PhoulBallz.com

For anyone wondering, "What's up, PhoulBallz.com?"... Well, interviewing players with COVID related restrictions is difficult to make happen.  I'm still not permitted on the field, in the locker room or any other place that the Phillies of the future do their things.  I still reach out to players and without knowing me, the players aren't as swift to provide me with the feedback I desire.   With that said, I don't have the stories to tell, like I once did.  I am hopeful that we'll get back to that, as things return to normal down the line.   Pitcher Adam Leverett , who has moved between levels with some frequency of late, has promised to set aside some time for me to do an interview.  We just haven't made that happen yet.   The 22-year-old right-hander was a 15th round draft choice in 2019.  Combined at three levels this year, Leverett sports a 4-5 record, a 3.54 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP and a 9.6 K/9 mark in 20 games primarily as a starter...

Season's greetings to all!  It's that time of the year to celebrate and enjoy the holiday season.  Every year at Christmas time, I survey a group of Phillies prospects about what they get excited for during the holidays.  This year I included a throwback Phils name as well. Individuals taking part in this year's 11th annual Christmas favorites survey include former Phillies All-Star and coach Mickey Morandini as well as pitching prospects Dominic Pipkin , Erik Miller and Ben Brown along with corner infielder Matt Kroon. Inquiries and responses regarding each player's holly jolly favorites lie ahead...   -What's your favorite Christmas song and which version? Morandini- All I Want For Christmas by Mariah Carey. Pipkin- Blue Christmas by Elvis.  It's just unbeatable.   Miller- I don't like Christmas music, to be honest. Kroon- I am a big fan of the original Jingle Bells. It reminds me of being a kid again. It reminds me of all the holid...

Mike Micucci, image- Jay Floyd I am back with another Patreon exclusive! Last weekend, I talked one-on-one with Class A Lakewood BlueClaws manager Mike Micucci about several topics including the defensive progress of middle infielders Luis Garcia and Jonathan Guzman, the promotion of Matt Kroon, the addition of Luke Miller, Cole Stobbe's playing time as well as the free base runner that starts extra innings in the minors. Please head on over to Patreon.com/PhoulBallz to subscribe and support my work.  Contributions there are helpful in simply allowing me to take less of a financial loss in producing this type of content for you, the readers.  Your patronage will get you early access to nearly all of my news and articles but more importantly exclusive interviews and other posts. I also intend to offer some baseball related giveaways once the patron count increases. Direct link to the interview is right here .   

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...

Matt Kroon, image- Jay Floyd Infielder Matt Kroon has been one of the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws' most consistent hitters this season and he's been enjoying the success in his first full season as a pro player. Through 26 games this season in the South Atlantic League, the Phillies' 18th round pick from 2018 sports a .289 average with five doubles, a triple and seven RBI.   Primarily a first baseman, Kroon, the son of former big league pitcher Marc Kroon, has also played second base and third base for the 'Claws. Kroon was the Phillies' 18th round draft selection last year. I spoke with Matt about his success at the plate, exposure to professional baseball as a child, his teammates including last year's top pick Alec Bohm and plenty more.  Some excerpts from our talk are shared below, but you can check out the complete interview at Patreon.com/PhoulBallz . -Were there any moments from childhood that stick in your memory that made you fall i...