Jhailyn Ortiz Continues Absurd July with Reading Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies outfield prospect is white-hot in the month of July.

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When the Philadelphia Phillies signed Jhailyn Ortiz, they did so because he boasted massive raw power as a 16-year-old. While that raw power hasn't been front-and-center in the month of July, the now 23-year-old Ortiz is managing an otherworldly start to the month.

He has 16 hits in his first 40 July at-bats, good for a .400 average. He's strung together five straight multi-hit games, and has managed eight extra base hits in 11 contests this month. He is playing out of his mind, and has lifted his season average to a respectable .251 on the season with a .solid .791 OPS, and climbing.

The young slugger hasn't been the knock-out, consensus top prospect that evaluators pegged him as seven years ago, but Ortiz has taken significant steps forward over his last two years of play. He tore up High-A ball in 2021, which earned him the opportunity to make the biggest leap in all of minor league baseball, being the jump from High-A to Double-A.

Ortiz struggled, but adjusted, and is now thriving midway through the 2022 season. Strikeouts are still an issue for him, but his bat is impactful enough to warrant his swing-and-miss tendencies. He also boasts a strong glove, and an even stronger arm, giving him a good chance to see the majors at some point in the not-so-distant future.

Should he continue at his July pace, Ortiz will surely see a promotion to Triple-A at the backend of the minor league season, a major accomplishment for a prospect whose future once looked bleak.

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Triple-A: Maton Continues Strong Rehab Stint

After his four-hit masterpiece on Wednesday, Nick Maton took a rest day on Thursday, only to reappear in Lehigh Valley's lineup on Friday, whacking a single and walking twice in the IronPigs' triumph over the Charlotte Knights.

Maton has really excited evaluators this season. Many praise the steps forward he's taken in his ability to drive the baseball, and he's always touted a strong eye at the plate. It will be very interesting to see if he displaces Didi Gregorius as a starter in the infield upon his return to the big club. At the very least, he's earned the opportunity to split time with Gregorius, while the slowly-heating Bryson Stott overtakes the shortstop position.

Double-A: Camargo Undermatched in Reading

As was to be expected, Johan Camargo is torching Double-A pitching. The utilityman is hitting a casual .467 across his first four games in Reading. He's already logged seven hits.

It will be interesting to discover the reasoning behind Camargo's assignment to Double-A. The pitchers there are not challenging him whatsoever, and the Phillies are relatively short on infield depth at the MLB level.

High-A: Mick Abel Tosses Six Solid Frames

The Phillies' top pitching prospect took to the mound on Friday night, and once again flaunted his stamina. Abel tossed six innings of three-run ball, striking out seven.

It's interesting to see how the Phillies are instructing Abel this season. Instead of allowing him to use his go-to pitches to simply cruise through outings, they have him on a plan to utilize his entire arsenal in most appearances. This has lead to some inflated statistics, especially in the command and control realms.

Still, Abel is having a solid year, and is pitching against far older competition on average. He's logged a 4.25 ERA thus far into the season, and has fanned 84 batters. Most importantly, the 20-year-old is getting a ton of work in. After Friday's start, he crested 72 innings pitched in 2022, a substantial workload.

Single-A: Clearwater Drops Both Legs of Doubleheader

The Clearwater Threshers' offense has truly struggled without three of their best bats in Jadiel Sanchez, Alexeis Azuaje, and Hao-Yu Lee.

Marcus Lee Sang has somewhat thrived in their stead, but other interesting bats like Kendall Simmons and Jamari Baylor have struggled mightily.

But never fear, all of Sanchez, Azuaje, and Lee are currently working their way back from rehab assignments, and should rejoin the Threshers soon. 

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs vs. Charlotte Knights: W 7-3

LHP Michael Plassmeyer - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K

LHP Ryan Sherriff - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K

Reading Fightin Phils vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats: L 0-1

RHP Colton Eastman - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 4 K

RHP Francisco Morales - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Jersey Shore BlueClaws vs. Aberdeen IronBirds: W 4-3

OF Ethan Wilson - 2-for-5, RBI, K

LHP Erubiel Armenta - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Clearwater Threshers vs. Fort Meyers Mighty Mussels (DH): L 4-7, L 1-6

RHP Gunner Mayer - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K

LHP Gabriel Cotto - 3.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

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