Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Phillies minor league report: A look at some of the top prospects performing at Clearwater

Clearwater had five players named to the Florida State League all-star team, including one who has already been promoted to Double-A Reading.

Clearwater Threshers pitching prospect Damon Jones.
Clearwater Threshers pitching prospect Damon Jones.Read moreClearwater Threshers

Marty Malloy is in his first year managing the Clearwater Threshers, the Phillies’ high-A team, and he has been pleased -- but not surprised -- to see all the talent there.

That’s because Malloy managed low-A Lakewood the previous two years and was with many of this season’s Threshers players before this season.

Clearwater had five players named to the Florida State League all-star team, including one who has already been promoted to double-A Reading.

Somebody who wasn’t named an all-star is Alec Bohm, the No. 3 overall choice in last year’s draft from Wichita State who turns 23 in August.

Bohm, The Inquirer’s No. 2 Phillies prospect, began the season at Lakewood, was quickly promoted to Clearwater after hitting .367 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 22 games. At Clearwater, he entered the weekend hitting .315 with three home runs and 18 RBIs, and an .868 OPS in 111 at-bats.

A third baseman in college, he has been playing both third and first base for the Threshers.

“He has shown the ability to hit the ball with a big-time thump and he also really hits the ball the other way with authority,” Malloy said in a recent phone interview.

Left-handed reliever Jonathan Hennigan is the one Clearwater all-star who has already been promoted to Reading. The other all-star pitcher is left-handed starter Damon Jones, who turns 25 in September.

The 6-5, 225-pound Jones, an 18th-round draft choice in 2017 from Washington State, is 2-3 with a 1.58 ERA in nine starts. The Inquirer’s No. 21 Phillies prospect, Jones has 69 strikeouts and 22 walks in 45 2/3 innings.

“He has electric stuff, throws 95 from the left side with a good change and also has a good breaking ball,” Malloy said. “I don’t know how long he is going to be here, but he has really been fun to watch.”

The three position-player all-stars are all ranked among The Inquirer’s top 25 prospects. They are center fielder Simon Muzziotti (No. 15), left fielder Matt Vierling (No. 19) and shortstop Nick Maton (No. 23).

Muzziotti, who turns 21 in December, has not played since May 22 after banging into a wall, although Malloy thinks he will be ready to return to the lineup soon.

“He has made big strides for a young kid,” Malloy said.

Muzziotti is from Cumana, Venezuela, and was signed as a minor-league free agent in July 2016. He has played all three outfield positions, but center is his best spot. He is hitting .306 with two home runs and 15 RBIs.

“He has a plus arm and is really starting to make his way offensively,” Malloy said.

Vierling, a fifth-round pick last year out of Notre Dame, turns 23 in September. He is batting .283 with four home runs and 22 RBIs.

“He is a solid all-around guy who can play all three outfield positions,” Malloy said.

Maton, 22, was the Phillies’ seventh-round selection in 2017 out of Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Ill. He is hitting .304 with three home runs, 26 RBIs, and an .800 OPS.

“He has been solid, and his bat is playing well,” Malloy said. “He has hit first, second, fifth, sixth, and we have shifted him and done a lot of different things with him.”

Two other highly touted prospects at Clearwater are dealing with injuries. Right-hander Spencer Howard (No. 1 Inquirer prospect) is currently out with shoulder fatigue after going 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings. Left-hander Kyle Young (No. 19) is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier in May.

One player who has struggled is No. 8 prospect Jhailyn Ortiz, a right fielder who turns 21 in December. The 6-3, 215-pound Dominican was signed for $4 million in 2015. Known for his power, he has seven home runs and 25 RBIs but is batting .213 with 54 strikeouts in 141 at-bats.

“I try not to look at the strikeouts right now, and in the last 10 days he has made some good strides,” Malloy said. “I hate to use age, but he is 20 and recently has been making really good adjustments.”