Phillies Notebook: Phillies honor top minor leaguers Pinto, Knapp

A COUPLE of months ago, while talking about the productive season that a number of the Phillies affiliates were having, former general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. beamed in particular when the name of Clearwater righthander Ricardo Pinto was mentioned.

More than a few others have had similar reactions when the 21-year-old Venezuelan has come up in conversation. Their eyes grow big, as if they were the kid at Christmas who finds a gift hidden back in the far corner under the tree well after the presents have been opened.

Pinto is no longer a hidden gem, however. Yesterday afternoon, Pinto and Double A Reading catcher Andrew Knapp were honored at Citizens Bank Park as the recipients of the prestigious Paul Owens Awards for the top pitcher and position player in the Phillies' minor leagues in 2015.

The 23-year-old Knapp is the Cal-Berkeley product selected one round after J.P. Crawford in the 2013 draft, who recovered from Tommy John surgery to put on an offensive onslaught in the Eastern League in the second half of the summer. Pinto, who turns 22 in January, is yet another find for international scouting director and recent Dallas Green Award winner Sal Agostinelli. The athletic-looking righthander didn't begin playing organized baseball until he was 12 and signed for a paltry $50,000 at the age of 18, two years older than when most Latin players land with major league organizations.

Pinto went 15-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 24 starts between Class A Clearwater and Low-A Lakewood. His 1.06 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) ranked seventh in the Florida State League among pitchers who had at least 10 starts.

"There's a fire inside of me that has been there since I was a little kid," Pinto said of his breakout season through a translator yesterday morning. "I don't like to lose. I've always been that way. I love the game and I don't like to lose. I'm a winner and I want to win.''

Pinto, who could arrive in the big leagues at some point in 2017 if he stays on a similar progression, held opponents to a .244/.295/.353 slash line (BA/OBP/SLG) in 2015. He credited being able to command his fastball on the inside half of the plate for his success.

"Ever since I was a kid hanging around and playing little league and stuff, growing up in Venezuela, the key to pitching is pitching inside," Pinto said. "I took that into consideration and started working on that. When I came to the States, I started to refine the inside corner. I have heard that whomever dominates inside is going to be somebody in this game."

Pinto probably showed enough in the final two-plus months of the season in Clearwater (2.87 ERA in 13 games) to earn a promotion to Reading early in 2016. It was a similar promotion that took Knapp's game to a new level this past summer.

Knapp, the 53rd overall pick in the 2013 draft, hit nearly 100 points higher in 55 games at Reading than he did in his first 63 games of this season in Clearwater (.262). Upon arrival to Double A, Knapp hit .360 with a .419 OBP, 1.050 OPS, 11 home runs and 21 doubles for a team that advanced to the Eastern League championship series last month.

Overall, Knapp hit .308 with an .876 OPS, 13 home runs and 84 RBI in 118 games between Reading and Clearwater. But why the sudden, dramatic spike upon reaching the Eastern League?

"I think for me it was just being more selective with what pitches I was swinging at," Knapp said. "Earlier in my career I was swinging a lot early in counts at pitches I probably shouldn't have been swinging at, pitches I can't really drive. When I got to Reading I kind of slowed it down and tried to find a pitch that I could drive instead of maybe a pitcher wants me to swing at. So I was getting in a lot of 2-1, 3-1 counts instead of 1-2, 2-2 counts."

Knapp will continue to develop the defensive part of his game in the Arizona Fall League later this month. He is still refining his skills as a game caller (he wasn't responsible for that task at Cal-Berkeley) and Tommy John surgery has held him to 157 starts behind the plate since being drafted.

"My arm feels great, once I got about 15 months it's been completely normal," said Knapp, who underwent surgery four months after he was drafted. "But the footwork was a huge key for me. After taking so much time off, my timing with the footwork and the arm were off. That's what we worked on a lot this season."

Maikel Franco was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to yesterday's game.

Franco had been sidelined with a left wrist fracture since getting hit by a pitch in Arizona on Aug. 11. He could return to the lineup tonight, when the Phillies begin the final series of the season against the Miami Marlins (weather permitting).

"I want to (play), but I don't know what's going to happen," Franco said yesterday afternoon. "I know I'm ready to play."

Franco played in five games in instructional league play in Florida within the last two weeks. The Phillies want to ensure he's 100 percent healthy before he plays in the Dominican Winter League this offseason.

Blog: ph.ly/HighCheese