During the off-season Joe worked on his strength and conditioning. He switched some of his training techniques from being a pitcher, and began training more like a hitter. After hitting .348 for the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs the Phillies were quite optimistic about Joe's chances of becoming a force in their Major League Lineup. After a successful spring training in 2011, Joe was sent to Clearwater Threshers. As of April 15, 2011, Joe is hitting .621, with 4 doubles and 1 home-run. He finished the season batting .307 with 2 home runs for Clearwater. He was later promoted to AA Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley where he was once again converted to a pitcher, but this time a relief pitcher. He compiled a 1.80 ERA, 2 saves, 25/6 k/BB ratio, in 25 innings pitched for the IronPigs.