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Daniel Brito, image- Jay Floyd An emergency medical situation involving Lehigh Valley IronPigs infielder Daniel Brito halted a game in the first inning on Saturday in Rochester.  Brito was apparently unable to stand and was rushed by emergency services to a local hospital and underwent surgery to address the issue, per reports.   The game that was stopped was slated to be the first contest of a double header.  Both games were postponed, as was Sunday's game against the Red Wings. Brito, a 23-year-old lefty batter, was signed by the Phillies as an international free agent in 2014 at the age of 16.   He was enjoying a breakout season, earning a promotion to the Triple-A level for the first time two weeks ago.   In 63 games for Double-A Reading this year, Brito tallied a .296 batting average with 14 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 22 RBI and three stolen bases.  Since joining the IronPigs, the Venezuela native notched a .286 average with...

This weekend over on Patreon.com/PhoulBallz I've featured some exclusive quotes from around the Phillies minor leagues.   Among the latest on the Patreon page, are Double-A Reading manager Shawn Williams talking about pitching prospect Francisco Morales among other topics, righty pitching prospect Ben Brown discussing his return to the mound following Tommy John surgery and right-hander Mark Appel sharing thoughts on his return to professional ball after taking a leave of absence a few years ago.  Additionally, you find the latest on injured pitching prospect Erik Miller .   Please consider joining the Patreon site and contributing toward my work in order to gain access to exclusive content like this all season long.  

With the minor league season set to get started on Tuesday, May 4th, the Phillies' four full-season teams unveiled their initial rosters today. Of note is the absense of rising infield prospect Kendall Simmons, who is apparently sidelined with an undisclosed injury.  The middle infielder was active in spring training action in recent weeks, but was contributing as a designated hitter.  He's likely being kept at the Phillies' complex in Florida in order to focus on recovery and limit unnecesary travel. Also, as reported recently on my Patreon page , pitcher Albertus Barber got a late start to his spring season due to an unspecified nerve issue.  He's healthy, but needs to ramp up his efforts in order to get game-ready before he joins a team. One of the Phils' most promision pitching prospects, Erik Miller, is also absent from these lists.  No word yet on what the situation is with this hard throwing 24-year-old, who was ranked as the organization's 5th best prosp...

Rafael Marchan, image- Jay Floyd With an injury to J.T. Realmuto , the Phillies were forced to call up a promising young prospect to fill a void on the big league roster.   In his big league debut on Monday at Miami, Rafael Marchan went 1-for-3, as he singled in his first at bat to notch his first hit in the majors. Marchan, 21, was ranked at the Phils' number 16 prospect heading into the 2020 season.    Signed in the same off-season that the Phils dished out a $4 million signing bonus to outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz, Marchan inked a deal for a reported bargain price of $200,000, as a 16-year-old in 2015. Last year, Marchan, a native of Venezuela, played much of the season with Class A Lakewood.  In 63 games, he tallied a .271 batting average with 16 doubles and 20 RBI.  He would miss a few weeks with an injury in May, but bounced back to complete the season, earning a promotion to Class A Advanced Clearwater at the end of July. Wrapping up his 201...

Trevor Bettencourt, image- Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to  my Patreon page .  Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and early access to all of my content. Righty pitcher Trevor Bettencourt continues to recover from his second Tommy John surgery, but instead of rehabbing at the Phillies spring training complex in Florida, he's at home in California, because of the halt of professional sports due to the coronavirus outbreak. Last year, just two appearances into his 2019 campaign with the Double-A Reading, Bettencourt's season was cut short, as he was dealing with arm trouble. In his professional career to date, the 25-year-old sports a 7-3 record with 12 saves, a 3.38 ERA and .273 batting average against and an 11.3 K/9 mark in 69 relief appearances. A 25th round draft selection in 2016, Bettencourt first went under the knife for UCL reconstruction after his sophomore season in college in 2014. This week I talked with the...

Please visit Patreon.com/PhoulBallz in order to support my work and get access to material like this before anyone.  Plus you'll get interviews as well as other exclusive content you won't be able to enjoy anywhere else.  I could use, and I would value, your backing. Enyel De Los Santos, image- Jay Floyd Acquired as part of the trade that sent Freddy Galvis to San Diego, Enyel De Los Santos is a talented hurler that instantly landed among the Phillies' top pitching prospects. A native of the Dominican Republic, De Los Santos signed with Seattle at the age of 18. He would make his professional debut in 2015 in the Rookie level Arizona League. There, he notched a 3-0 record with a 2.55 ERA in five starts. The right-hander earned a promotion to Class A short-season Everett where he would post a 3-0 record with a 4.06 ERA through eight starts. During the following off-season, he was traded to the Padres in a deal for pitcher Joaquin Benoit. In...

Luke Leftwich, image- Jay Floyd Recently, I wrote a feature on Phillies pitching prospect Luke Leftwich and his recovery from a shoulder ailment that he experienced last season.  That piece can be found by clicking this link .  Beyond his physical situation and his delayed start to in-game action this spring, the 25-year-old also talked with me about who has helped him stay positive, if he feels undervalued, a huge life event this off-season, some considerable coach turnover in the Phils system and more.  Read ahead for exclusive interview excerpts with Leftwich. -(I had asked about his shoulder injury and recovering from that.  Luke offered some feedback in addition to what appears in the article.) That brings us to now.  With the time I took to do all the physical therapy to work out all the kinks in my shoulder, I got pushed back with the start of my throwing progression.  So, I would consider myself healthy, but I'm about a month behi...

Luke Leftwich, image- Jay Floyd A tell and an injury raised concern for pitching prospect Luke Leftwich last summer, but the right-hander has a positive outlook and is confident he'll return to form in 2020. Leftwich entered last year with a 3.18 ERA in four professional seasons including a solid campaign with Double-A Reading in 2018 in which he posted a 3-4 record with three saves, a 3.73 ERA and a .234 batting average against.  It was a scorching hot start with Reading in 2019 that opened plenty of eyes for the talented reliever.  He tallied a 2-0 record with a 1.02 ERA, a .073 batting average against and a 14.3 K/9 mark in 12 total relief appearances with the Fightin Phils.  His remarkable efforts against Eastern League competition earned him a promotion. With Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Leftwich, who was the Phillies' 7th round draft selection out of Wofford College in 2015, appeared to experience difficulties on the mound from the start.  In 16 total appear...

As another baseball season draws near, it's time for the frequency of content to pick back up.  My latest post for Patreon supporters features details on next week's prospect symposium in Philadelphia, early arrivals for spring training in Clearwater, some updates on MLB's Rookie Orientation happening this week and more!  These are details I won't publish elsewhere. Please consider supporting my work by becoming a patron via my Patreon page in order to enjoy exclusive news and updates as well as interviews, plus get early access to virtually all of my other content. 

Trevor Bettencourt, image- Jay Floyd HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING ALL SEASON LONG BY BECOMING A PATRON!  Get early access to my material as well as EXCLUSIVE interviews- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Add right-hander Trevor Bettencourt to the list of Phillies prospects that have undergone UCL reconstruction (Tommy John surgery) this year.  The 24-year-old went under the knife earlier this month and is expected to miss roughly a year while he recovers. The California native appeared in two games with Double-A Reading this year before he was sidelined with elbow pain.  In his three years in the pro ranks, Bettencourt sports a 7-3 record with a 2.40 ERA and a .208 batting average against in 69 regular season appearances. In 2017 Bettencourt participated in the prominent Arizona Fall League and last off-season he pitched in Puerto Rico. Bettencourt, the Phillies' 25th round draft selection in 2016 out of UC Santa Barbara, was in a cas...

Ben Brown, image- MiLB.com HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING ALL SEASON LONG BY BECOMING A PATRON!- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Last week, righty pitching prospect Ben Brown underwent elbow ligament reconstruction and will miss significant time while he recovers. Brown, 19, joins his pal and fellow Long Island native Kyle Young on the shelf as both hurlers face recovery from Tommy John surgery.  Young, a pitcher with Class A Advanced Clearwater, went under the knife earlier this month. In four games this year, Brown, the Phillies' 33rd round draft pick in 2017, did not allow a run while striking out 20 and walking three in 13 2/3 innings pitched. Brown began to garner plenty of attention last summer when, while pitching in the rookie level Gulf Coast League, he notched a 16 strike out effort in July.  He would move up to Class A short-season Williamsport to finish his 2018 campaign. In his brief professional career to date, the six-foot-...

Matt Kroon, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD-- Matt Kroon 's first home run of the season plated three in the bottom of the 8th inning to give the Class A BlueClaws a 4-3 victory over Hagerstown on Tuesday night at FirstEnergy Park. Kroon's big fly came against Suns relief pitcher Ryan Tapani. Following the game, the 22-year-old righty batter, Kroon, stated that his game plan heading into the at bat, with his team trailing by a pair of runs, was finding a pitch to drive.  The result, however, surprised even the young Phillies prospect. "Having zero home runs on the season, I had no thought in my head whatsoever that I'm gonna go up there and hit a three-run home run," said Kroon.  "Funny things happen in this game.  Thankfully, it was able to happen to me tonight." Lakewood reliever Kyle Glogoski notched the win, his second of the year, for the 'Claws while allowing an earned run over 3 2/3 innings of work.  Gilmael Troya recorded the save fo...

HELP SUPPORT CONTENT LIKE THIS AND KEEP IT COMING ALL SEASON LONG BY BECOMING A PATRON!- https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz Kevin Gowdy, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- After battling setbacks, both physical and mental, for the past two seasons pitching prospect Kevin Gowdy is back on the mound, competing in full-season baseball for the first time. The Phillies selected the right-handed California native in the second round of the 2016 draft.  Difficulties with his health held him to just nine professional regular season innings until this month. After appearing in four games with the Rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2016, Gowdy was assigned to extended spring training to open the 2017 season.  While there, the six-foot-four 170-pounder encountered some tightness in his right elbow.  Initially, the discomfort didn't strike Gowdy as serious pain, so he pitched through it.  The tightness soon became unbearable agony that he could no longer ignore...

Mickey Moniak, image- Jay Floyd ALLENTOWN, PA-- Double-A Reading batted around in the opening frame, plating five runs against Triple-A Lehigh Valley starter Drew Anderson and never looked back, dropping the host team by a score of 7-3 in the annual Rt. 222 Showcase exhibition. Right fielder Adam Haseley led off the first with a double and came around to score on a single by center fielder Mickey Moniak .  Shortstop Arquimedes Gamboa also drove in two with a key hit in the first. Anderson would calm down following the shaky start, looking in control and retiring 10 in a row and recording four K's as he completed four innings of work. Reading starting pitcher Mauricio "MoYo" Llovera surrendered a pair of runs in the second inning on an error and a run scoring single by Shane Robinson. Left fielder Cornelius Randolph notched three hits on the night, including an RBI double. The Fightins lead the all-time exhibition series six games to four. The IronPigs...

Sanchez with Lakewood last year, image- J. Floyd I heard from plenty of social networking followers and other folks online in the past few days either expressing displeasure that presumably I left out asking about certain players in my recent interview with Joe Jordan .  Others have politely asked for details on a promising pair of top prospects' recovery from their respective injuries. The fact of the matter is that Joe, or anyone else for that matter, doesn't always have an answer for every question.  Additionally, I may not ask about every topic or player that everyone wants to hear about.  But, I am here, at long last, to offer some insight that my readers have been craving. Sixto Sanchez , the Phillies top pitching prospect is not officially done for the season.  The 20-year-old right-hander has been out of action for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers since early June with the aforementioned elbow inflammation. The Phillies are hoping to get...

Joe Jordan, image- Jay Floyd On Sunday, Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan took some time to talk with me about plenty of prospects throughout the Phils developmental levels. Topics discussed include injury updates for several hurlers including Jose Taveras , Nick Fanti , Bailey Falter and a critical note on Triple-A reliever Brandon Leibrandt .  Also mentioned are outfielders Jhailyn Ortiz and Jose Pujols , catcher Deivi Grullon , Lakewood starters Will Stewart and David Parkinson as well as impressive Double-A reliever Kyle Dohy along with Triple-A reliever Tyler Gilbert. Read onward for much of my interview with Joe and check back in the coming days for his thoughts on some other names that are worthy of interest.  -Kyle Dohy's graduated out of Lakewood and Clearwater, landing in Reading.  He's started to get some attention, after he was a 16th round draft pick and pitched in short-season Class A last year.  Can you talk...

Roman Quinn, image- Jay Floyd Multiple reports on Friday have the Phillies promoting often injured outfielder Roman Quinn to fill a spot on the team's major league roster.  The addition will give the club an elite defender and a switch-hitting contributor that is a stolen base threat that can get in pitchers' heads .  The Phillies' 2nd round draft pick in 2011 has posted a .305 average with a pair of homers, 11 RBI and 14 steals in 28 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year.  He's been working his way back of late, following surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right hand. Starting with his first full season in professional baseball in 2013, the center-fielder and sometimes-shortstop, Quinn, has played in 378 games throughout the Phillies organization. During those five and a half seasons, the 25-year-old has spent 405 total regular season days out of action with injuries that, in addition to this year's ailment, range from a broken wrist to a torn m...

David Parkinson, image- Jay Floyd LAKEWOOD, NJ-- It had been roughly four and a half hours since the Lakewood BlueClaws did what they needed to do on Sunday before they found out their first half fate.  With a start time of 5:05 PM for Kannapolis (White Sox affiliate), who were ahead of the BlueClaws in the Class A South Atlantic League North Division standings by .003 percentage points, it would be a few anxious hours, or more, until a trip to the 2018 postseason would be decided. Greensboro, the Marlins affiliate managed by former Phillies catcher Todd Pratt, completed a three-game sweep in Kannapolis to lock in a first half division title and a playoff spot for the BlueClaws. Lakewood's star on Sunday was lefty pitcher David Parkinson, the Phils' 12th round draft selection a year ago.  The 22-year-old struck out 11, walked none and allowed no runs on just three hits over seven innings of work to notch his sixth win of the season. The effort for Parkinson placed...