Phillies Prospects Powering Through Relentless Warmth and Sunshine of Winter Leagues
By Justin Klugh
Wait, how can the Carribean WINTER leagues and the Arizona FALL League be happening simultaneously? Do I lack a basic understanding of calendars? It’s possible, I guess. But there are a few gentlemen down there in the tropics who command our attention, and I’ll be damned if any misunderstanding based on what time of year it is is going to stop me from talking about them.
Sebastian Valle (C)
League: Liga Mexicana del Pacifico
Team: Caneros de los Mochis
34 AB, 8 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 11 SO, .235/.270/.471
He’s no Tommy Joseph–currently in that AFL–but that’s probably a good thing, because Tommy’s having trouble at the moment getting the ‘ol BA to hit an even .200. Sebastian’s numbers aren’t swaggy either, but it’s a delicate sample size, and there’s no reason to think neither he nor Joseph have fallen tragically from their standing as catching heirs of the future. Whether one will need to defeat the other in epic combat on the rain-slick roof of CBP remains to be seen.
Freddy Galvis (SS)
League: Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional
Team: Aguilas del Zulia
98 AB, 31 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, .316/.356/.469
Freddy’s offensive woes seem to have left him as soon as the fresh Carribean air hit his lungs. The kid set the internet on fire with his opening day salvo, and continues to harvest a .300+ batting average as the league rolls on.
Tyson Gillies (OF)
League: Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional
Team: Cardenales de Lara
34 AB, 11 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI, .324/.378/.441
Tyson seems to be enjoying himself, keeping pace and surpassing the offensive bar set by Galvis. Gillies has far more time to make up for, however, and needs to keep up a fairly dominating pace in order to hopefully touch a big league CF position in the months or years to come.
Darin Ruf (“OF”)
League: Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional
Team: Tiburones de La Guaira
94 AB, 22 H, 4 2B, 9 HR, 24 RBI, 35 SO, .234/.351/.564
I mean, yeah. Nine dingers, a forklift of RBI, and a tragic number of strikeouts. You want to think he’ll get better, but the kid’s a slugger. He’s gonna K, and he’s gonna K a lot, especially if his body starts rejecting a move to the outfield. But he will also jack the ball a great deal. Every at-bat he gets forms a better picture of where he’s headed. Hopefully it’s “toward a poster on my wall.”
Justin Friend (RHP)
League: Liga Venezuela Beisbol Profesional
Team: Tiburones de La Guaira
3-1, 1.23 ERA, 14.2 IP, 2 ER, 15 K, 5 BB
This might be the most dominant Phillies prospect in the Winter Leagues, honestly. Look at that shit. Guy’s allowed two runs in almost 15 innings. Solid volume of K’s. And a positive attitude I couldn’t muster if this train was even remotely close to being on time.