Phillies Trio of Near-Ready Prospect Arms

As we prepare to exit from the All-Star break, the Phillies’ record is an MLB worst 29-62, and not much has gone right during the first half of the season for the team.

Ryne Sandberg, the team’s manager for the last 2+ seasons, resigned unexpectedly in late June. Closer Jonathan Papelbon has gone public in declaring how badly he wants to be moved out of Philadelphia.

More from That Balls Outta Here

Their general manager, Ruben Amaro, Jr., continues to foolishly speak his mind, going so far as to call out the team’s fans, as well as some of his own players. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

While there are without a doubt a litany of negative issues with the major league team, help could be on the way sooner rather than later as a result of some young stud arms in the team’s minor league levels.

Three pitching prospects in the higher levels of the Phillies’ minor league system are worth examining at this stage. All three are ranked in the top 10 of the organization’s prospects, according to MLB.com. Let’s take a look at how these players got to where they are, highlight their season to date, and consider how they might fit into the Phillies’ big league rotation in the future.

AARON NOLA (#2 on MLBPipeline.com’s Phillies’ prospect list)

The most talented arm in all of the Phillies’ minor league affiliates, Aaron Nola was the club’s first-round pick (7th overall) out of LSU in the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft, and was regarded as the most polished pitcher in last year’s draft. Many scouts and experts believed he would need the shortest amount of time of any pitcher selected to make his MLB debut.

The Phillies kept him in the minors for the rest of the season after he was drafted, starting his professional career in High A Clearwater, and then having him finish the year with AA Reading. The Phillies remained conservative with Nola entering the 2015 season, largely holding him out of major league spring training and having him begin the season back in Reading.

“He’s about as good an execution [of pitches] guy as I’ve seen.” ~ Joe Jordan, on Nola

Spending the first two and a half months in AA, Nola showed he was the real deal by dominating Eastern League hitters. In 12 starts with Reading, Nola went 7-3 with a microscopic 1.88 ERA. Opposing hitters batted just .218 off the righty, who was clearly unfazed by a smaller strike zone and more polished hitters.

Nola moved up to AAA Lehigh Valley in mid-June, and is continuing to show that he is more than ready for a big league call-up. Now facing more experienced players who are more likely to make adjustments at the plate, Nola has looked just as calm and collected as he has been throughout his brief minor league career.

Since making his first outing in AAA on June 18, he has gone 3-0, posting a 2.43 ERA over five starts. Though not known as a strikeout pitcher, Nola has recorded 30 of them in 29.2 innings pitched for the IronPigs.

Though Nola may be right in telling CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury that there are still things he must work on, he has impressed Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan, who praised Nola for his strong work on the mound.

“His consistency stands out,” Jordan told Salisbury. “He’s about as good an execution [of pitches] guy as I’ve seen.”

While people around baseball project Nola to be a middle of the rotation starter for the Phillies, there are plenty of things the 22-year old does well that could make him the No. 2 pitcher of a staff one day.

At 6’1’’ and 195 lbs., Nola doesn’t overpower batters. His fastball sits in the low 90s, but his best pitch is his breaking pitch, which is deadly against right-handed batters. Much of Nola’s success a direct result of by three-quarters arm slot—which helps him hide the ball, and his ability to command the corners of the plate.

In 161.2 innings over his minor league career, Nola has walked only 26. He has drawn comparisons to Jake Peavy, which I’m sure would make Phillies fans very happy.

With the way the starting rotation (aside from Cole Hamels) has pitched for the Phillies this season, it is becoming increasingly tough to imagine Nola not being called up within the next few weeks. He has passed every test the Phillies have given him since being drafted, and has had more than enough time to fine tune his craft in the minors. It shouldn’t be long before we finally get to see the 22-year-old make his MLB debut in red pinstripes.

ZACH EFLIN (#4 on MLBPipeline.com’s Phillies’ prospect list)

Zach Eflin came over to the Phillies organization from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Jimmy Rollins trade. Another righty, he was the first round pick (33rd overall) of the San Diego Padres in the 2012 draft out of Hagerty High School in Oveido, Fla.

The Dodgers received Eflin in the blockbuster Matt Kemp deal, which was agreed to just a few days before the Phillies sent Rollins to Los Angeles. Ranked the number nine prospect in the Padres organization by Baseball America after the 2014 season, Eflin was ranked the Phillies 4th best prospect prior to the 2015 season.

Eflin is a 6’4’’, 200 pounder, who, like Nola, doesn’t have eye-popping stuff but is very good at commanding the zone. Pitching for AA Reading this season, he has walked just 16 in 84.1 innings. Overall, Eflin has gone 5-4 with a 2.88 ERA, and the opposition is hitting a pedestrian .244 against him.

“I’m just working on getting outs. That’s what’s going to get people to the big leagues. Getting outs and throwing quality strikes.” ~ Eflin

After spending his last two minor league seasons at the A-level, Eflin has responded well to the challenge the Phillies gave him by sending him to AA Reading. Though he just turned 21 in April, he has shown plenty of poise and composure on the mound, resulting in success.

Eflin has been steady throughout his four minor league seasons. In 2013 and 2014, he pitched 118.2 and 128.0 innings respectively, but never walked more than 31 in either of those seasons. It is important for Eflin to continue to develop his pitches, specifically his breaking ball. He throws both a four-seam and a two-seam fastball that hover in the low to mid 90s, and incorporates a slider and a changeup in his repertoire.

Eflin’s bread and butter is his ability to get ground balls, something that will surely benefit him when he pitches at smaller MLB ballparks, such as Citizens Bank Park. But as he told Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the biggest thing for him is getting outs, no matter how they come.

“I’m just working on getting outs. That’s what’s going to get people to the big leagues,” Eflin said. “Getting outs and throwing quality strikes, that’s what I believe in. Me being a ground-ball pitcher, I throw a lot less pitches than a strikeout pitcher. If I need to put guys away, I have the ability to put guys away.”

Eflin also told Breen that he is working with Reading pitching coach Dave Lundquist on sharpening his slider, which will be a huge help to him if he is able to add another effective pitch to his arsenal.

With a call up to the big leagues for Nola looming in the near future, Eflin could take Nola’s spot in the AAA rotation. The Phillies will likely not rush Eflin to the majors this year, but he should see some innings in major league spring training next March. If he shows enough there, he could team up once again with Nola and become a part of the Phillies rotation by mid-2016. All things considered, Eflin projects as a solid number 3 or 4 starter in a major league rotation.

BEN LIVELY (#6 on MLBPipeline.com’s Phillies’ prospect list)

Another righthander who came over the Phillies via trade this past offseason, Ben Lively was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Marlon Byrd. He was ranked outside the top 10 of the Reds’ prospect lists last season, but an impressive season resulted in his being named as the Cincinnati organization minor league player of the year for 2014.

Lively had fared well in his two minor league seasons after being drafted by the Reds in the fourth round of the 2013 draft out of the University of Central Florida. Last season, pitching for the Bakersfield Blaze in the California League, he went 10-1 with a 2.28 ERA. He was eventually promoted to AA Pensacola, where he posted a respectable 3.88 ERA.

Coming into 2015, Lively left spring training and was assigned to AA Reading, where he would join other heralded young pitchers Nola, Eflin, Jesse Biddle, and Tom Windle, the latter of whom was another piece coming over in the Rollins trade.

After starting 2015 strong, Lively hit a bit of a rough patch, but has turned it around since the end of June. Overall, Lively is 7-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 101.0 innings over 17 starts, however, he has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his last five starts.

According to Baseball America, the key for the 23-year-old from Pensacola, who stands at an intimidating 6’4”, is deception. Lively throws a fastball that lives in the low 90s, and also possesses a slider, curveball and changeup—none of them being all that jaw-dropping. He hides the ball well, and as a result, still finds a way to get hitters to swing at bad pitches and rack up strikeouts.

Lively talked to CSNPhilly.com’s John Finger about his delivery, which Lively says comes natural.

“It’s just how I throw,” Lively explained. “I’m always throwing the way I’ve always thrown it. I’m always asked what I’m doing, but that’s just how I pitch.”

Lively doesn’t have the natural talent level of a Nola or an Eflin, but could still be a part of the Phillies starting rotation within the next year or so. If he does make the big leagues, he projects as a number 4 or 5 starter.

In a Phillies season that has become unbearable to watch for some, there is definitely hope for brighter days ahead because of the talent located down in the minor league system, specifically in their young arms. The three highlighted here are all in their low-20’s, all have multiple minor league campaigns under their belts, all are nearly ready to help.

It is possible that by the end of 2016, all three of these pitchers are on the mound at the major league level for the Phillies. Given the usual pitching caveat of health, Nola, Eflin, and Lively could help keep the Phillies rotation in good shape for years to come.

Home/Phillies Prospects