Playoff Preview: Fightins vs. Thunder

The Reading Fightin Phils are set to battle the Trenton Thunder in the East Division Championship Series, beginning with Wednesday's 7 p.m. first pitch at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Reading's last playoff appearance came in 2016, when the R-Phils fell to Trenton in the division series. After finishing with the best overall record in the Eastern League that year at 89-52, the Fightins dropped the first two games to Trenton before rebounding with a 13-5 win in game three. The Thunder secured a spot in the Eastern League Championship with a 3-2 win in the decisive game four.
With the Fightins and Thunder splitting a four-game series over the weekend in Trenton, Reading finished the regular season with a 6-8 record against the Thunder. The Fightins went 3-4 in meetings at FirstEnergy Stadium, and 3-4 on the road at Arm & Hammer Park. The Thunder were the only team in the East Division to hold a winning record against Reading.
The R-Phils won the second half in the East with a 41-31 record, while finishing with the best overall mark in the Eastern League at 80-59. Trenton earned the first half bid after going 38-28, and finished 76-62 overall.
Reading has featured a balanced attack throughout the season, but run production has been a strong suit.
The Fightins finished the regular season leading the league in triples (47), home runs (119), and walks (503), tied with Erie for the league lead in slugging percentage (.386), ranked second in stolen bases (115), and third in the league in runs (586) and on-base percentage (.318).
Luke Williams paces the top of the lineup, setting a career high with 30 stolen bases in 2019. Williams finished third in the league in runs scored, and set career highs in homers (11) and RBIs (51) while playing every position except pitcher and catcher.
The offense is keyed by outfielder Mickey Moniak and first baseman Darick Hall, who were both awarded midseason and post-season All-Star honors, and were named the team's co-MVPs.
A first-overall draft pick in 2016, Moniak tied with Hall for the fourth-most RBIs in the league (67), led in triples (13), was second in total bases (204), finished fifth in slugging (.439), and tied for sixth in doubles (28).
Hall tied for second in the EL in homers (20), led the league in doubles (38) and total bases (207), tied for third in slugging (.454), and was fifth in walks (60).
Josh Stephen is wrapping up a breakout year, in which he finished second in the league in slugging percentage (.483), ninth in the league in hitting (.271), and tied for fourth in the league in doubles (29) and triples (6). Stephen began the season as Reading's fourth outfielder, after spending 2018 in Class-A Lakewood. Alec Bohm joined Reading from Advanced-A Clearwater on June 21 and made an immediate and lasting impact, as the 2018 first round pick out of Wichita State clubbed 14 home runs and drove in 42 across just 63 games, while hitting .269.
Right-hander Spencer Howard will lead the Fightins rotation into the post-season, taking the ball in game one.
Howard, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Phillies No. 4 prospect, has made seven starts in Reading after joining the Fightins from Clearwater on July 26. In 30.2 innings, Howard's ERA is just 1.29, and the 23-year-old has racked up 38 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .180 average. After missing two months due to an early-season injury, Howard posted a 1.29 ERA in seven starts with Clearwater prior to his call-up.
Reading will send left-hander David Parkinson (10-9, 4.08 ERA) to the mound in game two at 7 p.m. on Thursday, while right-hander Adonis Medina (7-7, 4.94 ERA) starts at Trenton in game three at 7 p.m. on Friday.
The Fightins pitching staff set the Eastern League single-season record with 1,271 strikeouts this year, breaking Trenton's previous record of 1,239 set in 2016. Reading ranked 11th in ERA (3.73), while Trenton finished ninth (3.67).
The Thunder tied for seventh in the league in runs (543), but were second in OBP (.320), third in walks (472), and tied for fourth in homers (102).
Trenton's lineup is led by Eastern League MVP Chris Gittens.
Gittens finished in the top five in all triple crown categories, leading the league in homers (23) and RBIs (77) while ranking fourth in average (.281). The first baseman also paced the Eastern League in OBP (.393) and slugging (.500), and drew the second-most walks (71), earning midseason and post-season All-Star honors. Gittens was selected by the Yankees in the 12th round out of Grayson Junior College (TX) in 2014.
Infielders Hoy Jun Park and Kyle Holder provide a steady threat. Park hit .272 to rank eighth in the EL, and finished fifth in the league with a .363 OBP, while Holder tied for second on the team with nine home runs and batted.265. Outfielder Ben Ruta contributed 25 stolen bases and ranked second on the team with 55 RBIs, batting .260.
Trenton is set to have right-hander Clarke Schmidt on the mound in the playoff opener on Wednesday. Schmidt, a first round draft pick out of the University of South Carolina in 2017, was promoted to Trenton on August 15 and has gone 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three starts. He has walked only one batter in 19 innings while striking out 19. Schmidt began the season in Advanced-A Tampa, putting up a 3.84 ERA in 13 games (12 starts). He is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees No. 5 prospect.
Right-hander Rony Garcia (4-11, 4.44) will take the mound in game two, and No. 27 prospect Miguel Yajure (14-13, 2.47 between Tampa/Trenton) starts game three.
Both teams feature strong back-end relievers, with the R-Phils led by Reading co-Pitchers of the year Addison Russ and Jakob Hernandez. Russ ranked third in the EL with 22 saves and led the league with 55 appearances, and the right-hander posted a 2.54 ERA while striking out 81 batters in 56.2 innings. Hernandez finished with a miniscule 1.68 ERA in 47 games, while the lefty limited opponents to a .178 average.
Trenton righty Daniel Alvarez finished right behind Russ with 21 saves, racking up 76 strikeouts across 58.1 innings while putting up a 2.31 ERA. Fellow right-hander Brooks Kriske notched 11 saves and a 2.59 ERA in 36 games.
On the defensive end, Reading tied with Altoona for the best fielding percentage in the EL at .982. Trenton ranked 10th at .978.
This will be Reading's fifth playoff appearance in the last 10 years. The R-Phils were named co-champions of the Eastern League along with New Britain in 2001, due to the stoppage of play following 9/11. Reading's last outright Championship was in 1995, when the R-Phils defeated New Haven in five games for the title.
The Fightin Phils meet the Trenton Thunder in the East Division Championship Series beginning on Wednesday, September 4 at 7 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium. Reading will also host game two of the division series on Thursday, September 5 at 7 p.m. Game three (and 4-5, if necessary) will take place at Arm & Hammer Park in Trenton. Friday's contest begins at 7 p.m., while the final two games would be at 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Should Reading advance to the finals, the Fightins would host games one and two of the best-of-five series against the West division champions on Tuesday, September 10 and Wednesday, September 11, both at 7 p.m.
Tickets for all home playoff games are available now at the Weidenhammer Ticket Office at FirstEnergy Stadium, online at fightins.com/playoffs, or by calling 610-370-BALL.