Spencer Howard was the No. 2 prospect in the Phillies' system coming into 2019, No. 52 on my overall top 100, and started out this year on the fast track to the majors after four dominant outings for high-A Clearwater. His shoulder started bothering him at that point and the Phillies gave him two months off, easing him back into Clearwater's rotation in early July, then promoting him to Double-A Reading after three more dominant starts for the Threshers. (He threw 35 innings for Clearwater, with 48 strikeouts, five walks and a 1.29 ERA.)
Wednesday night, Howard made his sixth start for Reading and went 95 pitches, his highest pitch count of the season, looking mostly like the guy I ranked second in their system.
Howard was 93-96 the entire way through his 5 2/3-inning outing, and the pitch plays, as he elevates his fastball and runs it hard to his glove side, including a very impressive strikeout of a left-handed hitter with 96 buried under the guy's hands. He pairs it well with his above-average changeup, 80-83 with good action, best actually at the top-end of the range where his arm speed is more consistent with that of his fastball.
Howard has a slider, but didn't throw it at all Wednesday, using just the curveball in potential slider counts; it's his worst pitch, at least of the three he showed against Bowie, mostly 74-76 with shape varying from 12/6 to 11/5, but all generally too slow and without the tight spin he'd need on the pitch. He needs that slider to profile as a good mid-rotation, innings-eating sort of starter, and I'm confused why the Phillies had him eschew the pitch completely in this game. He could be a big part of their rotation next year.
• Australian lefty Alex Wells has a 2.75 ERA in Double-A this year and 2.77 in his pro career, despite a fastball that doesn't even touch 90 mph. He was effective again Wednesday, sitting at 86-89 with a slow curveball at 72-75 and a changeup at 81-82. Nothing is even above average here, but he throws a lot of strikes, and his delivery, which has him starting on the extreme first-base side of the rubber and then landing even more on that side, is really deceptive, especially against lefties. He doesn't miss a lot of bats, not that you'd expect anyone to do so with this kind of stuff, but given the Orioles system and his success to date, I think they have to keep moving him up and giving him opportunities as long as he's generating this kind of mostly weak contact.
• Mickey Moniak has had a superficially good summer, although I think Wednesday night was indicative of why it's not the breakout the Phillies might want it to be. Moniak homered off Wells, but it was a badly hanging 72 mph curveball, and he hit it into short right field where Reading's park is particularly easy to hit the ball out. He also "singled" on a hard ground ball clanked by Bowie first baseman Ryan Ripken, an org player who's there because ... well, you figure it out. Right-hander Jay Flaa then struck him out on three straight changeups out of the zone.
• Alec Bohm, the Phillies' first pick in 2018 and probably their No. 2 prospect right now after Howard, was 0-for-4 and didn't do anything remarkable in either direction. I'm still a fan.
• Baltimore outfielder Ryan McKenna had a breakout year in 2018 but hasn't carried it forward into this season, with a .228/.318/.362 line as a 22-year-old in Double-A, posting the lowest BABIP (.282) of his career to date. He didn't seem overmatched Wednesday, which I suppose is a small consolation, but also didn't make quality contact, and his bat seemed slower this time than what I saw from him at multiple points in 2018.
• Yusniel Diaz was one of the main prospects Baltimore acquired last July when they finally traded Manny Machado, but his first full year in the O's system has been a disappointment, between injuries and a mediocre performance (.251/.322/450 repeating Double-A). He was punched out three times Wednesday, swinging and missing multiple times on four-seamers away, adjusting just once to the velocity in that location on a lineout to right.