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.