Lakewood second baseman Josh Tobias, Reading right-hander Ben Lively and Clearwater second baseman Scott Kingery have been selected as the Phillies Minor League Hitter, Pitcher and Defender of the Month, respectively, for April.
Tobias, 23, batted .347 (26-75) with eight doubles, a triple, two home runs, 19 RBI, 12 walks, a .462 on-base percentage and a 1.022 OPS in 20 games. He hit safely in 15 of those 20 games, recording multiple hits in seven of them. He posted 11 hits in 18 at-bats against left-handers (.611 AVG), including both of his home runs and four doubles. Tobias, who currently ranks third in the South Atlantic League in on-base percentage (.459) and sixth in batting (.348), was selected by the Phillies in the 10^th round of the June 2015 draft out of the University of Florida.
The 24-year-old Lively started five games in April, going 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA (5 ER, 29.0 IP), 30 strikeouts, a 0.90 WHIP (20 H, 6 BB) and .189 opponents' batting average. From April 13-29, he amassed a streak of 19.0 consecutive scoreless innings pitched, which included a 7.0-inning scoreless start with two hits and no walks allowed on April 18. Overall, Lively is 4-0 with a 2.12 ERA and ranks second in the Eastern League in strikeouts (32) and fourth in innings pitched (34.0). Lively was acquired from Cincinnati in exchange for outfielder Marlon Byrd and cash considerations on December 31, 2014, and was originally selected by the Reds in the fourth round of the June 2013 draft.
Kingery, a 22-year-old in his second professional season, played 180.0 innings at second base over 20 games in April and handled all 94 of his chances (39 PO, 55 A) for a 1.000 fielding percentage. He was also part of nine defensive double plays. Among Florida State League second basemen with at least 102 total chances in 2016, Kingery is the only one who has not made an error. Kingery was selected by the Phillies in the second round of the June 2015 draft out of the University of Arizona.
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