The 2024 Lehigh Valley IronPigs opened the season with a roster pretty much devoid of top prospects.

The exception was pitcher Mick Abel, who struggled through much of the season before turning things around slightly later in the year.

Rafael Marchan could be considered somewhat of a prospect, but has had trouble staying healthy throughout his career, diminishing his future value. Instead, Lehigh Valley was a roster full of insurance policies and low risk, high-reward types who have the potential to help at the major league level.

With just three weeks remaining on the minor league schedule — including one season-ending homestand later this month — let’s take a look at some of these unsung players who have done exactly what they were hired to do.

Cal Stevenson was once thought to have a decent major league career ahead of him. He was only a 10th round pick, but it was thought that he could at worst be a fourth outfielder, and possibly crack the major league lineup of some team. Instead, his career fizzled and as he approaches his 28th birthday next week, he’s one of those guys teams like to have around.

Stevenson did get a little playing time with the Phillies this season and hit .200 in 10 at-bats. For the IronPigs, Stevenson has been a stalwart, batting .303 with eight home runs and 44 RBIs to go along with 28 stolen bases. He has never had an extended shot in the majors, getting just 95 plate appearances in 36 games, and has hit just .152 as a major leaguer. In the minors, he has produced at levels he has not been able to duplicate since his debut season of 2018 when he burst onto the scene with Toronto and its rookie league team. Perhaps over the offseason someone will give him a look, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he returns to the Phillies organization.

David Dahl is in much the same category as Stevenson, but with a couple more years of experience and more success at the major league level. Dahl was the 10th overall pick by the Rockies in 2012 and came into the majors in 2016, hitting .315 in 63 games with Colorado that season. An injury cost him the 2017 season, but he returned to the majors in 2018 and hit a career-high 16 homers, and followed that up with a 15 home run season in which he hit .302 for Colorado and represented the team at the All-Star Game.

Things fell apart from there, and the Phillies are the seventh organization he’s played for in the past five seasons. In a stint with the Phils, the 30-year-old Dahl started strong, but hit just .207 in 19 major league games and was back at Lehigh Valley. Meanwhile, the Pigs are glad to have him and his 14 home runs to go with a .302 average and .370 on-base percentage. What Dahl most needs is an extended opportunity with a major league team to show he can stick, and at the very least be a valuable bat off the bench, if not a full-time player. At the age of 30, though, he is entering a phase where teams simply won’t look at him in that light.

Cody Roberts is not a name that most people remember, but he has quietly put together a decent season with Lehigh Valley. Roberts started his career in the Baltimore organization, and has spent the past two seasons with the Phillies. Last season was not a good one for Roberts at Double-A Reading, but he has turned that around this year with a .299/.383/.418 line and decent metrics behind the plate, which is always a plus for a catcher. He has thrown out bases tealers around league average, and does well at blocking pitches. Odds are that he will get a shot at playing in the majors at some point, but likely will not become a major league regular. He could become one of those organizational type guys who hang around with a team as insurance.

It was a good year for pitchers named Tyler at Lehigh Valley. Tyler Gilbert and Tyler McKay both have put together good seasons and upped their value. Gilbert, 30, pitched in just one game for the Phillies, but has been strong out of the IronPigs bullpen this season — his first in the Phillies organization. He has major league experience, albeit without a lot of success, and is a lefty, which bodes well for his future. He could be a guy that the Phillies look to resign following the season to give them some of that coveted depth.

As for McKay, 27, he has put together very similar and successful back-to-back seasons with Reading and Lehigh Valley. He should return to the organization next season, and may get an extended look in spring training to fight for a job in the major league bullpen.

FAMILY REUNION … Normally when a player’s parents come to town to watch their son play, it’s not a big deal. When your dad is Roger Clemens, it creates a little more of a stir. Kody Clemens’ parents were in town for the last homestand and viewed the games from one of the suites provided by the IronPigs.

LAST CHANCE … The Double-A schedule comes to an end Sunday, and the Reading Fightins are home this week for your last chance to see one of the top prospects in the game, Justin Crawford. There is a chance that Crawford comes to Lehigh Valley for its final homestand next week. Crawford is worth the price of admission, and Reading is a great place to take in a game.

OVER AND OUT … Lehigh Valley is still mathematically alive for a playoff spot, but in reality, its chances have run out. The Pigs are eight games out of the final spot in the IL playoffs with 18 games remaining, and would need to climb over 10 teams to get to the top of the standings. They have played better in the second half than in the first half, but time is running out.