2025 Phillies Top 30 Prospects

I've been sitting on my Top 30 Phillies Prospects list for this year for a bit, but I'm working on getting my mid-season one done, so I have to get this out now if I want it out. Here's the list:Andrew Painter

1. Andrew Painter
2. Aidan Miller
3. Justin Crawford
4. Eduardo Tait
5. Seth Johnson
6. Gabriel Rincones Jr.
7. Moisés Chace
8. Wen Hui Pan
9. Eiberson Castellano
10. Jean Cabrera
11. Otto Kemp
12. Mavis Graves
13. Mick Abel
14. Dante Nori
15. Devin Saltiban
16. Griff Burkholder
17. Keaton Anthony
18. Andrew Walling
19. Casey Steward
20. Daniel Harper
21. Matt Kroon
22. Max Lazar
23. José Rodríguez
24. Michael Mercado
25. Estibenzon Jimenez
26. Tommy McCollum
27. Tristan Garnett
28. Christian McGowan
29. Aroon Escobar
30. Rafael Lantigua

As has usually been the case, I generally lean towards more MLB ready players and higher floor players, even if that's something I've moved away from some. The top 16 were fairly obvious, and itw as a bit more confusing from there. The top 4 were far from surprising, but I did have Seth Johnson at 5, because my belief was his floor as a good RP was quite high, though the results so far this year suggest that may not have been true. Gabriel Rincones Jr. is an intriguing all-around prospect, and, Moisés Chace, Wen Hui Pan, Eiberson Castellano, all have big-league stuff that should see them up eventually. Jean Cabrera was a little lower because he's always been more a floor guy than ceiling. Otto Kemp was a hard rank at the beginning of the year, but his production last year was enough to get him in the middle of this tier. Mavis Graves landed in above Mick Abel, whose slide ended here after an awful 2024. Graves is more a floor guy as well, but there's reason to believe he could elevate that, while Abel's so far made some of the changes that should see him higher on the list in the next version. Dante Nori, Devin Saltiban, Griff Burkholder all sat in the next group, and I gave Nori the edge because of his floor in the OF.

The next group is a fall-off from the first one, and very fungible. Keaton Anthony is the most ineteresting, and would slot in higher were he not of an odd archetype as a contact-first 1B. Casey Steward is an interesting name I clocked in Spring Training (I tend to try not to take too much out of ST, granted, but his stuff was electric) who seems like he could be a great RP or maybe even a SP. Max Lazar was a guy I quite liked last year, but his struggles late had me wondering if he could really be anything more than a fungible RP. The rest of the 30 is composed generally of pitchers who I sit a little higher on that most, and of course Aroon Escobar, who was low on my list simply because I needed to see more (and I have indeed seen more so far).

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.

2023 Phillies Mid-Season Prospect Rankings - Upper Levels

And here are the remainder of my prospect rankings from the min point in the 2023 season.

MLB:
McKinley Moore^^
Cal Stevenson#

AAA:
Simón Muzziotti\/
Jakob Hernandez
Jeremy Walker
Jhailyn Ortiz^
Weston Wilson
Vito Friscia
Esteban Quiroz\/
Jordan Qsar
Will Toffey+

AA:
Andrew Painter+
Johan Rojas
Mick Abel
Orion Kerkering^^
Carlos De La Cruz
Ethan Wilson
Cristian Hernandez^
Oliver Dunn
Zach Haake#
Griff McGarry\/
Brett Schulze
Matt Kroon
Baron Radcliff^
Casey Martin

Phillies Prospects on the Rise - April 2023

With April over, the first month of Minor League action is in the books. Thus, let’s look at some players in the Phillies system whose early work has improved their stock the most.

Gabriel Rincones Jr. - A hulking slugger who didn’t play after being drafted last year, Rincones has caught fire as the month has worn on. He now has four home runs in 20 games to go along with 13 stolen bases, 6 doubles, and 14 walks. If he continues to excel, expect to see him at Lakewood in the near future.

David Parkinson - It’s hard to think too highly of Parkinson as a prospect anymore after a disastrous pair of seasons, but the calculating lefty has looked rejuvenated so far for the Fightin’ Phils. Time will tell, but perhaps the year off was just what the doctor ordered here.

Ethan Wilson - It’s hard to take too much stock in a 9 game run, especially at Reading, but Wilson’s early success at the difficult-to-master level after prior struggles is encouraging. A .607 slugging percentage is a key stat here.

Hans Crouse - Crouse’s underlying stats are somewhat concerning, but a 2.31 ERA across 11.2 innings as a multi-inning relief threat are nice to see after a lost 2022.

Wen Hui Pan - The Taiwanese fireballer is off to a stellar start in his professional career at Clearwater, working to a miniscule 0.429 WHIP while mowing down 11 batters on strikes over 7 innings spread out over 3 outings so far. Quite polished for his age, expect the kid gloves to continue to come off on Pan over the next few months as he works into a starting role.

Nick Ward - An independent league get, Ward has shown off all of his tools so far this season, slashing .294/.464/.412 while going a perfect 7-7 on stolen base attempts.

Simón Muzziotti - After a slow Spring, Muzz has been amazing off the jump for Lehigh Valley, mashing .380/.390/.467 while playing strong defense across the outfield.

Noah Skirrow - Skirrow’s stuff isn’t electric, but he’s a strong pitch-to-contact pitcher who continued to succeed at Lehigh Valley. He could get a MLB look this season.

Oliver Dunn - Dunn staged a mini-breakout last season, but a .297/.408/.469 line in his return could show it was no fluke.

Orion Kerkering - A fireballer out of South Florida, Kerkering has yet to concede a run yet this season and pairs a 0.273 WHIP with a 16.0 K/9 rate.

Dalton Guthrie - It’s been more of the same for Guthrie, whose proving his success in 2022 was no fluke. He’s batting a strong .279/.380/.481.

Samuel Aldegheri - Aldegheri looks back in form after a lost 2022 season. In 15.2 innings, the Italian hurler has struck out 25 batters and allowed just 3 walks.

Mick Abel - It might not move the needle on where he’s ranked on top prospect lists, but a strong 4 game start at a hitter-friendly Reading is a great sign for the young Abel.

Wilfredo Flores - Injury concerns have slowed down this toolsy CF-turned-INF, but he’s off to a torrid 15-38 start in his first look at the A+ level.

Jhailyn Ortiz - It’s hard to take much out of just 10 games, but Ortiz has looked much better so far at Lehigh Valley than he did at Reading last season. His .278/.381/.500 slash numbers would be personal bests in full-season action.

Francisco Morales - Morales still carries an unfavorable 3.9 BB/9 rate, but that’s less than half of his number from last season, and his K/9 rate is around the same level as in 2022. Perhaps he’s finally cracked the code.

Jesús Cruz - Cruz has suffered from the same issue that plagued Morales in the past, but he has also walked less batters this season and also has maintained good strikeout numbers. Coupled with strong winter ball work, Cruz could indeed be figuring it out at last.

Jeremy Walker - Walker’s calling card is the ability to go multiple innings as a reliever. After a disastrous past three seasons, Walker’s limiting contact more than ever (7.4 H/9) - a good sign for his continued success.

Jordan Qsar - Qsar is an established Minor league power threat, but early returns at Lehigh Valley show better contact hitting and speed as well. He has 5 home runs and is 5-5 on steals in 22 games.

Esteban Quiroz - An established Minor League hitting threat, Quiroz had a down 2022, but has bounced back quite well so far, posting a .301/.463/.411 at Lehigh Valley, setting himself up to be one of the first names the Phillies could call if they suffer an infield injury.

Vito Friscia - Friscia’s missed time so far, but when he’s played he’s been quite good, slamming 3 blasts in 5 games.

2023 Phillies Prospect Rankings - AA

The Fightins struggled last season, finishing just 61-77 in the Eastern League, but as the season wore on more talent rose into the team's rotation and lineup. Let's break said players down.

Andrew Painter^
Mick Abel^
Carlos De La Cruz^
Johan Rojas
Albertus Barber^
Ethan Wilson^
Jhailyn Ortiz
Ethan Lindow
McKinley Moore
Josh Hendrickson
Braden Zarbnisky
Brett Schulze
Andrew Baker
Andrew Schultz

Painter, ranked amongst the top small handful of prospects in the game, is the obvious #1 here, but the talent continues on from there. Abel and De La Cruz had strong 2022 campaigns, boasting their stocks and putting both in position to potentially debut in 2023. From there, however, the talent drops off, in no small part due to names departing recently (Logan O'Hoppe, Billy Sullivan IV, and Ben Brown are just some names who would make this list if they weren't dealt). Plenty of RP talent still remains however. Barber had an up-and-down 2022, but his overall Minors numbers are nice. Moore (already promoted to the Majors since this list was compiled) has intriguing stuff and limits home runs well. Schulze was dominant again last season, and some others had down season but still have strong stuff.

2022 Phillies Mid-Season Prospect Rankings - A+

Hitting struggles have persisted all year for the A+ Jersey Shore Blue Claws, who sit at just 31-55 at the All-Star Break, but the club has been boosted by strong pitching production out of a core made up mostly of former high school draftees. Here are the club's top fifteen prospects:

Andrew Painter
Mick Abel
Kyle Glogoski
Christian McGowan
Ben Brown
Ethan Wilson
Erubiel Armenta
Andrick Nava
Victor Vargas
Rixon Wingrove
Carlos De La Cruz
Cristian Hernandez
Luis Garcia
Rafael Marcano
Albertus Barber

Painter of course of the biggest name on this list as the consensus top prospect in the system having just turned 19 and already dominating at the A+ level. Abel at #2 is no surprise, but Glogoski takes the wide open #3 spot having shown well in his return from an injury-crossed 2021 season. Brown is having a breakout season, and could see his stock rise even more if he can translate his A+ success into AA success. Armenta slides a bit thanks to less impressive production in his second go at the A+ level. Nava looked poised for a breakout season in his first year above the rookie level, but he was sent down to Clearwater after his hot stretch ran out. Two names increasing their stock this season have been Vargas and Wingrove, both of whom have rebounded this season after nightmarish 2021 campaigns. Hernandez, Garcia, Casey Martin, and Nicolas Torres, on the other hand, have struggled to perform at the A+ level, with the hitters particularly taking a hit after having already played at the A+ level prior.

2022 Phillies Prospect Rankings - Low-A

The Low-A stop was the first stop for a lot of first-time pros in 2021, especially members of the 2020 Phillies draft class and UDFA class. Many eventually advanced to A+, but of those who didn't, or moved up to Low-A, here are the rankings.

Mick Abel
Jared Wetherbee
Fernando Lozano
Cristian Hernandez
Alex McKenney
Jordi Martinez
Rafael Marcano
Yhoswar Garcia
Ethan Wilson
Samuel Aldegheri
Christian McGowan
Matt Osterberg
Jamari Baylor
Starlyn Castillo
Freylin Minyety

I actually ranked 29 players, but these were the top 15. Abel is obviously #1, and could start at Lakewood this season. Wetherbee surprised me with where I put him, but the older UDFA was very impressive in his short pro debut in 2021, and as a product of a good Elon program where he started he could have real upside, despite his age. Lozano is a rare Phillies prospect who is a product of the Mexican League, and showed well as both a starter and reliever for Clearwater last season. Hernandez was almost dealt to Pittsburgh, but his medicals scared the Pirates off. On the mound, Cristian maintained a 11.2 K/9 during a strong workload in his first season stateside at just 20.

Beyond this group is a mix of other younger relievers, recent signings, and a few hitters. Garcia, Wilson, and Baylor appear somewhat low here, but their placements are not as much to do about doubts in them but rather them having been passed by the pitchers above them. Aldegheri is a name not very well covered by prospect evaluators, but his 13.7 K/9 in his stateside debut at 19 was very curious. Could the club's Euro scouting gang have finally found their stud? McGowan, at 11, is a player without much in the way of numbers to go on, but is loved by scouts and could rise rapidly in the system. Castillo, a recent highly-ranked international amateur signing, showed well at times last season in his stateside debut, but is now headed for Tommy John Surgery.