Phillies Alec Bohm, Spencer Howard dominating the Arizona Fall League
Two of the Phillies best prospects are putting on a show in the Arizona Fall League.
The Arizona Fall League gives players an opportunity to face high-level talents, get extended playing time, and showcase their skills. Eight Phillies prospects were assigned to the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League, and several of them are lighting it up.
Top prospect Alec Bohm is the most notable Phillies prospect in Arizona, and he’s been one of the most consistent players in the league. Through nine games Bohm has 13 hits, most of which were singles. Surprisingly, the young third baseman hasn’t hit a home run, but he’s batting .361 with 15 total bases.
Bohm is likely to play with the Phillies in Spring Training and the Paul Owens Award winner could be their starting third baseman at some point in 2020.
Alec Bohm is batting .390 so far in the @MLBazFallLeague, but that's no surprise. The #Phillies prospect knows how to hit.@jimcallisMLB talked to him about his development, especially on the other side of the ball: https://t.co/ayZD8Xmx0v pic.twitter.com/XhhY2y8vwF
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 7, 2019
Top pitching prospect Spencer Howard has made three starts for Scottsdale, striking out 13 in 9.2 innings. He hadn’t allowed an earned run until last Friday when he allowed three in 3.2 innings.
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Howard, the most anticipated pitching prospect since Aaron Nola, could also join the big league club in 2020.
While Howard is the hot name in the organization, Connor Seabold is pitching lights out in Arizona, striking out 18 in 12 innings. He didn’t allow a hit in four innings against Mesa and has a 0.75 ERA in three starts.
The 83rd overall pick out of Cal State Fullerton in 2017, Seabold had a 2.25 ERA in seven games for Reading this year. He could start in Reading and potentially for Philadelphia in 2020 if he stays on track.
JoJo Romero was supposed to be the next big pitching prospect for Philadelphia, but he took a step back in 2019, owning a 6.88 ERA between Reading and Lehigh Valley. In four relief appearances for the Scorpions, he has a 1.42 ERA, though he’s walked four and struck out three.
Mickey Moniak, the first overall pick in 2016, came out hot with three hits and a stolen base in his first two games, but has since cooled off. He’s hitting just .171 through nine games with seven strikeouts and one walk.
While Moniak has been leapfrogged in the organization by Adam Haseley, he’s still just 21 after being drafted out of high school. There’s room for Moniak to grow, but will it be with Philadelphia?
Shortstop Nick Maton has only played three games out west, but he has four hits and a home run. Maton hit .266 between Clearwater and Reading, but struggled in Double-A, hitting .210 for the Fightin’ Phils.
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The final two Phillies prospects in the Arizona Fall League are not well known names to most fans. Pitcher Zach Warren out of Vineland, New Jersey was a 14th round pick in 2017 out of Tennessee. He made 40 relief appearances for Clearwater and struck out 80 opponents with a 3.30 ERA.
The Arizona Fall League wasn’t kind to Warren in his only appearance, as he gave up two runs on one hit and two walks in two-thirds of an inning.
Josh Stephen, an 11th round pick in 2016 from Mater Dei High School, has five hits in as many games for Scottsdale this fall with a triple and three walks. He hit .271 for Reading this year with 29 doubles, six triples, and 12 home runs.