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Addison Russ, image- Jay Floyd Righty hurler Addison Russ looked great for the Phillies in this year's spring exhibition season.  Due to the pro sports hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, his efforts were cut short, however. In six relief appearances this spring the 25-year-old notched a 1-0 record, a 1.59 ERA and a .263 batting average against. Last year in 55 appearances with Double-A Reading, Russ, who was the Phillies' 19th round draft selection out of Houston Baptist in 2017, posted a 5-6 record with 22 saves, a 2.54 ERA and a 12.9 K/9 mark.  Anxious for baseball to get rolling again, Russ talked with me this week, offering feedback on his time around the big league team this spring, his production in Grapefruit League play, his uniform number, how the break in the schedule impacts his progress and more. Read ahead for remarks and insight from Russ. - What did you do over the off-season to prepare for the 2020 campaign? And did the invitation to b...

Micucci (right) with Luis Garcia in August, image- Jay Floyd Early on Monday, I tweeted a bit of a teaser about Phillies minor league staffing moves I had learned about from a pair of sources.  Unclear when the personnel had learned of their fates, I did not want to report the news until all parties had time to address the news in their own ways. As has been reported by at least another outlet to this point, I am able to confirm that 2019 Class A Lakewood manager Mike Micucci will not be returning to the organization.  Additionally, base running and bunting coordinator Rob Ducey , Gulf Coast League coach Charlie Hayes and Triple-A pitching coach Steve Schrenk are also done in the Phils system. Micucci was a north Jersey native in his youth and had been hired by the organization less than a year ago.  He worked with Phillies general manager Matt Klentak in Anaheim, which makes his termination even more surprising. Players that saw action for the BlueClaws thi...

HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING ALL SEASON LONG BY BECOMING A PATRON!  Get early access to my posts and EXCLUSIVE interviews- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Marchan and Marrero, image- Jay Floyd The Class A Lakewood BlueClaws are among the weakest offenses in the South Atlantic League. Overall, at the time of this writing, the team ranks last in the league in runs scored at 301 (29 runs fewer than the next closest team). The club also sits last in hits, batting average and OPS. This week I talked with Lakewood's hitting coach and former Phillies minor leaguer Christian Marrero. He offered his thoughts on several of Lakewood's standout names including catcher Rafael Marchan , middle infielders Jonathan Guzman and Luis Garcia as well as outfielder Malvin Matos , plus his thoughts on the lineup's overall struggles. Read ahead for that full, brief interview. -Rafael Marchan has been solid of late. He notched three separate three-hi...

With select affiliates announcing their 2019 coaching staffs today, here's a complete list of the personnel for each level of the Phillies' minor leagues... Lehigh Valley (Triple-A): Gary Jones/Manager, Greg Legg /Coach, Darryl Robinson/Coach, Steve Schrenk/Pitching Coach Reading (Double-A): Shawn Williams /Manager, Nelson Prada/Coach, Kevin Riggs/Coach, Aaron Fultz /Pitching Coach Clearwater (Class A Advanced): Marty Malloy/Manager, Ruben Gotay/Coach, Tyler Henson/Coach, Brad Bergesen /Pitching Coach Lakewood (Class A): Mike Micucci/Manager, Adam Goodwin/Coach, Christian Marrero/Coach, Matt Hockenberry /Pitching Coach Williamsport (short-season A level): Pat Borders /Manager, Greg Brodzinski/Coach, Joel McKeithan/Coach, Hector Berrios/Pitching Coach GCL Phillies East (short-season rookie): Roly deArmas/Manager, Rafael DeLima/Coach, Charlie Hayes /Coach, Hector Mercado/Pitching Coach GCL Phillies West (short-season rookie): Milver Reyes/Manager, Chris Heint...

Matt Hockenberry, image- Jay Floyd After he was drafted and signed by the Phillies in 2014, Matt Hockenberry thought he was living the perfect life, as becoming a professional pitcher was what he thought was his ultimate goal. Last year, after roughly three years in the minor leagues, he was released from his contract and he wasn’t sure what was next.  His true dream job, where he would excel swiftly, was on the horizon. With baseball being the only life he ever envisioned, Hockenberry had a stroke of luck when he found himself out of the game in 2017.  He received a call to interview for a new coaching position at the Phillies' lowest domestic level, as they were adding a second team to the rookie level Gulf Coast League and would need to fill a completely new coaching staff. Described as extremely passionate, the Temple University product stood out as an individual that the Phillies wanted to talk to when it came time to interview prospective coaches. "He's ...

On Thursday, the Phillies announced their minor league coaching staff for the 2018 season, including a few big additions.   At the top of the developmental levels, Gary Jones has been hired as the manager of the Phils’ Triple-A affiliate the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.  Jones, 57, spent the previous four seasons as the third base coach for the Cubs.  He has also coaches in the A’s, Padres and Red Sox organizations. Jones makes the third individual that the Phillies have hired away from the 2016 World Series champions this off-season.  John Mallee, the team's new hitting coach at the big league level, held that position with the Cubs for the previous three seasons and new first base coach Jose Flores served as Chicago's minor league field coordinator (virtually a second-in-command of the minors) for a handful of seasons.     Former Phillies infielder Wes Helms will also be added to the IronPigs’ staff as a coach.  Hitting coach Sal R...

After some delay with releasing the details, the Phillies announced their minor league coaching assignments for the 2016 season this week. Triple-A Lehigh Valley manager Dave Brundage is back with the IronPigs for his fourth season. Dave Lundquist will take on pitching coach duties with Lehigh Valley after holding that spot for Reading for the past three seasons. Sal Rende is back for his fifth season as IronPigs hitting coach. Brundage previously managed in the Atlanta system and was an outfielder during his playing days. Double-A Reading manager Dusty Wathan returns for his fifth season in the role. Hitting coach Frank Cacciatore will also return, while Steve Schrenk will serve as pitching coach. Schrenk previously held the position with Reading in 2009 and has coached at varied levels of the Phils' developmental ranks in the years since. Wathan's Class A Advanced Clearweater will again be led by Greg Legg , who was honored as the Florida State League manager of th...

Mickey Morandini, image- Jay Floyd The Phillies announced on Monday that former infielder Mickey Morandini would be added to their staff next year as the team's first base coach. Morandini spent the last five seasons coaching in the minor leagues in the organization that drafted him in the 5th round in 1988. He began his coaching career as the manager of the Class A short season Williamsport Crosscutters in 2011. He would go on to manage Class A Lakewood the following season, spending two seasons there. He coached at the Triple-A level in 2014 and at Double-A this year. In those roles with Lehigh Valley and Reading, Morandini spent time overseeing base running and assisted with hitting as well. Previously, the 49-year-old was a guest instructor for the big league team in spring training in 2009 and 2010. As a coach in the higher levels, he was utilized in recent seasons during big league spring training as well. During his playing career, Morandini, a second baseman, rep...

This week, at the Phillies' winter charity banquet in Lakewood, NJ, I had the opportunity to speak with Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan about many matters related to the Phillies developmental system.  Included in the topics of discussion were the depth at the catcher position, the team's plans for some of their youngest prospects and two former top draft picks among other things. Prior to joining the Phils last off-season, the former pro catcher held the position of director of scouting with the Baltimore Orioles.  The University of Oklahoma product also previously worked in scouting with the Expos and Marlins. Read ahead for that full interview. - Looking back on last year, it seems the system underwent a bit of a refined approach since you were hired, with several players from the 2012 draft class quickly made their debuts with Class A full season Lakewood.  In previous seasons that was rather rare.  Can you speak on that a bit? ...

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel grows older each year, but you'd never know it from the gusto he exudes when talking about a new season ready to blossom. Decades of the baseball grind, thousands of miles worth of annual travel, countless ups and downs and the pressure that comes with coaching in the most demanding sports city in the nation simply don't take a toll on the 69-year-old. Appearing at the annual charity winter banquet held at Lakewood, NJ's Woodlake Country Club on Wednesday, Manuel smiled and expressed considerable enthusiasm toward what's to come. The baseball lifer, whose days in pro ball date back to 1963, beamed as though he was slated to begin his coaching career instead of heading into what some deem as potentially being his final year leading a team, as his contract is up following the season. Manuel, who is entering his ninth season as the skipper of the Phils, is excited about many aspects of the current team, despite finishing last seaso...

Jon Pettibone took great strides in 2012 On Tuesday, several additions to the 40-man roster were announced by the Phillies, as outfielder Zach Collier as well as pitchers Trevor May , Jonathan Pettibone , and Ethan Martin were all added. Collier, was a supplementary round draft choice by the Phillies in 2008. The lefty hitting California native performed extremely well in the recently wrapped up Arizona Fall League. To read my interview with Zach from last weekend, which includes more info on the 22-year-old, click here. May, a righty hurler, had an up-and-down 2012 after entering the regular season ranked by many outlets as the Phillies’ top prospect. May posted a 10-13 overall record along with a 4.87 ERA and a 9.09 K/9 mark with Double-A Reading this year. The 23-year-old was a 4th round draft pick in 2008. Pettibone had a strong 2012 campaign following a troubling start that saw him post a 1-3 record and a 4.78 ERA in his first six outings. In the 13 starts wh...

On Wednesday, the Phillies' disappointing year finally ended and the organization took to making some changes in a very quick fashion.  Within hours of the end of the Phils' 81-81 season that marked an end to their run of five consecutive division titles, the team announced that three coaches, Sam Perlozzo (1st base), Greg Gross (hitting) and Pete Mackanin (bench), would not return next season. Within a day, the Phillies then announced some promotions from within to fill those voids. Hall of Fame player Ryne Sandberg (pictured), who has managed the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs for the past two seasons, will become the Phillies' third base coach, while Juan Samuel, who previously manned that position, has been asked to move to the first base coach's box.  It seems that Samuel may still be weighing his options. The Phillies are not expected to have a bench coach while an assistant hitting coach is expected to be hired. Additionally, Lehigh Valley's pitching...

In a press release today, the Philadelphia Phillies announced their 2011 Major League coaching staff, which includes former Phillie Juan Samuel, who joins the club as the third base coach and outfield instructor. Previous Phillies third base coach Sam Perlozzo will be moving over to coach first base. A spot on the Phils' coaching staff was vacated when Davey Lopes recently announced he would not be returning next year , due to a contract dispute. Lopes had been the Phillies first base coach for the past four seasons. The 49-year-old Samuel had spent the previous four season coaching third base with the Baltimore Orioles, which included a stint as their interim manager following the dismissal of Dave Trembley in June. Samuel has also coached with the Tigers and managed at the Double A level in the Metropolitans' system. Samuel was the Phillies Wall of Fame inductee in 2008. A 3-time all-star during his playing career, Samuel batted .263, hit 100 HR and stole 249 bases in his Phi...