The Reading Phillies are going to the playoffs having clinched the second-half Eastern League Division title on Wednesday and in the process, setting another record. Reading pitchers combined to set the Eastern League strikeout record, having struck out 1,268 batters.
As good as this news is, it has since impacted the September call-ups. We were hoping to see Alec Bohm and Spencer Howard. However, it appears they will be staying in reading for the playoff run. Luckily, the Phillies decided to call up Deivy Gullon, a catcher who has been pretty good this year.
Alec Bohm is the Phillies minor league player of the year
Bohm will head to the Arizona fall league and I couldn’t be more upset. I wanted to see Bohm up hitting against Major League pitchers. Bohm is the future and at 23 years old, it’s time to see what the former first-round draft pick can do.
My take on Bohm is that he will eventually be the first baseman. Rhys Hoskins has had a season to forget. The Phillies could potentially trade Hoskins for pitching help, should he continue to regress. am not ready to see this, however, the Phillies need pitching help and this might be their only move to make. If the Phillies were to move on from Hoskins and move Bohm to first base, Bohm would be an upgrade defensively.
Mickey Moniak and Darick Hall earn MVP honors
Both Moniak and Hall were all-stars for both the mid-season and end of season all-star in the Eastern League.
Hall is a 24-year-old first baseman from Arizona. He leads the Eastern League with 38 doubles and sits one double shy of the Reading single-season record. Hall’s slash line for the season is .235/ .345/ .456. Hall won the Big Stick award for having the most home runs for the Fightins. Darick has hit 20 home runs, which is tied for second in the league. Hall also among the leaders of the league in total bases, OPS and RBI.
It feels that no matter what Moniak accomplishes, it will never be good enough. Most people feel that the former first overall pick should be playing in the majors. Moniak slid down the rankings of the Phillies prospects. MLB.com has ranked Moniak as the Phillies 8th ranked minor league prospect. hat is a fall considering that in 2017 he was the Phillies Top-ranked prospect.
Moniak has had a good season in Reading. His slash line is .252/ .303/ .439 and he leads the Eastern League in triples and is in the top five in the league in doubles, RBI, total bases, and slugging percentage.
Spencer Howard Watch
Well, it won’t happen this year. Howard, who started the Eastern League clinching game, will head to the Arizona Fall League as well. We will most likely have to wait until next year to see Howard in a Phillies uniform. This may not be a bad thing, considering he is still working his way back from an injury.
Here are the rest of the players that will represent the Phillies in the Arizona Fall League:
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
