This is why most leagues in the minors play a split season. It’s the minors; players come and go. A team that is bad or even just average in the first half can be a powerhouse in the second half, and vice versa. Take for example, the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. The Phillies High-A affiliate finished the first half with a 25-39 (.391) record and were last in the South Atlantic League (SAL) North, 15.5 games behind the Frederick Keys, who won the division by percentage points over the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
Meanwhile, in the Florida State League (FSL), the Clearwater Threshers not only won the FSL West by 2.5 games over Fort Myers, with a 39-26 (.600) record, they were the best team in the league.
While the Threshers have a playoff spot locked up, on Tuesday, the Phillies added a degree of difficulty for the Threshers to repeat in the second half. And at the same time, the Phillies gave a shot of adrenalin to the BlueClaws for their pursuit of a second half championship and a spot in the SAL playoffs. The potential reversal of fortune came in the form of four pitchers who were morphed into BlueClaws after being Threshers in the first half of the season.
Cody Bowker, Gabe Craig, Tanner Gresham, and Ramon Marquez were moved up the minor league ladder. Just what can each of these players do to help the fortunes of Jersey Shore? Here’s a quick look at each of the players.
RELATED: Trio of Threshers No-Hit Mets in Clearwater Sweep
Cody Bowker, Age 22, RHP
Cody Bowker was selected by the Phillies in the third round (100th overall) of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt University and signed for a bonus around $700,000, an aggressive slot given his modest college numbers and unranked status entering the draft. A Maine native from Bowdoinham, Bowker began his college career as a two-way player at Georgetown, starting 29 games in the outfield as a freshman before committing fully to pitching as a sophomore, when he posted a 3.00 ERA over 48 innings. He transferred to Vanderbilt for his junior season and finished 3-5 with a 4.38 ERA across 16 starts and 72 innings, though his swing-and-miss ability stood out more than his record, as he racked up 99 strikeouts over those innings.
His defining trait is an unusual delivery: he throws from an extreme drop-and-drive, low arm slot, with his back knee nearly scraping the ground on release, which creates deceptive, rising life on a fastball sitting in the 91-94 mph range that can touch 95. He complements that with a four-pitch mix featuring a cutter, slider, and changeup. Bowker reported to the Phillies’ complex in Florida in August 2025 but did not pitch professionally last summer, making 2026 his first official professional season. Scouts projected him as a likely multi-inning relief option, but the Phillies have put him primarily in the rotation for this season. The belief is that his deep arsenal leaves room for him to develop into a back of the rotation starter. He got his first start with Jersey Shore on Wednesday and it went well with him throwing four shutout innings.
2026 Clearwater stats: 2-4, 5.90 | 39.2 IP | 20 BB | 64 K
2026 Lakewood stats: 0-0, 0.00 | 4.0 IP | 0 BB | 6 K
Gabe Craig, Age 24, RHP
Gabe Craig was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round (161st overall) of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Baylor University, capping a winding college path that included stops at Tyler Junior College and Texas A&M before he found a permanent home as Baylor’s closer. His final collegiate season was historically dominant: he went 3-0 with 10 saves over 32 innings, struck out 51 batters while walking just three, and led the nation with a 0.56 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, and a 17:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That performance made him a five-publication All-American, one of only four relief pitchers nationally to earn that distinction, and a finalist for both the National Pitcher of the Year and Stopper of the Year awards. Scouts have compared his power fastball-slider combination to that of current Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering, another fifth-round college closer pick.
Craig debuted professionally in 2025 with Clearwater, immediately working in high-leverage, late-inning relief situations across his first few outings. Heading into 2026, evaluators viewed him as the relief prospect most likely to move quickly through the upper levels of the system, with some analysts even suggesting he could reach the majors before fellow 2025 draftee and first-rounder Gage Wood. For the Threshers, Craig was a key pitching component on their first gakf championship pitching staff.
2026 Clearwater Stats: 2-0, 3.68 | 22.0 IP | 13 BB | 33 K | 5 SV-6 SVO
2026 Jersey Shore Stats: 0-0, 0.00 | 1.1 IP | 0 BB | 0 K | 0 SVO
Tanner Gresham, Age 24, RHP
Tanner Gresham was signed by the Phillies as an undrafted free agent in August of 2024, after four seasons pitching for Army in the Patriot League. He attended West Point, and uniquely among prospects, he graduated from the United States Military Academy and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army that same month, which delayed the start of his professional career. Since he wasn’t among the small number of athletes permitted to defer their military commission to pursue pro sports, he first had to complete the Basic Officer Leadership Course as a Military Police Officer before gaining admission to the World Class Athlete Program, a military initiative that allows elite athletes to train for their sport while serving.
Gresham worked as both a starter and closer for Army; in 2023 he was named Patriot League Pitcher of the Year after going 5-1 over 10 starts with a 2.90 ERA across 59 innings. In 2022 he was a First Team All-Patriot League selection as the team’s primary closer. Once his pro career finally launched in 2025 with Clearwater, Gresham made an immediate impact, including throwing five no-hit innings in a combined Threshers no-hitter at St. Lucie on June 3 of that year. He carried that momentum into 2026, earning Florida State League Pitcher of the Week honors in early June after a dominant five-inning, one-hit, scoreless outing. Across 11 games in 2026 he posted a 3.10 ERA with 49 strikeouts over 40.2 innings.
2026 Clearwater Stats: 1-3, 2.95 | 42.2 IP | 23 BB | 51 K
Ramon Marquez, Age 20, RHP
Ramon Marquez stands apart from this group as an international signing rather than a draft pick: born in Phoenix, Arizona but raised in Mexico, he was signed as an international free agent on January 15, 2025, for a bargain bonus of just $10,000. Despite that modest price tag, he has quickly become one of the most discussed arms in the system.
The Phillies bypassed the typical Dominican Summer League assignment for him, sending him directly to the Florida Complex League for his pro debut, where he excelled enough to earn a promotion to full-season Single-A Clearwater for the final month of the 2025 season, finishing with a combined 1.25 WHIP and 72 strikeouts in 55 innings across both stops. His changeup is considered an elite weapon, an unusually sharp, sinking and tailing pitch that produced a miss rate just over 60% last season. He carried that momentum into 2026, opening the year with back-to-back nine-strikeout starts, and was named a Phillies Co-Pitcher of the Month for May after posting a 1.50 ERA with 41 strikeouts over 24 innings, a 44.1% strikeout rate. Heading into his most recent promotion, he ranked as the Phillies’ number nine overall prospect, and Baseball America had tabbed him as a preseason sleeper to watch in 2026.
2026 Clearwater Stats: 3-0, 1.86 | 29.0 IP | 10 BB | 47 K
More BlueClaws transactions
Jersey Shore also received Nikau Pouaka-Grego from Reading. Pitcher Luis Avila was moved to Clearwater and catcher Gabriel Flores was reassigned to the Florida Complex League (FCL). Also, first baseman Brock Vradenburg was released.
Here are some notes on those players:
Nikau Pouaka-Grego, Age 21, SS
One of the more intriguing international signings in the Phillies organization, Pouaka-Grego signed on January 15, 2022, for a $250,000 bonus. Born September 13, 2004, in Christchurch, New Zealand, the 21-year-old stands 5’9″ and weighs 175 pounds, bats left, and throws right. He has worked his way through the system primarily at shortstop and second base, seeing time with the FCL Phillies, Clearwater Threshers, Jersey Shore BlueClaws, and most recently the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.
As a 17-year-old in his FCL debut, he was one of just a handful of players that age in a stateside complex — and one of the best hitters in the Florida Coast League. He showed a good feel for contact and plate approach, and hit for a surprising amount of power thanks to a quick swing. The primary strength of his game is bat-to-ball ability, with scouts noting he makes hard enough contact to tap into solid in-game power as he matures physically.
On the negative side, his 2023 season was completely wiped out by a knee injury sustained while playing in Australia’s winter league, and his final defensive home remains a question. Second base is the most likely landing spot, though it is not a certainty. If he is forced to move to an outfield corner, his bat would need to take a significant step forward. The risk profile on Pouaka-Grego is rated extreme given the missed time and remaining questions about his power ceiling, but the hit-tool foundation gives him a legitimate path to being an everyday infielder.
Luis Avila, Age 23, RHP
Signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in the 2023 class, Avila moved stateside in 2024 and worked his way up to serve as Clearwater’s closer by the end of that season, though he showed occasional control struggles along the way.
Brock Vradenburg, Age 24, 1B
Vradenburg is a towering 6’6″, 230-pound first baseman who was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the third round (78th overall) of the 2023 draft out of Michigan State, and was later signed by the Phillies as a minor league free agent after being released. He was one of the best pure hitters in college in 2023, slashing .400/.492/.721 with 13 home runs and excellent plate discipline, earning third team All-American honors, though his pro debut was more modest and scouts note he has average bat speed with his power more strength-based than tool-driven. In 43 games with Jersey Shore this season, Vradenburg was batting just .142 with one home run.
Please scroll down to comment on this story or to give it a rating. We appreciate your feedback!
Disclaimer: Some of the products featured or linked on this website may generate income for Philly Baseball News through affiliate commissions, sponsorships, or direct sales. We only promote items we believe in, but please assume that PBN may earn a cut from qualifying purchases that you make using a link on this site.
© 2026 LV Sports Media. All rights reserved.
