This year, the highlight of the Phillies organization has been their minor league affiliates. Stacked with a ton of potential talent, three of the six teams made the playoffs. Double-A Reading highlights the crop, with nine of the teams' top 30 prospects on their team, competing for a championship in the Eastern League.
Today, Baseball America released their 2015 Minor League Classification All-Star Teams and five Phillies prospects were named across the classifications. Nick Williams and Aaron Nola were named to the Double-A All-Star team, outfielder Carlos Tocci and DH/1B Rhys Hoskins made it to the Low Class 'A' team and 2015 first round pick Cornelius Randolph nabbed a spot on the Rookie League team.
Aaron Nola, 22, has become a regular in the big league rotation at this point, but he dominated Double-A ball to start the year, posting a 7-3 record to go with a 1.88 ERA in 76 2/3 innings, spanning 12 starts in Reading. Nola then moved to Lehigh Valley, where he went 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA, before being promoted to Philadelphia. In 10 Major League starts, Nola is 6-2 with a 3.56 ERA. His last outing against the Braves on September 8th was one of his best, striking out seven over seven shutout innings on the mound.
Nick Williams, 22, came to the Phillies as one of the more notable pieces of the Cole Hamels trade. Between Frisco and Reading, Williams hit .303 this season with 26 doubles, six triples, 17 home runs, 77 runs scored, 55 RBI's and 13 steals. In 22 games since joining the Phillies organization, Williams hit .320 with five doubles, two triples, four homers, 21 runs scored and 10 RBI's. Prior to the playoffs, he spent time on the seven-day disabled list with a concussion. In game one against the B-Mets, he went 2-for-6 in the lead-off spot. MLB.com ranks the versatile outfielder as the Phillies third best prospect behind teammates Jake Thompson and J.P. Crawford.
Carlos Tocci, 20, is one of the youngest players in the Florida State League. The Venezuelan outfielder hit .258 in 68 games with Advanced 'A' Clearwater, but is being recognized for his play with Low Class 'A' Lakewood for the first 59 games of the season. The Phillies 21st ranked prospect hit .321 with 14 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 25 RBI's, 35 runs scored and 14 steals before being promoted to Clearwater, who was eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday night.
Rhys Hoskins, 22, also finished the year in Clearwater, but started in Lakewood like Tocci. The Phillies selected Hoskins in the fifth round of the 2014 draft and he's served as both a first baseman and a designated hitter. He is listed on Baseball America's Low Class 'A' team as a designated hitter. He hit .322 with 17 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 51 RBI's and 39 runs scored before his promotion to Advanced 'A'. Hoskins finished the season with a hot bat, hitting .417 (15-for-36) with two home runs and six RBI's over the final 10 games, including playoffs. Hoskins could start the 2016 season with Double-A next year if Brock Stassi moves on to Lehigh Valley.
Cornelius Randolph, 18, was the Phillies first round selection in this year's draft. The outfielder out of Griffin, GA endured plenty of success in 53 games for the GCL Phillies, slashing .302/.425/.442 with 15 doubles, three triples, a home run, 24 RBI's, 34 runs scored and six steals. He struck out and walked 32 times each. His average was good enough for eighth best in the Gulf Coast League while he finished tied for second in doubles.
