8/12/25 : News and Notes
- Steve Potter
- Aug 12, 2025
- 4 min read
2025 Draftees & FCL holdovers :
Five of the twenty-five draft and non-drafted free agent signings have made their pro debut’s with the Clearwater Threshers (Will Vierling, Robert Phelps,Tyler Pettorini, Nate Humphreys & Jonathan Hogart). All are position players - a sixth - shortstop Matthew Ferrara will join them today. Ferrara is 18 years old and was drafted in the ninth round from Toms River HS East in New Jersey.
All of the signed pitchers from the draft continue to work at the Complex - today six of them are scheduled to throw their second side bullpens (Gage Wood, Keegan Batka, Tyler Bowen, Peyton Havard, Gabe Craig & Cole Gilley). Sessions are generally scheduled four days apart with a minimum of two side bullpen sessions followed by one or two live BP’s before consideration is given towards game appearances. None of the other draftees have advanced from their throwing programs to side bullpens yet.
All seven of the 2025 FCL holdover pitchers (Eligio Arias, Josbel Garcia, Luis Gonzalez, Joel Heredia, Maxwel Hernandez, Brad Pacheco & Raymon Rosario) have thrown at least two side bullpen sessions and at least one live BP as they stay in ready mode for assignments.
Arizona Fall League :
It appears that the 2025 Phillies contingent will be part of the Surprise Saguaros. Last season they were assigned to the Glendale Desert Dogs and in 2023 the Scottsdale Scorpions. They were part of the 2022 Surprise Saguaros - that team won the league title. The 2025 season is slated to begin on October 6th ,here are the team assignments as shown on the Fall League website..
Glendale Desert Dogs: Braves, White Sox, Dodgers, Cardinals, Blue JaysMesa Solar Sox: Athletics, Cubs, Marlins, Yankees, Rays Peoria Javelinas: Orioles, Reds, Twins, Padres, Mariners Salt River Rafters: Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Rockies, Angels, Pirates Scottsdale Scorpions: Tigers, Astros, Mets, Giants, Nationals Surprise Saguaros: Guardians, Royals, Brewers, Phillies, Rangers
Nearing the End :
The minor league regular season ends for both Clearwater and Jersey Shore on September 7th which means there are four weeks left. Both teams have been hot and are in the hunt for the second half divisional playoff spots in their respective leagues. Reading’s season ends on September 14th, they too have played well as of late. Lehigh Valley plays till September 21st - they are currently ten games off the pace for the second half playoff berth.
Pitcher’s innings will begin to scale back as they get closer to their season targets - an example of such was this past week when Jean Cabrera was taken out after six no hit/no run innings for Reading despite a low pitch count - it’s the up-down efforts that are the key to player development limits set for each hurler. We will likely see Alex McFarlane pitch out of the bullpen this week for Jersey Shore in a two fold plan - one to re-introduce him to the role (he was primarily a reliever in college) and two to limit the innings - he threw only three frames in his last start - also a no hit/no run effort. Alex may very well be a Arizona Fall League candidate as he’s Rule 5 eligible this coming off-season and the organization may want to get a further read on a pending decision to protect him, perhaps as a reliever.
The Measure of Progress :
Full season surface statistics don’t always tell the story of how a player has developed during the season - struggles or successes in the early months of the year inflate/deflate the season’s numbers however to this observer it’s the way a player finishes the year that’s most indicative of where they are in development. In spring training we always say it’s not where you start but where you finish that matters. When I write the season recaps for each player in the off-season I reflect on how they trended from my observations, their numbers and my interactions with the players and their coaches on how they felt the season went. As an example shortstop Aidan Miller is in the midst of a very good run - Aidan has a 13 game on base streak going in which he’s 18 for 51 (.353) with nine walks (.435 OBP in 62 PA’s) with 7 doubles, a triple and 2 home runs. I asked him on Sunday if there was any change to his approach or process and he gave a honest and succinct answer - “Haven’t changed a thing. Just starting to settle in and good things are happening!” Sometimes all it takes is to get comfortable in the level and surroundings to succeed before the next challenge of development is presented. I think it’s important to watch a player’s performance over the course of the year and get different reads as the season advances - it’s a grind and a process. There are always things to learn in both success and failure - talent will eventually shine thru if the player can handle the grind - good to see a young fella like Aidan shine - am very happy for him and wish him continued upward trends.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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