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| Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. |
The minor leagues are in their home-stretch. With only a few weeks left, a lot of players are trying to prove their worth right now. Here's a brief update on each team.
Lehigh Valley (AAA)-
The IronPigs are 57-65, and in last place in the International League's North Division. Two guys there worth watching, Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis are at .278/.686 and .280/.829 respectively. Galvis is hitting .378 this month, and .291 since the ASG. Maikel Franco, the big piece to watch there, is following up his .343/.967 in July with a .324/.794 effort in August. We should see all three of them again in September.
Reading (AA)-
The Fightin' Phils aren't fighting too much, at 53-68, last place in the Eastern League's Eastern Division, at 21.5 games back. The team doesn't look great, but two guys worth watching are Kelly Dugan and Aaron Altherr. Dugan is now hitting .294 on the season, with an .812 OPS. His power numbers aren't great with 4 homers, but his 19 XBH's in 211 AB's is not bad. Altherr has come along as the season goes. He's hit 3 homers this month so far, to get to 12 on the season. While his average and OBP need some work, he's showing decent power. In case you're interesting, Aaron Nola is scheduled to make his second start in Reading tonight.
Clearwater Threshers (High-A)-
Clearwater is 21-29, 8.5 games out in fourth place in the second half standings. That's actually an improvement though over the first half. Jesse Biddle is slated for his second start back on Tuesday, and hopefully it goes as well as his first. J.P. Crawford is posting a solid .274/.748 on the season, and the only real debate at this point is whether he starts next season in Reading or not. He cracked two homers in a game over the weekend, giving him 6 there. Roman Quinn is the other name to watch, and he's cooled off a little bit lately, and is hitting .248 since his return from an achilles tear. He does have 25 steals though, which is worth watching.
Lakewood BlueClaws (Mid-A)-
At 19-31, the BlueClaws are last in the SAL North, 13 games out. Through four games, Matt Imhof has a 3.00 ERA in 18 innings, striking out 20 with a 1.00 WHIP. If he finishes like this, again, it's a question of Clearwater or here to start. Dylan Cozens is stuck on 14 homers and 19 steals.
Williamsport CrossCutters (Low-A)-
At 26-30 in the New York/Penn League, that puts you in third place in the Pinckney Division, 7 out. Jiandido Tromp has been the name to watch here, swatting 12 homers and 26 XBH's in 186 AB's, for a .274 average and .894 OPS. Aaron Brown, the highly touted third rounder for the Phillies is in a bit of a slump, and is at .256/.656, though it's been a very long Summer at this point for someone used to playing a college season. Mitch Guellar, a former high round pick, is 5-3 with a 3.68 so far this season.
Gulf Coast League (Rookie)-
The 26-18 Phillies are 1.5 games out of first, and in second so far. B.J. Rosenberg threw a rehab outing there this week.
