LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Marty Malloy did not know what to expect from his starting rotation as he prepared for his second season as manager of the Phillies’ low-A Lakewood affiliate.
He had been blessed in his first season. Big-armed prospects such as Sixto Sanchez and Adonis Medina lived up to expectations. The lefthanded trio of JoJo Romero, Nick Fanti and Ranger Suarez turned in dominant efforts consistently, and Bailey Falter and Alejandro Requena were terrific, too. The BlueClaws’ 3.26 ERA was the third best in the South Atlantic League.
Sanchez, Medina and Romero are all among Baseball America’s top 10 organizational prospects, so it was a given that this year’s crop of Lakewood starters would not be as highly touted as the previous one.