Phillies Darick Hall, Andrew Painter and Corey Phelan Named Top Players in Month of April
Today the Phillies announced that infielder Darick Hall and pitchers Andrew Painter and Corey Phelan were named Minor League Hitter and co-pitchers of the month for April.
If you visit The Liberty Line often, you know how much we love 2021 1st round pick Andrew Painter and that we have been busy covering the ridiculous numbers he is putting up at single-A Clearwater. Painter, 19, struck out 30 batters in just 12 innings while giving up only four hits and three walks. The 6’7” lefty led the Florida league in strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .111 average. At one point Painter who is in his first full season of professional baseball, struck out 13 batters in a row.
Darick Hall, 26, slashed .284/.364/.682 with nine home runs, 28 RBI, 20 R, and 10 walks over 23 games for triple-A Lehigh Valley. Hall, a 14th round pick in 2014 from Dallas Baptist University, led all minor league hitters in RBI during the month, leading him to being named International League Player of the Week for two consecutive weeks.
Despite fans clamoring to see Painter share the mound with fellow 1st round pick Mick Abel, new Director of Player Development Preston Mattingly recently stated that the team has no intention of promoting the young pitcher.
As good as Hall has been in Lehigh Valley, I don’t think he has much of a future in big leagues. Hall looked decent in Spring Training with the Phillies slashing .278/.316/.556 over 18 AB and reminds a lot of a discount Darin Ruf. When those words come out of my mouth, I realize that the Phillies have zero chance of ever getting production from Hall. His destiny is too become the home run king in a foreign league like the KBO and then hit 25 HR for the San Francisco Giants and Gabe Kapler.
Corey Phelan, who has not pitched this season, is receiving the award in honor of the courage he has displayed while he battles non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Phelan was signed by Philadelphia as un non-drafted free agent in 2020 out of Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, NY. He pitched to an impressive 0.93 ERA over five relief appearances in rookie ball, but has been undergoing treatment in his native New York since his diagnosis this April.
I think I speak on behalf of everyone in wishing the best for Phelan as he battles this terrible disease.
