2026 Phillies Mid-Season Top-31 Prospects - Yep, These are Definitely Prospects

Over the All-Star Break I finalized my top prospects list for the Phillies, so it's time now to break down the rankings. Firstly, I will note this list actually has 31 guys because Alan Rangel MIGHT have exceeded rookie limits over the break, but I can't confirm this, so he has provisional status on this list. And truthfully, I kinda struggled with the guys in 26th and on, so it looks a bit odd in this section. Anyway, let's jump right in with the bottom of the list.

We start with the new additions. The team added 6 guys in the Draft that I would consider likely to be on this list were I to include the new draftees (I don't because at the time of this list, most hadn't signed). These 6 are Tyler Spangler, Will Gasparino, Ruger Riojas, Jaxon Jelkin, Bo Rhudy, and Caden Bogenpohl. The top 3 would be locks, with Spangler being in the top 10 and Gasparino and Riojas being somewhere in the next 10 in particular. They would likely replace some of the following:

#31 - Brian Keller

Keller caught my eye the moment the Phillies signed him nearly three years out of the game. Injuries derailed his career after a strong run in AAA culminating in 2023, but he's back to dominating hitters at the AAA level, and recently earned a promotion to the Majors. He's probably more of a AAAA swingman type, but he's beat every challenge to this point, so him becoming a viable MLB pitcher wouldn't be too shocking.

#30 - Tanner Gresham

Gresham turns 25 in September and hasn't mastered High-A yet, but his strong pro start at Clearwater got me a bit intrigued that he's more than just a neat little story. The West Point product's underlying numbers aren't fantastic, but again, he's still in his first pro season, and hitting the ground running from the jump stands as a good sign.

#29 - Sean Youngerman

Youngerman started the season sitting near some of last year's top draftees, but he's had a poor season and his stuff has yet to take a step forward like the team presumably hoped. He did just turn 22, but he's looking more and more like a reliever in the future.

#28 - Griff Burkholder

After struggling with injury in 2025 and having a tough April, Burkholder slashed .289/.398/.519 in May and June to jump back up prospect boards, but I'm not exactly convinced. Otherwise as a pro he's been injury prone and unproductive, and his K rate remains high. If he keep up the momentum for Jersey Shore I might buy the breakout, but for now now, I'm not buying his stock.

#27 - Brad Pacheco

Long listed as a prospect to watch in the low Minors, Pacheco struggled in his stateside debut last year, but has looked up to the task in an aggressive move up to Clearwater. Reports state he's vastly overhauled his arsenal, and the numbers back it up. He's a guy who just needs to keep up the momentum and he'll keep rising up this list.

#26 - Juan Parra

A big name #2 piece in the latest Phillies signing class, Parra has emerged as one of the better players in the DSL at just 17. He slashed .299/.457/.393 prior to the break and evaluators have been impressed. Unlike a Francisco Renteria, however, he does not have the loud tools that would rank a DSL prospect higher. If he does this again nest year, however, he could rocket up the list.

2026 Phillies Preseason Top 30 Prospects - The Top

I will be putting out my midseason Phillies prospect list soon, but I forgot to post my top 8 for the start of the season previously. They were as follows:

1. Aidan Miller
2. Andrew Painter
3. Dante Nori
4. Justin Crawford
5. Keaton Anthony
6. Gabriel Rincones Jr.
7. Aroon Escobar
8. Jean Cabrera

This list has aged less than ideally to say the least. I had Jean Cabrera fairly high up due to a strong season in the unfriendly environs of Reading due a high floor - unfortunately that hasn't borne out. Aroon Escobar has played with a well-rounded approach at levels advanced for his age, but his experience above the Low-A level has shown for sure. He remains a longer-term project. Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Keaton Anthony were guys I had as contenders for the OD roster before injuries. The former hasn't had crazy numbers at AAA, but still has a lot of solid skills that should make him an effective MLB player, and the latter's torrid pace last year should still have him in the Majors in short order, even while blocked at 1B. Justin Crawford and Dante Nori came in close for me, but I leaned towards the latter's more balanced ceiling over the polish and contact-oriented approach of Crawford. Hard to tell if either have All-Star ceilings, but their floors are pretty high. Andrew Painter had a tough last year and it's continued into this year, but I still believe now as I did at the start of the year that his talent is worth holding onto. Finally, Aidan Miller takes the top spot after a season where he really showed all the tools, hitting for power and contact, stealing bases, and improving drastically at SS. Even with his injury concerns, I still believe he's a future star in this lineup.

2026 Phillies Preseason Top 30 Prospects - Welcome to the Club

This next group of prospects is a composite list that more or less comprises of the guys that aren't in the group that I think are high-probability moderate-impact MLB contributors, but have more going for them than the group from 21 on. Here's that group from 9-20:

9. Carson DeMartini

10. Yoniel Curet

11. Wen Hui Pan

12. Devin Saltiban

13. Gage Wood

14. Francisco Renteria

15. Cade Obermueller

16. Matthew Fisher

17. Moisés Chace

18. Ramon Marquez

19. Sean Youngerman

20. Mavis Graves

I wanted badly to be pushing Carson DeMartini up the list after he landed at 7th on my mid-season list last year, but even with two departures ahead of him, he falls off of a miserable 2nd half with Reading. He's a guy who's likely to fall hard if he can't recapture his Jersey Shore form this year. Yoniel Curet is the guy I forgot about listing before making my original list, and I had trouble placing him. A divisive prospect that the Rays gave up on, he's probably not sticking around in the rotation, even with great numbers up through AA in that role, but he could be a very good reliever. Better health is what puts him over Wen Hui Pan, who I really need to stay on the mound after he comes back from Tommy John at some point this season. Devin Saltiban rises largely because of graduations in front of him, but also thanks to a strong ABL run that showed he's not totally lost at the plate. The ceiling is still enticing with him, but he remains very raw. The next group is composed of the better additions the team has made in the draft and international free agency in the past year. Gage Wood naturally leads the way as one of the better arms in the system. If he can stay on the mound and be successful, he can rise quickly, both in the Minors and on this list. Francisco Renteria represents one of the biggest swings the Phillies have made in the international amateur market, and is probably the biggest boom-bust bet on this list. Cade Obermueller and Matthew Fisher are not as heralded as Wood, but are arms with solid polish who have rotation upside. Moisés Chace remains a hard name to rank after Tommy John surgery nixed a chance for him to build on a breakout 2024 season. His future still feels like it resides in the bullpen. Ramon Marquez is very green, but has generated a lot of buzz for his work as a first-year pro last year, one during which he made A-ball before turnng 20. He's a name to watch this season. Sean Youngerman represents the third tier of names from the last draft as a guy who's not quite as exciting as Obermueller or Fisher, but is a better bet to succeed than Cody Bowker. Finally, Mavis Graves hangs on at 20 thanks to a strong finish to last season.

2026 Phillies Preseason Top 30 Prospects - The Backend

Our analysis of the top 30 begins at the bottom if you've read through my lists before, mostly because of shuffling above this section a lot of guys here holding serve, and some guys outside the top 30 not really doing enough to jump up. Anyways, this section was SUPPOSED to be 20-30, but I forgot someone higher up the list in between making my last post and this one, so it's 21-30 plus our new 1st man out. Either way, here's that contingent:

21. Alex McFarlane

22. Andrew Walling

23. José Rodríguez

24. Raylin Heredia

25. Alex Binelas

26. Charles King

27. Alan Rangel

28. Cody Bowker

29. Tristan Garnett

30. Daniel Harper

31. Griff Burkholder

This group is largely composed of mid-ceiling guys, plus a few names that are farther away from the Majors that need to prove more to advance on this list, and more than a few injuries. Griff Burkholder falls out of the top 30 after barely hanging on in my 1st edition of this list due to a miserable season where he failed to generate much momentum at all, much unlike fellow 2024 draftee Dante Nori. Daniel Harper's a good stuff guy, but is also coming off an unimpressive season, and has fallen off by the evaluation of even the analysts most bullish of him. It's put up or shut up time for him. Similar goes for Tristan Garnett, a guy whose stuff is less impressive, but his numbers are moreso. 2025 3rd rounder Cody Bowker is loved by evaluators, but is a pretty extreme project as a recent convertee to the mound. He'll get more grace on this list, but I still want to see more results at this point. Alan Rangel's here mostly off of some old evaluations about his projection in the pen, and his proximity to the Majors. Doubt he's a MLB arm in the rotation, but he could be a useful long reliever at the next level. Charles King's spot is mostly unchanged from where it was at last check, more or less because his results in the rotation at Reading don't really matter to me because I see him as a strict RP if he makes it. Nevertheless, he'll keep plugging away in that role for now. Alex Binelas falls a bit from my 2025 mid-season list because, well, you can only do so much continuing to be a good-but-not-great Eastern Leaguer. Ditto goes for José Rodríguez who, at least, is younger and has missed time the past few years. Andrew Walling is another reliever in that Daniel Harper mold with success up through AA with moderate stuff that is gonna need to do it in AAA this year to stay ranked. Truthfully, this ranking feels a TAD gratuitous. Closing us out here is Alex McFarlane who, truthfully, is very hard to rank. He's a guy I faded for a while, but the success later last year in the pen delivered on the claims I've seen from evaluators saying his future may be as a reliever. Still, his floor feels low, even for a guy with AA success. A hot start in 2026 could help boost his rankings firmly into the next tier.

2026 Phillies Preseason Top 30 Prospects - Honerable Mentions

As the 2026 Phillies season gets started, so too do the seasons of the team’s affiliates. Following an interesting past 12 months that have seen several quality prospects traded away, but several more added in the draft, the system looks a lot different, even at the top, where there’s been some noteworthy movement. This year, I’d like to break down my list a little differently. First, let’s start with the subtractions from the list:

3. Mick Abel

5. Eduardo Tait

8. Otto Kemp

10. Hendry Mendez

14. Eiberson Castellano

24. Jaydenn Estanista

26. Avery Owusu-Asiedu

27. Carson Taylor

28. John Spikerman

30. Juan Amarante

Abel, Tait, and Mendez were all dealt to the Twins at the 2025 trade deadline. Abel ended up exceeding rookie limits last year, though Tait and Mendez would still be top 10 prospects on this team were they still in the system. Kemp was the lone member of the mid-season 30 who left the list by graduating. Castellano became a free agent and signed with the Rockies in the offseason, though a rough 2025 season would have dinged him anyway. Avery Owusu-Asiedu would have likely risen in the rankings had he not been dealt to the Diamondbacks for Kyle Backhus in the offseason. Taylor would have again been a fringe-30 candidate this year had he not been a Minor League Rule Five Draft selection by the Mariners. Each of Estanista, Spikerman, and Amarante all fell out of the top 30 but remain in the system. Additionally, Zach McCambley would have made my list had he stuck with the team as a Rule Five selection, but he didn’t, so he isn’t. He would have been somewhere in the 20s on this year’s list.

Next, let’s talk honorable mentions. 5 members of the 2025 draft made my list - 5 names I’ve seen other lists that did not were Gabe Crag, Matthew Ferrara, James Tallon, Brian Walters, and Logan Dawson. These guys don’t have the combo of ceiling, floor, and proximity to the Majors to crack the top 30 right now. Same goes for Juan Parra and Romeli Espinosa, who both have high ceilings, but are even more green than the aforementioned contingent. Kehden Hettiger (who’s probably the first guy out of my top 30) and Alirio Ferrebus have the benefit of being catchers, but neither has a developed enough bat or fielding tool to make me confident right now that either is likely to be an impact player in the Majors. Guys like Dylan Campbell and Bryan Rincon are viewed highly in the organization for their defense, but both haven’t hit much in the pros. Saul Teran, Jack Dallas, and the aforementioned Jaydenn Estanista are fringe-30 guys who could sneak onto or back onto the list, but just sit outside right now. Casey Steward has great stuff, but a disastrous 2025 dinged his prospect hype; similar goes for Brad Pacheco. Zuher Yousuf and Angel Liranzo are interesting low Minors arms, but don’t have the dynamic arsenals to crack this list yet. Guys like Luke Russo and Reese Dutton have held their own in the low-mid Minors, but don’t have carrying skills. Christian McGowan and Griff McGarry still exist, but it feels like either actually having a season to get excited about at this point is wishful thinking. And there’s Felix Reyes, who, truthfully, I just need to see more of to have ranked.

While this collection of prospects likely won’t amount to much, several are MLB-adjacent, which always boosts the likelihood of making the jump. Many of these names are also very young, so they have time to develop. Don’t be shocked if a few of these guys end up cracking the top 30 by mid-season, especially with some graduations from the current top-30 being inevitable.

2026 Phillies Impact Prospects - #6-#1

Continuing on with our list of impact prospects for the 2026 Phillies season, we get to the top 6, where we have a lot of expected names, but likely at least one that might surprise you.

#6 Gage Wood

Gage Wood’s placement on this list derives from a few potential uses he could have to the team this year. He’s already solidly within the game’s top 100 prospects by Baseball Prospectus, and well regarded by most other evaluators - something that naturally informs high trade value and suggests depth at SP that can allow for trades out of that pool of players, but some believe he could pitch in the Majors as soon as right now, and if not, very soon. It’s probable his value on each of these fronts will be even higher next year, but he’s still a very valuable piece for the organization’s plans even in 2026.

#5 Jean Cabrera

Jean Cabrera might be the biggest surprise of this list, but for good reason. The advantage he has on Wood is he’s much further ahead of him on the organizational ladder, which is useful for a variety of purposes. While the team seems interested in adding more SP depth, he entered camp with an outside shot at a SP job, but moreso the SP6 job - a job he could very close to Rangel in. Unlike Rangel, however, his ceiling as a SP is much higher, even if he’s unlikely to ever be a top 3 SP in a contending rotation. If he continues his strong work from last year, however, he could end up as the team’s top rotation fill-in in due order, or as a valuable trade chip, especially with how much teams desire MLB-ready SP.

#4 Aidan Miller

Aidan Miller might have the highest ceiling of anyone in the Phillies farm system, and while he’s likely more of a 2027 play at this point, his strong play in 2025 even while battling injury suggests he could be a Major Leaguer - and a very good one - sooner rather than later. I had him pegged as a longshot to make the team out of camp, presumably at 2B, but after his injury issues and Bryson Stott’s stabilizing, he’ll start in AAA - something that was very likely anyway. That said, I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s up very soon, even with the team likely taking it slow with his injury rehab.

#3 Gabriel Rincones Jr.

I did these rankings before Spring Training on purpose so as to not have the results be influenced by small sample size results and be more predictive, so I had Gabriel Rincones Jr. as having the inside track on the last bench spot as a versatile OF reserve to compliment someone like Adolis García in RF in particular, but after his injury in February, his turn to see MLB action will have to wait - enough to where I would have probably had him behind Miller if I did these rankings now, but I’ll keep them as I had prior to the start of ST. A menace to RHP when he’s healthy, Rincones offers several solid skills, even if few are stellar. He’s got good power-speed production and is a capable corner OF, which could make him an important piece for this team at some point this season.

#2 Andrew Painter

It’s tough to know what we’re going to get from Andrew Painter after a rough 2025, but what we do know is he’ll be given a shot. It does say a lot that he was effectively given a SP job to lose in camp, so it seems like there’s a good shot he’ll go the distance with the team this year - something that would suggest one of the biggest prospect impacts on the team, regardless of how well he plays in the action he gets. One thing that should help him is the team’s bullpen depth, which should allow his innings to be managed well - something that could help him be better as the season goes on and hopefully limit how much he wears down.

#1 Justin Crawford

I give the edge to Justin Crawford over Painter because he’s likely to play more than Painter, and he’s coming off of a better 2025 season. Crawford, too, is a guy who should benefit from a managed role - they have the ability to platoon him a bit with Brandon Marsh, and he could be a very effective 9 hole hitter with his speed and contact ability, allowing him to be a weapon on the basepaths ahead of the top of the order. Overall, he may need some time to develop into an effective contributor, but the team will give him time to take his lumps, and I think that could help him improve as the season goes on - something that I think matters a lot more than being more productive in April or May.

This list, of course, isn't exhaustive, even including the honorable mentions, and there will almost certainly be at least one rookie who sees action for the Phillies this year who I have yet to mention. After all, I wouldn't have had Max Lazar on a hypothetical 2024 list, and certainly not someone like Orion Kerkering in 2023, Seranthony Domínguez in 2018, or Luis García in 2013. Especially in the year following a draft where the team picked up a lot of polished college arms, it wouldn't be shocking to see a completely out-of-left-field prospect make an impact for the team this year.

2026 Phillies Impact Prospects - #7-#12 and Honorable Mentions

The 2026 Phillies season presents as one of transition - while the team clearly intends to contend for a World Series, there looks to be several rookies that will play a large role on the team. With that in mind, now might be a good time to see which prospects could have the biggest impact on how well the 2026 season goes.

Honorable Mentions:

There were a few guys that didn’t make my top 12 that I think are worth talking about. First, guys like Keaton Anthony, Wen Hui Pan, and Yoniel Curet could have an impact this year, but I don’t think any will play much or have a massive impact. Names like Dante Nori, Aroon Escobar, Moisés Chace, Carson DeMartini, Devin Saltiban, Cade Obermueller, Mavis Graves, and Griff Burkholder could be potential trade pieces, but didn’t feel as likely to move, or as likely to have big value in a trade as some of the other guys in the system I felt like highlighting.

#12 Matthew Fisher

Very rarely does a team make a 7th round pick and have that guy in immediate top 10 prospect consideration, but that’s where phenom Matthew Fisher sits. Athletic with upside of multiple plus offerings, Fisher, 20 in March, could be a guy who starts strong in the pros and quickly boosts his trade value, or plays his way deeper into long-term organizational pitching plans. It’s not unheard of after all for mid-round HS hurlers to quickly rise up prospect boards, a la Travis Sykora (2023) and Noah Schultz (2022). Fisher probably doesn’t have the same projection as either of those guys, but he has a shot to pop early.

#11 Alex McFarlane

Drafted in 2022, the Phillies tried to make Alex McFarlane work as a SP until midway through last year, before pulling the plug and moving him to the pen, a location most scouts figured he’d end up in eventually. His numbers out of the bullpen weren’t amazing, but he did make his way to AA and onto the MLB roster. McFarlane isn’t MLB-ready right now, but he makes this list because he has a decent shot to be in AAA midway through this season, and his upside could make him more than just a “show-me” arm down the stretch.

#10 Andrew Walling

It’s a bit difficult to get a gauge on Walling as a prospect. Matt Winkelman has him at 36th on his prospects list this year, and he’s really the only one that has him ranked anywhere, which feels odd. The stuff doesn’t pop as much as McFarlane, but he wins the tiebreaker for 10th because of his closeness to the Majors, plus being a lefthander, which should be useful considering the general lack of LHP depth on the team and in the system, especially after the Matt Strahm trade. It’s hard to really expect more than “third lefty” stuff from Walling, at least right now, but on a team whose 4th lefty options are non-roster guys who may not even be in the system by the start of the season, he’s certainly in position to play a role for the team if needed.

#9 Ramon Marquez

It’s been a bit since the Phillies had a nice pop-up prospect, but Ramon Marquez could be that guy. A bargain-basement signing in the 2025 signing period, the 19 year-old hurler advanced directly to stateside ball before finishing the season at Clearwater. Along the way, he turned heads and was named amongst the best prospects in the FCL. He has an athletic and projectable build and good offerings already, which could see him pop expediently. I have him ahead of Fisher here because of having a year of pro experience on him, and he seems like he might have more projection. Similarly to Fisher, Marquez could quickly build up trade interest, or simply make the Phillies more comfortable trading other hurlers in the system.

#8 Alan Rangel

Alan Rangel’s one of the more slow-moving prospects that I can think of that you could also still argue is a prospect to watch. For the most part, his pro career has been nondescript, though it has taken a few turns in recent years, as he went from Atlanta’s 40-man roster, to the Angels system in free agency (where he still generated some prospect attention), to the Phillies 40-man by the end of that same year. His ceiling isn’t that high, but Rangel is MLB-ready right now, and he showed well as a reliever last year - a role he’s long been suggested as a potential plus in. It wouldn’t be shocking if he pops if given a long look in the role.

#7 Zach McCambley

Zach McCambley leads the way amongst presumptive relievers on this list for the obvious reason of being a Rule 5 pick and needing to stick on the roster to stick in the organization, but his offerings certainly play a role too - enough to have him as a member of the top 30 from most prospect boards. His fastball isn’t great, but effective, and his secondary offerings are very interesting. That all is enough to suggest he can be a low-leverage arm right now, but some evaluators believe he could see higher-leverage innings down the line. All of this is enough to suggest he should be given a spot to lose in ST. The Phillies haven’t carried a Rule 5 player this far into the offseason since Noah Song in 2023 (admittedly a bit of a special case), and prior to that, Tyler Goeddel in 2016, so it stands to reason they like him enough to think he’s got a legitimate shot at making the team.