The Phillies are looking for a back up catcher to complement starter Carlos Ruiz. Despite being a young catcher, Tuffy Gosewisch could be that guy. The 11th round draft pick in 2005 out of Arizona State is a good defensive catcher. The 2009 season saw him split between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he hit .235 with 20 doubles, 1 homerun, and 21 RBIs in 76 games. The downside is his propensity to strike out (47 K to 16 BB in 2009, plus 6 K to 1 BB in the AFL). In the AFL, Gosewisch is hitting .275 with 3 RBIs in 10 games.

Mike Cisco pitching in Reading

Mike Cisco, a 36th round draft pick in 2008 out of South Carolina, was considered to have the best professional debut of any of the Phillies 2008 draft picks (along with pitcher Mike Stutes). He followed his debut up with a solid 2009 that began in High-A Clearwater and ended in Double-A Reading during the playoffs. He was 9-7 with a 3.75 ERA in 21 starts (22 games), which equated to 112.2 innings. He struck out 71 (walked 24) and opponents hit .259, though he allowed 13 homeruns. His coach at South Carolina Ray Tanner considered Cisco a poor man’s Greg Maddux for his ability to command his fastball to all four corners of the plate. Many profile him to be a middle reliever, but as of right now, he is continuing to start. Cisco has continued to start in the AFL, going 0-2 with a 4.30 ERA in 5 starts (14.2 innings) while striking out 12 (6 walks), with opponents hitting just .228. Cisco should again team up with fellow 2008 draft picks Vance Worley and Stutes in 2010.

Another 2008 draft pick in the AFL for the Phillies is reliever Mike Schwimer. Schwimer was dominant in High-A Clearwater and received a call up to Double-A Reading to help with their playoff push. Though the 14th round draft pick out of Virginia struggled in Reading, his overall 2009 numbers were still solid: 4-2, with a 3.20 ERA in 53 games (64.2 innings) with 20 saves, 21 BB/ 89 K, and a .216 batting average against. In the AFL, he has had one bad outing (1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 HR, 2BB) that has inflated his overall numbers (3.86 ERA, 9 G, 11.2 IP, 8 BB, 8 K, .233 opponent average). The Phillies have pulled pitchers from Double-A in the past (Scott Mathieson, Mike Zagurski, Kyle Kendrick, Sergio Escalona, and Antonio Bastardo) so look for Schwimer to get a similar call if he continues to pitch well in 2010.

Edgar Garcia is the top Dominican product in the Philadelphia Phillies system. His pure stuff has been compared to the Phillies former number one prospect Carlos Carrasco, who signed the same year (2004) as Garcia. Garcia spent most of 2009 in High-A Clearwater, though he only pitched in 9 games (8 starts). His overall numbers were good: 2-4, with a 3.94 ERA in 45.2 innings, he struck out 31 (9 walks), and opponents hit just .228 against him. His numbers in the AFL are a different story: 2-2 with a 5.63 ERA in 9 games (1 start) with opponents hitting .328.

Troy Hanzawa is the most unknown of the Phillies prospects in the AFL. He was a 16th round draft pick in 2008 out of San Diego State. Hanzawa was considered the best defensive player in the 2008 draft for the Phillies, as he has a strong, accurate arm and easy actions at shortstop. In 2009, Hanzawa spent the entire season in Class A Lakewood hitting .267 in 126 games with 23 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homeruns, and 47 RBIs. However he struck out 100 times. He hasn’t played much in the AFL (5 games) and he is 0-for-15 with 6 strikeouts. Despite not having a hit, he has 2 RBIs, 2 walks, and 2 stolen bases.