Third in a series on some of the younger pitchers in the Phillies system that have high performance skill sets and thus a chance at climbing the ladder to the highest level of professional baseball. If ya missed the previous two articles here are links -
LH Samuel Aldegheri - 20 years old - signed 7/2/19 as international free agent - Verona, Italy. Pitched in 8 games in 2021 ( 5 with Clearwater, 3 with the FCL Phillies ) and posted a 2.57 ERA in 21 IP with 32 K’s and 10 BB. From the time we saw him in 2019 Fall Instructs we noted his ability to pitch with a savvy beyond his years. He has a four pitch mix, fast ball upper end 93/94 - still developing. We like his demeanor ( doesn’t scare ) and repertoire. Samuel is still very inexperienced ( 2021 is his only pro game log ) so we’d expect a spring assignment to begin the year as part of the Threshers.
LH Jake McKenna - 19 years old - signed as an un-drafted free agent - 6/18/20 - Ocean City High School, Ocean City, NJ. Jake can light up the speed gun into the 95-96 mph range - he pitched in six FCL games in 2021 ( 6 IP ) and posted 13 K’s but also 12 walks - still a work in progress with control and command. We saw him in Fall Instructs where he pitched very well, best we’ve seen him in regards to making quality pitches. Is a hard worker who’s dedicated to learning and advancing. That seems to be a common trait amongst the young Phillies hurlers. Jake needs to continue to gain experience, could come in the FCL or Clearwater else a combination of both.
LH Corey Phelan - 19 years old - signed as an un-drafted free agent 8/12/20 - Harborfields High School, Greenlawn, NY. Corey appeared in five 2021 FCL games ( 9 2/3 IP ) - 0.93 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Has a smooth and compact delivery, reminiscent of Cliff Lee. Velocity is in upper eighties, low nineties but that will increase with further strength and conditioning. He will pitch half the season as a teenager, in spring camp likely gets a chance to earn a Clearwater roster spot, a full year’s exposure to FCL play could be beneficial as well.
RH Dylan Castaneda - 20 years old - 2019 30th round draft selection - Salisbury School, Salisbury, CT. Dylan broke 2021 spring camp as a member of the Low A level Threshers piggyback rotation as a nineteen year old, his pitching repertoire is a four pitch mix, low nineties velocity. He struggled with control walking 28 batters in 32 2/3 IP with Clearwater. We saw him later on the FCL backfields in a June game where he dominated. There is an evident skill set that can advance, needs experience and consistency. We would expect to see him break spring camp again with the Threshers and anticipate much better results.
RH Eduar Segovia - 21 years old - signed as an international free agent - 5/9/18 - Valencia, Venezuela. He was part of the ‘21 opening day piggyback rotation for Clearwater. Pitched in 17 games ( 50 IP ) before suffering a season ending shoulder injury on August 20th. Three pitch mix ( FB, Slider & Change-Up ) with the fastball generally in the 92-94 range touching as high as 96 mph. The injury required surgery - he’s now in progress of working his way back. 2022 game action is dependent on length of injury rehab - when healthy could move to High A. Caution will be taken to insure a full recovery.
RH Carlos Betancourt - 20 years old - signed 7/2/17 as an international free agent - Cumana, Venezuela. Carlos spent the majority of the 2021 season on the injured list appearing in just three games, we saw him pitch multiple times in Fall Instructs though. He pitched in the ‘21 Venezuelan Winter League for Zulia accumulating 18 innings over 8 appearances and posted a 3.50 ERA. He’s got a sharp slider that can produce swings and misses and has flashed mid 90’s with the fastball. We foresee him as part of the 2022 Threshers opening day roster.
In part four we will profile Matt Osterberg, Matt Russell, Gunner Mayer, Manuel Urias, Fernando Lozano and Victor Vargas
If interested on my thoughts on other players I have profiled every player who played stateside in the Phillies minor league system in 2021 ( that was still with the club as of November ) in my sixth annual minor league digest - The Comeback Season. It can be purchased on Amazon - here’s the link : https://www.amazon.com/Comeback-Season-Annual-Phillies-League/dp/B09MK7XFCG
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
