Phillies Fall Instructional League Recap

Kendall Simmons. Photo credit @BaseballBetsy on Twitter

The Fall Instructional league wrapped up recently. With no Minor League Baseball in 2020, these “Instructs” were a way to get a read on prospects and get them reps similar to real games. Only issue is unless you’re at the complex, it’s hard to find information as the teams don’t send out reports or stats. The Phillies had 58 players attending camp, all hoping to continue their progress and leave a good impression on the brass and scouts.

Phillies Insider Jim Salisbury recently reported that some of the camp’s standouts were 1st round draft pick, pitcher Mick Abel, infielders Kendall Simmons and Luis Garcia, and outfielders Simon Muzziotti and Johan Rojas.


They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I will admit that I used the same format here that Scott Greene used with his Red Sox update. I just changed the spelling to more accurately reflect the Phillies flavor in the heading below. For more information about the camp itself and on Boston’s prospects, check it out.

Phun Phacts:

Players are grouped by position, how acquired, highest level played in 2019. Thanks to Baseball America for the roster listing.

Pitchers (34)
RHP, Mick Abel, 1st Round, 2020, A
RHP, Benjamin Brown, 33rd Round, 2017, GCL
RHP, Blake Brown, NDFA, 2020
RHP, Dylan Castaneda. 30th Round, 2019, GCL
RHP, Starlyn Castillo, IFA 2018, GCL
RHP, Joel Cesar, trade with Pittsburgh, 2020
RHP, Hilton Dyar, 21st Round, 2019, GCL
LHP, Bailey Falter, 5th Round, 2015, AA
LHP, Nick Fanti, 31st Round, 2015, AA
LHP, Jordan Fowler, NDFA, 2020
LHP, Maikel Garrido, IFA, 2018, GCL
RHP, Cristian Hernandez, IFA, 2017, GCL
RHP, Jonathan Hughes, NDFA, 2020
RHP, Sam Jacobsak, NDFA, 2020
RHP, DJ Jefferson, IFA, 2019, GCL
LHP, Rafael Marcano, IFA, 2018, GCL
RHP, Gunner Mayer, 5th Round, 2019, GCL
RHP, James McArthur, 12th Round, 2018, A
RHP, Tyler McKay, 16th Round, 2018, A-
LHP, Jhordany Mezquita, 8th Round, 2017, A-
LHP, Erik Miller, 4th Round, 2019, A-
RHP, Francisco Morales, IFA, 2016, A
RHP, Jack Perkins, 11th Round, 2018, A+
LHP, Corey Phelan, NDFA, 2020
RHP, Dominic Pipkin, 9th Round, 2018, A
RHP, Carson Ragsdale, 4th Round, 2020
RHP, Brett Schulze, 7th Round, 2019
RHP, Eduar Segovia, IFA, 2018, GCL
LHP, Manuel Silva, IFA, 2015, A
RHP, Noah Skirrow, NDFA, 2020
LHP, Christopher Soriano, IFA,2019, DSL
RHP, Billy Sullivan, NDFA, 2020
RHP, Victor Vargas, IFA, 2017, GCL
RHP, Braden Zarbinsky, NDFA, 2020

Catchers (6)
Edgar Cabral, 11th Round, 2015, A+
Rodolfo Duran, IFA 2015, A
Herbert Iser, 23rd Round, 2019, GCL
Andrick Nava, IFA, 2018, GCL
Cesar Rodriguez, IFA, 2017, GCL
Micah Yonamine, 29th Round, 2019, GCL

Infielders (11)
Jamari Baylor, 3rd Round, 2019, GCL
Chris Cornelius, 16th Round, 2019, GCL
Guarner Dipre, IFA, 2018, GCL
Nate Fassnacht, 8th Round, 2019, A
Wilfredo Flores, IFA 2018, GCL
Luis Garcia, IFA, 2017, A
Jonathan Guzman, IFA, 2015, A
Edgar Made, IFA, 2016, A-
Casey Martin, 3rd Round, 2020
Kendall Simmons, 6th Round, 2018, A-
Nicolas Torres, IFA, 2016, A-

Outfielders (7)
Jose Cedeno, IFA, 2018, GCL
Marcus Lee Sang, 11th Round, 2019, GCL
Simon Muzziotti, NDFA, 2016, A+
Jhailyn Ortiz, IFA, 2015, A+
Baron Radcliff, 5th Round, 2020
Johan Rojas, IFA, 2018, A-
Matt Vierling, 5th Round, 2018, A+

Players I am high on:
Mick Abel – The team’s 1st round pick in the recent draft has the makings of a future front-line starter. Abel throws in the mid 90’s and has good off-speed stuff. Abel is young and a few years away from the Majors but should move quickly through the system. It’s good to hear that Phillies Director of Player Development Josh Bonifay called Abel’s camp “super impressive.” He added, “He came in ready to compete… up to 98 with his fastball, and his changeup and slider are both excellent.”

Starlyn Castillo – While his numbers haven’t looked good yet, it was only 9.1 innings. Castillo was one of the highest-touted pitchers in the 2018 J2 signing period and throws in the high 90’s. As he gains experience and works on his command, he could develop into a solid starter.

Francisco Morales – Morales was another highly-touted pitcher on the J2 circuit and signed in 2017. He has a lively fastball and strikes hitters out in bunches. His command has been improving and he’s presently the top pitching prospect in the organization after Abel and Spencer Howard.

Carson Ragsdale – Ragsdale originally was a reliever in college but after undergoing Tommy John Surgery in 2019, he came back as a starter. Ragsdale throws hard and if he can harness his command better, can contribute to the big leagues in a few years either as a starter or closer. Salisbury reported that Ragsdale impressed with pitch execution and a fastball up to 95.

Jamari Baylor – Baylor is more speed than power now but has the type of swing that can develop power in the future.  He plays shortstop now but could move to second base in the future.

Kendall Simmons – As opposed to Baylor, Simmons is more power than speed now. His hit-tool is a work-in-progress but if it develops, we’re looking at a future big-league contributor especially in OBP leagues. Simmons is one of my targets in my deep leagues after tying for second place in home runs and leading the Appy league in slugging percentage with a .520 rate back in 2019. Salisbury wrote that Simmons “swung the bat extremely well… He’s strong, aggressive and plays with a lot of passion.”

Players I am low on:
Luis Garcia – Garcia was signed and immediately impressed during his time in the GCL but struggled when he moved up to Lakewood. His defense is way above his offense at this point but I’ve tempered expectations until he improves his eye at the plate, but hearing that he was a standout in Fall Instructs is positive news. Bonifay said he’s “looked good in camp…added strength to his 5-11 frame and remains a rangy, strong-armed defender at two positions.”

Jhailyn Ortiz – It’s going to be interesting to see if the team protects Ortiz from this winter’s Rule 5 Draft. He has power for days but has struggled with strikeouts during his time in the organization. Ortiz has shown improvements and he’s still very young at 21 years old.

What other players are reported to have performed well or stood out in camp?  Who do you think are on the way up or on the way down? Leave a comment or reach out to me on Twitter @tonybps1.

Tony Bps Spina is a lifelong baseball fan hailing from the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia! Tony has loved baseball since 1980 and has followed the Phillies through good and bad times. Tony is married with 3 kids and works for a financial institution but has enough free time to play in 20 fantasy baseball leagues with 75% of them being Dynasty Leagues. He lives a few blocks away from Citizens Bank Park and attends many Phillies games per year in addition to their minor league teams in Lehigh Valley and Reading. He can be reached on Twitter at @TonyBps1.




1 Trackback / Pingback

  1. Francisco Morales will be the Phillies most exciting rookie in 2021

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*