Minor League Mash-Up: Moniak gets hot

It’s time to review what was a great week for the Phillies farm teams.

Records

• Lehigh Valley IronPigs: 30-25
• Reading Fightin’ Phils: 23-31
• Clearwater Threshers: 24-30
• Lakewood BlueClaws: 33-23

Notable performances

• Top-prospect Sixto Sanchez continues to dominate. On Sunday, he went all seven innings of a shortened game, giving up no runs, two hits and two walks while striking out five.
• No. 5 prospect Jhailyn Ortiz was a perfect 4-for-4 on Saturday, with all four hits being singles. He drove in one run, as well.
• No. 2 prospect Adonis Medina had a great outing earlier in the week. Medina went seven strong innings, allowing no earned runs and only three hits. He walked two and struck out six.
• Mickey Moniak, who had a great overall week that we will discuss later, went 3-for-5 with a stolen base on Wednesday.
• No. 6 prospect JoJo Romero had arguably the best start of his career on Wednesday.  Romero went eight innings allowing only one run on five hits. He walked one and struck out seven.
• No. 23 prospect Cole Irvin was absolutely dominant on Wednesday. Irvin went 8.2 innings, allowing no runs, four hits, one walk while striking out six.
• Ranger Suarez also had a big start this past week. The No. 9 prospect went seven strong innings allowing only one run. He allowed five hits and one walk. He did only strike out two.

Moniak’s Big Week

It’s now been two years since the Phillies selected Mickey Moniak first overall in the 2016 draft. Over those two years, Moniak has seen more than his fair share of struggles, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel. This past week Moniak went 12-for-29 while recording a hit in every game. Moniak also launched his first homer of the year on Sunday. On May 23, Moniak’s average was .220; after today it’s .251 and the hope is that it continues to trend upwards.

Still Going Strong

• Sixto Sanchez has been impressive lately, and for the year he’s been beyond solid. He holds a 2.51 ERA in 46.2 innings of work. He has a WHIP of 1.07 and he’s averaging a little less than a strikeout per inning. If he keeps it, being a member of the Reading Fightin’ Phils on July 1 seems possible for Sanchez.
• No. 3 prospect Adam Haseley is having a great season. He’s hitting .290 with three homers, two triples, 12 doubles and 29 RBI. Another two weeks of this production and he should find himself in Reading.
• No. 12 prospect Enyel De Los Santos continues his impressive season. He has a 1.70 ERA in 58.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .204 against him and his WHIP is 1.06. With Zach Eflin struggling, it’s possible he may be a Phillie sooner rather than later.
• Fellow IronPigs pitcher Cole Irvin is also having a great year. The No. 23 prospect has a 2.73 ERA in 62.2 innings of work. He has a WHIP of 1.04. He will also be vying for the chance to be the Phillies’ fifth starter.

Still Some Worries

• Despite his nice outing, Adonis Medina still has a 4.97 ERA on the year. He’ walked a lot of batters, 16 in 41.2 innings, and he’s only struck out 34, meaning his strikeout to walk ratio is only a little better than 2-1.
• The same goes for JoJo Romero. He has a 4.92 ERA and has walked 22 in 56.2 innings. He’s also given up 11 home runs on the year. Hopefully his big start will get him going.
• No. 13 prospect Tom Eshelman is having a brutal year. he has a 7.06 ERA in 51 innings of work. He has a WHIP of 1.84 and opponents are hitting .345 against him. He’s also given up 10 long balls.