The Lehigh Valley IronPigs rank 19th out of 20 teams in the Triple-A East in hitting this season.

One of the bright spots and most versatile players on the team, however, has been Dalton Guthrie, who arrived from Reading on June 18.

Guthrie’s promotion was a bit of a surprise since he had a total of just 36 career games at Double-A, and was hitting just .219 with the Fightins.

IronPigs hitting coach Garey Ingram wasn’t concerned about Guthrie’s mechanics, but instead, focused on his approach at the plate.

“When he first got here, I think it was a little overwhelming because he had never been in Triple-A, and he seemed like he was a deer caught in headlights a little bit when he first got here, but that’s understandable,” recalls Ingram. “He’s an aggressive hitter, and I don’t have any problem with that; it’s just being aggressive in certain counts and what the situation tells you to do. I just was talking to him about what they’re going to start trying to do to him, and that he doesn’t have to swing at every pitch.”

The result has been successful for Guthrie, who is hitting .333 with 13 RBIs in 29 games as an IronPig.

In his debut season in 2018, Guthrie hit a combined .241 between stops in the Gulf Coast League and at Low-A Lakewood. He followed that up with a .243 season with Clearwater in 2019, before the pandemic canceled the 2020 minor league season. The newfound success is getting Guthrie noticed around baseball, as he remains hopeful for that next step to the majors.

“I give all the credit to that kid because Guthrie is a hard worker, and he will never go less than 100 miles-per-hour and he takes his hitting, his defense and his whole game that way. I just tried to get him to slow things down on the hitting side just so that he doesn’t get himself out, because he used to swing at a lot of bad pitches,” Ingram noted. “He’s just mixed his aggressiveness with his mental approach when he gets into the box now.”

Guthrie grew up around baseball when his dad, Mark Guthrie, pitched in the majors from 1989-2003 for nine different teams. While dad might not have learned a lot about hitting during his time in the majors, he was able to help his son know how pitchers think, and what their approach may be. He also was able to pass along help with the mental side of the game that Guthrie puts to use regularly.

“This game is crazy difficult, and just having someone like him when you’re going good or bad to just stay levelheaded and do what you can and control what you can control,” said Guthrie. “He’s a big reason for where I am in this game today.”

The Phillies don’t need to add Guthrie to the 40-man roster to protect him in the Rule 5 draft this winter, and his arrival in the majors may well be delayed until at least next season. The good news, though, is that his performance - enhanced by some good advice along the way - has put him on the Philadelphia radar screen.

HEATWAVE ... Mickey Moniak has been unbelievably hot at the plate over his last 10 games with Lehigh Valley. During that span, the outfield prospect and former first overall pick has hit .425 (17-for-40) with five doubles, a triple, four home runs and 15 RBIs. Moniak was recalled by the Phillies when Travis Jankowski went on the COVID restricted list on Sunday. In Guthrie’s last 10 games, he is batting .409 (18-for-44) with nine doubles, four RBIs and nine runs scored.

WELCOME TO TOWN ... Daniel Brito was promoted to Lehigh Valley from Reading during the IronPigs recent homestand and is off to a quick start. The 23-year-old infielder has seven hits in five games at Triple-A, with two home runs and seven RBI. In 63 games with Reading, Brito hit six home runs and was batting .296. Veteran outfielder Jorge Bonifacio - who has played in over 200 major league games with Kansas City and Detroit - is seeking a return to the majors and was also recently promoted to Lehigh Valley. Bonifacio, 28, is hitting .316 with six hits in five games with the IronPigs.

WELCOME TO TOWN, PART 2 ... 20-year-old right-hander Victor Vargas got a surprising call to come to Lehigh Valley from Low-A Clearwater to make somewhat of an emergency start Sunday against Worcester. Vargas threw five shutout innings in his Lehigh Valley debut, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out three batters. It’s unclear whether Vargas will stick with Lehigh Valley or be bumped back down the ladder, but his debut at Triple-A was impressive.