Thoughts on the Upper Minor League Phillies Rosters

Now that we know the make-up of the Phillies full-season affiliates, there's a lot more to talk about. Which teams will be fun to watch? Which prospects made big leaps forward? Which went backwards? There is a lot to watch here. Here's my outlook on the upper minors:

Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Here's the roster:

• Starting Rotation- Adam Morgan*, David Buchanan*, Mark Appel, Zach Eflin, Jake Thompson
• Bullpen- Andrew Bailey, Ernesto Frieri, Edward Mujica, Luis Garcia*, Elvis Araujo*, Bobby LaFromboise, Colton Murray*
• Catchers- Andrew Knapp, J.P. Arencibia
• Infielders- Tommy Joseph, Brock Stassi, Carlos Alonso, Angelys Nina, Taylor Featherston*, Ryan Jackson
• Outfielders- Nick Williams, Darnell Sweeney*, Wil Venable, David Lough, Cam Perkins

My outlook on this team is that it's fairly impossible to have an outlook in AAA. As with any International League roster, this is going to change a lot, all year. With that said, I like the early roster. They have stacked the starting pitching with serious prospects that they wanted to face more advanced competition. They've filled the bullpen up with major league ready pitchers who can help the Phillies if needed, and provide this team with assurances that they will win games they lead from the 7th and later. They've also brought a number of solid prospects up to this level for this season, most particularly Williams and Knapp. I'm really interested to see how they shake out at-bats for Stassi and Joseph, particularly with Arencibia here. I assume at least two of the three will play on nights where there is a DH. Watch Nina to have a pretty good season here. I feel this team could perform above .500 this year and contend for a playoff spot. As for what to watch, it's simple: Knapp, Williams, Appel, Eflin, Thompson, and that Joseph/Stassi spot.

Reading Fightin' Phils

Here's the roster:

• Starting Rotation- Alec Asher*, Ben Lively, Nick Pivetta, Ricardo Pinto, Anthony Vasquez
• Bullpen- Edubray Ramos*, Severino Gonzalez*, Yacksel Rios, Tom Windle, Ulises Joaquin, Joely Rodriguez, Reinier Roibal
• Catchers- Jorge Alfaro*, Logan Moore
• Infielders- Rhys Hoskins, Jake Fox, Jesmuel Valentin, Angelo Mora, J.P. Crawford, K.C. Serna, Harold Martinez
• Outfielders- Dylan Cozens, Roman Quinn, Aaron Brown, Christian Marrero

One very clear thing about this team is that they should hit the ball, a lot. They actually have a really nice rotation as well, so I'm pretty high on this team's chances. They once again stacked the top four spots in this rotation with talented arms, stacked the outfield with some of the best pure athletes in the system, and sprinkled the roster with major prospects like Crawford, Quinn, Cozens, Alfaro, Pinto, and more. This team is a little easier to project as probably being very good in the Eastern League, as I'm expecting them to contend for the championship for a second straight year. Obviously watch Crawford. Obviously watch Cozens, Quinn, and Brown. Watch Hoskins. Watch Edubray Ramos and Tom Windle. Watch Pinto, Lively, Pivetta, and Asher. This team is going to be very fun to watch.