By: Brandon Apter, contributor 
The Phillies acquired a plethora of talent through trades over the past few years, but also have some home grown players that hope to don red pinstripes one day. One of those guys is 2015 first round pick Cornelius Randolph, who ranks 88th in Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list from the winter. He impressed during his first professional season in the Gulf Coast League, hitting .302 in 52 games with 15 doubles, three triples, a homer, 24 RBI's, 34 runs scored, 32 walks and 32 strikeouts. A natural shortstop, Randolph was immediately converted to the outfield upon being drafted.
Randolph, 18, began 2016 with Class 'A' Lakewood and has raised his average to .240 after hovering around and below the mid .100s during eight of 12 games. In his last three games played, Randolph really started to heat up, going 8-for-13 with a home run, three RBI's and 11 total bases. His hot streak has taken a brief halt due to a sore shoulder that has kept him from playing since last Thursday. On Tuesday afternoon, Randolph was officially placed on the seven-day disabled list.
Some Minor League Transactions:
– Cornelius Randolph to DL
– Damek Tomscha from CLW to LKW
– Derek Campbell from Extended to CLW— Matt Winkelman (@Matt_Winkelman) April 26, 2016
Winkleman goes on to mention that Randolph's injury isn't something to be concerned about just yet, but it has been bothering him for a little bit. His placement on the DL will be backdated, so it gives him time to rest.
Randolph is one of just five players under the age of 19 to be on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list. Phillies top prospect J.P. Crawford, ranked sixth on the Top 100 list, got to see Randolph in action for the first time during minor league Spring Training at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater and was impressed.
“He’s competitive on the field,” Crawford said. “The guy can flat out hit. He's just a baseball guy doing what he loves to do and he's doing a good job of doing it.” [PhillyVoice.com]
Baseball America ranks Randolph as the Phillies sixth best prospect in the organization while MLB Pipeline has him ranked fifth.
