This Triple-A bat has been scorching the ball

April 23rd, 2023

PHILADELPHIA -- has been doing a little bit of everything for Triple-A Lehigh Valley -- both at the plate and in the field. 

Following a strong showing during Spring Training, the 28-year-old Wilson has racked up five home runs and three stolen bases in 18 games with the IronPigs. He’s homered in two of the past three games and has a 1.000 OPS over his past 11, all while appearing at first base, third base, shortstop and left field. 

That comes on the heels of slashing .289/.400/.526 (.926 OPS) with two homers, nine RBIs and two stolen bases this spring.

Wilson joined the Phillies this offseason after spending the past seven seasons in the Brewers’ organization. He appeared to be on the verge of reaching the Majors during a breakout 2021 season before a health issue derailed his path to the big leagues.

That season, Wilson had 16 home runs and a .902 OPS through 70 games for Triple-A Nashville when he experienced swelling in his arm. Doctors discovered a blood clot in his right shoulder and Wilson underwent season-ending thoracic outlet surgery. Though he returned to Nashville’s lineup in 2022, Wilson posted just 11 home runs and a .655 OPS over 118 games.

Now fully healthy, Wilson is once again swinging the bat well while proving to be a potential depth piece at multiple positions across the infield and outfield.

While he continues to perform well at Triple-A, let’s take a look at some of the top performers from the Phillies’ other Minor League affiliates.

Double-A Reading: OF Johan Rojas (No. 6 prospect)
Rojas has heated up after going 0-for-12 with seven strikeouts in his first three games this season. The 22-year-old outfielder entered Sunday slashing .304/.396/.413 with just six strikeouts in 11 games since that slow start.

Rojas, who swiped 62 bases across two levels of the Minors last season, also has five steals in 14 games this season.

High-A Jersey Shore: INF Hao-Yu Lee (No. 5 prospect)
Lee has consistently impressed with his advanced approach at the plate -- and the start to this season has been no different. The 20-year-old infielder has reached base safely in all 12 games, while working at least one walk in nine of those 12 and collecting a hit in eight of the 12. Overall, Lee has 11 walks to five strikeouts, while also going 4-for-5 on stolen base attempts.

Single-A Clearwater: OF Justin Crawford (No. 4 prospect)
Crawford has been on a tear over the past 10 days, going 9-for-21 (.429) with a triple, two walks and five stolen bases over his past six games. After starting just 3-for-20 (.150) with six strikeouts in his first five games, Crawford -- the 17th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft -- seems to be hitting his stride, both at the plate and on the basepaths.