Josh Stephen expected the worst on Saturday, March 30, as he walked up to the bulletin board inside the Carpenter Complex minor-league clubhouse.
The Phillies’ 21-year-old outfielder was prepared for a return trip to low-A Lakewood after batting .242 there last season with 71 strikeouts in 99 games.
Stephen’s eyes immediately locked in on the Lakewood roster on that bulletin board on the day the organization announced the minor leaguers’ assignments to start the 2019 season.
“I didn’t see my name,” he recalled. Stephen then looked at the high-A Clearwater roster.
“Didn’t see my name,” he added.
Stephen then thought the worst.
“I thought I was going to extended spring,” he admitted.
At that moment, close friend and fellow 2016 draftee Mickey Moniak broke the news to Stephen.
“He’s like, ‘Dude, you’re going to Double-A,’” Stephen said. “I’m like, ‘You’re kidding.’ I’m still going down the extended roster.
“Then I saw my name [on the Reading roster]. I thought it was a typo. I’ve never been in shock in my life. In that moment right there, I was speechless.”
Josh Stephen has earned playing time this season with Double-A Reading thanks to his revamped approach to his game. (Reading Fightins)Stephen revamped his offseason workout routine, took his parents’ advice about talking with a sports psychologist and is making the most of his opportunities in Reading.
The 6-foot, 195-pounder is batting .246 with 20 walks, 20 RBIs and 20 extra-base hits in 60 games entering Tuesday’s doubleheader with New Hampshire.
“I tell myself every day,” he said, “that I’ve got nothing to lose. There’s only so much I can control and that’s getting a good pitch to hit. There’s no pressure here. I just stay in the present.”
The present at the end of the 2018 season was not much fun for Stephen in Lakewood. His parents came for the final two home games, including the finale when their son took an 0-for-6 collar.
They knew something wasn’t right. Stephen did, too.
Stephen found Dr. Benjamin Strack in his hometown of Newport Beach, California. Strack has experience working with budding professionals in baseball, football, basketball, water polo and hockey.
The two met three times a week in the offseason and talk twice a week during this season.
“[Strack] became a good person I was able to talk to,” Stephen said. “He’s worked with a lot of guys on the same journey. It was a different perspective, a different voice.”
Stephen implemented Strack’s suggestions from the offseason that also included a revamped training regimen: seven days a week, three hours a day working with a lot of weights and speed drills.
He added 15 pounds of muscle and lowered his body fat — which allowed him, he believed, to withstand the physical demands of a baseball season.
Stephen said he earned the opportunity to skip high-A Clearwater with a solid showing in spring training. That thought, however, escaped his mind March 30 when he went roster hunting.
“A few coordinators and coaches came up to me and explained what was happening, made me feel comfortable,” Stephen said. “But there was a solid 15 to 20 minutes where I had no idea what was going on. I was very, very rattled.”.
Once the shock wore off, the realization set in that the former Mater Dei (California) High School standout was going to be the fourth outfielder on a roster that had the Phillies’ first-round picks from 2015-17: Cornelius Randolph, Moniak and Adam Haseley.
Stephen took the challenge of the opportunity to learn from Haseley, an experienced college player who was quickly moving through the system.
Stephen has not played like he’s rattled with Reading. He singled and doubled in his first Double-A start April 5 in Portland, Maine, and been consistent most of the time since.
The California native has not been home since February. He is looking forward to seeing friends and family again during next week’s Eastern League All-Star break.
It was on the West Coast where Stephen made decisions that have led to several steps forward in his professional career.
“It’s been a wild ride,” he said. “I appreciated everything and learned so much up here. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Morning Call reporter Tom Housenick can be reached at 610-820-6651 or at thousenick@mcall.com
Round-pick: Player, position, level with note
1-1: Mickey Moniak, OF, Strong two months in Double-A Reading
2-42: Kevin Gowdy, RHP, Consistent at low-A Lakewood after 2 years off following Tommy John surgery
3-78: Cole Stobbe, INF, Struggling in Lakewood
4-107: JoJo Romero, LHP, Sent back to Reading after poor start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley
5-137: Cole Irvin, LHP: Made MLB debut for Phillies among three stints; currently in Triple-A
6-167: David Martinelli, OF, Former Dallas Baptist teammate of Austin Listi, Darick Hall out of pro ball after 2017
7-197: Henri Lartigue, C, Batting .154 in 40 games in Reading
8-227: Grant Dyer, RHP: Promoted in late June to Reading after stellar start with high-A Clearwater
9-257: Blake Quinn, RHP: Out of pro ball after 2018, mostly with Clearwater
10-287: Julian Garcia, RHP, Doing well in 12 starts in Clearwater
12-347: Justin Miller, RHP, In independent ball after not making it above short-season Williamsport
13-377: Andrew Brown, RHP, Owns a 6.67 ERA for Clearwater
14-407: Darick Hall, 1B, Leads Eastern League in RBIs, third in homers for Reading
15-437: Alex Wojciechowski, 1B, Out of pro ball after 18 games in 2017 for Lakewood
Of note: Jonathan Hennigan, a 21st-round pick, is Stephen’s Reading teammate as is 25th-rounder Trevor Bettencourt (injured list)
