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Several months removed from his big league debut,  Kyle Dohy  hopes to build on a strong 2021 campaign and return to the top level of the sport to stay. A 16th round draft selection out of Citrus Community College in 2017, Dohy was quickly signed by the Phils and began his professional career that year in the Class A short-season New York-Penn League. In 13 appearances with Williamsport that year, as a 20-year-old, Dohy posted a 2-1 record with a 3.60 ERA and a .182 batting average against in 13 appearances.  Additionally, he would strike out 22 and walk 20 in 20 innings. In 2018, Dohy really stood out, pitching at three levels, and began to draw plenty of attention.  In 24 appearances with Class A Lakewood, Dohy looked nearly untouchable, recording a 3-3 record with seven saves, a 0.80 ERA, a .144 batting average against and an outstanding 16.8 K/9 mark while the BB/9 rate looked much better at 4.5. Dohy earned a promotion to Class A Advanced Clearwater at the Sally...

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...

Dalton Guthrie, image- Jay Floyd Versatile prospect Dalton Guthrie  is producing extremely well with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and has begun opening some eyes. The 25-year-old that plays various positions on defense (2b, 3b, SS, CF, LF just this season) opened the 2021 campaign with Double-A Reading, but since his promotion to the IronPigs, Guthrie has torched the opposition.  Through 27 games, he has posted a .357 average with 12 doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI and a pair of stolen bases.   Guthrie, a 6th round draft pick by the Phillies back in 2017 out of the University of Florida, is the son of former big leaguer Mark Guthrie. This week I talked with Dalton about his remarkable season, growing up around professional baseball and more.  Read ahead for excerpts of that interview. -You're having a great season.  Congratulations on your success.  What do you attribute the excellent production to with Lehigh Valley? I think I was forced to make a swing adju...

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...

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.  Ramon Rosso in 2018, image- Jay Floyd Despite missing out on a minor league season in 2020, hurler  Ramon Rosso  has thrust himself into discussions of being among the Phillies' top prospects over the past year or so.   Among the players designated to stay ready on the organization's Taxi Squad last year, Rosso made his big league debut with the Phils last July.  In seven big league appearances (one start) the Dominican Republic native notched a 0-1 record with a 6.52 ERA while striking out 11 batters in 9 2/3 innings.   Over this past off-season Rosso looked exceptionally strong with the Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League.  The right-hander tallied a 1-0 record with a 0.47 ERA over five appearance while...

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. Left-handed pitcher Damon Jones used an exceptional 2019 season to catapult himself toward the top of the list of names being discussed as top options to help the Phillies' pitching pitching staff. An 18th round draft selection in 2017, out of Washington State, Jones began his professional career as a member of the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters.  In 13 appearances, all in relief, that season, the six-foot-five 238-pounder notched a 2-3 record with three saves, a 4.85 ERA, a .240 batting average against and a 13.2 K/9 mark. The following year Jones had a strong campaign with Class A Lakewood.  In 23 games (22 starts), Jones posted a 10-7 record with a 3.41 ER...

On Tuesday, Minor League Baseball announced that its 2020 season would be cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic . For me, it's worth mentioning that supporters of my work through Patreon got that news six weeks ago. Per a press release from the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, team general manager Kurt Landes had this to say: It’s with great disappointment and sadness to inform you that the IronPigs 2020 season has been officially cancelled. Earlier today, Major League Baseball informed Minor League Baseball that it will not be providing its Minor League affiliates with players for the 2020 season. As such, there will not be a 2020 Minor League season. On behalf of the entire IronPigs organization, I promise that when the 2021 season arrives it will be our best season ever. More promotions, more fun and more entertainment. We’ll honor our front-line heroes, recognize our essential workers and heal together – all while taking in our national pastime. From a ...

As was announced last week , Major League Baseball is set to return from hiatus in July with each team permitted to designate a player pool of up to 60 individuals that can play in games. Via Twitter on Sunday night, the Phillies announced their collection of talent that will be able to take the field in red pinstripes this year. Ready for Summer Camp. #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/om4nTEFocY — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 29, 2020 Included on the Phils' list of player that will be in the big leagues or on the club's taxi squad, are the top two prospects in the organization, righty hurler Spencer Howard and corner infielder Alec Bohm . Spencer Howard, image- Jay Floyd Howard, who is known for his fastball that reaches triple digits pitched last year in the Arizona Fall League, where he faced many of baseball's top minor league talents. In six appearances for Scottsdale, the 23-year-old notched a 1-1 record with a 2.11 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Ad...

Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to  my Patreon page .  Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this post.  Thank you.   Mike Ventola, image- Jay Floyd Mike Ventola has spent nearly a decade broadcasting in the developmental ranks for the Phillies organization.  He's also worked for the Southern Illinois Miners, the Augusta Greenjackets, New Jersey Institute of Technology calling women's basketball and the Danny Bonaduce Morning Show. Currently the Manager of Media Relations for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Ventola previously called games for five seasons with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. Recently, "Mikey V." took time to answer interview questions for me and offered some insight on his career path, the appeal of broadcasting, his current role with the IronPigs, what he's missing most this year during the baseball ...

The following  post originally appeared on my Patreon page, https://www.patreon.com/phoulballz .  In order to get breaking news, exclusive interviews, early access and other content, please consider supporting my work there for just $5 per month. The long awaited announcement of a return for Major League Baseball came on Tuesday, as the league and the players have come to terms on a 60-game regular season schedule set to begin on either July 23rd or July 24th. The announcement comes on the heels of months-long negotiations between the two sides, as they struggled to agree on a way to safely come back from the Coronavirus related hiatus. With some rule tweaks, MLB will proceed despite considerable rises in COVID-19 cases in Arizona, Texas and Florida, where many games will be played. Rule changes include: The National League will use the designated hitter. The trading deadline will be August 31st. Much like the method used in the minor leagues in recent years, ...

Leibrandt w/ Reading in 2017, image-Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to  my Patreon page .  Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this post.  Thank you. On Monday I learned that roughly two dozen Phillies minor leaguers were released over the weekend as the organization prepares for this year's amateur draft. Via sources, I quickly confirmed a few of the individuals, namely righty hitting outfielder Ben Aklinski along with lefty pitcher Brandon Leibrandt .  I also communicated with lefty reliever Aaron Brown , who confirmed to be that he had been released by the organization. Aklinski, 23, with the Phils' 32nd round draft pick in 2018.  He notched a .560 OPS last year with Class A Advanced Clearwater.   Leibrandt had been out of action since July of 2018 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.  The 27-...

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...

Deivy Grullon, image- Jay Floyd 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.   At the time of his signing with the Phillies at the age of 16, backstop Deivy Grullon was one of the top baseball prospects in the Caribbean. Following a lengthy tenure in the minors, Grullon made his big league debut last season and it could be very difficult to deny him a roster spot at the top level any longer. Grullon, who signed for a reported $575,000 in July 2012, looked very good upon making his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2013, posting a .273 batting average with eight doubles, a home run and 14 RBI in 41 games at the Rookie level. He followed up that campaign with a season in which he saw action at three ...

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...

Damon Jones, image- Jay Floyd 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. Left-handed pitcher Damon Jones used an exceptional 2019 season to catapult himself toward the top of the list of names being discussed as top options to help the Phillies' pitching pitching staff. An 18th round draft selection in 2017, out of Washington State, Jones began his professional career as a member of the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters.  In 13 appearances, all in relief, that season, the six-foot-five 238-pounder notched a 2-3 record with three saves, a 4.85 ERA, a .240 batting average against and a 13.2 K/9 mark. The following year Jones had a strong campaign with Class A Lakewood.  In 23 games (22 starts), Jones tallied a...

I invite you to 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 consume anywhere else.  I could use and I would appreciate your backing. At long last, Phillies minor league coaching staffs began to trickle out via each team's news feed on Friday with a few notable additions to the organization's developmental field staffs.  Here is a complete rundown of each team's coaching staff. The Class A Short-season Williamsport Crosscutters will be headed by Milver Reyes.  The 37-year-old Venezuelan played as high as the Triple-A level during his playing career before turning to coaching.  Reyes played with the CrossCutters in 2003 and 2004 as a member of the Pirates organization, before Williamsport was affiliated with the Phillies. The Cutters' pitching coach is set to be a returning Hector Berrios while hittin...