That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

Phillies Farm System Report: Randolph Finding his Stroke

By Mike Azzalina

Jun 14, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Cal State Fullerton Titans pitcher Thomas Eshelman (15) throws against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first inning at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 14, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Cal State Fullerton Titans pitcher Thomas Eshelman (15) throws against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first inning at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 14, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Cal State Fullerton Titans pitcher Thomas Eshelman (15) throws against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first inning at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 14, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Cal State Fullerton Titans pitcher Thomas Eshelman (15) throws against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first inning at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /

Lehigh Valley Ironpigs

Week Record (4-3)

Year Record to Date (37-18)

Recap and Standouts

The big league team and injuries caused a ton of movement at Triple-A this past week. We saw the demotion of a pitcher thought to be part of the rotation moving forward, which led to the promotion of one who had great success in his first start.

There were a few outfield injuries that brought a new face to the Lehigh Valley lineup. He would make an immediate impact. And then we saw an outfielder we all have our fingers crossed for continued strides in the right direction.

When Zach Eflin struggled last Sunday against the Reds, the Phils immediately sent him back to Lehigh Valley. Ben Lively was brought up in his place, and Eflin did not make it through one start without his struggles continuing. After allowing four earned over four innings, the Pigs placed him on the disabled list.

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On the other end of the spectrum, Thomas Eshelman’s impressive first lap around Triple-A continued on Wednesday night. The righty cruised to a complete game shutout. He scattered five hits and a walk over the nine while striking out seven. If his control continues to be this strong, the Phillies may find a way to promote him before the end of the season.

Nick Williams continued to stay hot throughout the week, homering three times, which pushed his total to eleven as we hit June. J.P. Crawford put together a couple of multi-hit games, while teammates Jorge Alfaro, Dylan Cozens, and Rhys Hoskins all added similar performances.

Perhaps the coolest stories of the week were recent call-ups from Reading. Jiandido Tromp, an outfielder brought up to replace Roman Quinn who (not so shockingly) is missing time due to injury, had two doubles in his first Triple-A game.

And an exciting bullpen arm, Jesen Therrien, made his Triple-A debut after dominating Double-A for the early part of the season. He threw two innings, allowing two hits, a run, and striking out two in his initial performance at Lehigh Valley.

The IronPigs are the second-winningest team in organized professional baseball right now, only to the Houston Astros. In a season that has been less than stellar at the big-league level, that is something to be excited about at the moment.

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