Minor League Games - Sunday, August 18, 2019

[kikutaro]

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (60-64) @ Indianapolis Indians (61-64) 1:35 pm | Gameday
Damon Jones (0-1, 7.61) vs. N/A

Final (Bottom 10)
Indianapolis 8, Lehigh Valley 7

Notable

Phil Gosselin 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 3B, 2 BB
Ali Castillo 1-4, 2 RBI, 2B, K
Nick Williams 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K
Andrew Romine 1-5, R, 3 K
Jose Pirela 1-4, BB, K
Austin Listi 2-5, R, 4 RBI, 2B, HR, 2 K
Malquin Canelo 2-5, R, K

Damon Jones 4.0 IP, 0H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 7K, game score: game_score
Austin Davis 2.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 1K
Nick Vincent 2.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K
Connor Brogdon (BS, 3), 0.2 IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 2K
Tyler Gilbert (L, 1-3), 0.1 IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 0K

Trenton Thunder (67-56) @ Reading Fightin Phils (72-52) 2:15 pm | Gameday
Shawn Semple (0-2, 6.66) vs. Jerad Eickhoff (0-1, 9.82)

Delayed: Rain (Bottom 7)
Trenton 12, Reading 6

Notable

Luke Williams 2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR
Mickey Moniak 1-4, 2 K
Alec Bohm 1-2, R, 2 BB
Darick Hall 1-2, 2 BB
Josh Stephen 1-4, RBI, 2B, 2 K
Nick Maton 1-4, R, RBI, HR, K
Arquimedes Gamboa 1-3, R, RBI, HR, BB
Jack Conley 1-2, R, BB

Jerad Eickhoff 4.1 IP, 5H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB, 3K, game score: game_score
Adonis Medina 2.0 IP, 3H, 7R, 7ER, 4BB, 2K

Florida Fire Frogs (50-76) @ Clearwater Threshers (61-65) 1:00 pm | Gameday
Brooks Wilson (4-2, 2.03) vs. Ethan Lindow (0-1, 0.82)

Final (Bottom 10)
Florida 2, Clearwater 1

Notable

Matt Kroon 0-4, 2 K, CS
Madison Stokes 1-2, 2 BB, CS
Raul Rivas 2-3, RBI
Dalton Guthrie 1-3, 2B, BB

Ethan Lindow 6.0 IP, 6H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 4K, game score: game_score
Austin Ross (BS, 2), 2.0 IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 0BB, 2K
Tyler Carr (L, 3-3), 2.0 IP, 1H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 2K

Delmarva Shorebirds (83-41) @ Lakewood BlueClaws (53-71) 1:05 pm | Gameday
Hector Guance (8-5, 4.08) vs. Tom Sutera (1-2, 4.67)

Final (Bottom 9)
Delmarva 4, Lakewood 2

Notable

Malvin Matos 2-3, R, BB
Cole Stobbe 1-3, RBI, BB
Carlos De La Cruz 0-3, RBI, BB, SB
Seth Lancaster 1-4, 2B, 3 K

Tom Sutera 5.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 6K, game score: game_score
Kevin Gowdy (L, 0-5), 2.2 IP, 4H, 3R, 3ER, 1BB, 2K
Andrew Schultz (BS, 3), 0.1 IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0K

Williamsport Crosscutters (25-37) @ West Virginia Black Bears (34-27) 1:05 pm | Gameday
Gabriel Yanez (0-1, 5.23) vs. N/A

Final (Top 9)
West Virginia 7, Williamsport 3

Notable

Johan Rojas 1-5, 2 K, SB, CS
Kendall Simmons 1-2, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, CS
Bryson Stott 0-2, 2 BB
Hunter Hearn 2-4, R, 2B
Nate Fassnacht 1-4, R, 2B, K

Gabriel Yanez 3.0 IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 0K, game score: game_score
Spencer Van Scoyoc (L, 3-3), 2.0 IP, 5H, 3R, 2ER, 1BB, 2K
Brett Schulze 3.0 IP, 4H, 2R, 0ER, 1BB, 2K

GCL Phillies East - Off

GCL Phillies West - Off

DSL Phillies Red - Off

DSL Phillies White - Off

(click on the start time for box scores)

[Taudawg]

Kendall Simmons with another homer today, #11

[Taudawg]

Not much to get excited about today.

[kmc1019]

Kendall Simmons HR #11 puts him 1 behind league leader despite Simmons having roughly 70 fewer At Bats. That is something worth cheering and following the next few weeks.

[Austinfan]

Luke Williams on Reading bears watching, just turned 23, has struggled his whole minor league career but has posted .860 OPS since the Allstar break, BB and Ks are way down, more aggressive approach as a leadoff hitter?

[allentown]

I think the most important news out of Reading today is the real clunker thrown by Medina in relief of Eickhoff. He gave up 7 ER in 2 IP. Eickhoff left the game with a healthy lead, the result of a single inning, which started with 6 straight hits, including 3 HRs and plated 5 runs.

Maduro changed to Medina -- pc, mod

[julio]

I think the most important news out of Reading today is the real clunker thrown by Maduro in relief of Eickhoff. He gave up 7 ER in 2 IP. Eickhoff left the game with a healthy lead, the result of a single inning, which started with 6 straight hits, including 3 HRs and plated 5 runs.

allentown meant "Medina" here, as in Adonis Medina. EIckhoff went 4.2 innings, was relieved by Aaron Brown (1/3 inning). Medina was brought in to pitch in the sixth, with the Phils up by one run, 6-5.

I was under the impression that Medina was a starting pitcher, on regular rotation. Not clear why anybody would expect him to enter a game in the sixth inning and pitch in relief.

More of the Phillies' "flexibility" approach to expecting as many players as possible to play out of their normal roles, out of their normal positions?

Rule one of management of people, in any business, is to put your people in positions where they can excel, and avoid putting them in positions where they're likely to have difficulty. I have to say, I really don't understand what has possessed the Phillies organization, to seemingly go out of their way to give players opportunities to fail, by expecting them to perform in unfamiliar roles.

[allentown]

Yeah, my bad. I thought I had fixed it, but apparently for some reason, not. Btw, the stadium gun showed Eickhoff at 92 for a couple of pitches and some 90s, but FB was mainly 87-89.

[zambonir]

Well, that would seem to suggest that they want to call Medina up, and not necessarily as a starter. Not sure calling him up as a starter would do him any favors either.

[phillychuck]

They were using Medina as a tandem starter with Eickhoff because Jared was on a pitch count. Apparently Adonis didn't take well to coming in mid-game...

[andyb]

In a more likely possible callup, notice Nick Vincent has been very good since they picked him up at LHV. SF let him go though his peripherals were not awful. Then he has been lights out the last couple of weeks. Nothing about him is really that different compared to Hughes and the KC castoffs. Average relief pitcher with a decent track record who was let go by one organization.

[zambonir]

So he was on his normal rest etc.? Routine is important but maybe it just wasn't his day (i.e. if he'd started the game normally his first inning would have been that too).

Only question on Vincent is if he comes up before or after expansion. But that's why it was inititally odd/interesting that Medina was pitching in what was technically still a relief role.

[harrisburghusker]

Anyone want to talk about Josh Stephen? He's putting up numbers we wish Randolph could

[Austinfan]

Wonder what the take on Randolph would be if he was putting up Stephan's numbers at 21 years old in Reading?

[andyb]

Anyone want to talk about Josh Stephen? He's putting up numbers we wish Randolph could

Stephen clearly has improved over the year as a prospect though I am guessing he is still in our 30-50 range even though he is hitting well in AA at a young age. He has a limited defensive projection in LF, so he'll need more power to be anything more than a reserve and even might need more power to be a 4th OF. BABIP of .354 this year is fueling the 800+ OPS and hitting 10 HRs in Reading is really not that much. With below average speed and the LF defensive profile he just needs to hit a lot to be a major leaguer.

It is a strange season for him. I am pretty sure he was promoted to Reading because there was no room for him at Clearwater where their OF had better prospects that needed to play. He went to Reading as a 4th OF and I am guessing the Phillies would have demoted him when the situation at Clearwater gave him some playing time. But he hit well enough to survive and has earned more playing time as the year went on.

Comparing him to other prospects there is tricky. He is better than Randolph because he is a year younger though they have similar offense first profiles without enough power to be a good prospect. Moniak is better because of his tools. Better defense. Better speed. Lower K rate. Moniak can have slightly inferior offensive stats to Stephen and still easily be a top 10 prospect in the system because of those tools.

All credit to Stephen for surviving and improving. A double jump is tough. He has clearly earned the playing time he is now getting.

[phillychuck]

Stephen has a possibility of playing CF--he has played it at other levels, but with Moniak on the same team he's not moving there anytime soon as long as they are together. I think they were alternating in CF in either GCL or Lakewood, and then they gave the job to Moniak full-time. Stephen's minor league arc reminds me of Jason Michaels, who never really posted great minor league stats, but always seemed to get lots of respect from the Phils and independent scouts. Stephen, until this year, was getting that respect without posting good numbers.

[andyb]

Stephen played 16 games in GCL but has only played 2 games in CF the last 3 seasons. If they wanted him to potentially play CF they would be playing him there more regularly even with Moniak or Muzziotti. Everyone gets a planned day off or DH day every week so there would be opportunities.

Jason Michaels is not the worst comparison though he was at least a passable CF. It is largely a 4th OF profile and that is probably what people see as the most likely ceiling for Stephen at the moment. Really hard to compare their minor league stats as Michaels was a college senior draftee so was much older at each level (though he did hit well and move quickly as he should have). I am not down on Stephen. I don't think he would have been considered top 50 after last season. Now he is. Just not sure he is better than top 30 at the moment because of the tools (LF, limited power and speed at the moment).

[allentown]

Even Moniak didn't play CF yesterday. He was in RF and Gamboa was in CF, with Maton at SS and Stephen as the DH. Moniak doesn't impress me with respect to his initial break on the ball. Stephen hasn't played CF at all this season. He is largely LF, with a fair amount of DH, and a few RF appearances. He hasn't been in the field at a position other than LF since 28 July. For what it's worth in regard to Stephen still having enough speed to play CF: Randolph has been a better and more prolific base stealer than he has.

[phillychuck]

Still, the way we shift the OF around I'm not sure you have to be Garry Maddox to play CF anymore...

I get what you're saying, and I think I would have Stephen around 30 myself in our system, but given his age/level success his floor is pretty high now, although his ceiling is probably around 4th OF/ platoon starter (unless he improves again next season, which is possible at 21).