The Phillies lost their eighth series of the 2015 season today after falling to the Mets, 7-4, this afternoon. As the big league club continues to falter, there has been some big news in the Phillies farm system this week, most notably the return of No. 1 prospect, J.P. Crawford. The shortstop has made a big impact at the plate since his return while Aaron Nola strung together two phenomenal starts for Reading. Here are updates on Crawford, Nola and the rest of the Phillies top 10 prospects as ranked by Baseball America.
- J.P Crawford (Advanced 'A') - After missing the first month or so with an oblique injury, the Phillies top prospect returned this week and has not skipped a beat in the slightest. In his return to the field on May 6th, Crawford went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, two runs scored, three RBI's, a walk and a strikeout. The Phillies top prospect has two hits in each of his first four games with Clearwater. He's hitting .533 (8-for-15) with four runs scored, a homer, five RBI's, five walks and two strikeouts. If Crawford keeps his composure at the plate, we could be seeing him in Reading by the middle of the season.
- Aaron Nola (Double-A) - When we last checked in with Nola, he was coming off of an impressive performance against Richmond on April 28th, when he tossed seven innings of one-run ball. His next start was on Monday, May 4th against New Hampshire. Nola kept rolling, pitching seven innings, giving up just one run while striking out three and walking two. On Sunday afternoon against Erie, Nola lasted eight innings and threw 101 pitches, 66 for strikes. The LSU-alum allowed one run on four hits and struck out eight. Nola will take the mound against Erie again, this time at home, during their upcoming weekend series. He has an impressive 2.04 ERA over 39 2/3 innings to go along with a 4-2 record and a 0.83 WHIP.
- Maikel Franco (Triple-A) - May 15th. Keep that date in mind. That is the date Franco needs to be in Triple-A until so his team control extends another year to 2021. With Cody Asche's offense falling off and his defense less than ideal, it seems very likely we could see Franco get called up in the next week or two. His offensive numbers are very impressive, slashing .336/.359/.520. Last week (May 3), Franco's average was down at .310, but he's hit .341 over his last 10 games, raising hit numbers up over 20 points. This weekend against the Gwinnett Braves, Franco went 5-for-12 with a double, home run and an RBI. The Ironpigs host the Columbus Clippers for a three-game set at Coca-Cola Park starting tomorrow night.
- Zach Eflin (Double-A) - Eflin didn't allow a run over his first three starts, but over his last two, he has shown that he is indeed human. Back on May 1st, Eflin allowed three runs in eight innings in a loss to Portland. He had his worst outing of the year against New Hampshire on the 6th, allowing five runs over five innings of work. He struck out two and walked two. Despite his recent rough outing, Eflin still sports a 2.51 ERA and a 2-2 record this season, spanning 28 2/3 innings.
- Tom Windle (Double-A) - Windle took the mound against Erie on the road this week and his ERA raised to 5.33 on the season after he allowed five runs on eight innings over 5 1/3 innings on the mound. When Windle is shake, he's really shaky. In three of his five starts this season, he's allowed a run or less. In the other two starts, he's surrendered 13 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings. Back on May 2nd, his start was cut short after he walked seven batters. Windle only walked two this time around, so his command was better, but he got hit around. Windle will get the call for Reading in Harrisburg this Wednesday in a 10:30am morning game.
- Ben Lively (Double-A) - Add Lively into the pool of pitching prospects that didn't fare too well this week. Back on May 3rd, Lively had a solid outing, giving up three runs over six innings in a Reading win. On Saturday against Erie, Windle had his worst game of the season. He gave up six runs on eight hits in just 3 1/3 innings. So far this season, Lively has a 2-0 record and a 3.81 ERA. Lively has held opposing teams to three runs or less in four out of his first five starts this season and has two shutout performances as well. He'll get the nod on Thursday at home against Erie.
- Roman Quinn (Double-A) - Last week, Quinn's average sat at .314 and it has since dropped a few points to .310. This weekend in Erie, he went 4-for-13 with three runs scored and a stolen base. He has 12 steals on the year and is hitting .238 over his last 10 games. On the season, Quinn has five doubles, five triples, two home runs, seven RBI's and 25 runs scored. His plate discipline is concerning as the 21-year-old speedster has struck out 28 times and drawn nine walks. As a lead-off hitter, Quinn is going to need to work the count more, draw some more walks and cut down the strikeout number.
- Carlos Tocci (Class 'A) - Tocci isn't a prospect that is talked about much, but that should change soon if his offense continues on the path it is on now. Tocci is slashing .363/.433/.469 this season for Lakewood and has a .372 (16-for-43) average over his last 10 games. He's scored 16 runs, hit nine doubles, a homer and driven in 13 runs. He's walked 11 times and struck out 13 times. Tocci has swiped nine bases without getting caught as well. The 19-year-old outfield prospect leads the South Atlantic League in batting average, 13 points ahead of the next guy.
- Aaron Brown (Advanced 'A') - Brown is currently on the seven-day disabled list and has struggled at the plate this season, hitting just .209 (14-for-67) with four doubles, three triples, a home run, seven RBI's and nine runs scored.
- Matt Imhof (Advanced 'A') - Currently, Imhof finds himself on the seven-day disabled list with a strained left shoulder. The Phillies 2014 second round pick last pitched on the 14th for Clearwater, tossing five shutout innings, striking out two and walking three. He's 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA through two starts this season
Phillies Minor League Standings:
Lehigh Valley (AAA): 9-22, 6th place in International League North Division
Reading (AA): 16-12, 3rd place in Eastern League Eastern Division
Clearwater (Advanced 'A'): 15-15, 3rd place in Florida State League North Division
Lakewood (Low 'A'): 13-16, 6th place in South Atlantic League Northern Division
Williamsport (Short Season 'A'): Season begins June 19th
Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
