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.

At last week’s Phillies winter banquet stop in Lakewood, NJ, I had the opportunity to talk with former Phils player and new manager of the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, Mickey Morandini. The 1995 All-Star second baseman answered questions about his transition into managing at the pro level, returning to the Phillies in a full-time capacity and plenty more.

Check out the media player below to hear the full interview.
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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.

In a press release from the Phillies, they announced that Ryne Sandberg will return to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs as manager.

I’m happy they were able to bring back Sandberg, as he’s succeeded at basically every level as both a player and coach. It’s a shame for him that he was unable to secure a position as a manager in the majors after another great season in 2011, however, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Former Phillies Andy Tracy and Aaron Fultz and newcomers Andy Abad and Lino Connell have been added to the Phillies’ player development staff, Joe Jordan, Director, Player Development, announced today.  The staff also includes 21 returning members.

At triple-A Lehigh Valley, the entire staff of manager Ryne Sandberg, coach Sal Rende and pitching coach Rod Nichols will return.  Sandberg, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is back for his second season after leading the IronPigs to their first playoff appearance in club history in 2011.  Rende will enter his ninth season with the Phillies and second straight at Lehigh Valley, while Nichols returns for his 13^th year in the organization and eighth at triple-A.

Dusty Wathan has been promoted to manager for double-A Reading after spending the last two years in the same capacity for single-A Clearwater.  Wathan will be joined by coach Frank Cacciatore – back for his fifth season with Reading – and pitching coach Bob Milacki, who will enter his third season with the team.

At Clearwater, Chris Truby takes over as manager, moving up a level from Lakewood (A), where he managed last year.  Former major league manager John Mizerock returns for his second season as a coach for Clearwater and pitching coach Dave Lundquist for his fourth.

Mickey Morandini, who returned to the organization full-time last season as the manager for single-A Williamsport (A), will take the helm at Lakewood for 2012.  Greg Legg – back for his 31^st season with the Phillies and fifth straight at Lakewood – returns as a coach, while pitching coach Les Lancaster moves up from the Gulf Coast League Phillies.

The Williamsport staff will feature three new hires to the Phillies organization.  Tracy, who played in parts of two pennant-winning seasons for the Phillies (2008-09), will make his managerial debut with the club.  Tracy played 16 years of professional baseball and finished his minor league career with a .268 batting average, 296 home runs and 1,064 RBI in 1,590 games.  Fultz, who will be his pitching coach, enters his first season as a coach in the professional ranks.  He spent two years (2005-06) on the Phillies’ pitching staff under manager Charlie Manuel and played on the National League champion San Francisco Giants in 2002.  The coach at Williamsport has yet to be determined.

At the rookie level, longtime staff member Roly deArmas will manage the Gulf Coast Phillies for the sixth consecutive year and ninth, overall.  His coaching staff will be comprised of Kevin Jordan and Steve Schrenk.

Carlos Arroyo is back for his 37^th season on the Phils’ player development staff, continuing his role of rehab pitching coach.  Connell has joined the staff in an as yet unspecified role.

Five of the six minor league coordinators from last year are returning in their same roles: Mike Compton (field), Gorman Heimueller (pitching), Steve Henderson (hitting), Doug Mansolino (infield) and Ernie Whitt (catching).  They will be joined by former major leaguer Andy Abad, who will serve as the new outfield/baserunning coordinator, and Jorge Velandia, who will take on the new role of assistant field coordinator.  Velandia spent the previous two years as a coach for Williamsport.

Lehigh Valley (AAA)                                                   Reading (AA)

Ryne Sandberg (manager)                                              Dusty Wathan (manager)

Sal Rende (coach)                                                          Frank Cacciatore (coach)

Rod Nichols (pitching coach)                                            Bob Milacki (pitching coach)

Clearwater (A)                                                           Lakewood (A)

Chris Truby (manager)                                                   Mickey Morandini (manager)

John Mizerock (coach)                                                    Greg Legg (coach)

Dave Lundquist (pitching coach)                                      Les Lancaster (pitching coach)

Williamsport (A)                                                         Gulf Coast Phillies (R)

Andy Tracy (manager)                                                   Roly deArmas (manager)

TBA (coach)                                                                  Kevin Jordan (coach)

Aaron Fultz (pitching coach)                                            Steve Schrenk (pitching coach)

On Monday, the annual Florida Instructional League got underway for Phillies minor leaguers at the team’s spring training home in Clearwater. Instructs, as they are commonly known, is a month-long off-season league, generally consisting of recently drafted players, those that missed time due to injury, or those that participated in a short-season league, allowing those individuals to refine their skills or add innings/at bats to their season. It also serves as an opportunity for a greater number developmental coaches and managers to see newly signed players in action.

Below is a full roster of Phillies minor league players and coaches in attendance for the instructional league.

Pitchers: Gabriel Arias, Jesse Biddle, James Birmingham, Lisalberto Bonilla (pictured), Ranfi Casimiro, Lendy Castillo, Brody Colvin, Jesen Dygestile-Therrien, Perci Garner, Kenneth Giles, Steven Inch, Ulises Joaquin, Jay Johnson, Colin Kleven, Ervis Manzanillo, Lino Martinez, Adam Morgan, Hector Neris, Ramon Oviedo, J.C. Ramirez, Yacksel Rios, Braden Shull, Ethan Stewart, Josh Warner, Austin Wright.

Catchers: Francisco Diaz, Logan Moore, Chace Numata, Cameron Rupp, Bob Stumpo

Infielders: Cody Ashe, Albert Cartwright, Maikel Franco, Gustavo Gonzalez, Tyler Greene, Cesar Hernandez, Harold Martinez, Roman Quinn, Brock Stassi, Alejandro Villalobos, Mitch Walding.

Outfielders: Aaron Altherr, Zach Collier, Gauntlett Eldemire, Tyson Gillies, Larry Greene, Kyrell Hudson, Jonathan Knight, Brian Pointer, 16-year-old Carlos Tocci, Jiandido Tromp.

Coaches and Instructors in attendance: Mike Compton, Gorman Heimueller, Steve Henderson, Doug Mansolino, Mickey Morandini, Frank Cacciatore, Carlos Arroyo, Les Lancaster, Mark Parent, Dusty Wathan.

Lefty pitching prospect Jesse Biddle, who had an excellent season for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws (7-8 record, 2.98 ERA in 25 games) in his first full season as a pro, is in attendance at instructs, despite having injured his right knee in his final start of the season. Biddle, a Philadelphia native, was the Phillies’ top draft selection in 2010.

Infielder Edgar Duran, who spent the 2011 season with Lakewood, has been excused from instructs after breaking his right middle finger on the BlueClaws’ final homestand of the season. Duran was expected to require surgery at the time of the injury.

Also confirmed to be in Florida for instructs is 2008 Phillies 1st round draft pick Zach Collier, who received a 50-game suspension earlier this month after testing positive for amphetamines. Collier, a 21-year-old outfielder, batted .255 with 1 HR, 36 RBI and 35 stolen bases with Class A Lakewood this year. Collier will begin serving his suspension at the start of the 2012 regular season.

CSN’s Jim Salisbury reported on Monday night that if Domonic Brown is not included on the Phillies’ postseason roster that he could be sent to instructs to see some action, according to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

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