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Phillies' Lively a prospect again

READING - Ben Lively never cared much about being labeled a prospect. The pitcher was a fourth-round pick in 2013. He entered the next season as one of Cincinnati's top prospects. The Reds thought Lively was enough of one after the 2014 season to name him their minor-league player of the year.

READING - Ben Lively never cared much about being labeled a prospect. The pitcher was a fourth-round pick in 2013. He entered the next season as one of Cincinnati's top prospects. The Reds thought Lively was enough of one after the 2014 season to name him their minor-league player of the year.

A month later, the Phillies coveted the prospect enough to take him in one of the first trades of their rebuild. But Lively's shine soon wore off. The righthander struggled through his first season with double-A Reading. He was no longer striking out batters the way he had in Cincinnati's system. His prospect label had faded.

Lively started this season as a 24-year-old in double A. It is a crucial season to decide his future. Lively was the only starting pitcher from the beginning of last season to repeat in Reading's rotation. And he has needed just four starts this season to once again become a prospect.

Using a much-improved slider and better command of his fastball, Lively has struck out 27 batters in 24 innings. He was named the Eastern League's pitcher of the week for April 18-24 after tossing 13 consecutive scoreless innings.

Reading manager Dusty Wathan said Lively is "absolutely" a prospect again.

"There's no doubt about it," Wathan said. "You don't just accidentally come out and throw up three or four starts like he has to start the season."

Lively finished last season with a 4.13 ERA in 25 starts at Reading. He struck out just 111 batters in 1432/3 innings. Lively's strikeout rate dipped as he relied less on his slider, the pitch that carried him to prospect status. The pitcher, who was acquired in exchange for Marlon Byrd, looked ordinary at times. He said he was trying to do too much.

He returned to Orlando in the winter and met with his friends who had made the majors. Lively asked them what it took to get there, and he leaned on them for advice. They critiqued his pitches. Lively changed the grip of his fastball. He tightened up his slider. The righthander wanted to rely again on his top pitch.

Lively returned this season refreshed. Wathan said Lively "looked at himself in the mirror." The pitcher knew there were things to change. He could have been angry to be back in Reading. He watched as his peers pitched in major-league spring training and started the season in triple A.

Lively used it as motivation. The challenges of last season, he said, did not test his confidence. He knew he was better than that.

"I butted heads with myself last year, trying to make everything too perfect. I got mad at myself," Lively said. "But other than that, I'm always a competitor. I always want to be out there and be that bulldog."

He struck out seven batters in his first start. He whiffed nine in his second start.

His mother called him Monday morning. He was sleeping in after another excellent start. She was excited to tell him that he was the Eastern League's pitcher of the week. Lively was a prospect again, but that's the last label the pitcher is worried about.

"Even when I was considered a prospect, I didn't think about it," Lively said. "I just try to do my own thing and not worry about that. That's the type of thing that will set you back. Yeah, my numbers are good right now. I just have to make sure they stay like that."

mbreen@phillynews.com

@matt_breen