philadelphia)
• Ben Lively: 29 IP, 2.79 ERA, 20 K, 4 BB
• Ricardo Pinto: 31.2 IP, 4.83 ERA, 21 K, 12 BB
• Mark Appel: 27.2 IP, 5.93 ERA, 22 K, 13 BB

So who’s now in the rotation? There’s Lively, scorching hot right now and next in line for the callup. There’s Pinto, who had a rough week. Appel had a better week (good strikeout numbers). Joining them are Cesar Ramos and Luis Garcia, who apparently is getting stretched out a little. Interesting development.

Also, if the Phils need a reliever anytime soon, look for switch-pitcher Pat Venditte (0.00 ERA, 17 K, 9 BB) to get a look soon, along with Hoby Milner (0.00 ERA, 9 K, 0 BB), who was selected in the Rule 5 draft but returned to the Phils.

READING: A little of an up-and-down week for the Fightin Phils, who are now 15-11 but looking up at a bunch of teams, including the Trenton Thunder at 18-9 (damn Yankees).

The hitters:

• Andrew Pullin: .297/.349/.584, 17 XBH, 19 K, 7 BB, 101 AB
• Malquin Canelo: .276/.394/.379, 5 XBH, 18 K, 12 BB, 58 AB
• Scott Kingery: .290/.374/.613, 15 XBH, 23 K, 11 BB, 93 AB
• Carlos Tocci: .307/.367/.398, 5 XBH, 12 K, 3 BB, 88 AB

Pullin is getting a ton of at bats. While it was a down week, he still looks great out there. Kingery is doing his thing, with five steals to go along with his plate numbers.

The pitchers:

• Thomas Eshelman: 29 IP, 3.10 ERA, 22 K, 5 BB
• Drew Anderson: 20.2 IP, 6.97 ERA, 13 K, 9 BB
• Brandon Leibrandt: 22 IP, 2.86 ERA, 19 K, 2 BB

Adding Liebrandt, who’s having the best season of the troubled Reading rotation. Eshelman ain’t so bad, either.

Come see the Reading team with fellow Phillies Nation readers at our June 11th group outing.

 

CLEARWATER: It wasn’t the best week for the Threshers, who are now 19-11 but still in first place over the Daytona Tortugas (Reds). The Tortugas.

Hitters:

• Herlis Rodriguez: .306/.366/.588, 12 XBH, 16 K, 7 BB, 85 AB
• Damek Tomscha: .346/.417/.514, 8 XBH, 15 K, 11 BB, 107 AB
• Cornelius Randolph: .194/.292/.323, 6 XBH, 29 K, 12 BB, 93 AB
• Jose Pujols: .179/.223/.226, 3 XBH, 50 K, 5 BB, 106 AB

Quite the year for Pujols. Yeesh. Plate. Discipline. Meanwhile while not a top prospect, 23-year-old second baseman Drew Stankiewicz is hitting .350 with a .391 OBP and seven doubles this season.

Pitchers:

• Cole Irvin: 32 IP, 1.69 ERA, 24 K, 3 BB
• Franklyn Kilome: 28.2 IP, 2.51 ERA, 28 K, 5 BB
• Jose Taveras: 30 IP, 1.80 ERA, 30 K, 10 BB
• Seranthony Dominguez: 25 IP, 1.44 ERA, 31 K, 8 BB
• Alberto Tirado: 23.1 IP, 5.40 ERA, 21 K, 13 BB

Tirado had a bad week, giving up 12 runs in just 5.1 innings. Everything else is as is.

LAKEWOOD: The bats picked it up last week, and just enough, as the Claws ran the table with a 7-0 week. Now 18-12, Lakewood is in second place in the North division of the South Atlantic League, trailing the Hagerstown Suns by a game.

Hitters:

• Cord Sandberg: .288/.347/.413, 9 XBH, 31 K, 9 BB, 104 AB
• Daniel Brito: .288/.347/.413, 7 XBH, 30 K, 7 BB, 121 AB
• Mickey Moniak: .275/.325/.363, 8 XBH, 26 K, 7 BB, 102 AB
• Arquimedes Gamboa: .280/.321/.400, 1 XBH, 5 K, 2 BB, 25 AB (7-day disabled list)

The prospects were relatively quiet this week. No big deal though.

Pitchers:

• Sixto Sanchez: 19.1 IP, 2.79 ERA, 21 K, 2 BB
• JoJo Romero: 24.2 IP, 2.92 ERA, 28 K, 10 BB
• Ranger Suarez: 29 IP, 0.93 ERA, 37 K, 7 BB
• Adonis Medina: 25 IP, 2.16 ERA, 30 K, 8 BB
• Nick Fanti: 30.1 IP, 1.48 ERA, 31 K, 10 BB

Lest we forget Nick Fanti, the 20-year-old who threw 8.2 innings of no-hit ball Saturday (he was tired and removed, but Trevor Bettencourt finished off the no-no). That means the entire Lakewood rotation is ridiculous.