The Phillies gave prospects Sixto Sanchez and Cole Stobbe the Larry Rojas and Bill Giles Awards as standouts in spring training.
We get to see a lot of Phillies major-league spring training and get to watch the players progress and prepare for the regular season. What we don’t get to see much of is the team’s minor-league camp, which may be just as intriguing for fans of this rebuilding team. While many of the team’s top prospects are in major-league camp either as part of the 40-man roster or as non-roster invitees, some spend all of the spring on the back fields at the team’s spring complex.
Two of those prospects that impressed the team the most are pitcher Sixto Sanchez and shortstop/third baseman Cole Stobbe. Tuesday the Phils announced that Sanchez and Stobbe received the Larry Rojas and Bill Giles Awards, respectively.
INF Cole Stobbe is the recipient of the 2017 Bill Giles Award, and RHP Sixto Sanchez is this year’s Larry Rojas Award winner. pic.twitter.com/6i54ZJwQHx
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 28, 2017
These awards were established in 1999 to honor minor leaguers who share the same love & appreciation of the game as the awards' namesakes.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 28, 2017
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Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly said the award is for being a “standout” in minor-league camp. Stats from minor-league spring training are hard to come by, but Ryan Lawrence of Philly Voice said evaluators have “raved” about the two prospects during spring training.
Sanchez broke onto the scene for the Phils this season in his stateside debut after spending 2015 in the Dominican League.
In 11 starts in the Gulf Coast League, he allowed just three earned runs and posted a 5.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio. MLB.com ranks Sanchez as the No. 7 prospect in the organization.
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Philadelphia drafted Stobbe in the third round of the 2016 draft at No. 78 overall. The Nebraska high school product was a shortstop in high school and played there in the GCL. However, many expect him to move to third base at some point in the future. For now, the team simply lists him as an infielder.
Stobbe posted a .270/.337/.405 slash line in 44 games along with four home runs, eight doubles, 23 runs scored and 13 runs batted in. The 19-year old struck out 30 times and walked 14 times in 168 plate appearances.
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Sanchez is expected to start the season at Low-A Lakewood. Stobbe could head there as well, but he may also stay in extended spring training and head to short-season Williamsport for the 2017 season.