Rookie-Level Gulf Coast League Phillies
The Gulf Coast League Phillies made it to the playoffs for the second straight year, finishing with the best record in the GCL at 36-22, good for a .621 winning percentage. They scored the most runs, had the highest OPS, and had the second-lowest ERA. However, they lost to the Yankees East team in the semifinal, one-game playoff (notice a trend here?)
Yahir Gurrola, Quincy Nieporte, and Ben Pelletier led the Phillies’ offense. Nieporte had a team-leading five home runs and .848 OPS. Pelletier hit three home runs with an .835 OPS while Gurrola had a team-high 147 wRC+, posting a .333/.437/.390 line before jumping up to Williamsport.
The strength of the Phillies’ pitching staff came from the bullpen. The team’s top pitchers by fielding-independent pitching, Jakob Hernandez, Anton Kuznetsov, and Rafael Carvajal all worked almost exclusively from the bullpen.
Fiifth-round pick Ethan Lindow and eighth-rounder Jhordany Mezquita both pitched well. Mezquita finished the season with a 0.72 ERA and and 2.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio while Lindow struck out 11.06 batters per nine innings with with a 3.21 FIP.
Next: Phillies in a battle for dead last/first pick
Francisco Morales was the big name coming from the international signing class, flashing some strong stuff while posting a 3.05 ERA in 10 appearances.