Minor League Wrap-Up: The Phillies Call-Ups and Prospect Rankings

So one team was competitive of the six. One. That's not what you want to hear, and I think the call-ups appropriately reflect the season they had. Maikel Franco was a no-brainer after a strong final two months of AAA ball. His .257 average and .727 OPS be damned, as he finished hitting over .300 for the final two months, a much better indicator of his progress. Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez was a no-brainer too, as he shot through the system once he settle in as a reliever, and dominated AA and AAA the last two months. Cameron Rupp had a horrible year in AAA, but back-up catchers always get the call, and so he's up. Cesar Hernandez struggled a bit in AAA over the last month, but they need to get a good look at him now. I'm a little surprised at Luis Garcia, but I can't be too mad at rewarding him for an excellent season, and seeing what you have. I personally wouldn't have brought Tony Gwynn Jr. back, but again, no one else earned the call, so the Phillies rewarded a veteran for doing the right things. Mike Adams is also coming off the DL too now. Phillippe Aumont and B.J. Rosenberg were both left off the call-ups, a sign that one or both could be on the chopping block. Ethan Martin being left off was a genuine surprise to me, but this could be anything from his health issues this year to his stats not being great. I'm genuinely surprised that Kelly Dugan is both not being called up or sent to Arizona after a very solid year. Hector Neris is another guy I thought had a chance, but he was passed on. Aaron Altherr's poor finish clearly hurt his case. Jon Pettibone and Tommy Joseph are out hurt for the year.

 

So, here's my year end top prospects list. I'm a little different than MLB.com on this one. 

1. Maikel Franco- 3B- AAA- He got the call, and let's hope he shows us something. The power really came along late in the season as he hit better. His glove is very, very good at third.
2. J.P. Crawford- SS- High-A- Crawford is about one year from hopefully getting his call. His season was very solid across both levels, and i'd be comfortable with them starting him out at Reading next year.
3. Aaron Nola- P- AA- Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited about him and his strong finish in Reading. I just think I'd start him in Reading next year. There's work to do yet.
4. Roman Quinn- CF- High-A- I find this year to be a positive for Quinn. He got back on the field from an achilles tear quickly, he made the switch to center-field well, he stole 30 bases, and got better as the season went. I'm anxious to see how he does in Arizona this Fall.
5. Jesse Biddle- P- AA- What a disaster of a season. He's hanging on to his standing with a good left arm. If he doesn't learn to throw strikes, he'll go nowhere.
6. Aaron Altherr- CF- AA- Altherr showed solid power hitting 14 homers. He also hit for a poor average. His defense is sound, but he needs to hit more consistently.
7. Matt Imhof- P- Low-A- This year's second pick showed great strikeout numbers, but has some work to do. I'm thinking he starts in Clearwater next year. He could advance fast from there if he has a good off-season.
8. Severino Gonzalez- P- AA- Sure, his numbers weren't as eye-popping as they were in Clearwater, but he lowered his ERA a half run after the break, and threw 158.2 innings of healthy ball as a starter this year. I'd probably start him out in Reading again, but he could easily reach AAA next season, and maybe beyond.
9. Kelly Dugan- OF- AA- He did have a DL stint, which isn't good, but he hit .296 and had an .818 OPS in Reading this season. I wish he had more than 253 at-bats, but I think he's ready for AAA after more than 400 plate appearances in Reading.
10. Victor Arano- P- A- The 19 year old was picked up in the Roberto Hernandez deal from the Dodgers, and he has great stuff. He still has plenty of work to do, but could be a Clearwater guy next season.