Phillies Call-Up: Late Season and Beyond
The Philadelphia Phillies are expected to making a few moves over the next few weeks, and some of the club’s top prospects could be reaching Citizens Bank Park very soon.
With the MLB All-Star break now here and gone, this week’s “Call-Up” piece is going to gaze into our magic crystal ball and take a look at who the most likely candidates are for a late season promotion.
It’s an exiting time to be a Phillies fan whether you realize it or not. Our front office isn’t the front office of Ruben Amaro, Jr. any longer, though the ex-GM did make a couple of nice deals just before moving on.
By taking an honest look at the state of affairs over the past few seasons, trading away key components to our glory days like Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, and Hunter Pence, as well as maximizing the value of players who were almost certainly going to regress, such as Ken Giles, may be about to pay off.
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We’ve already witnessed the first wave of what the team’s future will have in store, as Odubel Herrera made the NL All-Star team this year.
Vincent Velasquez (Giles deal) struck out 16 Padres a few months ago and has been touted as a potential future ace of the staff. Zach Eflin (Rollins) is on a roll as of late, shutting out the Pirates a couple of nights back. Tommy Joseph (Pence) has become somewhat of a folk hero in the hearts of us die-hard Phillies fanatics as the new 1st baseman.
So who will get the call as the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline looms, or when rosters expand come September?
Click through the below slideshow for a look at the four current members of the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs roster who are most likely to receive their invitation to the Show in the coming weeks.
Next: THE FUTURE AT SHORTSTOP
J.P. CRAWFORD – SHORTSTOP
Ranked as the #1 prospect in the game by Baseball Prospectus, #3 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, and MLB Pipeline’s current #3 prospect (the top among those who haven’t reached the majors yet), J.P. Crawford is a stud.
The 21-year old, left-handed hitting shortstop was taken in the 1st round (16th overall) by the Fightins in the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft, and has ascended through the minor league system at a steady pace ever since.
He has had his share of struggles this year, currently in a 4-for-26 slump and hitting only .230 with fewer than two outs and runners in scoring position. However, he’s been solid defensively and overall he picked up his offensive game this month by slashing .331/.392/.514 with three homers and 11 RBI since the calendar turned to July.
Splitting time between AA Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley this season, in 412 plate appearances Crawford is hitting .264/.364/.369 overall with six round-trippers.
Crawford has some speed, swiping 61 bags over the course of his minor league career, but has also been caught 29 times, leading to a disappointing .678 success rate.
While he still has a few kinks to iron out before he becomes the Phillies everyday guy at short, his 106 extra-base hits over the past 3+ seasons show just how much potential Crawford possesses at the dish.
With Freddy Galvis continuing to struggle and hovering just over the ‘Mendoza Line’ all year, September could beckon a sneak peek at a 2017 spring training position battle between Galvis and Crawford.
With the Phils now apparently falling out of contention, by the time September rolls around Crawford see plenty of plate appearances and innings in the field to showcase his impressive skill set.
Next: ANOTHER YOUNG ROTATION PIECE
JAKE THOMPSON – STARTING PITCHER
Originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers (2nd round) in 2012, Jake Thompson was shipped to Texas, and acquired by the Phillies in the Hamels deal.
The big ol’ hard-throwin’ 6’4″, 235 pound Texan has had a steady minor league career to this point, going 34-22 with a solid 3.02 ERA and averaging 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
After coming over from the Rangers organization last summer, Thompson was dominant with AA Reading, going 5-1 with an impressive 1.80 ERA in seven starts.
He has been continued to impress this year with the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs, posting a somewhat misleading 9-5 record, a 2.29 ERA in 117.2 innings of work, and allowing a solid 1.105 WHIP.
The current #47 prospect in the game per MLB Pipeline, Thompson has been absolutely ridiculous of late, allowing only one earned run in his last 33 1/3 innings of work and a mere four in his last 62 1/3 !
With hitters slashing an embarrassing .180/.254/.234 against him over the past month, Thompson’s performance has been one of the brightest across the minor leagues.
All that remains for Thompson at this point is to prove he can do the same in the big leagues when the lights are the brightest and hitters make adjustments after every AB, feeding on a pitcher’s mistakes like a mosquito in a blood bank.
Given his performance not only this year, but throughout the past five seasons, Thompson appears to be next in line to get his shot on the mound.
Next: ANOTHER SP - WHERE DO WE PUT THEM ALL?
BEN LIVELY – STARTING PITCHER
Ben Lively, 24, is one of the more seasoned prospects that the Phils have in their minor league system. At 6’4” and 190 lbs., he’s a bit lankier than Thompson.
Originally drafted all the way back in 2010, a 26th round selection of the Cleveland Indians, the Gulf Breeze, Florida native elected not to sign, and instead attended the University of Central Florida.
He was eventually taken again in the 4th round of the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He’s posted a respectable 3.14 ERA in 450+ innings of MiLB work.
Lively’s start with AA Reading last season was a rocky one. The righty went 8-7 over 25 starts, with a 4.13 ERA as a result of surrendering 10.0 H/9 IP. He recorded a shaky 1.427 WHIP overall.
He managed to turn that around this season and came out firing back at AA, rattling off a spotless 7-0 record with a 1.87 ERA, punching out 8.3 batters per 9 IP while allowing fewer than one (0.943) per frame. This led to a well-deserved promotion to AAA Lehigh Valley.
Lively has been up and down this year for the IronPigs: 4-3 with a 3.63 ERA over 10 starts thus far. He has seen his H/9 increase from 5.9 to 7.4, his home run rate from 0.2 to an even 1.0, and his K/ 9 dip from 8.3 to a disappointing 5.8.
Despite his recent struggles, Lively is still regarded as one of the top pitching prospects within our organization. One problem for him will be establishing a place for himself in a young group that already includes Velasquez, Eflin, Aaron Nola, and Jerad Eickhoff, and that has Thompson ranked ahead of him on the pecking order.
When the rosters expand to 40 for the September push, you will probably see Lively get his first opportunity to toe the rubber at one point or another, and we’ll have the chance to better assess exactly where he will stand with the Phillies moving forward.
Next: NEEDED POP IN RIGHT FIELD
NICK WILLIAMS – OUTFIELD
Yet another gem plucked from the Rangers in the Hamels deal at last year’s deadline, Billy Nicholas Williams (no wonder he goes by Nick Williams) has been impressive since coming over from Texas.
The 22-year old left-hander was ranked as the #40 prospect in all of baseball by the folks at Baseball America on their recently released Midseason Top 100 Prospects list.
A career .294/.341/.485 MiLB hitter, Williams has some pop. His first full year of minor league ball in 2014 saw him hit .283/.331/.462 with 13 dingers and 74 RBI. He followed that up by improving across the board in 2015, knocking 17 over the wall while driving in only 55, but he posted another solid slash line of .303/.354/.491.
Currently starring at AAA Lehigh Valley, he’s split time between all three outfield positions and has made only two errors (both in CF) all year. It is believed that Williams will slot into the starting right field job in Philly later this season, which could come as soon as a week from now.
Williams is hitting .288/.322/.464 this season, smacking nine homers and knocking in 47 runs. His 39 extra-base hits in only 377 plate appearances demonstrate that he’s the kind of talent who can hit for power AND average.
Although he had a rough go of it this week (.217/.217/.435 over the past 7 days), he’s feasted on right-handed pitching for most of the season to the tune of .302/.343/.517.
It’s fairly obvious that he’ll be called up at some point, his performance warrants it. However, with Aaron Altherr soon to arrive, the Phillies outfield is a crowded place at the moment, and there simply wouldn’t be enough playing time coming Williams’ way in order for manager Pete Mackanin and his staff to assess his talents fairly.
This could change, however, with the Phillies expected to move Peter Bourjos before the deadline. Even if that doesn’t occur, with the rosters expanding, and injuries and slumps always a possibility, Williams could easily log a nice little chunk of PA’s by the time 2016 is said and done.
Of course these aren’t the only talented prospects in our system, but these four players stand out as the most MLB-ready and most likely to see action in 2016.
How quickly and successfully the Phillies rebuilding program moves forward is still uncertain. But the team has been far more competitive this year than last, and our front office continues to make shrewd business decisions when it comes to acquiring, retaining, and releasing or trading players.
If these are any indication of the pace at which the rebuild will continue, then the Phils appear primed to continue to successfully advance through replenishing of the farm system. For the first time in a few years, we can honestly state, without being laughed at, that the future is surprising bright down at Citizens Bank Park.