The Lehigh Valley IronPigs finished the 2022 season at 76-72, nine games out of first place, and good enough for fourth place in the International League East.

The Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay) went on to win the IL East, and then defeated the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee) to move on to the Triple-A Championship. Durham’s offense was too much for the Pacific Coast League champion Reno Aces (Arizona) for the Triple-A championship.

Lehigh Valley was competing - and actually held the top spot in the division - for much of the season. Ultimately, losing key players to the Phillies, along with some injuries of their own, sank the ship and the Pigs drifted down through the standings.

In all, 10 different IronPigs players made their MLB debuts in 2022, with Mark Appel’s debut likely being the highlight.

Appel had lingered much longer in the minors than anyone initially thought he would when he was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2013 Draft. The 31-year-old pitched well in six games with the Phillies, but finished the season on the IL with arm soreness. Bryson Stott and Darick Hall had the most success in the majors. Stott was brought up to Philly on May 7, and will likely never see the minors again. Hall had a shorter stint, but hit nine home runs for the Phillies before returning to Lehigh Valley because he was not getting consistent playing time in Philly. He has since been recalled by the Phillies.

So, what lies ahead for the 2023 IronPigs?

First will likely be an infusion of young pitching from Double-A Reading. Look for the team’s top two prospects, Andrew Painter and Mick Abel, to open the season with Lehigh Valley. Painter was named both the Baseball America and MLB Pipeline top pitching prospect of the year, and was honored by the Phillies as the Paul Owens Award Winner as the organization’s top pitching prospect.

Unfortunately for ‘Pigs fans, Painter could skip over the Triple-A level and open the season in the starting rotation for Philadelphia. Abel is hot on Painter’s heels on the list of top pitching prospects, and likely will be in Lehigh Valley next April.

Griff McGarry - who was moved to Lehigh Valley late in the year to be groomed as a reliever after pitching out of Reading’s rotation - is a guy that the Phillies will have to make a decision on. Is he a starter or reliever? One of the reasons for the move this season was to get him to the majors sooner, but that did not happen as he showed some struggles during the conversion. Odds are that he returns to the rotation and will be at Lehigh Valley in 2023.

At some point, the Phillies are going to have to make a decision on Jhailyn Ortiz. The Phillies signed the now 23-year-old outfielder out of the Dominican Republic in 2015, and he has moved slowly through the organization with varied success. He produced at a 17-home run, 61-RBI clip with a line of .237/.319/.415 this season, and many were surprised that he was not brought up to the Pigs when the Double-A season ended.

Infielder Wendell Rijo was Reading’s Player of the Year and at 26, the Phillies will want to move him up. Primarily a third baseman and second baseman, Rijo can also play some shortstop and finished with 12 home runs and hit .278 for the Fightins. First baseman Aldrem Corredor’s fate could be tied to the fate of Hall. If Hall opens in Philly, which he very well could, Corredor could make the step to Triple-A. If Hall has a pig on his hat in 2023, then Corredor will likely bide his time with Reading.

The 2023 season opens with a three-game series in Rochester on March 31, before heading for Lehigh Valley where the Pigs and RailRiders will renew their rivalry starting on April 4. Remember a few years back when the season opening weather was so bad in Rochester that the series was moved to Lehigh Valley and the balminess of 40-degree weather?

KUDOS

… Hall joined Painter as the winner of the Paul Owens Award as the organization’s top position player in 2022, and he was also named the IronPigs Player of the Year. Hall also finished the season tied with Rhys Hoskins for the most home runs in a season with 28. Between Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia, Hall hit 37 home runs. Appel received the team’s honors as the Top Pitching Prospect of the Year. Appel was not in town to receive the award as he was rehabbing in Clearwater.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR…

Coca-Cola Park will be a little different in 2023. The route of IronPigs Way, the major road into the park, is being changed to accommodate a warehouse that is being constructed. IronPigs way will lead to an increased parking area in center field where fans can take advantage of the new center field gate, which opened this season. Behind the scenes, new training facilities, locker rooms and other player amenities are being built. Now that the season has ended, construction has begun in earnest. On the field, MLB is getting rid of shifting on the infield, and it’s possible that the challenge system for balls and strikes - which was used in the Pacific Coast League and in Charlotte this season - will be added to all of Minor League Baseball.

SCHEDULE UPDATE

… The schedule still has teams playing six-game series against each other in 2023, with a few exceptions. The opening series will be three games, as will the series immediately following the All-Star Break. Among teams that the Pigs will play who they did not see in 2022 are the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Miami), Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis), and Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit). All three teams will make a trip to Coca-Cola Park.