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Well, let's start with the bad news. Tommy Joseph's season is over, as he struggles to recover from concussions. According to Phillies Director of Player Development after the third concussion of Joseph's career the team is hopeful that he can remain behind the plate. This season was a lost one for Joseph who struggled at the plate in the three dozen games he played. If he has to move from behind the plate? That's really bad. I said to the other bloglords that he becomes a bottom end of the Top 30 prospect if he's not Catching, but the more I've thought about it, I think it may be worse than that. I'm not sure he's more than a fringe prospect at First and if you play Right Field, the pressure on the bat is only slightly less than First Base.
On to the guys currently playing. I'm going to talk less about guys covered in the July Roundup and, as always, much less on Pitchers unless they had more than one Start within the week.
J.P. Crawford - The call is officially on for a nickname. Crawford is just destroying the GCL. This week he went .364/.462/.545 (A shortstop with an OPS over 1.000! And keep in mind, this was the week prior to his first pro-HR) 4 doubles, 4 K, 4 BB, 2 SB (0 CS). Send the kid to Williamsport.
Kelly Dugan - Yeah, I know I said not much on guys from the monthly update, then I say a bunch about two of the guys I wrote a ton about, but I'm a big fan of both of these guys. Dugan is hitting really well and seems to have adjusted well to AA. He went .304/.292/.565 (well, I didn't say he was walking well) with 2 HR and 5 K in 24 PA.
Zach Green - Another in the pile of Third Base prospects, Zach went .318/.375/.727 with 3 HR, 10 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SB (0 CS). Green strikes out a lot (though he usually walks more than this) and combined with reports of slow bat speed, it's worth suggesting that you not get too excited about him yet. He's doing well, so enjoy it and hope it lasts.
Tyler Henson - I've seen some people say they want to see Henson called up. I haven't written a damned word about him, so I figured it was time. Henson was a top prospect before retooling his swing a few years back and completely falling apart. His K rate skyrocketed and his power pretty much disappeared. His power seems to be back and he could be of some use as he can play multiple positions. I doubt what he's done in the Minors is sustainable, but for a team using Mini-Mart, they can clearly live with a poor hitting defensively "flexible" player, and at least Henson has some pop. This week he went .318/.407/.864 with 4 HR, 5 K, 2 BB, 2 HBP and 1 SB (0 CS)
Jose Pujols - Here's a player you can and should be quite excited about. He's about the same age as Tocci, and he's got Domingo Santana level power. He's got a quick swing. He'll need some work, sure, but he's 17, every 17 year old needs to work on some things. He went .333/.429/.722, 1 double, 2 HR, 7 K, 2 BB, 1 HBP.
Sebastian Valle - Valle is still scuffling, but he's scuffling better. I swear it's completely true that Valle took not one, but two walks. In the same damned week. Seriously. .222/.300/.500, 1 triple, 1 HR, 7 K, 2 BB.
Mark Leiter, Jr. - 2 games, 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 0 BB (weirdly all 4 hits were doubles). Too early to make a call that Leiter's a future, well, anything, but that's a great way to start.
Hoby Milner - Perhaps Milner's hit a wall, but after starting pretty well, he's having a tougher go of it. 2 G, 10.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.