Minor League Games - June 2nd, 2024

[Squire]

AAA: Lehigh Valley (RHP David Buchanan) at Columbus - 1:05PM
AA: Reading (RHP Robinson Pina) at Hartford - 1:10PM
High A: Brooklyn at Jersey Shore (LHP Braedon Fausnaught) - 1:05PM
Low A: Lakeland at Clearwater (RHP Brandon Beckel) - 12 Noon
Rookie: Off

Rolling Scores Here - https://www.milb.com/scores/2024-06-02/all/all/phillies

Rolling Boxes Here - https://www.mlb.com/prospects/stats/affiliates?teamId=143&date=06/02/2024

[andyb]

Initial DSL preview here:

6/2/24 : Dominican Summer League

[Squire]

Viars with another multi XBH game

[allentown]

I love these reviews. Always have info I've not seen anywhere else.

[andyb]

Viars with another multi XBH game

He has definitely been hot lately. I'd move him up in the batting order to see if he continues this streak in more pressure situations.

Dahl with another HR also. I admit I was sold on Cave's AAA season last season too. What worries me is defense. Counting today they have DH'd Dahl 26 times and played him in the OF 14 times. Pretty low range factors in that limited playing time. Wouldn't the Phillies play him more in the outfield if they thought he might help the big league team at some point? Really looks like he is insurance now only if Schwarber or Harper got hurt.

[rkeden]

This important overview is going to get buried.. Is it possible to create its own page? Granted it may not be a huge draw but at least we can then match up future reports from games with these thumbnail descriptions.

[zambonir]

Well, if Marsh got hurt we might find out but between the willingness to play Clemens - and now Sosa - in the OF and the unsurprising fact that the Phillies are rumored to be prioritizing OF help at the deadline (Jim Bowden started the June trade deadline chatter on some radio show) he's a longshot.

[andyb]

Sosa in the OF seems totally in play as an option for later in the season. It is probably not completely fair to Sosa to ask him to learn a new position that probably won't help him much in the future, but playing time on a good team is hard to get and I am guessing he (and anyone on that roster) is willing to do whatever Topper asks.

The Phillies will have a decision to make in the offseason when Sosa becomes more expensive in his second year of arbitration, but until then the priority is winning games.

[zambonir]

I don't think they would blink twice at paying Sosa's next arbitration salary, it's more a question of whether he has trade value to another team with more playing time and whether one of the two guys in AAA can step up as a pure utility IF. Right now Sosa is not only everything he's been in the past but also everything they wanted from Merrifield.

It will all happen pretty quickly now - first Turner will come back and then before we know it we'll be at the halfway point and the roles of Pache and Merrifield will have to be considered.

And in the meantime Clemens probably just goes down to AAA because now Sosa can take any and all of those spots (be it LF or 3B or 2B).

[Austinfan]

Merrifeld and Pache are expendable, so is Catellanos for that matter, watching him chase low sliders out of the K zone to end the game - the league knows his Achillies heel.

Dahl is probably subpar defensviely, but his .340 and top 3 league OPS deserves at least a look see if Marsh is out for an extended period, doubt he's worse than putting Clemons in the OF. Problem is if you wanted to platoon him, who is available other than Merrifeld/Pache? Maybe when Turner returns you can try Sosa in LF.

[zambonir]

"if Marsh got hurt..." d'oh!

[andyb]

MIght need Monday threads now with 3 rookie games. Phillies up 1-0 in both DSL games.

And from the weekend, here is Viars with a frozen rope HR:

Stay hot, Jordan Viars … The former third round pick scorches his seventh homer of the year, hitting this 96 mph fastball on a frozen rope. It went just 358 feet, but had an exit velocity of 114 mph pic.twitter.com/nAV5qQqcEI

— Mitch Rupert ( @Mitch_Rupert ) June 2, 2024

[kmc1019]

Keith Law in-year Top 50 updates. He still loves him some Justin Crawford despite less impressive than last year stats so far this season. Has all of Painter, Crawford and Miller in 24-30 range.

Ranking the top 50 MLB prospects after first two months: Jackson Holliday still...

[Austinfan]

Abel is a disappointment, no progress at all this season.

Crawford is on schedule, he's only 20 in high A, he'll be 22 in AAA if he goes year by year, by that point they should have fixed his swing mechanics and he should add 10+ lbs of muscle to his frame. Perfect timing to replace Castellanos, with Rojas and Crawford in the OF, they could play a slug in LF. With Marsh, that could be the best defensive OF in baseball.

Miller is going to be a stud, gambled on his recovery from the wrist injury and won. Not sure he'll stay at SS, but it should translate to plus fielding at 3B, and an emergency option at SS if needed. Tough question, do you give Bohm a big extension or look to trade him in 2-3 years? Probably depends on how fast Miller moves up the ladder, he'll be a big improvement defensively, so they can live with offensive struggles as a rookie.

[andyb]

Abel is a disappointment, no progress at all this season.

From all reports the Phillies are purposely having Abel work on his worst pitch (his fastball) this season at the expense of using his other pitches. Development and stats are not always a straight path.

[bkeich]

From all reports the Phillies are purposely having Abel work on his worst pitch (his fastball) this season at the expense of using his other pitches. Development and stats are not always a straight path.

Maybe I am crazy, but if a guy is your #1 pitching prospect (that is actually pitching) and above A+ level in the minors then it is time to let him try and get people out. You can work on weak pitches in offseason and in spring, but at this point in his career he needs to be throwing the best he has to move forward.

I can see maybe having him try and mix in a few of his lesser pitches to improve them, but it is 100x more important to succeed after A+. If someone is telling him to throw his #3/#4 pitches alot more and it is affecting his progress and success than that person is not acting in his best interests. That is what you do in Rookie ball.

[andyb]

It is a little subtle though in that we are talking command and movement on the fastball, not really learning a new pitch. There is no current need on the major league roster and I am guessing the plan was always for him to work on things in the first half. He still is an option for the second half at the major league level if he puts things together.

I have no problem with this development plan. Each pitcher is different. Klassen really doesn't belong in Low A either but he is working on more building block things than Abel who is refining things.

[Matt_Winkelman]

The fastball is also at the root of his problems. His delivery is all out of sync and he has been unable to command the fastball and often unable to land it in the zone, often missing high and armside. Him getting guys on sliders and curveballs is all well and good, but not being able to throw his fastball is a fatal flaw sort of problem, so it looks like rather than trying to paper over the problem they are working on trying to directly fix it with repetition. As andy said, he also isn't in an immediate call up space and I am sure if they needed to they would not call this same game plan, but it isn't like they have him spamming a changeup that isn't in the plan for this year, it is his 4-seam fastball that is the problem.

[Austinfan]

Given his age and experience, struggling with the most basic pitch is disconcerting. It usually the FB that young pitchers master at lower levels and they struggle with offspeed pitches, which makes them vulnerable at AA and above, where most hitters can handle FBs.

It suggests he may have coordination issues if he can't repeat his mechanics on a basic pitch at this point in his development. At 19 no big deal, but at this point in his development, ???

[Matt_Winkelman]

They reworked his delivery during the offseason to help work on the other command issues. They shortened up the arm stroke as the most notable change. They also added a sinker last year and I don't know if that has affected things, but my real guess is that he has struggled to repeat his delivery in general and he is struggling with the new delivery from a mental and physical perspective.