Developing Phillies prospects

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Yup. Once the big contracts get off the table and if some of the prosects come along, with that budget the world could be the Phillie's oyster.

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Game 1 - The Phillies struck first off of LA starter Zack Greinke when Odubel Herrera (4-4, BB, 4 RBI) singled home Devin Lohman with 2 out in the 3rd but the Dodgers' offense was too much for Victor Arano (6 IP, 12 H, 2 BB, 9 R) and LA won b a final of 11-4.

Game 2 - Jerad Eickhoff (7 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 0 BB, 5 K) pitched well but the Phillies were not able to push a run across against Matt Moore (8 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 7 K) or Shae Simmons. Hector Olivera's RBI single was all the offense LA needed for a 1-0 victory.

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Game 3 - Kelly Dugan was given the start at 1B over Gabriel Lino and delivered a 2-out, 2-run single in the bottom of the 1st off Clayton Kershaw (8 IP, 2 ER) after Joc Pederson had hit a solo HR in the top of the 1st. The Dodgers got one more off PotG Jake Thompson (7 IP, 2 R) in the 6th and Yasiel Puig homered off Hoby Milner in the 8th to make it 3-2 LA. Nick Williams hit a solo HR with 1 out in the bottom of the 9th to tie it at 3 and PH Dylan Cozens hit a 2-run HR in the 10th for a 5-3 walkoff win.

Game 4 - The Dodgers got on the board first with Corey Seager's solo HR in the top of the 2nd. The Phillies tied it in the bottom of the 3rd when Devin Lohman led off with a 2B, moved to 2nd on a Severino Gonzalez sac bunt, and score on an Odubel Herrera ground out. The Phillies increased the lead in the 5th when Cody Asche hit a 2-run HR off Zack Greinke and added another run with Nick Williams' 2-out single scoring Devin Lohman. LA got one in the 6th and 2 in the 7th to tie the score at 4. The Phillies left two runners on in the 7th, 8th, and 9th and the game went to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th Aaron Altherr was stranded on third. In the 11th Gabriel Lino led off with a BB off Kenley Jansen. Odubel Herrera followed with a 2B. With no outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd, I decided to use my last available hitter, Zach Green, as a PR for Lino. Nick Williams then lined into 6-4 DP making my decision look pretty bad but Maikel Franco followed with a game-winning walkoff single.

Game 5 - Despite having 4 days rest, Victor Arano was only at 81%. I gave him the start over 5th starter Jonathan Pettibone and Arano was able to get through 6 innings allowing only 2 runs on a Yasiel Puig HR in the 6th. The Phillies left the bases loaded in the 1st. In the 2nd, Arano bunted into a DP with men on 1st and 2nd and no outs. PHI did manage to get one run in that inning on an Odubel Herrera single. In the 3rd, the Phillies loaded the bases with no outs and Nick Williams grounded into a 1-2-3 DP and they were not able to get a run. In the 6th, Gabriel Lino led off with a BB and was held at 3rd with one out on Devin Lohman's 2B over the CF's head. Aaron Altherr was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out but Kelly Dugan and Odubel Herrera came up empty for the Phils. In the 7th, the Phillies loaded the bases with one out but neither Nick Williams nor Devin Lohman were able to bring a run home. Philadelphia was finally able to get another run in the 8th when Dylan Cozens drove in Jonathan Pettibone who was on after a failed sac bunt. We headed to extras where the Dodgers put runners on 2nd and 3rd with none out after consecutive Maikel Franco errors. Pettibone was able to limit the damage to one run but Odubel Herrera struck out with Devin Lohman on 3rd in the bottom of the 10th to end the game. The Phillies ended up hitting into 4 DPs and still leaving 14 men on base in the 10 inning, 3-2 loss.

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Game 6 - Maikel Franco got things started with a 2-run HR in the top of the 1st. In the bottom of the 1st, Destin Hood threw out Alex Guerrero at home trying to score from 2nd on a Joc Pederson 1B. LA would still get one run in the inning to make it 2-1. Odubel Herrera hit a 2-out 2-run 2B in the top of the 2nd to make it 4-1. PotG Jerad Eickhoff (6 IP, 2 R) kept LA off the board until the 5th when Joc Pedrson scored on a wild pitch. That would be all of the scoring as Hoby Milner (2 IP) and Ken Giles (1 IP) closed out the game for the Phillies.

Game 7 - PotG Jake Thompson (8 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 K) and Zack Greike (7.2 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K) were locked in a pitchers' duel and the game was scoreless until PH Kelly Dugan drove in Jorge Alfaro with a 2-out single in the 9th. Ken Giles came in to face the heart of LA's order in the bottom of the 9th. He struck out Joc Pederson swinging. Yasiel Puig blooped a single into CF. Giles then got Corey Seager to ground into a 4-6-3 DP to end the game and send the Phillies to the 2018 World Series.

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It will be a rematch of the 1993 World Series as the Phillies will take on the 93-69 Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays defeated the Tigers 3-2 in the ALDS and the Indians 4-1 in the ALCS.

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Game 1 - Five-star SP Roberto Osuna (8 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 12 K) lived up to the hype and didn't allow a hit until Dylan Cozens singled with two outs in the bottom of the 7th. Victor Arano (7.2 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K) was good for the Phillies but a Maikel Franco error to lead off the 7th allowed Josh Donaldson to reach 1st and score on a double by Michael Saunders. Jays' closer Bobby Parnell walked Odubel Herrera with one out in the 9th and Nick Williams followed with a 2B to tie the game at 1. In the 10th, Jonathan Pettibone gave up a one-out 3B to Anthony Alford followed by an Erik Gonzalez 2B to give the Jays the lead. Gabriel Lino doubled with one out in the bottom of the inning but Devin Lohman and PH Destin Hood left PR Aaron Altherr stranded at 2nd.

Game 2 - Nick Williams homered in the 1st and the Phillies added another in the 2nd and 2 more in the 3rd for a 4-0 lead. In the top of the 4th, Dalton Pompey scored on a Devon Travis groundout and then Cory Spangenberg hit a 2-out 2-run HR to make it 4-3. PotG Severino Gonzalez (6 IP, 3 ER) got through two more innings and PH Dom Brown scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 6th to make it 5-3. in the 9th, Ken Giles allowed a run and then loaded the bases with 2 outs but he was able to strike out Anthony Alford to pick up the save.

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Game 3 - The Phillies scored in the 1st on a walk and 3 singles off Marcus Stroman. In the 5th, PotG Dylan Cozens drove in Maikel Franco with a 3B and then scored on a Kelly Dugan single to make it 3-0. Cozens made it 4-0 with a solo HR in the 7th. Jake Thompson (6.1 IP, 1 ER) left after giving up his only run in the 7th and the bullpen made it hold up with Ken Giles striking out the side in a perfect 9th.

Game 4 - The Phillie bats exploded in game 4 to the tune of 11 runs and 14 hits. PotG Odubel Herrera (4-4, 2B, BB) reached base in all five PAs and scored three times. The Phillies scored a run in each of the 2nd and 3rd innings and Maikel Franco made it 4-0 in the 5th with a 2-out, 2-run HR that chased SP Adonys Cardona from the game. Philadelphia scored 7 runs in the 6th, capped by a Kelly Dugan grand slam. Jerad Eickhoff (5 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K) was lifted after 5 innings and 82 pitches with an 11-0 lead and Jonathan Pettibone picked up the 4 inning save.

Game 5 - The Blue Jays turned to ace Roberto Osuna to keep their WS hopes alive. The Phillies had a chance to get to him early when Odubel Herrera led off with a 2B and moved to 3rd on a Nick Williams single. Maikel Franco followed with a K and Dylan Cozens grounded into a DP to end the threat. Osuna (7.2 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 9 K) would only allow two more base runners before exiting in the 8th. Victo Arano (8.1 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 2K) was almost as good and this game headed to extra innings scoreless. Tom Windle got out of a 1-out, bases loaded jam in the bottom of the 11th when Devon Travis grounded into a 6-2 FC and Michael Saunders followed with a K. In the top of the 13th Cody Asche singled to break a streak of 17 consecutive PHI batters retired but the Phillies would not score in the inning. In the top of the 14th, Odubel Herrera tripled with 2 outs but Nick Williams lined out to the pitcher to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Ken Giles was brought on with two outs and a man on 3rd and got Josh Harrison to fly out to CF. In the bottom of the 15th, Giles allowed a leadoff 2B to Anthony Alford. After an Erik Gonzalez popout, Dalton Pompey hit a groundball past Maikel Franco to score Alford and win the game 1-0 in 15, forcing game 6.

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Game 6 - The Blue Jays struck first with a 2-out RBI single by Cory Spangenberg in the top of the 2nd. The Phillies tied it in the bottom of the inning when Aaron Sanchez balked home Dylan Cozens. PHI scored again in the 3rd with a Nick Williams solo HR. Josh Donaldson answered with a solo HR in the top of the 4th but the Phils took the lead again in the bottom of the inning when Devin Lohman singled home Dylan Cozens with 2 outs. In the top of the 7th, Erik Gonzalez hit a 2-out, 2-run 3B off of Colton Murray to give the Jays the lead 4-3. Dylan Cozens led off the bottom of the 8th with a 2B and later scored on a Kelly Dugan sac fly to tie it at 4. Ken Giles was brought in to pitch the top of the 10th and served up a leadoff HR to Michael Saunders and the Phillies went down 1-2-3 to end the game and send it to game 7.

Game 7 - The Phillie manager had a rough 1st inning. Odubel Herrera led off with a single and I decided to attempt a hit & run with Nick Williams at the plate. Williams swung and missed and Herrera was caught stealing. Williams ended up hitting a single and I decided to test Russell Martin's arm again with a straight steal. Williams was also caught. In the top of the 2nd, Cory Spangenberg led off with a bunt single. Jake Thompson then walked Russell Martin. Marcus Stroman flew out, moving Spangenberg to 3rd where he would score on a wild pitch. Later in the inning with men n 1st and 3rd with two outs, Jorge Alfaro attempted to pickoff the runner at 1st and threw the ball away, allowing Martin to score from 3rd. The Phillies got 1 back in the bottom of the 2nd when Devin Lohman singled home Cody Asche. Odubel Herrera would later strike out with the bases loaded to end the inning. Nick Williams tied the game at 2 when he led off the bottom of the 3rd with a HR. Dalton Pompey led off the 5th with a HR to make it 3-2 TOR but PHI answered in the bottom of the inning when Herrera led off with a 2B and later scored on a Dylan Cozens sac fly. PotG Jake Thompson (7 IP, 3 R) and game 4 starter Jerad Eickhoff (2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 4 K) combined to retire the last 13 Blue Jay batters. In the bottom of the 9th, Drew Stankiewicz led off with a single. After an Alfaro fly out, Devin Lohman came to the plate and smacked a line drive walkoff triple to right-center making the Philadelphia Phillies your 2018 World Series champions.

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• Maikel Franco won the NL Platinum Stick at 3B (.276/.326/.503, 644 AB, 36 HR, 3 SB, 127 wRC+, 5.7 WAR)
• JP Crawford won the NL Platinum Stick at SS (.299/.384/.460, 568 AB, 16 HR, 37 SB, 139 wRC+, 6.8 WAR)
• Yours truly was named the NL manager of the year

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The IronPigs finished with the worst record in the International League. As for the prospects:

• Deivi Grullon (22) hit above league average (109 wRC+) and won a GG at C. He's ready for the majors and may challenge for the starting spot in Philly
• Dylan Cozens (24) was promoted and played an important role for the Phillies down the stretch. He should be the starting RF next season
• Aaron Brown (26) didn't really hit well enough to earn a promotion (72 wRC+) but he hits lefty and plays CF so he might get a shot
• Zach Green (24) might be able to make it as a backup corner IF (119 wRC+)
• Roman Quinn (25) plays SS/CF and has great speed but probably hasn't hit enough (67 wRC+) to be more than depth
• Andrew Pullin (25) can only play corner OF but doesn't really hit well enough (101 wRC+) to be more than depth
• Matt Imhof (25), Zach Eflin (24), Ben Lively (26), and David Whitehead (26) were all solid enough to have a chance with the MLB team next year. They all could also end up back in AAA
• Aaron Nola (25) struggled in the majors, was sent down, and now my scout says he may be overmatched in AAA

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The Fightin' Phils won the Eastern League championship with a 3-0 sweep of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

• Wilson Garcia (24) won the MVP with 6.4 WAR and 156 wRC+. The EL All-Star will start next year at AAA but may soon be ready to add to the C depth in the majors
• Brian Pointer (26) finished 3rd in the MVP and made the All-Star team but left as a minor league FA when I forgot to offer extensions to any upcoming FAs. With 70 HRs over the last two seasons, I'm going to try to bring him back as the AAA RF
• Carlos Tocci (23) had a big year (5.7 WAR) after struggling at AAA last year. He won a GG in CF and will be heading back to AAA with a chance at MLB next year
• Drew Stankiewicz (25) made the AS game and was promoted to Philly after the Crawford injury and finished the season as a platoon IF on the playoff roster
• Scott Kingery (24) will move to AAA after an OK season and continue to learn both 2B and CF
• Brendon Hayden (26) hit decent (115 wRC+) but not great for a 1B
• Samuel Hiciano (24) was terrible (-1.1 WAR, 50 wRC+) and will have to repeat AA
• Franklyn Kilome (23) was the POY and an AS (8.0 K/9, 1.7 BB/9)
• Alec Asher (27) was also an AS but is already 27. He will probably start in AAA and be MLB depth
• Tyler Viza (24) was good enough to move to AAA if there's a spot in the rotation but Feliberto Sanchez (25) will have to repeat AA
• Ulises Joaquin (26) and Edubray Ramos (26) weren't great in the bullpen but at 26 I guess I just throw them in the AAA bullpen and see what happens

Non-prospects Robert Gilliam (SP) and Ryan Verdugo (RP) also made the AS game

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The Threshers won the FSL title with wins over the Palm Beach Cardinals (3-2) and the Brevard County Manatees (4-1).

• Rhys Hoskins (25) set the FSL record for HRs, beating the mark set by Brian Pointer last season, and finished 2nd in the MVP. The AS 1B has moved slowly and will start next year in AA. With a good start there he will move to AAA and possibly MLB by the end of the season
• Cornelius Randolph (21) hit very well (132 wRC+, 5.3 WAR), was an AS, and is turning into a good defensive CF. My scout already has him as the best CF in the organization but I'm not going to rush him. He'll start in AA and possibly follow the same path as Hoskins
• Greg Pickett (22) was the other big prospect in Clearwater and he also had a good year (140 wRC+, 3.5 WAR). He'll be the starting RF in Reading next year
• IFs Emmanuel Marrero (25), Jake Sweaney (24), and Grenny Cumana (23) were the other 1.5 star potential hitters but none were able to crack 1.0 WAR
• Elniery Garcia (24) was 2nd in POY and was an AS (8.9 K/9, 1.8 BB/9). He'll move to the Reading rotation
• Skylar Hunter (24) was an AS as the closer. He struck out 11.4 per 9 but also walked 4.1
• Mitch Gueller (25) and Jose Taveras (25) were both good enough to move to Reading with roughly 8.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9
• In the bullpen Austin Davis (25) and Drew Anderson (24) should move to Reading but Lino Matinez (26) ended the season with a 7.5 BB/9 and will probably be staying a Clearwater. I guess at 26, he's not really a prospect anymore

Non-prospect Chris Oliver finished 3rd in the POY and made the AS team as a RP. I'm not considering him a prospect since the real-life Phillies traded him away

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The BlueClaws lost in the 1st round of the SAL playoffs to the Greensboro Grasshoppers (2-3).

• Von Watson (22) was 2nd in the MVP and made the AS team. I don't think he's going to be good enough defensively to stay in CF so hopefully he will keep hitting (134 wRC+, 21 HR). He did have a 25% K rate so it will be interesting to see what happens in Clearwater
• Enmanuel Garcia (24) should have been the CF but I had him in RF for some reason. He didn't have a great year hitting (91 wRC+) but maybe enough for CF
• Josh Tobias (26) made the AS at 3B with a 3.5 WAR, 119 wRC+ season. He was pretty old for Lakewood and will probably skip Clearwater
• Seranthony Dominguez (24) was an AS but walked to many batters (4.1 per 9). At his age though, he has to keep moving
• Carlos Indriago (24) made the AS as the CL. Alejandro Arteaga (24), Adonis Medina (22), and Carlos Salazar (22) were OK and will move up

There weren't many prospects on this team. Non-prospects John Murphy (3B, MVP), Mike Kickham (SP, POY), Danny Miranda (RP, POY-2nd), Matt Gedman (1B), and Carl Thomore (LF) were All-Stars. Gedman and Ehire Adrianza (2B) won GGs. RP Matt Hockenberry (27) and C Jose Mayorga (26) also made the AS team. They are not really prospects but are eligible to play for the Phillies.

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Since I've spent way too much time this morning looking at my minor league teams, I'm not going to mention short-season prospects unless they started the season at 2.5 stars or more. No such prospects for me in the NYPL. C Wilber Torres and SS Jonathan Arauz won GGs

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The GCL Phillies won the championship with wins over GCL Tigers (3-1), GCL Twins (4-1), and GCL Yankees (4-0). C Rapheal Marchan (19) struggled at the plate (65 wRC+) but has 70 def. He'll probably stay in the GCL. LF Jhailyn Ortiz (20) won a GG and had a big year at the plate (165 wRC+). He finished with 2.9 WAR in 242 PA and should move to Williamsport. Luis Morales (25) was the POY and finished 3rd in the MVP. I guess it's about time he moves to full season ball.

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The DSL Phillies won the championship with wins over the DSL Rays (1-0), DSL Braves (3-0), and DSL Yankees 1 (4-3). C Lenin Rodriguez (20) had a great season (144 wRC+ and 3.0 WAR in 300 PA) and will probably start in Lakewood next year. Non-prospect 2015 35th round draftee Kyle Johnson (24) finished 2nd in the MVP.

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The VSL Phillies won their championship game against the VSL Rays. Prospects P Kenny Koplove (24), C Rodolfo Duran (20), and Raul Rivas (22) won GGs along with non-prospect scouting discovery 1B Sergio Santana. Non-prospect 2016 draftees Griffin Conine (RF) and Tyler Ivey (SP) won the MVP and POY respectively.

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After winning the World Series in 2018 I decided to be less hands-on with the team. I handed off promotions and demotions to assistant GM Bill Bavasi and lineups and pitching rotations to bench coach Isidro Monge. The Phillies only finished 78-84 but managed to be in contention for the NL east on the last day of the season. Crawford and Franco made their 3rd straight AS games.