We continue our weekly check-in on the Phillies’ future down at the farm.
With the trades of Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon and Ben Revere, the Phillies added eight prospects to their minor-league cupboard, making for plenty to watch and evaluate the rest of the season.
Alec Asher, Jake Thompson and Jerad Eickhoff, pitchers acquired in the haul for Hamels, all debut this week, with Asher (Triple A Lehigh Valley) pitching tonight and Thompson (Double A Reading) and Eickhoff (Triple A Lehigh Valley) Tuesday, the same day outfielder Nick Williams will join Reading.
However, in this edition, we lead with one of the two prospects among the bunch that's already made his first impression.
Nick Pivetta, RHP, Double A Reading
Pivetta, acquired in the Papelbon trade, made his debut at Reading, which was marred by shoddy control. The 22-year-old allowed seven runs on five walks and a wild pitch in five innings of the Fightin Phils' 9-7 loss to New Hampshire Saturday night. Pivetta got the hook after walking the first two batters in the sixth inning, finishing with 47 strikes to 45 balls. The 6-foot-5 Canadian can rear back and throw, occasionally hitting 96 mph, but is raw, as he's made only a handful of Double A starts. "Strapping, big arm, a guy who our scouts liked quite a bit," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said July 28. "What his ceiling is, we're not quite sure. His projections are a mid-to-bottom-of-the-rotation pitcher — he could be as high as a [No. 3] and could be as low as a [No. 5]."
Jimmy Cordero, RHP, Double A Reading
Cordero, a piece of the Revere trade, relieved Pivetta and made his own Reading debut. Cordero allowed two inherited runners to score, as well as two of his own, in one inning. The Phillies also got Alberto Tirado for Revere. A scout told CSNPhilly.com Phillies Insider Jim Salisbury that both relievers are legit arms, easily throw 95 mph, but still need to figure things out. Tirado, who has yet to be assigned, is the Phillies' 15th-ranked prospect by MLB.com and you can see his potential in a nutshell right here.
Zach Eflin, RHP, Double A Reading
Not to be forgotten with the Phillies' influx of talent, Eflin, one of the team's top arms in the system, tossed seven innings of two-run ball in Reading's 8-2 win over New Hampshire on Sunday. He allowed just four hits while scattering two walks and a hit batsman, a nice rebound from a two-start stretch in which the 21-year-old went 0-2 with an 11.37 ERA. Eflin, an outsmart-you pitcher, is 6-6 with a 3.41 ERA, 49 strikeouts and 18 walks.
MLB
J.P. Crawford, SS, Double A Reading
Crawford is in the midst of a mini slump, going 4 for his last 28 (.143) with no extra-base hits. Still, the Phillies’ No. 1 prospect is just 20 years old and allowed some growing pains. Don't be surprised to see him heat back up soon.
Andrew Knapp, C, Double A Reading
Knapp is on some roll, hitting safely in 25 of his 28 games at Reading, batting .358 with 27 RBIs. Once acquired in the Hamels' deal, Jorge Alfaro instantly became the Phillies' top catching prospect, but the 23-year-old Knapp looks determined to give him some competition. You can never have too much depth and the Phillies suddenly have some at catcher.
Jesse Biddle, LHP, Triple A Lehigh Valley
Biddle allowed four runs over 6⅓ innings on eight hits and three walks in Lehigh Valley's 4-0 loss to Norfolk on Sunday. Triple A opponents are hitting just .210 off the Phillies’ 2010 top pick, but Biddle has walked as many as he's struck out (19), and he's 2-1 with a 4.44 ERA in five starts with the IronPigs.
Edubray Ramos, RHP, Double A Reading
Ramos, an electric arm out of the bullpen, has a 2.16 ERA in his first seven games at Reading. In his last 26 innings dating back to time as High A Clearwater's closer, Ramos has a 0.69 ERA with 31 strikeouts and five walks. The 22-year-old features a mid-to-high-90s fastball and a swing-and-miss breaking ball.
Franklyn Kilome, RHP, Class A Short Season Williamsport
In his latest abbreviated start, Kilome, the Phillies’ No. 3 prospect by Baseball America, allowed more runs (three) in 3⅓ innings than he did in his previous 19⅔ innings (two). In five outings with the Crosscutters, the 20-year-old is 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA, 21 strikeouts and nine walks.
Cornelius Randolph, LF, Gulf Coast League Phillies
Randolph, the 10th overall pick of this June’s draft, is swinging a nice bat and hasn't made an error in 20 games in left field. The 18-year-old is hitting .280 with a .400 on-base percentage in 28 games and is now the sixth-ranked Phillies prospect by MLB.com right behind Alfaro.
Kelly Dugan, RF, Triple A Lehigh Valley
Dugan's new test? Triple A ball. The Phillies' 2009 second-round pick has hit for average at every level, and now he's an IronPig, going 1 for 6 in his first two games.