Phillies Have Put Together Talented Roster At Double-A Reading

By Matt Leon

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It wasn't long ago that the minor league system of the Phillies was pretty barren. Poor drafts combined with trades of young prospects for veterans to try and win another World Series left the organization in a big hole.

Now, baseball is cyclical, so you knew it would eventually bounce back, but few people could've predicted how quickly it would turn around.

The trades of veterans like Jimmy Rollins, Jonathan Papelbon and of course, Cole Hamels, have injected a significant number of top tier prospects into the organization. Combine that with much better drafts the last few years, and you have a minor league system that is now full of promising players.

To see an example of what the system has to offer, look no further than Reading. The Double-A Fightin Phils are currently home to 10 of the top 17 prospects in the Phillies organization, according to MLB.com.

KYW's Matt Leon spoke with Reading play-by-play voice Michael Ventola about some of those prospects and how they have developed this season.

You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.