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Phillies promote outfield prospect Carlos Tocci to Triple-A Lehigh Valley

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 10: A general view of Citizens Bank Park as the sunsets in the bottom of the third inning of the game between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies on August 10, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 10: A general view of Citizens Bank Park as the sunsets in the bottom of the third inning of the game between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies on August 10, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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The Phillies promoted Carlos Tocci to Triple-A Lehigh Valley Thursday after he carried a hot bat through most of the year in Double-A Reading.

The Phillies continued their string of promotions in August with the promotion of Carlos Tocci to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Tocci has finally reached Triple-A in his sixth professional season in Philadelphia’s system.

In 113 Double-A games, Tocci had a .307/.362/.398 line with two home runs, 59 runs scored, and 48 runs batted in. He walked 6.1 percent of the time while striking out in 13.9 percent of plate appearances. It has been his best offensive season since his 2015 stint in Low-A Lakewood, which was his third season at that level.

Tocci should slot right into center field for the IronPigs. With Nick Williams in the majors and Roman Quinn injured, it has been either Herlis Rodriguez or Cameron Perkins playing center field, and neither are at their natural position there. Tocci is a center fielder by trade and should play the rest of the team’s games there.

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According to MLB.com, Tocci is the Phillies’ No. 25 overall prospect and seventh-best outfield prospect after the graduation of Williams. Most see him as a fourth outfielder with plenty of defensive upside. However, if this offensive production continues, he could be an everyday regular in center field.

Tocci is once again eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason.

He was eligible last year, but the fact that he had never played above High-A was protection in its own right. This year, he would probably be taken if left exposed, so the team is likely to add him. This means he could be added to the 40-man roster in September and make his major-league debut after toiling away in the minors for so long.

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If Tocci does stay in Philadelphia past the Rule 5 draft, he should push for an outfield spot in the spring. If he doesn’t get one, he’ll be back in Triple-A and in the majors soon after.

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