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Chester County Press

New book is a valuable—and pleasurable—resource for Phillies fans

01/15/2018 06:18PM ● By Steven Hoffman

Fans who follow the Philadelphia Phillies' minor league system closely know that there are plenty of talented players who are moving toward their Major League debut. Top prospects Scott Kingery, Mickey Moniak, Sixto Sanchez, Adam Haseley, Jhailyn Ortiz, Seranthony Dominguez, Tom Eshelman, and Jojo Romero might one day be a part of the team that brings a third World Series title to Philadelphia.

Steve Potter recently released his book, “2nd Annual Phillies Minor League Digest: A Fan's View” as a recap to the 2017 minor league season. The book includes team review of each Phillies' minor league affiliate, a player analysis for top prospects, statistics, and projections.

Potter has written six books about baseball, including his first Minor League Digest book that looked at the 2016 season. Some of the players featured in that book bolstered the Phillies' Major League lineup in 2017, including Rhys Hoskins, J.P. Crawford, Nick Williams, and Jorge Alfaro. The book is a good way to get comprehensive information about the future Phillies.

Potter certainly knows what he's writing about when it comes to baseball. After he released his first book about the Phillies' minor league system following the 2016 season, Potter noted that Hoskins, as a hitter, had some of the quickest hands he had ever seen. When Hoskins arrived in the Major Leagues on August 10, he quickly made an impact, belting 18 home runs and driving in 48 runs in just 50 games. He posted an OPS of 1.014 during his time with the Phillies. Hoskins' quick hands were one reason why he quickly adjusted to major league pitching. After he published his first Minor League Digest in 2016, Potter said that he wrote the book in part to let other baseball fans know more about the talented players who are on the Phillies' minor league teams.

Potter is well known in Chester County as an avid baseball enthusiast. He founded the Kennett Men's Senior Baseball League in 1989, and served as its president for 14 seasons. In addition to being an administrator, he played, managed, and coached at various levels of amateur baseball. He was a member of three national tournament championship teams in the Men's Senior Baseball League annual Fall Classic tournament in Florida. He is a Kennett Old Timers Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and was a vice president of the organization.

He spends a considerable amount of time in Clearwater, Florida, watching both major leaguers and minor leaguers at work at the Carpenter Complex or Spectrum Field. While the book is written from a fan's view, Potter includes analysis from professional writers and broadcasters who cover the minor league teams on a regular basis.

After tracking the progress of some of the Phillies' top prospects, Potter believes that the team will soon have an influx of talent that will lead to a lot of success on the diamond, reminiscent of the success that the team enjoyed between 2007 and 2011.

If you are a Phillies fan and are interested in the talent and depth of the minor league system, this book will give you all the information you need for the upcoming season. It includes pictures of the players as taken by photographers who cover the affiliated clubs. The book is a valuable—and pleasurable—resource for baseball fans.

“2nd Annual Phillies Minor League Digest: A Fan's View” is available for $15 online at Amazon.com as well as Barnes and Noble.com. It will also be sold at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia as well as the team stores at the ballparks in Lehigh, Reading, Clearwater and Lakewood.