Four Phillies Prospects Named to Eastern League All-Star Team

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

While the Major League club is in the midst of it’s biggest slump of 2019, the Philadelphia Phillies organization got some good news down on the farm on Monday.

The Eastern League announced their All-Stars for the 2019 season and four of the Phillies prospects in Reading received a spot on the roster, including two of the organizations top 30 prospects.

The four AA prospects from the Phillies system include pitchers Addison Russ and Adonis Medina as well as outfielder Mickey Moniak and first baseman Derick Hall.

Congrats to Mickey Moniak, Darick Hall, Adonis Medina, and Addison Russ on begin named to the EL All-Star team!
MORE – https://t.co/Hi4hzMji0i pic.twitter.com/rVKGyHZ8LB

— Reading Fightins (@ReadingFightins) June 24, 2019

Russ is being named to his second All-Star team after being a mid-season selection in low-A Lakewood last season. Russ has been an effective closer for Reading in 2019, converting 10 of 13 save opportunities. The 2017 19th-round pick currently holds a 1.57 ERA over 28 and two-thirds innings pitched. Russ is an under-the-radar prospect that could become a piece of the Phillies bullpen if he can continue to improve and particularly if he can lower his WHIP from the 1.40 mark it currently stands at.

The other pitcher is the Phillies second-best prospect and the number 77 overall prospect according to MLB.com, Adonis Medina.

Medina has had a frustrating season that resembles much of the issues the Phillies have had with starters in the Majors. He carries a .235 batting average against and a 1.28 WHIP with a seemingly high 4.05 ERA to go with it. He has managed to get beyond the fifth inning in just three of his 12 starts and thrown 80 or more pitches in eight of his starts.

Between clunkers like his most recent three-inning, six-run start and a three and two-thirds inning, five-run start, Medina has thrown games like a six-inning, no-run start and a seven and one-third-inning, two run start. He will need to continue to work on his consistency and pitch control before he receives a promotion to Lehigh Valley.

Of the four, Moniak, the organization’s first-round pick in 2016 and ninth ranked prospect according to MLB.com, is the only player being named to his first All-Star game. In his first stint in AA Reading, the 21-year old is slashing .268/.313/.442 with seven stolen bases and eight triples. While he has just four home runs, his speed has helped him to maintain a .980 fielding percentage and make excellent defensive plays like a game saving catch to rob the Portland SeaDogs of a home run and win the game last week.

Mickey Moniak goes deep into the right field bleachers for a solo homer to tie the game in the eighth, his fourth HR of the year pic.twitter.com/Bc5gyrkRnO

— Mitch Rupert (@Mitch_Rupert) June 23, 2019

Hall, also a 2016 draft pick, is slashing .236/.325/.483. In contrast to Moniak, Hall has 14 home runs and 51 RBIs. Hall has been clutch with runners on and has been on a tea for the past couple weeks. Hall had previously been named a post-season All-Star in low-A Lakewood and a mid-season All-Star in high-A Clearwater.