Phillies Minor League Update: The Pigs make noise

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

LEHIGH VALLEY: Finally, the dominant IronPigs have arrived in 2017. Lehigh Valley is on a seven-game winning streak and now holds a two-game lead in the International League’s North Division.

The hitters:

Jorge Alfaro: .315/.345/.468, 9 XBH, 36 K, 2 BB,111 AB
Jesmuel Valentin: .229/.282/.292, 4 XBH, 16 K, 6 BB, 96 AB
Rhys Hoskins: .339/.421/.635, 17 XBH, 21 K, 16 BB, 115 AB
Roman Quinn: .269/.328/.328, 6 XBH, 38 K, 11 BB, 119 AB
Cameron Perkins: .264/.355/.443, 12 XBH, 15 K, 14 BB, 106 AB
Nick Williams: .261/.306/.387, 10 XBH, 38 K, 5 BB, 111 AB
Dylan Cozens: .221/.292/.451, 11 XBH, 48 K, 12 BB, 122 AB
J.P. Crawford: .155/.279/.182, 2 XBH, 25 K, 19 BB, 110 AB

It wasn’t a great week for the offense, with Nick Williams striking out a bunch more and J.P. Crawford continuing to struggle. But Dylan Cozens is starting to heat up; he now has eight homers, tied for the team lead with, of course, Rhys Hoskins.

The pitchers:

Jake Thompson: 23 IP, 6.65 ERA, 23 K, 11 BB (recently optioned to Lehigh Valley)
Ben Lively: 36.1 IP, 2.48 ERA, 24 K, 5 BB
Ricardo Pinto: 37 IP, 5.35 ERA, 25 K, 15 BB
Mark Appel: 34.1 IP, 5.50 ERA, 24 K, 17 BB
Tom Eshelman: 8 IP, 0.00 ERA, 6 K, 1 BB (29 IP, 3.10 ERA, 22 K, 5 BB in Reading)

Welcome to triple-A, Tom Eshelman. The righty had a great first start in Lehigh Valley, mowing down Rochester on Monday. Otherwise, same old, same old, with Lively pitching very well, and Appel getting by despite a bunch of walks.

READING: The Fightins went 4-2 this week, winning two one-run games and two blowouts.

The hitters:

Andrew Pullin: .315/.380/.605, 20 XBH, 22 K, 11 BB, 124 AB
Malquin Canelo: .296/.414/.394, 6 XBH, 19 K, 15 BB, 71 AB
Scott Kingery: .288/.375/.593, 18 XBH, 29 K, 15 BB, 118 AB
Carlos Tocci: .324/.397/.414, 7 XBH, 17 K, 8 BB, 111 AB

A hot week for Tocci, who added two extra-base hits and a bunch of singles to raise his average to .324, 11th in the Eastern League. Pullin (who leads the Eastern League in total bases with 75 and is second in OPS with 1.032) nearly hit for a cycle. And Kingery (tied for second in total bases with 70, fourth in OPS with .968) is being Kingery.

The pitchers:

Drew Anderson: 27.2 IP, 5.53 ERA, 23 K, 9 BB
Brandon Leibrandt: 30 IP, 4.50 ERA, 26 K, 7 BB
Yacksel Rios: 21.1 IP, 1.69 ERA, 32 K, 4 BB
Jesen Therrien: 18.2 IP, 1.45 ERA, 28 K, 3 BB

Anderson had a great start against Bowie on Monday, striking out 10 in seven innings. Adding Rios and Therrien who have astonishing strikeout rates … and they’re both relievers.

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

CLEARWATER: A 2-4 week for the Threshers, but they’re hanging on in first place.

Hitters:

Herlis Rodriguez: .289/.361/.536, 12 XBH, 21 K, 10 BB, 97 AB
Damek Tomscha: .333/.404/.476, 8 XBH, 23 K, 13 BB, 126 AB
Cornelius Randolph: .184/.282/.342, 7 XBH, 36 K, 15 BB, 114 AB
Jose Pujols: .175/.220/.242, 4 XBH, 56 K, 6 BB, 120 AB

Not much new here. Pujols is second in professional baseball in strikeouts.

Pitchers:

Cole Irvin: 37 IP, 1.70 ERA, 27 K, 4 BB
Franklyn Kilome: 29.1 IP, 3.68 ERA, 30 K, 9 BB
Jose Taveras: 37 IP, 1.70 ERA, 34 K, 12 BB
Seranthony Dominguez: 31 IP, 1.74 ERA, 38 K, 10 BB
Alberto Tirado: 28.1 IP, 4.45 ERA, 24 K, 18 BB

Kilome was blasted for four runs (with four walks) against Charlotte. Tirado fared much better this week but still walked five against Tampa.

LAKEWOOD: A 3-2 week for the BlueClaws has them at 21-14, still in first in the South Atlantic North.

Hitters:

Cord Sandberg: .277/.331/.412, 11 XBH, 39 K, 9 BB, 119 AB
Daniel Brito: .279/.333/.375, 7 XBH, 35 K, 10 BB, 136 AB
Mickey Moniak: .279/.331/.361, 9 XBH, 33 K, 9 BB, 122 AB
Arquimedes Gamboa: .280/.321/.400, 1 XBH, 5 K, 2 BB, 25 AB (7-day disabled list)

Moniak had a nice week. Nothing else doing here.

Pitchers:

Sixto Sanchez: 24.1 IP, 3.70 ERA, 28 K, 3 BB
JoJo Romero: 32.2 IP, 2.20 ERA, 36 K, 13 BB
Ranger Suarez: 35 IP, 2.06 ERA, 42 K, 9 BB
Adonis Medina: 31 IP, 2.03 ERA, 40 K, 11 BB
Nick Fanti: 30.1 IP, 1.48 ERA, 31 K, 10 BB

Someone finally figured out Suarez, and that someone was Greenville, punching him for five runs and five hits over six frames. Lakewood’s team ERA of 2.76 is tops in the SALLY; also, they have 315 strikeouts to 109 walks.

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.