We continue our weekly check-in on the Phillies’ future down on the farm.
This edition, we lead with a forgotten outfielder that is back and impressing early:
Kelly Dugan, RF, Double A Reading
Injuries have put a dent in the development of the Phillies’ 2009 second-round pick and 15th-ranked team prospect by MLB.com, but Dugan has returned from a stress reaction in his right foot and his bat looks like it hasn’t missed a beat. Last week, the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder went 10 for 25 (.400) with four runs. Last season, the 24-year-old hit .296 in 76 games with the Fightin Phils before injury cut his season short.
Aaron Nola, RHP, Triple A Lehigh Valley
Nola made his highly anticipated Triple A debut Thursday, throwing scoreless ball but needing 98 pitches to work through five innings. He struck out seven, allowed four hits and just one walk. Triple A hitters are much more advanced and many are former big-leaguers. It was a success but also a learning experience for the team’s top pitching prospect. CSNPhilly.com’s Corey Seidman has the story, which includes one adjustment Lehigh Valley manager Dave Brundage would like Nola to make. Nola is scheduled to make his next start Wednesday.
J.P. Crawford, SS, Double A Reading
Crawford’s humming along at Double A Reading. The Phillies’ top prospect enters this week on a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .298 with 14 walks and 10 strikeouts.
Zach Eflin, RHP, Double A Reading
Now the ace of the Fightin Phils’ rotation, Eflin allowed one earned run over six innings last Wednesday for a no-decision in Reading’s 6-5 loss to Trenton. The 21-year-old is 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 12 starts this season.
Jesse Biddle, LHP, Double A Reading
Has Biddle turned a corner? His lowered ERA may suggest it, but on Sunday, despite pitching five innings of no-run ball in Reading’s 8-7 win over Portland, the left-hander walked five and hit a batter as control continues to be his biggest hurdle. Still, Biddle is 7-1 with a 3.62 ERA, a nice rebound from a difficult 2014 for the 23-year-old.
MLB
Darin Ruf, 1B, Triple A Lehigh Valley
Ruf makes his first appearance in the Future Phillies Report, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Now with the IronPigs after getting demoted by the Phillies to recall Domonic Brown, Ruf will start every day at first base and get his at-bats. He got his fair share with the Phillies, but this will be more opportunity. The 28-year-old is hitting .308 with six RBIs in his first seven games and his professionalism hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Carlos Tocci, CF, Single A Clearwater
Thanks to a .321 batting average at Lakewood, Tocci, the Phillies’ 17th-ranked prospect by MLB.com, has made the move to High A ball at Clearwater. It was only a matter of time. In his first three games with the Threshers, the 19-year-old is 2 for 13 with a double and two RBIs.
Mark Leiter Jr., RHP, Double A Reading
Leiter Jr., the son of former big-league pitcher Mark Leiter and nephew of former big-league pitcher Al Leiter, made his first start for Double A Reading, where he replaced Nola. Leiter threw seven innings of three-run ball on Friday but received no support in the Fightin Phils’ 3-0 loss to Portland. The 22nd-round pick of the Phillies in the 2013 draft had a 1.97 ERA with the Threshers before his promotion.
Ricardo Pinto, RHP, Single A Lakewood
Pinto, the Phillies' 10th-ranked prospect by MLB.com, allowed one run over six innings to pick up a win in the BlueClaws’ 5-1, seven-inning victory over Hagerstown. Pinto, only 21 years old, is having a strong season. He’s 6-2 with a 3.09 ERA, 60 strikeouts and 18 walks. He earned a promotion to Clearwater after his latest start.
Roman Quinn, CF, Double A Reading
Quinn’s injury is worse than originally anticipated. The 22-year-old lightning bolt suffered a strained quad on June 12 and was expected to rejoin the Fightin Phils in early July. But Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan told Mike Drago of the Reading Eagle that Quinn will now be out six to eight weeks with a tear in his hip flexor.