2024 Phillies Pre-Season Prospect Rankings - Rookie Levels

I neglected to finish my Phillies pre-season prospect lists, so here are my lists for the rookie levels and of unassigned players:

FCL:

1. Devin Saltiban
2. TJayy Walton
3. Junior Marin
4. Mavis Graves
5. Avery Owusu-Asiedu
6. Kehden Hettiger
7. Pierce Bennett
8. Enruque Segura
9. Yemal Flores
10. Micah Ottenbreit

DSL:

1. Eduardo Tait
2. Starlyn Caba
3. Maxwel Hernandez
4. Angel Liranzo
5. Jaeden Calderon

Unassigned:

1. George Klassen
2. Luke Russo
3. Lachlan Wells
4. Jalvin Arias
5. Jake Eddington
6. Ethan Chenault
7. Charles King
8. Marty Gair

The top names on each list here stand out. Devin Saltiban was the Phillies 2nd pick last year and has serious physical tools that saw him draw comparisons to Hawai'i baseball and Phillies legend Shane Victorino. Eduardo Tait had a monster season in the DSL and doesn't turn 18 until August of 2024. He's already well-rounded as both a hitter and catcher. Additionally, Starlyn Caba, who actually outranks Tait on most lists, is a two-way threat as well, playing as an infielder. George Klassen is a project hurler who struggles with walks, but has some of the best stuff out there when he's on.

2024 MLB Sleeper Prospects - AL West

Here's a list of some of the prospects I have been looking at from the AL West.

 

Los Angeles Angels - Tyler Thomas

Tyler Thomas, 28, is a former prospect of note who joins the Angels via the David Fletcher swap after Atlanta picked him in the MiLB portion of the Rule Five Draft. An independent ball pickup by the Mets last season, Thomas was dominant at AA, posting a 0.706 WHIP. 

Houston Astros - Jacob DeLabio

Jacob DeLabio, a former undrafted free agent, posted a 1.15 ERA last season. His walk rate remains high, but he's limited damage quite well as a pro so far.

Oakland Athletics - Armando Alvarez

Armando Alvarez, 30 in July, has played a lot of pro ball. He's a former 17th rounder by the Yankees that spent last year mostly at AAA Sacramento. It was his 3rd season at the level at an advanced age, granted, but he hit an eye-popping .313/.383/.569 at the level. Alvarez just got his first MLB look, and Oakland can use to see if they have a late-blooming gem in him down the stretch.

Seattle Mariners - Isiah Gilliam/Cody Bolton

A pair of post-hype prospects, Gilliam and Bolton are different types of picks here. The former isn't on the 40, but could push his way onto it with continued power production. The latter is a potential multi-inning weapon for the contending Mariners.

Texas Rangers - Reid Birlingmair

Reid Birlingmair, a former Athletics prospect, is a product of what might be the Mid-West's premier baseball side, the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks. A strong run at the end of last year between A+ and AA should put Birlingmair, 27, on the radar for a MLB look this year.

2024 MLB Sleeper Prospects - NL Central

Here's my sleeper prospect selections for the NL Central.

Milwaukee Brewers - Shane Smith

I think the Brewers have many sneaky-good prospects in their system, but Shane Smith, a former undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest, really stands out. The Brewers, especially dealing with injuries, could use Smith in the near future. He finished with a WHIP under 1 last year and a 13.0 K/9, and a 1.27 ERA between the A+ and AA levels.

 

St. Louis Cardinals - Jacob Bosiokovic

The Craidnals brought in a bunch of indy ballers this offseason, one being a returning name in Jacob Bosiokovic, 30. He pitched for Memphis in 2022, and is a converted infielder. The Cardinals have already brought up a few relievers this season for looks - Bosiokovic could get the next one.

Chicago Cubs - Zac Leigh

Zac Leigh, a late rounder out of Texas State, is another pitcher that gets a lot of strike outs. Truthfully, I didn't look at any Cubs players until now, so this isn't a proper pick.

Pittsburgh Pirates - Ryder Ryan

Ryder Ryan's a journeyman RP who debuted briefly for Seattle last season. I caught onto him at the 2021 Olympics, and his strong AAA track record makes me think he can translate his success to the Majors.

 

Cincinnati Reds - Peyton Gray/Blake Dunn

Okay, I'm cheating a bit two of my Reds shortlist have already made the Majors, so it's probably skewing my choices here (though I try my best when I make these picks late to avoid that). So here's my compromise. Peyton Gray ended up starting the season on the 60-day IL, but wasn't placed on it immediately, so I'm going with Blake Dunn, a power speed threat with 53 Sb and 23 HR last season between AA and AAA. It's, needless to say, no shock to me to see him up already.

2024 MLB Sleeper Prospects - AL East

I'm continuing my sleeper prospect series with the AL East today.

Blue Jays - Hagen Danner

A legitimate two-way prospect coming out of high school, Hagen Danner didn't pan out as a catcher, but started moving rapidly though the system as a reliever. He posted a 12.8 K/9 across three Minors levels, with most of that production coming at AAA. Injuries have been a concern, but he's got a MLB calibre arsenal and could see action for the Blue Jays this season.

Baltimore Orioles - Keagan Gillies

The Orioles system is deep in position players and is now developing a good starter group, but overlooked in the system are the relievers. Keagan Gillies is a name worth watching. He posted a minuscule WHIP just over .8 last season between the A+ and AA levels with a 13.5 K/9 mark as well. With some pitching staff injuries plaguing the O's, Gillies is a guy who could play a role for them this season.

Tampa Bay Rays - Logan Driscoll

The Rays have a seriously woeful catching situation that already caused them to make one move this season, sending down projected starter René Pinto for Alex Jackson. Late-March pickup Ben Rortvedt has emerged as a surprising starter, but there's no guarantee he lasts with the club. Now more than ever, with Blake Hunt out of the system, expect another former Padres 2nd rounder to fill the void as Tampa's next man up - Logan Driscoll. Driscoll had a strong offensive season between the AA and AAA levels last season after a tough 2022, and overall has a good track record of production in the Minors. I'd bet he sees time with the Rays this season.

Boston Red Sox - Jamie Westbrook

I rushed this post today because I wanted to make sure it didn't look like hindsight bias when I posted my Red Sox pick, the journeyman Jamie Westbrook, 28. I've obviously been pounding the drum for this guy for some time, but it doesn't come as a shock to me that the Sox, with serious infield uncertainty, were the team to need him. If his production can translate, I could see him being an excellent super-utility guy for the team at the very worst.

New York Yankees - Jack Neely

The Yankees are off to a great start this season, but that doesn't mean they might not need reinforcements at some point this season. I could see Jack Neely being one of them. Neely has an arsenal that saw him post a 13.6 K/9 last season between the A+ and AA levels, while finishing with a WHIP under .9. That's a fantastic combination that could see him on a Major League mound in due order.

2024 Phillies Prospect Rankings AA and A Levels

Next in the preseason prospect rankings we have the AA and A ball levels.

 

Andrew Painter+
Carlos De La Cruz
Ethan Wilson
Marcus Lee Sang
Tommy McCollum
Jordi Martinez
Cristian Hernandez
Konnor Ash
Max Lazar
Matt Osterberg
Triston Garnett
Casey Martin
Baron Radcliff

 

Andrew Painter and Carlos De La Cruz are the obvious #1 and #2 names on this list, but the next few are

interesting. Ethan Wilson had a miniature breakout in 2023 with Reading, while the young Marcus Lee Sang hit

a bit of a speed bump at the level after a strong start at Jersey Shore. Tommy McCollum had impressive 2023

seasons and have the stuff to see time in the Majors this season. Max Lazar was one of the names I was interested

in in Minor League free agency this offseason as a change-of-pace arm with starting experience.

 

Justin Crawford
Wen Hui Pan
Gabriel Rincones Jr.
Wesley Moore
Jack Dallas
Mitch Neunborn
Bryan Rincon
Kendall Simmons
Erubiel Armenta
Andrew Walling
Carlos Betancourt
Cade Fergus
Caleb Ricketts
Hendry Mendez
Robert Moore
Samuel Aldegheri
Jonh Henriquez
 

An interesting A+ list has a lot of interesting new names. Justin Crawford is an obvious #1 and Wen Hui Pan 

and Gabriel Rincones Jr. in the next two spots make sense as well. Wesley Moore is an interesting undrafted

hurler that is very deceptive, and early returns this season continue to show he can be a fast riser. Mitch

Neunborn, who turns 27 this year is an unconventional prospect who made his affiliated debut at A+ last year.

He's one of the more underrated names to watch in the system. A bunch more interesting names, particularly arms,

litter this list.

 

Aidan Miller
William Bergolla Jr.
Emaarion Boyd
Raylin Heredia
Nikau Pouaka-Grego+
Estibenzon Jimenez
Danny Wilkinson
Jordan Dissin
Zach Arnold
Brandon Beckel
Jaydenn Estanista
Jean Cabrera
Alex Rao
Eiberson Castellano
Alex McFarlane

A dominant Clearwater team naturally produces a good list, even with several names having made A+ or higher

later on in the 2023 Minors slate. 2023 1st rounder Aidan Miller looks every part of a future star, while youthful

and projectable names in Bergolla Jr, Boyd, and Heredia are worth following. Villanova alumnus Danny

Wilkinson dominated with 16.8 K/9, while Pottstown native Jordan Dissin held his own in his first full season in

the pros.

2024 Phillies Prospect Rankings - AAA and MLB

We're back at it again with raking the Phillies prospects, starting with the top 2 levels this year. The Phillies have only 3 prospects with MLB action from last year:

Orion Kerkering
Wes Wilson
Cal Stevenson

Orion Kerkering and Wes Wilson should both have an impact on the MLB roster this season, particularly the precocious Kerkering. Cal Stevenson was a waiver claim last year that stuck around at AAA from the end of last year. He could perhaps see action with a hot start at AAA, which he's done as recently as 2022.

At the AAA level, there are many new names joining guys with past experience in the system, continuing to show the changing environment of the system.

Mick Abel
Christian McGowan
Simón Muzziotti
Matt Kroon
Brett Schulze
Griff McGarry
Nicklaus Snyder
Michael Mercado
Zac Houston
Tyler McKay
Taylor Lehman
Nick Podkul

Mick Abel is naturally the #1 here, and may already have the inside track on being the next man up in the rotation for the Phillies after a strong Spring. Should his control continue to be improved, he could be an impact player for the Phillies this season. Christian McGowan is one of the sneakier names that could have a big impact on the team this year after a strong run last season coming back from Tommy John Surgery. Matt Kroon could be the 2024 version of 2022 Dalton Guthrie and 2023 Wes Wilson following another strong season in the high Minors. He can move around and could end up being a useful bench piece down the stretch. Schulze, Snyder, Mercado, and Houston are lottery ticket high-leverage arms that could use some tweaks, and could be risers in the system this year. Griff McGarry is a wildcard after changing his mechanics in the offseason. Finally, keep an eye on Nick Podkul, who had a breakout in an abridged 2023.

2024 MLB Sleeper Prospects - NL East

The NL East has been known for seeing big impact from rookies over the past several years, many from Atlanta. Expect some of the big names to play active roles again, but what about some more under the radar names? Here's one from each team.

Atlanta Braves - Brooks Wilson

Besides prospects of acclaim in Hurston Waldrep and maybe Drake Baldwin, it's hard to see the loaded Braves to see too much action from rookies this year. One other name that could sneak onto the roster at some point is Brooks Wilson, 28. Wilson's a name I've looked at in the past as a sleeper for Atlanta. He missed most of the past two seasons with injury, which makes him even more of a sleeper. He returned late with the same K stuff that he had before injury, including in the AFL.

Miami Marlins - Dane Myers

Dane Myers, 28, was a name I was looking at last year for a mention, but he ultimately missed the cut. While he's no longer the same level of sleeper, having some MLB action under his belt, his monster numbers last year saw him get some prospect love in spite of his advanced age. Myers, a former pitcher, obliterated AA, AAA, and eventually MLB pitching, with a .339/.417/.516 slash line at AAA standing out in particular. Myers narrowly missed the Marlins' OD roster after a monster spring - expect this demotion won't last long.

New York Mets - Nate Lavender

In the midst of a transitional year, the Mets will likely see several prospects play for them this season. Expect Nate Lavender to be one of the first. The 24 year old lefty is a bit of a crafty type, but he owns a 2.32 ERA as a pro and a 13.7 K/9, so that craft clearly works.

Washington Nationals - Tyler Schoff

The Nationals are another team that should see plenty of rookies play for them this year. Would anyone be shocked if all of Dylan Crews, Brady House, James Wood, Yohandy Morales, Trey Lipscomb, DJ Herz, and Darren Baker play for them this year. Here's another name worth keeping an eye on - 25 year old reliever Tyler Schoff. He's got an arsenal of 4-5 pitches with different break action and added velocity from last year. The former UDFA from Bryant should start at AAA, but his arsenal could see him as a big name in Washington's bullpen soon enough. You can read more on Schoff from the following article, where I pulled a lot of this info from.

https://www.romesentinel.com/sports/national/tyler-schoff-talks-about-spring-training/article_20fe0bdc-eae1-11ee-b8df-4b7c27df9264.html

Philadelphia Phillies - Wes Wilson

The irony of knowing a system well is it's hard to tell who is a sleeper anymore. The key I've determined is opportunity. Well, Wes Wilson, 29, may be the man who gets an opportunity. The Phillies have but one spot likely to be held by a rookie this season - Orion Kerkering's BP spot, and he's no sleeper anymore. But Wilson has played well enough in the past ~13 months to where he's a guy who could be the first (or at least one of the first) to take a spot if a position player goes down for the Phillies. He had a monster season at Lehigh that saw him go 30-30, as well as a short loom late in the regular season and a postseason roster spot for a time. The Phillies are no strangers to grizzled rookies (looking at you Chris Coste). Wilson could be the next 30-ish Phillies rookie to play a big role for the team.