Phillies Pitching Prospect Ben Brown Twirls Gem, Notches 100th Strikeout

The Philadelphia Phillies prospect has quickly risen to become one of the top names in the system.

There have been a multitude of Philadelphia Phillies prospects that have lifted their prospect stock in 2022, but none have done so more substantially than Ben Brown. The 22 year-old spun a brilliant seven innings for Jersey Shore this weekend, allowing just two hits, walking none, and cresting 100 total strikeouts on the season with a 13 K performance.

What Brown has been able to do this season is nothing short of remarkable. When his initial breakout in 2019 was stunted by Tommy John Surgery, multiple evaluators began to write off the former 33rd round pick. Three years later, Brown has quickly risen to join the upper echelon of Phillies prospects.

It's been a meteoric rise for the young righty. He's looked nothing short of the real deal.

Other top stories:

Triple-A: Guthrie Leaves After Hit-by-Pitch

In an unfortunate turn of events, one of the Phillies' most promising pieces of major league reinforcement left Sunday's game with Lehigh Valley after being hit by a pitch to lead off the game. He exited without seeing an at-bat.

For the uninitiated, Dalton Guthrie has been one of the bigger turnarounds the Phillies have seen in the last two years. The former sixth round pick has developed an intriguing contact tool and plays all over the diamond. He has been particularly effective against left-handed pitching, and has managed to string together a solid .279 average, alongside a .755 OPS this season.

Luckily, the Minor Leagues also enter their All-Star break beginning on Monday. Hopefully Guthrie's injury is nothing too serious, and he can use the time off to heal up.

Double-A: Johan Rojas Continues Strong Reading Campaign

When Johan Rojas was promoted to Reading, it was deemed premature by most every onlooker, but Rojas has proven his doubters wrong.

Across his first 16 games with Double-A, Rojas has slashed .290/.380/.403, alongside an equal strikeout to walk ratio and ten stolen bases, one of which came in Sunday's game against the Fisher Cats. He's logged one home run, one triple, and two doubles in that initial span. 

He's far from a finished product, but Rojas has three tools that could easily play in the majors right now. His hit tool is still cooking, as is the discovery of his raw power, but his success at such a high level is a nice surprise. 

High-A: Andrew Painter is the Truth

There's not much more to say about Andrew Painter that hasn't already been said. He has been utterly electric this year, and has substantiated his claim as one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.

He went four innings on Saturday, allowing just two hits, and striking out nine. On the season, he's logged a 1.40 ERA in 50.2 innings of work, striking out 88 batters in that span.

He is 19 years-old. Just plain dominance.

Single-A: Hao-Yu Lee Returns to Clearwater

Huzzah, Threshers fans rejoice! After nearly a month and a half on the injured list, Hao-Yu Lee has made his triumphant return to Clearwater. It was a hitless re-debut, but it's a positive sign to see the 19 year-old back on the field.

Lee is another one of the Phillies' fast risers. His mature approach, knack for quality contact, and even flash of power have driven his ascension as the top infield prospect in the system.

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs vs. Charlotte Knights: W 6-0, W 6-3

C Donny Sands - 4-for-9, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K

LHP Cristopher Sanchez - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Reading Fightin Phils vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats: W 2-0, W 4-3

OF Jhailyn Ortiz - 2-for-7, 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

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

Jersey Shore BlueClaws vs. Aberdeen IronBirds: W 4-1, W 6-0, W 9-0

SS Luis Garcia - 3-for-6, 2 2B, 3 R, BB, 2 K

RHP Albertus Barber - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Clearwater Threshers vs. Fort Meyers Mighty Mussels: W 5-1, W 5-4

OF Marcus Lee Sang - 4-for-10, R, 2 K

RHP Brent Schulze - 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

1. How Mike Trout Will Join the Phillies
2. Have the Philadelphia Phillies Found Their Centerfielder of the Future?
3. Andrew Painter is Off to a Historic Start
4. Could The Phillies Soon Be Playing in Wawa Park?
5. 18-Year-Old Phillies Prospect is Making History
6. How did Philadelphia end up with Citizens Bank Park?
7. How the Phillie Phanatic Came to be America's Favorite Sports Mascot
8. This Unlikely Draft Pick Could be the Final Piece in the Phillies Next Blockbuster Trade
9. Picking the Phillies' All-Time Single Season Lineup
10. Drawing Comparisons to Harper, Phillies Prospect Wilson is Heating Up

---

Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Substack and Twitter!