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This week I brought another exclusive interview to John Stolnis' Felske Files Podcast.  Featured on edition 118 of the show, I spoke with Phillies outfield prospect Andrew Pullin.  The 23-year-old lefty batter has posted a .327 batting average with 10 homers and 32 RBI in 43 games this season with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. Pullin, a 5th round pick in 2012, chatted it up in an effort to get to know him, answering some out of the ordinary inquiries. Also on the episode, Phillies beat reporter Kevin Cooney spoke about the big league club's recent struggles and the voice of the Reading Fightins, Mike Ventola, joined John to talk about the Phillies' Double-A squad. Hit the embedded media player below for the full episode, which is available to stream and download. 

This week with the Double-A Reading Fightins making a stop in Trenton, I had the opportunity to chat with manager Greg Legg and surging second baseman Scott Kingery about several topics.  Primarily, both men spoke of Kingery's recent success at the plate ( click here for that article ), but Legg also talked to me about some other members of his roster including outfielder Andrew Pullin.  Kingery offered thoughts on a few other topics including a funny jab that a teammate took at him for being so good that it's gotten boring. Read ahead for those exclusive quotes from Legg and Kingery. Greg Legg, image- Jay Floyd -I asked Legg about outfielder Andrew Pullin, who has been an excellent offensive performer since he made his Double-A debut last year... He can hit.  He comes to the park and he knows how to hit and he's got some pop, extra base hits, he can leave the yard and he can hit anybody's fastball.   -I inquired with Legg about his Fightins pitching...

Occasionally, Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan takes time to chat with me about the organization's rising prospects and he was generous once again this week to offer his insight.  With some top names like J.P. Crawford and Dylan Cozens struggling out of the gate and other well-regarded prospects like Nick Pivetta and the talented pitchers at Class A and High-A doing great jobs, Jordan discussed those players as well as first round draft picks outfielder Cornelius Randolph and RHP Shane Watson . Outfielders Jose Pujols and Andrew Pullin , lefty pitcher Austin Davis and others were also among the topics. Read ahead for all the exclusive comments. Franklyn Kilome, image- Jay Floyd -Joe, thus far this season the Threshers pitching staff was been excellent, with great ERA's at 2.28 or under from Franklyn Kilome , Jose Taveras, Alberto Tirado, Seranthony Dominguez and company. How pleased are you with the production from this group? They're of...

As a new year begins, so does my annual prospect ranking, which counts down the Phillies organization’s top 25 rising minor league talents. Over the next several weeks, with the organization in the midst of a rebuild, primed to give many young talents the opportunity to break into the major leagues and show what they can do, I’ll be serving up reviews for each of the top developmental talents that appear to have the brightest futures for the Phillies. Taken into consideration when compiling the list is age, minor league performance relative to levels played, value to the organization as the player’s future potential and proximity to the big leagues. These rankings will not include players over the age of 25 or individuals that have spent lengthy stretches in the big leagues. For example, left-handed reliever Joely Rodriguez, who spent the final month of the regular season on the big league Phillies roster, will not appear on this countdown. Tyler Goeddel (12th on this list a ye...

Dylan Cozens, image- Jay Floyd Following a three homer effort in which he also added a triple on Wednesday, slugging outfielder Dylan Cozens launched a pair of long balls and another triple to help the Double-A Reading Fightins notch their third straight win with a 12-8 victory over Bowie on Thursday. The remarkable effort was capped off by Cozens' go-ahead grand slam in the 8th inning. It gave the 22-year-old 12 RBI in the two games and 101 RBI on the season. As if the power numbers weren't enough, the two triples were hits that many other players might have only gotten two bases on and he even stole a base on Wednesday, giving him 18 in 19 attempts this year. "It was some of the best two days of my life," Cozens said via text message. The six-foot-six 235-pound lefty batter was the Phillies' 2nd round draft selection in 2012. Cozens' teammate first baseman Rhys Hoskins kept pace with two homers of his own on Thursday, his 32nd and 33rd to...

Pullin, image- Jay Floyd In a lineup that features a pair of sluggers battling it out for the minor leagues' home run title, mild mannered and average framed outfielder Andrew Pullin somehow stands outs. The Double-A Reading Fightin Phils include the leading home run hitter in the developmental ranks in first baseman Rhys Hoskins , who has mashed 30 round trippers, as well as impact outfielder Dylan Cozens , who is chasing his teammate with 26 dingers of his own. The Fightins also have veteran professional hitter Jake Fox , whose 19 homers are tied for third best in the EL as well as highly touted backstop Jorge Alfaro . Additionally, top prospect J.P. Crawford and promising speedster Roman Quinn have been in this team's lineup this season. For the generously listed six-foot, 190-pound Pullin to garner attention, among that collection of bats, it's remarkable. Pullin, who was a 5th round draft selection by the Phils in 2012, has impressed many with his ability to...

Here's a quick rundown of the Phillies minor league hot list. Details are up to date prior to game action on Tuesday, July 26th. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (61-41, 2 nd place North Div. International League) Right-handed Jake Thompson continues his tremendous stretch for the IronPigs and remains the top option for a promotion if a vacancy opens up in the Phillies’ rotation. In his last nine starts, the 22-year-old sports a 6-0 record with a 0.58 ERA and a 5.3 K/9 mark. In 19 starts this season, Thompson, who was acquired from Texas as part of last summer’s Cole Hamels trade, has a 9-5 record with a 2.29 ERA and a .224 batting average against. Righty pitcher David Buchanan has allowed just two earned runs in 22 innings (0.82 ERA) over his last three starts. In 19 games (18 starts) this season for the Pigs, the 27-year-old has a 7-5 record with a 4.05 ERA and a .257 batting average against. In 11 games since the Triple-A All-Star Break, outfielder Nick Williams ...

Dusty Wathan, image- Jay Floyd Recently I sat down with the manager of the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. During the chat, Wathan, who is primed to walk away from this week with Reading's all-time managerial wins record, spoke about his team's power hitting duo, veteran Jake Fox , starting pitcher Nick Pivetta , the wins record and more. Read ahead for that interview. -Last week you got to go along with six of your players to the Eastern League All-Star Game in Akron. What can you share about that? It was a tremendous group of guys. We had a lot of fun. They represented themselves well. It was just a fun time and to have those guys on the field at one time, it’s special to be able to be the manager for that. -Many fans are having a blast online and otherwise watching the power duo of Rhys Hoskins and Dylan Cozens slugging it out for the minor league lead in homers. There's excitement each night following them, seeing what each guy did. Is it...

After their top offensive contributor J.P. Crawford was promoted this week, some fans may have wondered which remaining players could be catalysts for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers lineup going forward. Middle infielder Angelo Mora now stands as the team's leading hitter with a .350 average while outfielder Andrew Pullin seems to be the club's most consistent batter, as he's tied for the team lead in hits (51) and total bases (72). I heard from both offensive stars this week to gain some insight on their success at the plate and also got righty pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. to speak about his recent impressive efforts on the mound. Read ahead for those quotes. Angelo Mora with Lakewood in 2013, image- Jay Floyd -Mora, who is a 22-year-old Dominican Republic native, spoke on if players at higher levels inspire him to achieve bigger things and how his coaches on the field, and one off the field, have helped him... "Yes, they inspire many baseba...

After roughly a week and a half of the minor league schedule has past, so here's a quick run down of the top performers from the Phillies' developmental ranks thus far in the young baseball season. Triple-A Lehigh Valley... 3B/1B Maikel Franco - The righty hitting slugger sports a .386 average with a homer and eight RBI through 10 games. After going 0-for-3 on opening day, the 22-year-old has put together a nine-game hitting streak with at least one extra-base hit in eight of those games. RHP Phillippe Aumont - In three appearances, the 26-year-old has allowed one earned run in eight innings (1.13 ERA) while striking out 10 and walking four. Aumont has a career 6.13 ERA in 45 big league outings. Double-A Reading... RHP Zach Eflin - In two starts, the 21-year-old right has a 2-0 record while throwing 14 scoreless frames, having struck out seven and walked two. Eflin was acquired over the off-season from the Dodgers in the Jimmy Rollins trade. LHP Jesse Biddle - T...

With minor league camp underway and the initial work out groups list unveiled this weekend, thanks to Jim Peyton of PhuturePhillies.com (see below), a key question arose. Where is Larry Greene Jr? The omission of the Phillies' top selection from the 2011 draft (39th overall) has plenty of people wondering about his status. Confirmed by manager of the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, the 22-year-old Greene has retired from professional baseball. In three pro seasons, the six-foot-one 225-pounder posted a .224 average with eight home runs and 74 RBI in 242 games. Greene, a Georgia native, signed for a reported $1 million following the 2011 draft.  The Phillies retain the rights to Greene, if and when he decides to return to baseball. Also of note from the list, per Legg, Andrew Pullin , who made an impact as the second baseman for Class A Lakewood last year (.270/.333/.394 in 129 games), will officially move forward as an outfielder, the position he played prior to b...

The dawn of a near year brings along with it the annual Phillies Nation “Prospect Nation” countdown, running down the organization’s top 25 up and coming players. In the coming weeks, as a brand new season approaches, I’ll be bringing you player reviews for each of the top developmental talents that appear to have the brightest futures for the Phillies. Always taken into consideration when compiling the list is age, minor league performance relative to levels played, value to the organization as well as future potential and proximity to the big leagues. These rankings do not include players over 25 years old or individuals that have spent lengthy stretches in the big leagues. As such, infielder Carlos Alonso , who played his age 26 season at Double-A last year, will not make the list, despite deserving some consideration. The same applies 28-year-old to relief pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez , who debuted with the Phillies late last season. Additionally, a guy such as infielder...

Matt Imhof, photo editing- Eric Floyd Everybody loves the holidays and baseball players are certainly no different. Each year at Christmas time, I survey a group of Phillies prospects about what they get excited for during the holiday season. Players that took part in this year's questionnaire include 2014 second round draft selection lefty hurler Matt Imhof , this year's 7th overall pick right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola , top pick from 2012 righty pitcher Shane Watson , second baseman Andrew Pullin , righty pitcher Tyler Viza as well as third baseman Zach Green . Questions and answers detailing each player’s holly jolly holiday favorites are ahead… What is your favorite holiday movie or TV show? Imhof- I've always been a big fan of Charlie Brown Christmas. That's a huge one for me. I watch it every year. I've watched it ever since I was little. It's a tradition in the Imhof household. We all get together and watch it. Nola- Favorite holida...

Andrew Pullin, image- Jay Floyd Andrew Pullin put himself on the radar last season with a solid year at Class A Lakewood. The 21-year-old posted a .270 average with nine home runs and 61 RBI in 129 games for the BlueClaws. A converted outfielder, the Phils' 5th round draft choice from 2012 focused on learning the ways of the infield, in the past couple seasons, and he has become a steady second baseman, impressing the organization's coaches and scouts alike. I caught up with the six-foot 185-pounder this week. The Washington state native provided details on his fall/winter workout routine, how he's keeping busy this off-season and more. -What is your current workout routine like and is it mandated by the Phillies? Yeah. I mostly do the Phillies routine but I also like to swim for a workout and I do speed training drills. -Is there a goal you have in mind with what you are working on? Anything you're looking to do like add muscle or stamina this off-s...