Phillies MiLB Recap: Ortiz Grand Slam Powers Fightin' Phils

The Philadelphia Phillies minor league power bats showed up in force on Thursday night, getting home runs from three of the bigger names in their system. Meanwhile, 2021 Phillies minor league pitcher of the year Jean Cabrera made his first start of the 2022 season and continued to display some of the talent he flashed in 52.2 IP in 2021.

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Triple-A: 1B Darick Hall - 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI

Hall continues to mash baseballs at an almost unreasonable rate. He currently has 11 home runs on the young season and a slash line of .285/.359/.524.

Granted, the 26-year-old is playing above his age, as most of his peers are younger players, but that shouldn't preclude a call-up at some point this year if Bryce Harper finally gets back onto the field. Hall can play DH, first base, and left field.

His home run on Thursday night was not a cheap one.

Double-A: OF Jhailyn Ortiz - 3-for-4, HR, 2B, BB, 4 RBI

Ortiz received a franchise-record signing bonus of $4 million as a 16-year-old in 2015. For some time, that hefty bonus loomed over Ortiz's head as he languished in the lower minors for half a decade.

But Ortiz is now flashing the prowess the Phillies once so highly expected of him. Thursday's grand slam was an encapsulation of the big power player they expect he'll become.

It was Ortiz's sixth homer on the season and it jumped his OPS to .809.

High-A: INF McCarthy Tatum - 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI

Tatum has languished in the middle-minors since the 2019 draft when he first entered the Phillies' system as a 10th round pick. He finished the season at Double-A last year, but has started 2022 back at Jersey Shore.

Tatum has seldom hit consistently at any point in his career, but 2022 is certainly the best he's looked, slashing .261/.309/.421, but as a 26-year-old at High-A, anything less would be worrying.

His three-run home run on Thursday brought the BlueClaws to within one of the Bowling Green Hot Rods in the sixth, but Jersey Shore were unable to complete the comeback.

Single-A: INF Hao-Yu Lee - 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI

Lee has a chance to be the Phillies' first home-grown Asian player. After signing a bonus deal as an international free agent out of Taiwan in 2021, Lee has impressed at every step, crushing Rookie-ball pitching for a 1.213 OPS in 2021 and continuing to hit Single-A pitching for an .818 OPS in 2022.

He continued that hot streak last night and showed off some much anticipated power too, collecting two extra base hits.

Lee plays a position that the Phillies lack strong developmental prospects, so if he can development into a competent middle infielder or third baseman, it would be a well deserved bone for the Phillies development staff.

Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs Buffalo Bisons: W 6-2

Notable Performances:

C Austin Wynns - 3-for-4, RBI

RHP Corey Oswalt - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1K

Reading Fightin' Phils vs Bowie Baysox: W 11-6

Notable Performances:

OF Ali Castillo - 3-for-5, 2 R

C Jack Conley - 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI

Jersey Shore BlueClaws vs Bowling Green Hot Rods: L 5-6

OF Johan Rojas - 2-for-4, 2 SB, 2 Runs, K

RHP Christian Hernandez - 5.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 4K, 3 HR

Clearwater Threshers vs Dayton Tortugas: W 4-2

RHP Jean Cabrera - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

RHP Eiberson Castellano - 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0BB 4 K

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