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Philadelphia Phillies 2018 Minor League Awards

By Benjamin Chase |
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 31: Roman Quinn #24 of the Philadelphia Phillies slides home safely to score a run in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park on August 31, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Cubs 2-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 31: Roman Quinn #24 of the Philadelphia Phillies slides home safely to score a run in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park on August 31, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Cubs 2-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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De Los Sanntos will contribute to the Phillies stretch drive. Photo by Sam Navarro/Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images.
De Los Sanntos will contribute to the Phillies stretch drive. Photo by Sam Navarro/Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images. /

The Philadelphia Phillies fell off at the end of the season, but they challenged for the NL East division title all season. How did things look down on the farm?

As part of our continuing coverage at Call to the Pen of the minor leagues, we will be covering each organization’s top players for 2018. The coverage will go in reverse order of record. Today, we will look at the Philadelphia Phillies.

We are going to review the system’s leaders for each organization statistically, then choose one hitter and one pitcher to honor for every team. This will be primarily based on statistical performance, though some “age relative to level” could come into play, so a very impressive season from a 28-year-old in AA will rank below a nearly as impressive season from a 20-year-old at the same level.

After we review each organization’s hitter and pitcher of the year, we will close out October with Call To The Pen’s Minor League team of the year. That will lead into November starting our team top 10 prospect lists. In other words, there will be plenty of minor league content on the way at CTTP, so keep coming back for more each day this offseason!!

Philadelphia Phillies minor leagues

Before we offer up awards on the season, let’s take a look at the system’s statistical leaders:

Organization Leaders (min. 150 PA, 50 IP)

BA: Luis Garcia .369
OBP: Luis Garcia .433
SLG: Zach Green .532
OPS: Luis Garcia .921
R: Adam Haseley 77
H: Joey Meneses 153
2B: Zach Green 35
3B: Juan Carlos Smith 7
HR: Darick Hall 26
RBI: Darick Hall 87
SB: Jevi Hernandez 32
TB: Joey Meneses 251

W: Cole Irvin 14
G: Pedro Beato 63
GS: Tom Eshelman, Harold Arauz 26
IP: Cole Irvin 161 1/3
SV: Pedro Beato 35
K: Spencer Howard 147
ERA: Brandon Liebrandt 1.42
WHIP: Brandon Liebrandt 0.87
K/9: Zach Warren 15.9
K/BB: Victor Santos 16.25

Let’s look at the award winners…

TOLEDO, OH – JULY 19: Lehigh Valley IronPigs first baseman Joey Menesses (38) at bat during a regular season game between the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Toledo Mud Hens on July 19, 2018 at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TOLEDO, OH – JULY 19: Lehigh Valley IronPigs first baseman Joey Menesses (38) at bat during a regular season game between the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Toledo Mud Hens on July 19, 2018 at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Philadelphia Phillies Minor League Hitter of the Year: Joey Meneses

Level(s): AAA Lehigh Valley
Stats: .311/.360/.510, 130 G, 536 PA, 27 2B, 23 HR, 82 RBI, 40/110 BB/K

Signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, Joey Meneses nearly took home the International League triple crown in 2018 in his first season in the Philadelphia Phillies system. That he was signed away from the Phillies’ division rival, the Atlanta Braves, made the success all that more sweet.

Meneses ended up finishing first in RBI in the IL, tied for first in home runs, but ended up 2nd in batting average to Rusney Castillo of the Red Sox organization. Meneses is a high-level defender at first base, and he has a premium arm for the position as a pitcher for the Mexican WBC team in international competition.

Sadly, much like in the Braves organization, there really isn’t a spot in the major leagues for Meneses, but if he keeps hitting, he’ll get a chance somewhere.

Runners-up

One of the Phillies top signees in the 2017 signing class, Luis Garcia had a big first year as a pro, playing with the Phillies West Gulf Coast League team. He hit .369/.433/.488 over 43 games, hitting 11 doubles, 3 triples, and a home run, with 12 steals. He’s still plenty raw, but the switch-hitting shortstop has plenty of upside and will be one to track as he ascends the system.

One of the top raw hitters in the entire Phillies farm system, Jose Pujols is known for his power and for striking out a whole lot. In 2018, both of those things were present, but one thing that hadn’t been previously, consistent contact, propelled his season numbers to incredible levels, hitting .295/.365/.503 with 22 home runs.

A 2012 draft pick out of high school in California, Zach Green has struggled to stay on the field, but he finally had a full year of health, and he showed well, hitting .281/.356/.532 across AA and AAA with 35 doubles and 20 home runs. Green is not quite a good enough defender to play the hot corner at the big league level, but he’s short on bat to play first base, leaving him as a ‘tweener currently.

Picked in the 17th round out of Dallas Baptist in 2017, Austin Listi had a reputation with his bat coming to the Phillies organization, but he’s moved up the ladder quicker than anyone could have imagined. Playing nearly equal time at high-A and AA in 2018, Listi hit .312/.412/.502 with 25 doubles and 18 home runs with an excellent 62/94 BB/K over 507 plate appearances.

Philadelphia Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Year: David Parkinson

Level(s): low-A Lakewood, high-A Clearwater
Stats: 11-1, 22 G, 21 GS, 124 1/3 IP, 1.45 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 35/141 BB/K

A 12th round pick out of the University of Mississippi in 2017, Parkinson was seen as a college lefty with a mix of four pitches that were all roughly average in scouting grade. He had some success in 32 2/3 innings in his draft year, primarily using his advanced control to garner excellent numbers.

After work in fall instructs and in spring training, Parkinson saw his changeup and curveball step up to above-average to plus pitches. Most importantly, he worked on his control and command of his breaking stuff to the point where his curveball command was plus, which is rare of that pitch.

Parkinson still does not have a blazing fastball, but with the added movement on his offspeed stuff and premium command and control, he could be a solid mid-rotation to back-end starter.

More from Call to the Pen

Runners-up

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted lefty Cole Irvin out of the University of Oregon. A very polished pitcher, Irvin has moved quickly through the Phillies system, spending all of 2018 with AAA Lehigh Valley, where he posted a 14-4 record over 161 1/3 innings, with a 2.57 ERA and a 35/131 BB/K ratio. Irvin is a fringe major league starter, but his repeatable delivery and excellent control could allow him to be a solid back-end starter.

An older signee out of the Dominican, making his pro debut at 20, Ramon Rosso has pitched well beyond his experience level ever since he came to the organization. In 2018, he pitched across both A-ball levels, tossing 123 1/3 innings, with a 2.04 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 40/139 BB/K ratio.

On his third organization after the Phillies acquired him from the Padres, Enyel De Los Santos had a huge year for AAA Lehigh Valley before getting a promotion to the big leagues where he was used as a swing man between starting and working as a multiple-inning reliever. In the minors, he tossed 126 2/3 innings with a 2.63 ERA and 43/110 BB/K ratio. In the majors, he made 7 appearances, 2 of them starts, pitching 19 innings with a 4.74 ERA and a 8/15 BB/K ratio.

Reliever Addison Russ put up incredible numbers across both A-ball levels in 2018 in his first full season after being a 2017 draft pick out of Houston Baptist. He won 9 games in 54 appearances with 64 1/3 innings, saving 27 games, with a 1.68 combined ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 15/79 BB/K ratio.

Next. Twins minor league awards. dark

after a big step forward in 2018, the Philadelphia Phillies will be hoping to compete in the NL East for many years to come. They’ll certainly be hoping their minor league system contributes to that success!

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