Phillies promote pitching prospect Franklyn Kilome to Reading
Pitching prospects continue to move throughout the Phillies farm system
Phillies star pitching prospect Franklyn Kilome has been promoted to the Reading Fightin’ Phils. The 22-year-old righty posted a 2.59 ERA in 19 starts with the Clearwater Threshers this year with 83 strikeouts.
Sixto Sanchez, Philadelphia’s top pitching prospect, was recently promoted to High-A Clearwater, creating a logjam of arms in the starting rotation. Kilome moving up only makes sense for the entire organization as they continue to grow.
Philadelphia signed Kilome, their ninth-ranked prospect, out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent in 2013. His above-average fastball combined with a developing curveball and changeup shot him into top 100 prospect rankings across baseball.
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Kilome joins a strong pitching rotation in Reading featuring Drew Anderson, Tyler Viza, and Cole Irvin. Anderson, a member of the Phillies 40-man roster, appeared in one Major League relief inning this year against the Angels, allowing two runs (one earned) off two hits and a strikeout.
Several young pitchers acquired through trades are featured in the Reading bullpen, including Garrett Cleavinger (Jeremy Hellickson trade) and Tom Windle (Jimmy Rollins trade).
If all goes well, Kilome will likely finish the season with Reading through a potential playoff run. Next season he’s likely to return to Reading, though a promotion to Lehigh Valley isn’t out of the question if he performs well.
Kilome is a major piece of the Phils’ rebuild, and getting him and Sanchez through the organization as fast and efficient as possible is critical to the Philadelphia’s short-term success.