Reading outfielder Andrew Pullin, Gulf Coast League Phillies left-hander Nick Fanti and Reading catcher Jorge Alfaro have been selected as the Phillies Minor League Hitter, Pitcher and Defender of the Month, respectively, for July.
Pullin, 22, batted .346 (28-81) with three doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI, a .400 on-base percentage and a .931 OPS in 20 games. He hit safely in 16 of those 20 games, recording three hits or more on four occasions. Since June 3 with Clearwater, he has reached base safely in 40 of 42 games, hitting safely in 38 of them. His .325 season average is the highest by any Phillies minor league player with at least 100 at-bats. Pullin was selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the June 2012 draft.
The 19-year-old Fanti appeared in five games (three starts) for the GCL Phillies in July, going 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA (5 ER, 24.0 IP), 0.79 WHIP (3 BB, 16 H), 31 strikeouts and a .184 opponents' batting average. He pitched at least 4.0 innings and allowed one run or fewer in four of his five games, including a scoreless, hitless, 5.0-inning relief appearance with a career-high 10 strikeouts and no walks on July 18. The southpaw leads the GCL in strikeouts (47), ranks second in WHIP (0.77) and is third in ERA (1.38) and lowest opponents' batting average (.169). Fanti was selected by the Phillies in the 31^st round of the June 2015 draft.
Alfaro played in 22 games in July and did not make an error or allow a passed ball. The 23-year-old threw out five of 15 potential base stealers (33.3%), and has now thrown out 27 of 64 this season (42.2 %). Despite playing in 75 games at catcher and tallying the most total chances at the position in the Eastern League (634), Alfaro has made just two errors, good for a .997 fielding percentage. He has allowed only five passed balls this season and has the most double plays turned by a catcher in the league with six. The Venezuela native was acquired by the Phillies from Texas on July 31, 2015 along with five other players in exchange for Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman.