Memorial Day is approximately one-third of the way through the baseball season. In the majors, it’s the first mile marker for a team to use as where they stand in the race for the postseason. In the minors, it’s a time when teams reassess their young talent and many times move players up or down a level based on their performance. So, let’s take a look and see where some IronPigs stand and what reinforcements, if any, they might be getting from Double-A Reading.

First, keep in mind that promotions – or demotions, for that matter – are not always gauged simply on statistics. Part of what goes into the decisions is “the eye test.” Do the folks in the player development department see something in the player that says they are ready for the next level? Then, do they have the mental makeup to survive if they move up the ladder and struggle? And how much time have they spent at a particular level and have they accomplished what the team wanted them to accomplish at that level.

Second, there is no Orion Kerkering among this season’s players. Last season, Kerkering moved from Low-A all the way to the majors in one season, which was just his second in the professional ranks. The Phillies don’t appear to have any players capable of doing that this season. The closest thing to Kerkering may be Tristan Garnett, a reliever who has pitched in 15 games with Reading and has a 1.29 ERA this season. Garnett is not an overnight sensation, but he does have improbable potential as he went undrafted and signed with the Phillies as an undrafted free agent three summers ago. He has just 27 Double-A relief appearances under his belt and could be an IronPig before long and with the Phillies needing some relief arms, might reach the majors late in the year.

Third, while some players have nice statistics, the eye test says they need more time at Double-A. Lachlan Wells has done a nice job in amassing a 3.19 ERA with nearly a strikeout per inning in seven starts, but those seven starts constitute his entire work volume at Double-A and it’s very possible that he will be with the IronPigs before the end of the season, but not likely that it is imminent. Konnor Ash has been used both as a starter and reliever with Reading and has a combined 2.19 ERA in seven relief appearances and four starts. As a starter, Ash has a 2.45 ERA, but has pitched just 11 innings. Out of the bullpen, he has a 1.98 ERA. First up is for the Phillies to decide just what they have in the 25-year-old righty and let him develop in that role.

Two names to consider are Robinson Pina and Carlos Francisco. Pina, 25, is in his first season in the Phillies organization but has pitched at Double-A in each of the past two seasons in the Angels organization. He has eight starts this season with a 4.15 ERA and has 48 strikeouts in 39 innings. Overall, he has 12 relief appearances and 19 starts at Double-A with a combined 4.37 ERA, which is belied slightly by a rough season in 2021 when he pitched to a 9.39 ERA.

Francisco made 24 relief appearances at Reading last season with a 5.16 ERA. He adjusted well and has a 3.27 ERA in 15 relief appearances this season with just over a strikeout per inning. Again, with relief pitching needed at both the major league and Triple-A levels, Francisco could be an option.

Offensively, catcher Caleb Ricketts (.286/.408/.381) needs a little more work at Double-A and the Phillies have a backlog of catchers ahead of him, although none of them are genuine prospects. One name to watch is Carson Taylor, who is in his first season in the organization and appears to have finally figured out Double-A pitching. In 153 Double-A games prior to this season, Taylor hit just .237, but is batting .319 with five home runs and 33 RBI this season. Taylor turns 25 on Sunday and is a left-handed hitting catcher. He has the logjam to deal with as well, but with two serviceable catchers at Reading and weak competition ahead of him and Ricketts, maybe the Phillies need to clear up that situation and elevate a younger guy from Reading.

A NEW FACE… One guy who will be joining the IronPigs (19-30, 12 GB) on their road trip to Columbus is Jonah DiPoto, a 27-year-old reliever. The Phillies purchased him from the Kansas City Royals over the weekend. The righty posted a 4.40 ERA in eight relief appearances and two starts at Triple-A Omaha so far this season. If the name DiPoto sounds familiar, he is the son of Jerry Dipoto, President of the Seattle Mariners.

OOPS… Former IronPigs fan favorite Andy Tracy, who is now managing Columbus got a little confused recently. A confusing play had one umpire call a Columbus hitter out on what he said was a line drive caught at second base, while two others ruled that the line drive was not caught. Toledo’s infielders thought it was an out and tried to catch other runners off base and with all of the confusion, a Columbus runner on third came home and was safe on the play. Tracy wound up arguing that the ball was not caught and should have been in play even though his team scored a run on the play. The result was that Tracy was ejected and the play stood as a caught line drive with one other player out on the basepaths. Toledo then argued the runner on third left early, but that was denied.