2023 Phillies Mid-Season Prospect Rankings - Rookie Levels

It's that time of year again - time for mid-season prospect rankings! As the MLB/Minors All-Star Break has occured, I have used this time to re-rank the Phillies prospects. Once again we start at the rookie levels, where the FCL Phillies hold a .5 game lead at 15-11 in the conplex league's North Division, while the two DSL affiliates once again are dominating the DSL's South Division. The reigning champions DSL Phillies White are 2nd in the DSL at 20-6, while the Red affiliate is 15-11. Here is a rundown of the top-10 prospects having topped out at these levels this season:

1. Raylin Heredia
2. Rickardo Perez+
3. Junior Marin#
4. Dakota Kotowski\/
5. Eduardo Tait
6. Starlyn Caba
7. Maxwel Hernandez
8. Enrique Segura
9. Micah Ottenbreit\/
10. Mavis Graves

Rickardo Perez has strangely not played yet this season due to a suspension, and to this end has gotten passed by Raylin Heredia, who has gone nuclear since moving up to the FCL, slashing .400/.480/.659 across 21 contests. The slugging percentage sets him apart from some of the other young position prospects whose power has yet to develop. Heredia has also produced 41 runs, stolen five bases, and hit five triples. Meanwhile, injuries have limited the newcomer Junior Marin to just 5 contests at the FCL, but the ex-Royals prospect showed quite well enough in the prior two seasons to be ranked highly regardless. Dakota Kotowski appears viewed by the origination as a organizational filler, but the ex-Miss State bopper has 9 home runs in 21 complex games, which can not be glossed over. Finally, keep an eye on the unheralded Eduardo Tait, who is just 16 but nevertheless has been one of the Red club's best hitters while also gunning down 44% of potential base-stealers. That performance jumps him past the higher-regarded Caba and Hernandez, who are also having strong seasons.

2023 Phillies Prospect Rankings - Rookie Levels

As the 2023 MLB season approaches, so does another season of Minor League baseball. With this in mind, now is a great time to break down the state of the Phillies prospects. As was done last season, I will start at the rookie level. The change this year, however, is I am also going to include guys who topped out in the DSL last year. I already acknowledge that I really don't know a lot about any of these players at the rookie ball level and some of my rankings are approximate, but with some interesting performances in the DSL it stands to reason that incorporating some of these players would be appropriate. In regards to the FCL level, the Phillies side went an unimpressive 26-29 last year, but the DSL clubs both prospered. The White and Red teams finished 1st and 3rd, respectfully, in the San Pedro Division, with the former winning the DSL championship.

Regardless, the list I have made for the rookie levels features the following top 13:

William Bergolla Jr.
Rickardo Perez
Nikau Pouaka-Grego
Maxwel Hernandez
Gabriel Rincones Jr.$
Samuel Aldegheri\/
Jaydenn Estanista
Gavin Tonkel
Mavis Graves$
Braeden Fausnaught$
Jordan Dissin$
Diego Gonzalez
Lou Helmig

This list of course includes several draft picks from the past draft, but is led by several returning names. William Bergolla Jr. had a brilliant season led by a .380 average, which of course wasn't a shock given his pedigree. Rickardo Perez once again leads the GCL names followed again by Nikau Pouaka-Grego. Maxwel Hernandez was perhaps Bergolla's equal on the mound, leading the DSL in his professional debut with a minuscule 0.72 ERA last season. Gabriel Rincones Jr. was the team's 2nd pick last season. After not playing at any professional level after the draft, he's a name that we hopefully will get some more clarity on this year. Some new names in the crowd include Mavis Graves, Braeden Fausnaught, and Jordan Dissin. Graves is a bit of a project who has yet to make his professional debut - Fausnaught, by contrast, was the ace for a strong DII program at West Chester who saw a brief professional debut last season. Dissin was a 12th rounder out of JuCo ball who hit well in summer ball in 2021 and in a tiny FCL debut last season.

2022 Phillies Mid-Season Prospect Rankings - FCL

Now that the All-Star break has arrived, it's about time that you'll see all the "mid-season" this and that in the world of baseball. While never the mathematical midpoint in the season, the All-Star break still provides a good point at which to evaluate the progress of things within the MLB season. I have decided to take another look at the Phillies prospects, following the same procedure I did in the past by ranking prospects level by level. Because it is during the season, I will consider a player who is on the 60-day IL for a level but has only played in rehab at a lower level as part of the former level's list. Starting off we will examine the FCL level again. The FCL Phillies 11-17 and boast an interesting collection of position prospects in particular. Here are the rankings for the team:

Rickardo Perez
Nikau Pouaka-Grego
Jordan Viars
Gavin Tonkel*
Lou Helmig
Diego Gonzalez
Jaydenn Estanista
Estibenzon Jimenez
Jonathan Petit
Giussepe Velasquez
Ricardo Rosario
Sergio Sanchez
Jose Pena
Daniel Mejia
Nick Fanti*

Rickardo Perez is the consensus top prospect of this group and it isn't really close. A former top bonus-getter on the international amateur market, Perez moved up to the FCL after a year with the DSL Phillies and has come out of the gate hitting for a .357 average in 16 contests. With the organization's wealth of catching depth, he could be a name on the move in the near future, but if not, he will be a name to watch rise though the levels of the system. Nikau Pouaka-Grego is also a name to watch, as he has been the club's best hitter at just 17. The New Zealand-born shortstop has slashed .326/.475/.478 in 15 contests. Lou Helmig was also a member of the same class as him, but has not impressed as much off the start. Jordan Viars and Gavin Tonkel, meanwhile, were high school draftees from the 2021 class, though both have dealt with injuries this season.