Players of the Week
Player - 1B Joey Meneses, Lehigh Valley… Meneses, 26, posted a .478/.538/1.174 slash line, going 11-for-23 with two doubles, a triple, four home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored in six games. He was named International League Batter of the Week for the second time this season. Meneses is batting .422 (27-64) with 14 extra-base hits, 16 RBI and a 1.339 OPS in 17 games this month. Additionally, he leads the International League in batting average (.368) and slugging percentage (.658). The Mexico-native was signed by the Phillies as a minor league free agent on Feb. 1, 2018.
Pitcher - RHP Ramon Rosso, Lakewood… The 21-year-old struck out 11 over 6.0 innings, while allowing one unearned run and a walk in his only start of the week. It was his second double-digit strikeout performance of the season. Rosso's 12.10 SO/9.0 IP (52 SO, 38.2 IP) is the second-highest mark among South Atlantic League starting pitchers and his 0.93 season ERA leads the league. The two-time Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week this season was signed by the Phillies as a minor league free agent on Feb. 14, 2017.
Lehigh Valley IronPigs - International League North Division… 23-17, 1st place… The IronPigs finished their week with a three-game sweep over Syracuse, going 3-3 on their road trip. All three of their losses at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre were by two runs or fewer. Lehigh Valley continues to lead the International League in shutout victories (7) this season, adding one last week on May 19 at Syracuse.
Top hitting performers - 1B Joey Meneses, the International League Batter of the Week and Phillies Minor League Player of the Week, batted .478 (11-23) with two doubles, one triple, four home runs, seven RBI, seven runs scored and posted a 1.712 OPS in six games. He hit safely in all six games last week and homered in four straight contests from May 16-19… 3B Mitch Walding went 3-for-7 (.429) with a home run in four games.
Top pitching performers - LHP Cole Irvin notched his second straight scoreless start (has an active 13.0-inning scoreless streak), scattering six hits and one walk over 6.0 innings, while striking out six in his only outing last week. He lowered his season ERA to 2.81 in eight starts… LHP Brandon Leibrandt logged 4.0 scoreless innings over two relief appearances, extending his scoreless streak to 27.0 innings (10 games/3 starts) to start the season… RHP Ben Lively struck out five and allowed one run over 6.0 innings in his lone start.
Reading Fightin Phils - Eastern League Eastern Division… 15-24, 5th place… Reading went 3-4 last week. Offensively, the Fightin Phils have hit 39 home runs this season, which is tied for third most in the Eastern League.
Top hitting performers - C Deivi Grullon hit .357 (5-14) with two home runs, four RBI and posted a 1.143 OPS in four games. He homered in consecutive games on May 15-16. Grullon is batting .372 (16-43) with six extra-base hits and 10 RBI in 12 games this month… SS Malquin Canelo led the team in hits (8), runs scored (5) and stolen bases (3). He batted .333 (8-24) with a double and a home run in seven games… OF Cornelius Randolph went 6-for-19 (.316) with a .435 on-base percentage and four runs scored in six contests.
Top pitching performers - LHP JoJo Romero recorded 15 strikeouts across two starts (10.1 IP), while allowing three runs on nine hits last week… RHP Edgar Garcia tossed 4.1-hitless innings in three relief outings, striking out five while earning a win and a save. He has held opponents to a .113 batting average (9-80), which is the second-lowest mark among Eastern League relievers this season… RHP Harold Arauz surrendered one run over 6.2 innings in his only start of the week. Clearwater Threshers - Florida State League North Division… 16-25, 6th place… The Threshers went 1-4 in a rain-shortened week that featured two postponements, a suspended game and a doubleheader. They dropped three of four to Palm Beach and the only game of a three-game series with Florida that was able to be completed.
Top hitting performers - 1B Darick Hall hit his league-leading 11th home run of the season and also doubled, tying him for the league lead with 19 extra-base hits… OF Adam Haseley doubled, homered, drove in four runs and walked once in his six games last week… OF Jose Pujols batted .333 (5-15) with a double, home run, three RBI, a walk and three runs scored in five games.
Top pitching performers - LHP Bailey Falter did not allow a run or walk in 5.0 innings during his lone start of the week. He has allowed one earned run or none in five of his seven starts and leads the league with a 1.60 ERA… RHP Sixto Sanchez allowed just one run in 6.0 innings of work on May 18, walking one and striking out seven. He has not allowed a home run this season in his 33.2 innings pitched… RHP Connor Seabold turned in his third straight quality start, tossing 6.0 innings with two runs allowed and only one walk.
Lakewood BlueClaws - South Atlantic League Northern Division… 22-19, 4th place… Lakewood won three of four games to start the week, outscoring opponents 13-5, before being shut out by Greensboro in the week's final two contests.
Top hitting performers - INF Dalton Guthrie went 7-for-19 (.368) with a pair of doubles, a home run, two RBI and three runs scored… OF Kevin Markham doubled, homered, drove in two runs, walked and stole a base, batting .313 (5-16) for the week… 1B Quincy Nieporte recorded three multi-hit games, batting .368 (7-19) with a double and walk.
Top pitching performers - RHP Ramon Rosso, the Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week, yielded just one unearned run on five hits on May 14, striking out 11 batters, while walking one over 6.0 innings. His 0.93 ERA is the fourth-lowest mark among all qualifying minor league pitchers this season… LHP Will Stewart lowered his season ERA to 1.26 (third best in the league), firing 6.0 innings with just one unearned run allowed, one walk and seven strikeouts. He has not allowed an earned run in four of his seven starts this season. Stewart also owns a 63% ground-ball rate in 2018… LHP Kyle Young did not allow a run in his 5.0-inning start, surrendering just five hits, while walking none and recording six strikeouts in his season debut.