Phillies Minor League Roundup - July 15, 2014

Lakewood 7, Hickory 0

Yoel Mecias - 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K, 5 GB, 2 FB, HBP
Delvi Francisco - 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K, 2 GB, 2 FB
Daniel Child - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K, 2 GB, 2 FB
Carlos Tocci - 1 for 4, 2 K, SB
Andrew Pullin - 1 for 4, R, BB, K
Andrew Knapp - 1 for 5, R, 2B, RBI, 2 K
Dylan Cozens - 4 for 5, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Zach Green - 1 for 4, 2 R, RBI, SB
Mitch Walding - 3 for 5, 3 2B, 2 RBI, K (fielding error)
Willians Astudillo - 0 for 4
Larry Greene - 0 for 3, BB, 3 K
Malquin Canelo - 1 for 4, R, SB

This was the only game played yesterday, so lets just take a deeper look at this game because there is plenty to be excited about in Lakewood. Yoel Mecias makes his return to Lakewood since 6/22/14, after spending most of 2013 recovering from Tommy John Surgery. There is some significant hype surrounding his outlook as a prospect even before his injury. He is a mainly fastball/changeup pitcher from what I remember with a developing slider. He still needs to fill out, but the changeup is rumored to be a potentially special pitch. As a lefty, a lazy comparison would be Cole Hamels, but Mecias doesn't have that kind of projection. If he were to reach his potential, you could see him as a #2/3 starter. For an undrafted free agent signing, that would be phenomenal for the organization and scouting department. I expect Mecias to do fairly well in Lakewood, but my optimism won't sway until I see some success in High-A ball.

Dylan Cozens blast two home runs in a game for the 2nd time this season. His 13 home runs are good for 6th in the South Atlantic League. Ahead of him are 4 players tied with 14 home runs and the league leader currently has 19. He is younger than all but 1 of those HR leaders. None have as many steals as he does either. Cozens has the potential to become a 20/20 player this season. Is there a significance to this "club"? Not really, but its a decent indicator that he is unlocking his power potential and is a pretty gifted athlete. He is listed at 6'6, 235 pounds in BR. What prevents Cozens from catapulting into the top5 of Phillies prospect lists? The dreaded K and BB rates, which are honestly some of the best evaluators at these levels. His K-rate has gone up from 26% to 27% from last year. This wouldn't be a terrible thing if he was walking as much as he was last season. He's seen his BB-rate drop from 11% to 8% from last season. His splits are pretty bizarre this season in that he is actually hitting a bit better against lefties, but the sample size is fairly small though (87 AB). All in all, as much fun as it is to see him hit HR and steal bases, he is going to have to improve his discipline at the plate. Well, I hope it's just discipline and not being able to recognize pitches.

Zach Green continues to be that pleasant surprise you just weren't expecting. He is hitting for power, stealing bases and not striking out. All that is missing his taking some free passes. He is finally healthy enough to be taking some starts at third base again following the hip injury.

Larry Greene is probably going to be that disappointing child that the Phillies won't be able to let go of for a couple years. At this point, all signs point to a huge bust as he doesn't seem to have any transferable skills to the game. He is striking out 31% of the time and his average is at .195. Barring a Brian Pointer-like resurgence, this looks like a lost season for the former first-rounder.

Can it be? Is Mitch Walding is finally hitting. He is batting .378/.415/.730 in his last 10 games. Yes, he is slugging at an insane rate right now. Certainly not sustainable, but a far cry from what he was producing earlier. You have to hope its just all clicking for him now. It's his second season with Lakewood and should be putting up better numbers.

GCL Phillies, GCL Tigers (postponed due to rain)