Heading into the 2014 season, the Phillies farm system is most definitely not as strong as some would like. With an aging core of players, the next few years will be integral when it comes to player development. Over the next week, we will be looking at which prospects to watch at each position, starting with catcher.
Tommy Joseph (2013 – CLR/REA/LHV) - 2013 is a year that prospect Tommy Joseph, 22, needs to put in the rear view very quickly if he plans to be a part of the future for the Phillies. After being acquired by the Phillies in 2012 in the Hunter Pence trade, Joseph has battled injury issues, which kept him out for most of the 2013 season. After a slow start with the Ironpigs, a May concussion kept him out for a month. He briefly returned to play 11 games in Clearwater with the Threshers, but ended up sitting out again shortly after. Joseph entered 2013 as the #3 overall prospect in the Phillies system and is not listed on the Top 100 list released by MLB.com. In 36 total games last season, Joseph hit .179 with one homer and 16 RBI. He only hit .257 in 2012 between Phillies and Giants farm teams, so 2014 is a sink or swim year for the young catching prospect. Joseph will likely start the season with Double-A Reading and will hopfully progress to a big role with the Triple-A Ironpigs as the season continues.
Andrew Knapp (2013 – Williamsport) - Another 22 year old catcher in the system is Andrew Knapp. Selected by the Phillies 53rd overall in the 2013 draft, Knapp spent all of his time with the Crosscutters in short season 'A' ball. He spent some of the 2013 season on the mend with an elbow injury, which resulted in Tommy John Surgery in October. Limited to just 62 games, Knapp hit .253/.340/.401. That includes four home runs and 20 doubles. Knapp was the Cutters DH for 39 games while he caught runners 26% of the time during his 21 games as the backstop. With the recovery period for Tommy John Surgery normally six months for pitchers, Knapp may miss some early season time. If it were up to me, Knapp would start 2014 with Lakewood, but there is a chance the 22 year old could see some of his recovery time back in Williamsport.
Deivi Grullon (2013 – GCL Phillies) – A name you probably have not heard before, Grullon's arm is what got him noticed. Just 17 years old, the young prospect has a lot of time to grow in a position that is quite an unknown for the Phillies future. In 41 games with the rookie Phillies, Grullon his .273 with one homer and 14 RBI. With a 28% caught stealing rate, the young catcher was signed as an undrafted free agent in July of 2012. Scouting reports on Grullon say that it is his defensive side that will carry him to higher levels, while his bat speed and overall hitting ability will likely turn him into an average hitter. After 41 games in the GCL, Grullon could see plenty of time with the Crosscutters in 2014 and perhaps even some time with Lakewood if he progresses well.
Cameron Rupp (2013 – REA/LHV/PHI) - With injuries plaguing Tommy Joseph, Rupp has showed improved ability defensively and at the plate in 2013, which ended up with him seeing some big league time during September. Rupp, 25, is at the age where it is a sink or swim year. If Tommy Joseph and Sebastian Valle struggle to start things off, Rupp could find himself as the starting catcher in Triple-A for a majority of the season. With the signing of Wil Nieves, Rupp may not get an opportunity to back up Ruiz, but an injury to either of them could put Rupp into play for the Phillies in 2014. Drafted out of the University of Texas in third round of 2010, Rupp played 94 games in the minors in 2014. Combined between Reading (41 games) and Lehigh Valley (53 games), Rupp hit .258/.318/.437. In four games with the Phillies, he hit .357 (4-for-13) with a double and two RBI. He has a .258 career average in four minor league seasons.
Sebastian Valle (2013 – Reading) - A year removed from being the #8 overall prospect for the Phillies, Valle spend his entire 2013 season in Double-A after failing to perform in Triple-A in 2012. Valle, 23, entered 2012 as the top catching prospect for the Phillies, but after hitting just .218 over 22 games for the Ironpigs, he started 2013 in Double-A. Things didn't get better for him as he posted a dismal .203 average in 98 games for the Fightin' Phils. If Valle plans to be a part of the future for the Phillies, he will need to get back to his 2011 form, where he hit .284 for Clearwater and caught 32% of base stealers. His 2011 performance earned him a spot in the Futures Game as well. Valle is sliding down the catching depth chart for the Phillies. He will probably start the year in Reading, but if his downward sprial continues, who's to say where he might end up after 2014. In seven minor league seasons, Valle holds a .258/.304/.410 slash line.
Brandon Apter is a contributor to Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ApterShock
