Sixto Sanchez, Adonis Medina Impress At Phillies Camp

CLEARWATER, Fla.—One of the most impressive parts of the revamped Phillies system is its balance. A series of trades and smart acquisitions both internationally and domestically have helped rejuvenate an organization whose minor leagues ranked 22nd just two seasons ago.

Now the sixth-best system in the game, the Phillies could potentially feature members of their Top 10 Prospects at all of their four full-season affiliates to open 2017. The youngest member of that group, righthander Sixto Sanchez, spun four dazzling innings against Pirates minor leaguers at the Phillies’ minor league complex on Friday afternoon.

“I think the fact that he has the stuff that he has and he has command of his fastball—for a young age, his command is advanced—that’s always the best starting point,” Phillies farm director Joe Jordan said. “His secondary pitches will improve. He’s got a feel for his changeup, and his breaking ball, for me, he’ll show you a good one but it’s inconsistent.

“There’s some things he needs to work on, but I think just starting with his arsenal, fastball mainly and the command of it, he’s got a chance to be very good one of these days.”

Sanchez pounded the strike zone early and often on Friday, starting his arsenal with a fastball that stat in the mid 90s and touched as high as 98 mph from an unfathomably easy delivery. The pitch featured both sink and tail away from righthanders, which Sanchez used to induce weak contact all afternoon. Both his offspeed pitches—a changeup and a breaking ball—showed hints of above-average potential.

But the fastball, and the ease with which he throws it, is an early separator.

“It’s very good,” Jordan said. “Obviously his delivery is very efficient. He doesn’t work hard to throw hard, but for me, the best quality is that he can locate. He can locate a big fastball, and that’s hard to deal with at any level.”

Sanchez’s ability to command such big velocity is owed partly to his athleticism, which comes from his background as a position player. He was a shortstop earlier in his amateur career and worked out for teams as an infielder during showcases but the Phillies liked him on the mound and signed him for $35,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2015.

“The guy’s got very natural rhythm and tempo to his delivery. He’s not thinking about where his lead leg is or this and that,” Jordan said. “It’s just natural.”

He went 5-0, 0.50 in 11 starts in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2016 and ranked as the circuit’s No. 7 prospect. He struck out 44 against eight walks in 54 innings and won the league’s Pitcher of the Year honors. After a breakout season, he could move up to low Class A Lakewood for his taste of life away from the complex.

“I think the sky’s the limit for this kid,” said Marty Malloy, who will manage Lakewood this season. “His makeup’s good, his stuff obviously is really good and he’s only going to get better with experience, so the sky’s the limit with him.”

Sanchez was relieved by Adonis Medina, a righthander who checked in at No. 16 on the Phillies’ Top 30 prospects after last season. His fastball wasn’t as explosive as Sanchez’s, checking in at 91-93 and touching 94, but he commanded the bottom part of the strike zone and racked up four whiffs in his first two innings.

He complemented the fastball with a changeup in the high 80s and a sharp-breaking curveball in the mid-70s that he doubled and tripled up on in the later part of his outing.

“He’s been good. He’s about three in a row that have been pretty good,” Jordan said. “Adonis has got a chance to be very good and, I think, continue to develop fastball command and trust his fastball. He’s got a breaking pitch, and sometimes he can go to it a little too often. I’d like to see him continue learn to command and trust his fastball, but he can do that.”

Medina took a no-hitter into the ninth inning of a New York-Penn League and ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the league. He was signed for $70,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2014, and pitched more to contact last season instead of going for strikeouts. Once he sharpens his repertoire, those strikeouts should come quickly.

“He’s another one who has really nice stuff, a good mix,” Malloy said. “He’s spinning the breaking ball pretty good right now, and it’s good to see. So, we’re going to have a lot of fun with these young kids with these big arms.”

Together, Medina and Sanchez—along with last year’s No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak and second-rounder Kevin Gowdy—will anchor the back half of a well-balanced and extremely talented Phillies system.