The Phillies have the worst record in Major League Baseball. As Philadelphia sports fans, we are used to disappointment, frustration and anger, but this is just ridiculous. How some of the best hitters in baseball, like Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, have just completely lost their touch at the plate is mind-boggling. Cody Asche, Freddy Galvis and Odubel Herrera are all struggling and the pitching rotation, beyond Cole Hamels and most of the time Aaron Harang, is just awful. All that being said, we need to look a little closer at the bigger picture though, because there is hope. The Phillies young talent they have drafted and acquired over the past few years are putting in their work at their respective affiliates and the teams' top 10 prospects could all play a part in the future plan. Sure, Philadelphia sports doesn't have much going on right now in any of their major sports, so patience isn't growing on trees, but looking ahead, the Phillies could have a great crop of young talent on their way through the system. Let's take a look at how the teams' top prospects have been doing through the middle of June.
1. J.P. Crawford (Double-A) - Since joining Double-A Reading, Crawford has become more and more comfortable in his new surroundings each day. After hitting .392 in 21 games with Clearwater, Crawford got the call to the already prospect-heavy Reading team and has already become an asset to the top of the lineup alongside fellow speedster Roman Quinn. In 15 games with Reading, Crawford is hitting .294 with nine runs scored, five doubles, a triple, a home run, seven RBI's, 11 walks and nine strikeouts. The number you want to pay attention to is the extra-base hits. With Clearwater, Crawford only had two in 21 games. Through 15 games in Reading, he already has seven. This past weekend against Akron, Crawford went 4-for-16 wih a run scored, a double and three RBI's. J.P. and the Fightin Phils went to extra innings twice this weekend. He's hitting .347 combined between Clearwater and Reading.
2. Aaron Nola (Triple-A) - The biggest news of the weekend was Nola's promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. There's no doubting that the Phillies top pick from a year ago earned it, posting a 7-3 record to go along with a 1.88 ERA in 12 starts for Double-A Reading. Before his promotion, Nola ranked second in the Eastern League in wins, innings pitched and WHIP (0.89) while his ERA was good for third. Nola ranked fifth in strikeouts with 59 of them. He only walked nine. Now, Nola joins an Ironpigs team that doesn't really have much going for it. Triple-A will give the LSU alum a new test in more experienced hitters, some of which have seen time in the big leagues. On Saturday against Akron, Nola gave up two runs in five innings of work, walking one and striking out five. His first start in Lehigh Valley is yet to be determined, but will likely come towards the end of the week.
3. Maikel Franco (MLB) - When Franco was called up as a part of the September roster expansion last season, he looked jumpy at the plate and uncomfortable in a few aspects. This season, since joining the Phillies, he has much more confidence in his swing and has been the most exciting part of this dismal Phillies season so far. Sure, he's only hitting .282 in 28 games, but Franco has shown his ability not only to drive the ball with raw power, but also make some stellar defensive plays at the hot corner. Over his last 10 games, Franco is hitting .385 (15-for-39) with six runs scored, two homers and three RBI's. He has 12 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 24 RBI's for the Phillies this season. His RBI number is third behind that of Chase Utley (25) and Ryan Howard (28) and he hasn't played in nearly as many games.
4. Zach Eflin (Double-A) - With Nola's promotion to Triple-A, Eflin takes center stage in Reading's pitching rotation moving forward. The 21-year-old right-hander has shown some great signs of potential, but has also had some really rough outings in the process as well. He's 4-4 with a 3.12 ERA this season after tossing five shutout innings, stiking out six, on the 11th against Altoona. Eflin has held opposing teams to two runs or less in six out of his last 10 starts, with his most impressive outing coming against Portland at the end of May. He didn't factor into the decision after pitching 8 2/3 shutout innings, scattering just four hits while striking out five. Opposing hitters have a .229 average against him. His next turn comes on Wednesday night against Trenton.
5. Tom Windle (Double-A) - Unlike Eflin, Windle has had a tough time adjusting to his new team. In 12 starts, the 23-year-old out of Minnesota is 2-3 with a 4.82 ERA. Command seems to be Windle's biggest issue as he's given out 35 bases on balls and has 38 strikeouts, making for a not so great K:BB ratio. In his last start on the 12th against Akron, Windle pitched six innings and gave up three runs on eight hits. He walked four and struck out two. Of his 95 pitches, 51 of them were strikes. Windle normally lasts about five innings per start, with his best performance back on May 23rd, when he held Portland scoreless over five innings, allowing just two hits. His next start will likely be on Thursday in Trenton against the Thunder.
6. Ben Lively (Double-A) - You can slot Lively in between Eflin and Windle in terms of the top pitchers acquired by Ruben Amaro Jr. this offseason. He hasn't been as strong as Eflin, but has not been as wild as Windle either. Lively, 4-5 with a 3.95 ERA, has really been a mixed bag for the Phillies since coming over to the organization. After starting the season off 4-1, he's lost his four decisions, despite allowing four runs over two of those starts. In his last start, Lively pitched 6 1/3 innings and gave up four runs on nine hits while striking out six against Akron on Sunday. He'll take the mound later in the week, when the team squares off against Portland at home.
7. Roman Quinn (Double-A) - After hitting .347 to start the season off in April, Quinn has somewhat "fallen back to earth" in May and June. He hit .286 in May and has a .289 average thus far in June, through 11 games. Quinn is the guy most hope will be the Phillies future center-fielder and he has the speed to really create some havoc on the base paths. His average sits at .306 at this point in the season. He's hit six doubles, six triples, four home runs and has driven in 15 runs and also scored 44. Quinn has stolen 29 bases this season and has been caught 10 times, so there is still some work to be done there. His steal and caught stealing numbers both lead the Double-A Eastern League and his .306 average is good for 12th. His strikeout to walk ratio isn't as he's been retired via the strikeout 42 times while drawing just 11 walks. If he plans to be an effective lead-off hitter, those walk numbers will need to increase. Against Akron this weekend, he went 5-for-13 with three runs scored, a homer, an RBI and two steals.
8. Carlos Tocci (Class 'A') - Just 19 years old out of Venezuela, Tocci sits at third best in the South Atlantic League in hitting with a .329 average. He's sixth in OBP (.394) and ninth in OPS (.828). Tocci has 14 doubles so far this season to go along with two triples, two home runs and 25 RBI's. He's been a very solid part of the Blueclaws lineup so far this season, providing plenty of extra-base hit pop off the bat. He played two games in the Blueclaws three-game series this weekend against Hagerstown and went 3-for-9 with a run scored and two strikeouts. Just a few days ago, on June 11th against Lexington, Tocci went 3-for-5 with a home run, RBI, a walk and a run scored.
9. Aaron Brown (Advanced 'A') - Brown has shown plenty of improvement in his swing since hitting .190 in the middle of May, but there is still a lot to be desired out of the Phillies third round selection from last year's draft. This season for Clearwater, Brown is hitting .248 with 23 runs scored, 11 doubles, four triples, three home runs and 21 RBI's. His plate discipline needs work as he's struck out 34 times and taken just six bases on balls this season. He hit .318 during an injury shortened month of May, in which he played in just 19 games, but is hitting only .188 (6-for-32) so far in June.
10. Matt Imhof (Advanced 'A) - Making his first start in a little under two months, the Phillies second round pick tossed five strong innings on Thursday, allowing just one run while striking out four and walking two. He threw 80 pitches, 53 of which were strikes. Imhof had been recovering from shoulder tendinitis over the last month and change and his return to the mound was very encouraging. In three starts this season, Imhof is 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA, spanning 15 innings. He'll look to make his second start of the disabled list another good one on Tuesday night, when Clearwater hosts St. Lucie.
Minor League Note: Reading first baseman Brock Stassi ranks second in the Eastern League in hitting with a .333 average. He went 4-for-8 with 2 RBI's in Reading's 18-inning marathon win against Altoona on June 11th while also earning his first professional win, pitching the games' final three innings, allowing no hits and striking out three.
Phillies Minor League Standings:
Lehigh Valley (AAA): 23-42, 5th place in International League North Division
Reading (AA): 33-29, 3rd place in Eastern League Eastern Division
Clearwater (Advanced 'A'): 32-31, 2nd place in Florida State League North Division
Lakewood (Low 'A'): 31-28, 4th place in South Atlantic League Northern Division
Williamsport (Short Season 'A'): Season begins Friday, June 19th
Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
