Phillies Minor League Update: So, them IronPigs, huh?

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

LEHIGH VALLEY: After 11 straight wins, the IronPigs finally lost a game – one they should’ve won but blew. Anyway, they won more games after that. As of Sunday morning they’ve won 14 of 15, and at 28-14 have the second-best record in all of Minor League Baseball.

The hitters:

Jorge Alfaro: .293/.317/.429, 10 XBH, 43 K, 2 BB, 133 AB
Jesmuel Valentin: .229/.282/.292, 4 XBH, 16 K, 6 BB, 96 AB (7-day disabled list)
Rhys Hoskins: .322/.407/.664, 23 XBH, 27 K, 21 BB, 143 AB
Roman Quinn: .277/.345/.365, 9 XBH, 46 K, 16 BB, 148 AB
Cameron Perkins: .269/.365/.429, 12 XBH, 17 K, 16 BB, 119 AB
Nick Williams: .259/.299/.406, 13 XBH, 47 K, 6 BB, 143 AB
Dylan Cozens: .212/.280/.464, 15 XBH, 62 K, 14 BB, 151 AB
J.P. Crawford: .196/.315/.246, 4 XBH, 31 K, 24 BB, 138 AB

It’s weird. Nearly everyone on the Pigs has some issue, mostly related to plate discipline, and yet the team is unstoppable. Hoskins is clearly the most complete hitter on the team, leading the International League with a 1.072 OPS, but everyone else? Question marks abound. Crawford is finally heating up, and his high OBP is pretty amazing despite his struggles with the bat.

The pitchers:

Jake Thompson: 33 IP, 4.91 ERA, 32 K, 14 BB
Ben Lively: 42.1 IP, 3.19 ERA, 29 K, 5 BB
Ricardo Pinto: 40 IP, 5.85 ERA, 25 K, 16 BB
Mark Appel: 37.2 IP, 6.69 ERA, 26 K, 19 BB
Tom Eshelman: 23 IP, 0.78 ERA, 12 K, 3 BB (29 IP, 3.10 ERA, 22 K, 5 BB in Reading)

Eshelman continues his great start in triple-A, while Thompson is normalizing and suddenly having a decent season. Then there’s Appel, who blew the big lead that led to the Pigs’ only loss in the last few weeks. What’s the solution there? Is it time to go bullpen (since Nick Pivetta is slotted to return to the rotation)? It may be.

READING: Lost in the great play in Allentown was the Fightin’ Phils’ own six-game winning streak, which ended Saturday in a loss to New Hampshire. The 23-14 Reading squad is a half-game back of the pesky Trenton Thunder, obviously preparing us for that 2020 Phillies vs. Yankees World Series. Reading visits Trenton starting Monday (go to the games, Phils fans!).

The hitters:

Andrew Pullin: .342/.409/.623, 23 XBH, 25 K, 15 BB, 146 AB
Malquin Canelo: .316/.414/.439, 9 XBH, 25 K, 17 BB, 98 AB
Scott Kingery: .272/.353/.605, 23 XBH, 30 K, 16 BB, 147 AB
Carlos Tocci: .315/.396/.408, 9 XBH, 20 K, 12 BB, 130 AB

Hoskins leads the International League in OPS, and Pullin (1.032) leads the Eastern League in OPS. Kingery remains fourth in the league in OPS, and is second in the league in homers. Also, he’s tied for fourth in the league in stolen bases. The kid is the total package.

The pitchers:

Drew Anderson: 37.2 IP, 5.26 ERA, 32 K, 9 BB
Brandon Leibrandt: 35.1 IP, 5.09 ERA, 29 K, 9 BB
Yacksel Rios: 23.2 IP, 1.90 ERA, 35 K, 6 BB
Jesen Therrien: 22.2 IP, 1.19 ERA, 31 K, 3 BB

Therrien continues to dial up the heat. Otherwise, it’s the offense carrying the Phils this week.

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

CLEARWATER: It’s been a tough month for Clearwater, but maybe they’re turning it around. After starting the week 0-4 against Fort Myers, they responded with a 3-0 mark against Lakeland (before Sunday’s game).

Hitters:

Herlis Rodriguez: .313/.389/.527, 12 XBH, 24 K, 13 BB, 112 AB
Damek Tomscha: .308/.380/.432, 8 XBH, 27 K, 15 BB, 146 AB
Cornelius Randolph: .191/.277/.324, 9 XBH, 42 K, 16 BB, 136 AB
Jose Pujols: .187/.226/.252, 5 XBH, 64 K, 6 BB, 139 AB

A good week for Rodriguez, who leads the team in slugging.

Pitchers:

Cole Irvin: 42 IP, 2.14 ERA, 31 K, 7 BB
Franklyn Kilome: 31.2 IP, 3.98 ERA, 32 K, 11 BB
Jose Taveras: 42 IP, 2.57 ERA, 38 K, 13 BB
Seranthony Dominguez: 35.2 IP, 2.02 ERA, 45 K, 13 BB
Alberto Tirado: 33.1 IP, 4.86 ERA, 31 K, 21 BB

Finally there are no more sub-2.00 ERA starters on the Clearwater staff. Somewhat of a rough week for Kilome.

LAKEWOOD: Also a tough week for the Claws, who went 2-5 with a rough stretch against Columbia. At 23-19, Lakewood is now 2.5 games in back of Hagerstown for first place in the South Atlantic League North.

Hitters:

Cord Sandberg: .287/.331/.448, 15 XBH, 45 K, 9 BB, 143 AB
Daniel Brito: .256/.311/.348, 9 XBH, 41 K, 10 BB, 164 AB
Mickey Moniak: .274/.319/.342, 9 XBH, 36 K, 9 BB, 146 AB
Arquimedes Gamboa: .280/.321/.400, 1 XBH, 5 K, 2 BB, 25 AB (7-day disabled list)

Brito’s hot start is in the rear-view mirror, and Moniak suddenly looks normal, or like a 19-year-old kid in his first full season of pro ball.

Pitchers:

Sixto Sanchez: 24.1 IP, 3.70 ERA, 28 K, 3 BB
JoJo Romero: 38.1 IP, 2.11 ERA, 40 K, 17 BB
Ranger Suarez: 37 IP, 2.43 ERA, 46 K, 12 BB
Adonis Medina: 36.2 IP, 2.70 ERA, 45 K, 12 BB
Nick Fanti: 35.1 IP, 1.53 ERA, 35 K, 11 BB

Sanchez has neck soreness and is sitting for a little while; nobody is concerned. Meanwhile, Medina ran into first-place Hagerstown, who hit him for four runs over five and change. Just one bad start after a host of good ones.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.