Righty hurler Lisalberto Bonilla was one of the fastest rising prospects in the Phillies organization last season. With an All-Star campaign for Class A Lakewood, the 21-year-old built on an already impressive two seasons as a pro, as he showed the world that it’s not just Philadelphia’s well-regarded “Baby Aces” that should have folks excited about the organization’s developing young arms.

The 6-foot-1-inch 170-pounder was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in December 2008. Bonilla began his professional career the following year with the Dominican Summer League team, posting a 6-2 record with a remarkable 1.41 ERA and 2 complete game shutouts in 11 starts.

In 2010, Bonilla split his time between the Gulf Coast League Phillies and the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters. As a starter in the GCL, Bonilla went 2-1 with a 1.95 ERA with 38 strike outs and 5 walks in 32 1/3 innings. After flying high, once he took a step upward, the youngster came back down to Earth, sporting a 1-3 record with a 6.49 ERA, 18 strike outs and 12 walks in 26 1/3 innings in 10 games (3 starts). Bonilla’s problems in the NY-Penn League stemmed from difficulties locating his fastball, which was not an issue that lasted beyond that stop.

After participating in the Florida Instructional League, then beginning the 2011 season in extended spring training, Bonilla joined Lakewood’s bullpen in early May and got himself right back on track. Within 6 weeks, the native of the Dominican Republic joined the starting rotation. By his fifth start, Bonilla was officially a prospect on the rise. In his July 6th outing against the Hagerstown Suns, Bonilla threw 9 scoreless innings, while striking out 12 and allowing no walks. His manager Chris Truby had high praise for the youngster.

“It was as good of an outing as I’ve seen at this level. And he didn’t seem to work that hard,” Truby stated.

Overall with the BlueClaws in 2011, Bonilla tallied a 4-5 record with a 2.80 ERA and a .229 batting average against with 95 strike outs and 29 walks in 106 innings through 26 games.

With a pitch repertoire that includes a fastball that sits around 92-93 MPH, a strong slider and an excellent big league ready change up, Bonilla has proved to be an extremely impressive prospect in the Phillies developmental ranks.

A key to his success is the manner in which Bonilla mixes his pitches and avoids patterns in specific scenarios. In addition, he works quickly and can force batters to get themselves out by guessing his offerings incorrectly early in the count.

Bonilla’s strengths, aside from his pitches, are all upstairs. He loves to compete. He wants to give his team a chance to win every time out. He wants to win. And he wants to do all those things at progressively higher levels.

Look for Bonilla to excel with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers in 2012.

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Our 2012 prospect countdown index can be found HERE.

Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider.  You can check out more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

The Phillies’ top draft pick from 2011, Larry Greene Jr., has the type of power that already has many within the organization and around baseball buzzing. After inking his first professional contract close to the signing deadline last year, Greene Jr. has yet to play in his first organized professional contest. The power hitting outfielder from Berrien County High School in Georgia is expected to make his pro debut in just a few short months.

Greene Jr., who got a $1 million signing bonus, worked out with the Gulf Coast League Phillies late in the season last year and spent some time at the Florida Instructional League as well. Despite sitting out with a groin injury, the lefty batting slugger was able to take in plenty of batting practice and put himself on display for the brass in attendance to see many of their newly drafted prospects.

Already, Greene Jr. has begun to impress and has proven himself worthy of the buzz that led to him becoming the 39th overall selection in last year’s draft. According to Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., who got a close up view of the slugger at Instructs, Greene Jr. has the type of raw power that is difficult to find. Additionally, new Class A Lakewood BlueClaws manager Mickey Morandini got to see the 6-feet tall 235-pounder take batting practice at the FIL and was quite impressed with his strength at the plate.

The high school All-American posted a .536 average in 30 games with 11 doubles, 19 homeruns, 52 RBI and 37 walks in his senior season.

Some baseball heads project Greene Jr. as a first baseman, but that isn’t a change the Phillies are convinced is necessary yet. Evaluations of his defensive skills, as far as the Phils are concerned, have Greene Jr. holding court in the outfield for the time being.

Expect Greene Jr., who turns 19-years-old this week, to begin the 2012 season in extended spring training. He should get some playing time with the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters or Class-A Lakewood as well.

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Image- Joe Wombough

Our 2012 prospect countdown index can be found HERE.

Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider.  You can check out more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

Maikel Franco has quickly caught plenty of attention around minor league baseball. The Dominican Republic native, whose name is pronounced similarly to Miquel, was signed by the Phillies in 2010 as an amateur free agent.

The 6-foot-1-inch 180-pounder began his pro career with the Gulf Coast League Phillies in 2010. As that club’s everyday third baseman, Franco posted respectable numbers for a 17-year-old making his professional debut (.222/.292/.330). It was Franco’s defense, however, that immediately began to get him noticed. With excellent reflexes and a top notch arm at the hot corner, Franco impressed many in his U.S. debut.

A year later, Franco began the season in extended spring training and later competed with the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters. The righty hitting Franco looked great against NY-Penn League competition, posting 2 homers, 28 RBI and a .274/.339/.389 line in 42 games before earning a promotion to Class A Lakewood.

As an 18-year-old in the South Atlantic League, the baby-faced Franco struggled mightily. In 17 games for the BlueClaws, the Dominican born prospect went 8-for-67 (.123 avg) and racked up a weak .349 OPS. The Phillies realized Franco was overmatched and that he was growing discouraged, so he was re-assigned back to Williamsport, where he finished the season by batting .333 with 7 extra base hits and 10 RBI over his final 13 games with the Crosscutters.

One definite plus about Franco’s time with Lakewood was that he made no errors in those 17 games. However, striking out 15 times while walking only once in 17 games for the ‘Claws, compared to 30 K’s and earning 25 free passes in 54 games for the ‘Cutters screamed of Franco not being quite ready for the older pitchers of the SAL.

With no career stolen base attempts in two pro seasons, speed is not a facet of Franco’s game.

Mickey Morandini, who managed Franco with Williamsport in 2011 and will surely be reunited with him in Lakewood in 2012, as Morandini was promoted up a level this off-season, describes Franco as being relied on as a middle-of-the-lineup RBI guy. Morandini feels Franco projects as a power bat, as he fills out physically and climbs the developmental ladder.

Still very young – 19 years old until the end of August – Franco is in a great spot to land among the top tier of prospects if he can prove himself offensively at the full season Class A level this year.

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Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider. You can read more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

Also seeing action for the second time in Tuesday’s extended spring training game was injured minor league outfielder Tyson Gillies. The 22-year-old Canadian was acquired in December 2009 from Seattle as part of the trio of players that came to Philadelphia in exchange for pitching ace Cliff Lee.

Assigned to the Double A Reading Phillies roster but on the disabled list all season with a left hamstring strain, Gillies missed time last season with the same ailment.

In the contest, Gillies showed some range by tracking down two fly balls on defense in centerfield and legged out two infield singles. Team manager Mickey Morandini removed Gillies in favor of a pinch runner after the second hit when Gillies stepped on the opposing first baseman’s foot, turning his own ankle somewhat. Gillies iced the ankle, walked without a limp and told a source he felt fine after his day was over.

In other minor league injury rehab news, Shane Victorino is set to begin a 2-game stint with Reading this evening. Initially, the switch-hitting Victorino was slated to play 3 games with the R-Phils, but he will now not play on Thursday, as was expected, and instead take a day of rest prior to being activated to the MLB Phillies roster on Friday.

Victorino went 1-for-6 in 2 rehab games over the weekend with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws.

And one last bit of information on an injured Phillies player…Australian born righty hurler Drew Naylor (12-10, 4.63 ERA last season with Reading) celebrated his 25th birthday on Tuesday by undergoing Tommy John Surgery. Naylor began the season on the disabled list for the Triple A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
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Photos- Joe Wombough

Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league contributor. You can read more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

Stephen Malcolm, the Phillies’ 8th round draft pick in last year’s MLB amateur draft, has been sent home from extended spring training by the Phillies.

The situation is described as a suspension based on a violation of team rules related to alcohol consumption, according to a source. Malcolm, who turned 21-years-old earlier this month, remains under contract with Philadelphia and hasn’t been in Clearwater, at the organization’s training facility, since the punishment was handed down roughly two weeks ago.

The 6-feet tall, 170-pound shortstop signed with the Phillies for a reported $125,000 last summer after being selected out of San Joaquin Delta Community College in California.

Malcolm made his professional debut last season with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. In 27 games, Malcolm posted a .253 batting average with 3 doubles, 10 RBI and 7 steals.

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Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider.  You can check out more content from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.

Outfielder Domonic Brown has been playing with the Phillies’ extended spring training team in Clearwater, FL since Monday. In his debut there, Brown posted 2 hits in 3 at bats. In the games that followed, Brown merely reached base via a free pass, but he has steadily been hitting the ball hard and appears to be making progress.

Brown was sidelined in early March with a fractured hook of the hamate bone in his right hand that required surgery and kept him out of action for six weeks.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 200-pound Brown struggled in spring training, starting out on a 0-for-15 skid before recording his first hit in the same game that he suffered the injury to his hand.

Brown reported to spring training more than a month early and had adjusted his batting stance, lowering his hands. However, as can be seen in the above image, taken earlier this week, Brown is back to his old ways, with his hands positioned at cranium level.

Asked how his heeling hand feels, Brown stated, “Great, better than I thought it would. My first at bat (Monday) I hit an inside pitch up near the handle and I felt a little twinge but it was nothing more than the normal feeling of taking one off the handle. It feels really good.”

Word from within the organization seems to imply that Brown could be assigned to a full season minor league club, on a rehab assignment, sometime next week.  Brown himself indicated  on Friday that he expects to initially be activated for the High A level Clearwater Threshers.

**Update- Brown batted second or third in each inning of Friday’s extended spring training game for the Phillies.  In the contest, Brown reached base on an infield single, a high chopper to the pitcher that Brown beat out.  Brown also walked and reached base three more times on base hits.  In separate innings, he stole 2nd base and third base.

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PhoulBallz.com correspondent Joe Wombough contributed to this post.