Hammond Field in Fort Myers, Florida will host the 2016 Florida State League All-Star Game on June 18. (Brandon Apter/Philliedelphia)
It's a rebuilding year for the Phillies. They were seven games over .500 and now they are a season-worst seven games under .500. While a lot of the focus is on the prospects in Double-A and Triple-A, there have been some impressive players in the lower levels of the minors as well. The Florida State League and South Atlantic League are holding their All-Star Games in the coming week and 12 Phillies prospects are headed to the respective contests. Three players from Class 'A' Lakewood will be going to Lexington, Kentucky for the SAL All-Star Game on Tuesday, June 21 while nine players from Advanced 'A' Clearwater will play in the FSL All-Star Game on Saturday, June 18 in Fort Myers, Florida. Here's who is heading to the respective midseason games from Lakewood and Clearwater.
Lakewood Blueclaws
- Jose Pujols (OF) - Ranked as the 24th best prospect in the Phillies organization by MLB.com, Pujols has struggled recently, but has shown off a good power stroke this season. In 61 games, he's hitting just .232, but he has 10 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 34 RBI's and 30 runs scored. Since joining the Phillies organization in 2013, he's hitting just .224. He's just 20 years old, so there's plenty of time for Pujols to improve his tools at the plate. His 10 homers are good for third place in the South Atlantic League.
- Josh Tobias (2B) - Selected in the 10th round of the 2015 draft, the 23-year-old out of Florida is hitting .285 with 16 doubles, a triple, five homers, 37 RBI's and 28 runs scored. He's in his second full season with the Phillies organization and has hit .303 in 123 games between 2015 and 2016.
- Luke Leftwich (RHP) - Leftwich, 22, was a seventh round pick in last year's draft by the Phillies. His 2.15 ERA is ranked fourth in the SAL and his 80 strikeouts lead the league. Leftwich has pitched six or more innings in six of his 11 starts while he's tallied six or more strikeouts in eight of his 11 starts. His last time out, he hurled seven scoreless innings, scattering just four hits while striking out 11.
Clearwater Threshers
- Carlos Tocci (OF) - At just 20 years old, Tocci is ranked as the Phillies 14th best prospect in the organization. He was named the Phillies Minor League Defender of the Month for May thanks to his defensive prowess in center field. Tocci was promoted to Clearwater in the middle of last season and played 68 games there, hitting .258. This season, he's hitting .255 in 62 games, but has already matched his doubles mark from and also has driven in three more runs. Tocci has also shown more plate discipline, walking 20 times already this season after walking just 12 times during his stint in Clearwater in 2015.
- Scott Kingery (2B) - The Phillies picked Kingery in the second round of the 2015 draft and he's ranked as the 11th best prospect in the organization. The 22-year-old infielder is hitting .263 this season with a league-leading 22 doubles, two triples, three homers, 16 RBI's and 37 runs scored.
- Tom Eshelman (RHP) - One of the players acquired in the Ken Giles deal with the Astros, Eshelman is 4-2 with a 3.34 ERA this season for the Threshers. Eshelman's season has been an up and down one thus far. In four April starts, he posted a 1.80 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .148 average and even won FSL Pitcher of the Week Honors on April 24. May was a different story as the right-hander sported a 5.27 ERA in five starts with opposing hitters averaging .328 against him. Thus far in June, he seems to have settled back in, going 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts. MLB.com ranks him as the 15th best prospect in the organization.
- Elniery Garcia (LHP) - The 21-year-old Dominican is 6-2 with a 1.97 ERA this season in 10 games, nine of which have been starts. After battling injuries early in his professional career, Garcia has rebounded nicely and is ranked as the Phillies 21st best prospect. His ERA is good for fourth in the FSL, he is holding batters to a .203 average and his 1.03 WHIP is ranked eighth in the league. His last time out, Garcia tossed six shutout innings, allowing just three hits against Bradenton.
- Alexis Rivero (RHP) - A 2015 South Atlantic League All-Star, Rivero is now headed to the FSL midseason game after posting a 4-1 record to go along with a 1.13 ERA, cementing himself as one of the more dominant relievers in the league. Batters are hitting just .162 against him and he's struck out 34 and walked just seven in 32 innings this season. Over his last 10 appearances, spanning 13.2 innings, he's 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA.
- Chace Numata (C) - The Phillies system is filled with catching depth, but the main guys are Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp. Numata, hitting .320 over his last 10 games, was a 14th round pick of the Phillies back in 2010. This season for Clearwater, he's hitting .268 with six doubles, a homer and five RBI's in 32 games. Numata got the nod to the All-Star game despite Gabriel Lino getting the majority of the starts for the team. He's hitting just .205 this season. Numata had a nice month of April, hitting .294, but has fallen off at the plate since.
- Cord Sandberg (OF) - The Phillies selected Sandberg in the third round back in 2013. In 303 minor league games, the 21-year-old outfielder is hitting just .240, but has fared well defensively. He's hitting .237 this season with six doubles, a triple, a home run, 17 RBI's and 22 runs scored.
- Zach Green (1B) - A third round pick of the 2012 draft by the Phillies, Green is hitting a respectable .277 in the pitcher-friendly parks of the Florida State League this season. He has 14 doubles, seven homers, 33 RBI's and 29 runs scored. He's driven in eight runs over his last 10 games, a stretch in which he's hitting .278 (10-for-36).
- Mitch Walding (3B) - The former 2011 fifth round pick has shown some signs of power this season with seven doubles, four triples and nine homers but has also struck out a lot, 68 times in 211 at-bats, while walking just 23 times. Since being drafted in 2011, Walding has been more of a defensive prospect, as he's a career .236 hitter in 471 minor league games.
