IronPigs are one of the best teams in Minor League Baseball this season
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Inside the third-base dugout at Coca-Cola Park, a black hockey helmet with a clear visor now sits next to the IronPigs’ batting helmets during games. It started when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms entered the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup playoffs last month and the baseball club wanted to show support for its Allentown, Pa., neighbors.
But even after the Phantoms were eliminated by the Hershey Bears in the second round, the helmet stuck around. It had become a celebration prop, with a sticker placed on it for each Lehigh Valley home run — a fun piece of equipment for a team that has had plenty of reasons to celebrate so far this season.
The IronPigs are in first place in the International League at 36-15, boasting the best record in Triple-A and the second best winning percentage of any full-season team in affiliated professional baseball at .706. It’s been an entertaining start to the year in the Lehigh Valley, with former major leaguers, organizational contributors and legitimate prospects combining to tear up Triple-A.
With the first half of the season ending on June 22, the IronPigs can secure their first International League postseason appearance since 2018 if they can remain atop the 20-club table and finish as first-half champions.
“We have good talent, we have homegrown talent, we have veterans, we have a good pitching staff and things like that,” manager Anthony Contreras said Sunday. “All that mixed in a pot together helps give us a chance to do what we’re doing.”
The Lehigh Valley roster has names that Phillies fans would recognize from their time in Philadelphia like catcher Garrett Stubbs, infielders Buddy Kennedy and Rodolfo Castro and outfielders Óscar Mercado and Cal Stevenson. There are former first rounders like outfielder Justin Crawford, right-hander Mick Abel, who made a stellar big-league spot start earlier this month, and top prospect Andrew Painter.
Seth Johnson, Michael Mercado and Daniel Robert have pitched for the Phillies and are now in the IronPigs bullpen. Otto Kemp, a former undrafted free agent, has been excellent at the plate. Former Red Sox infielder Christian Arroyo and former Padres pitcher Nabil Crismatt are among the other veterans. This collection of players has made for an impressive Triple-A club.
“Our group of guys is really good, too,” reliever Devin Sweet, who pitched for the Mariners and Athletics in 2023, said. “We have a lot of guys with experience in the big leagues, but nobody’s treating anybody any differently. Nobody’s really been salty about being here and not in the big leagues. Everybody’s kind of showing up, having fun and trying to win games. So the fact that we are winning games does help a little bit, too.”
The pitching staff has been the biggest driver of success for Lehigh Valley, and its starting rotation has been excellent. Sometimes in Minor League Baseball, a team might carry a few projects in its rotation. Starters might struggle to throw strikes, leading to short outings, heavy bullpen usage and a lot of shuffling through pitchers. The IronPigs have not operated in this way.
Led by a rotation that currently includes Crismatt, Painter, Abel, Alan Rangel and former major leaguer Kyle Tyler, Lehigh Valley’s starting pitchers have racked up the most innings (254 2/3) and strikeouts (242) in the International League. IronPigs starters have a 3.82 ERA, the third best mark in their league.
“I think having having a strong starting rotation just is a pride and joy for the starters themselves,” Tyler said, “and for any team, because it shows that the coaches, the manager and the position players all have faith in the guys to get the job done, especially when it’s needed.”
Tyler acknowledged that some of the relievers may wish that they were pitching more at times, but also expressed confidence in the group to step up later in the year if the starters need more of a break due to their workload. While IronPigs relief pitchers have a 4.51 ERA, around the middle of the pack in the International League, there are some intriguing arms in the bullpen.
Of course, this club may not look exactly the same in the second half of the season, which is why grabbing a playoff spot in the first half will be crucial. Winning games makes everything more enjoyable, but the minor leagues are about development and providing depth for the major-league teams. The IronPigs will be shaken up to some degree as the Phillies promote players, trade them to other organizations or take them off the roster in response to other moves.
“As the year starts to make the natural changes that happen,” Contreras said, “that’s kind of my where my mindset is: How do we keep that train rolling with the different changes that happen through a Triple-A season?”
Painter is expected to make his debut in the majors this summer. Abel or Kemp could also be needed at some point, and there will likely be some need in the bullpen for Philadelphia in the aftermath of José Alvarado’s 80-game suspension.
Every player at Triple-A would rather be in the big leagues. For at least some of these IronPigs, that will likely happen, but only time will tell when. In the meantime, they might as well keep winning on the way there.