Future Phillies Report - Roman Quinn and Maikel Franco off to hot starts - Philadelphia Sports News Today: Rumors & Game Coverage in Philly

Top prospect Roman Quinn is hitting .378 for Double-A Reading

The Phillies just went 1-6 on their first road trip of the year. Yikes. That being said, if you haven't been paying attention to the Phils minor league talent, perhaps you should start doing that. While the big league club continues to regress, the Phillies top 10 prospects have really impressed for the most part as the minor leagues completed their first full week of play. Let's take a look at how the Phillies top 10 prospects performed this week:

JP Crawford (Advanced 'A') - Crawford is still on the mend from an oblique injury he suffered during minor league camp in spring training. On April 16th, Philly.com reported that if all goes well, Crawford would be back on the field for Clearwater around the first week of May. Last week, he swung a bat for the first time since his injury.

Aaron Nola (AA) - After giving up four runs over 4.2 innings of work in his first start of the season back on April 11th, Nola rebounded in his second start on Friday the 17th against the Double-A SF Giants. The Phillies 2014 first-round pick tossed six shutout innings, allowing just four hits while striking out five. His ERA on the year now stands at 3.38. Nola's next turn in the rotation could come either Wednesday at home against Akron or Thursday in Harrisburg. He was given a full five days rest in between his last two starts, so if that's the case, he'll take the mound on the 23rd against the Senators.

Maikel Franco (AAA) - In Franco's first five games with the Ironpigs, he had just one multi-hit game. Over the last five games, Franco has gotten two or more hits in each of them. The Phillies are likely to keep Franco in the minors in order to push off his free agency until 2021, but his stats are difficult to ignore, especially as Ryan Howard continues to struggle. The 22-year-old third baseman is hitting .386 (17-for-44) so far this year with five runs scored, eight doubles, a triple, a home run and eight RBI's. Franco and the Ironpigs are headed to Scranton tonight for a three-game series with the Yankees Triple-A affiliate.

Zach Eflin (AA) - Eflin is making the most of his first stint in Double-A ball, extending his scoreless innings streak to 14 after his latest start. In his first outing of the year, Eflin pitched six shutout innings and struck out two. On Sunday afternoon against Richmond, Eflin dominated, spinning eight shutout innings, surrendering just three hits while striking out five. Eflin will look to continue his hot start when he takes the mound against Harrisburg this upcoming weekend.

Tom Windle (AA) - Windle is scheduled to start tonight for Reading as they host the Akron Rubberducks. His last outing came on April 13th against New Hampshire on the road. Windle tossed six innings and gave up nine hits, but limited the Fishercats to just one run on those hits. Of his 85 pitches, 54 of them were strikes. If he looks to continue being successful, that hit number is going to have to come down a bit, otherwise it's only a matter of time before the opposing team begins to capitalize.

Ben Lively (AA) - The 23-year-old right-hander made his debut for reading back on April 14th in New Hampshire. Lively didn't factor into the decision after throwing six innings and giving up three runs on five hits, including two homers. Acquired by the Phillies in the Marlon Byrd trade, Lively will likely take the mound for his second start of the season on Tuesday night for Reading.

Roman Quinn (AA) - One of the most exciting stories in the Phillies minor league system thus far is Roman Quinn. He's off to an extremely good start, slashing .378/.439/.622 so far through nine games. Quinn has hit two doubles, two triples, a home run and driven in four runs. As a top of the lineup guy, Quinn is definitely getting the job done, scoring 11 runs on the year and stealing seven bases so far. If you have a chance to go out to Reading, don't only pay attention to their prospect-packed rotation, but keep an eye on Quinn as well. He could find himself in the Phillies outfield mix sooner than later if he keeps playing this way. Quinn is 10 for 20 with four extra-base hits and a homer as a lefty. Why is that important? He's a natural righty.

Carlos Tocci (Class 'A') - The Phillies must be happy with the production out of their prospects thus far and Tocci adds to the excitement. In 10 games so far for Lakewood this season, the 19-year-old outfielder is hitting .400 (16-for-40) with five doubles, a home run, nine RBI's and five runs scored. He's walked five times and struck out just three times. On Sunday afternoon against Hagerstown, the Nationals affiliate, Tocci went 3-for-4 with two doubles. He also has four stolen bases on the season. Tocci and the Blueclaws begin a three-game series on the road tonight against the Greensboro Grasshoppers, an affiliate of the Marlins.

Aaron Brown (Advanced 'A') - While most of the offensive prospects for the Phillies on this list above Brown are off to good starts, the 22-year-old outfielder is slow coming out the gates for Clearwater. In 10 games, Brown is hitting .238 (10-for-42), but has shown the ability to hit for extra bases. He has three doubles and two triples so far this season. The issue with Brown is his plate discipline. He's struck out 12 times and has yet to draw a walk. Clearwater begins a series with the Tampa Yankees tonight at Bright House Field.

Matt Imhof (Advanced 'A') - In his debut for the Threshers on April 9th, Imhof picthed five innings and gave up two runs on four hits. His second start was better, tossing five shutout innings against the Jupiter Hammerheads. Imhof, the Phillies second round pick in 2014, struck out two and walked three in his latest start on April 14th. He'll likely take the mound for his third start of the season during Clearwater's home series against Tampa this week.

Phillies Minor League Standings:

Lehigh Valley (AAA): 3-8, 6th place in International League North Division

Reading (AA): 6-3, 1st place in Eastern League Eastern Division

Clearwater (Advanced 'A'): 7-4, 1st place in Florida State League North Division

Lakewood (Low 'A'): 5-6, 6th place in South Atlantic League Northern Division

Williamsport (Short Season 'A'): Season begins June 19th

Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com

Future Phillies Report – Roman Quinn and Maikel Franco off to hot starts

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