Philadelphia Phillies Minor League Report – AA

We know that the Philadelphia Phillies have some promising prospects. But which minor leaguers have been the most impressive so far this season?

We’re going to pick two players, a pitcher and a hitter at each level that has impressed so far during the season. We’ve done the AAA affiliate the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and next up are the Reading Fightin Phils.

The Fightin Phils are sitting in second place in the Eastern League 1 game behind the Hartford Yard Goats (Colorado Rockies). With a 23-12 record, it was tough to pick just two players who have been standout stars this season. After much deliberation, I decided on pitcher Ben Lively and outfielder Roman Quinn.

While they are both leading the way for the Fightin Phils they couldn’t be doing it in more different ways or have come from more unique backgrounds. We’ll begin by breaking down Quinn’s performance. Roman Quinn is rated as the Philadelphia Phillies’ number seven prospect by mlb.com which shows a glimpse of his potential.

Outfielder Roman Quinn:

On Quinn, baseball prospectus said,

"“That Quinn missed a significant chunk of a season due to injury is, sadly, unsurprising at this point. What was heartening, however, is that the time spent on the field was arguably his most productive to date. A tear in his left hip flexor sidelined Quinn from mid-June through the end of the Double-A season, after initial reports suggested only a quad strain, but he returned to make up for some missed plate appearances in the Dominican Winter League. He strikes out more than is desirable, given his prodigious speed, and his stolen-base efficiency took a step backward even prior to the injury, but his switch-hitting and modest defensive ability in center field”his time at shortstop is over”making him the perfect old-school leadoff archetype. Whether he’d assume that role for the Phillies is something that’s far too early to call; he’ll need a full, healthy season before that’s really a discussion worth having.”"

Looking at Quinn’s stats it wouldn’t seem like he’s having a good year for the Fightin Phils with a .256 batting average but a more telling stat is his .344 on-base percentage. Quinn has taken 14 walks so far atop the Phils lineup. Thank’s to his elite speed (Quinn has been compared to Billy Hamilton) once Quinn is on the basepaths he is a menace.

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Quinn has stolen 16 bases while only being caught three times which profiles well as a leadoff hitter that will give pitchers fits in the majors. Quinn has also hit five doubles and four triples to showcase his speed in AA. He profiles as a leadoff hitter in the mold of Juan Pierre. If Quinn can cut down on his strikeouts (37 k’s in 133 at bats) he can be a reliable leadoff hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Look out for Quinn to be a September call-up for the Philadelphia Phillies so that he can get a cup of tea in the majors prior to trying to earn a full-time job next season. He would allow Odubel Herrera to move into the third spot in the lineup because the Philadelphia Phillies would finally have another viable leadoff option making the lineup as a whole better.

Pitcher Ben Lively:

Lively was acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies from the Cincinnati Reds  in their trade for Marlon Byrd. Many were saying that lively wasn’t a good enough prospect to get in return for Byrd but he’s doing his best to prove doubters wrong. He is ranked as the Philadelphia Phillies number eight prospect. Here’s what mlb.com has to say about him:

"“None of Lively’s pitches jump off the page, but he does have four of them that he can throw for strikes. His fastball can touch 93-94 mph, and his slider shows signs of being a potential above-average pitch, as well. Lively mixes in his curve and changeup well to keep hitters guessing. All of his stuff plays up because of his unusual delivery in which his arm stays hidden, making it tough for hitters to pick up the ball.”"

So far Lively has collected five wins which is tied for the team lead. He also has a 1.80 ERA and has been nearly unhittable with a .93 WHIP. One of Lively’s most impressive stats is that he is averaging 5.71 innings per start showing that he is going deep into games and facing hitters multiple times. Even though Lively is racking up innings he has only allowed one home run this season.

Lively is facing an uphill battle to make the Philadelphia Phillies because there is so much competition for five spots. Three spots in the major league rotation are already filled by Aaron Nola, Vincent Velasquez and Jerad Eickhoff leaving about 5-8 pitchers to fight for the final two spots (barring injury). Even though the journey will be tough Lively is off to a good start with his current stats. Look out for him to push for a spot in the back end of the major league rotation.

Next: Close Games are Becoming the Norm this Season

The future looks bright for the Philadelphia Phillies. There are multiple prospects that are on the cusp of being major league ready. Next up is the minor league report for the Philadelphia Phillies A affiliate.