March 02, 2018
At some point during this Phillies rebuild, it stands to reason that the improvement of the major league club will come at the expense of their minor league system. As more and more players graduate to the bigs, it becomes harder and harder to keep that prospect pool stocked with talent.
The Phillies, however, have done a nice job of loading up on prospects over the last few years – and some pretty good ones at that.
According to Jonathan Mayo, Mike Rosenbaum and Jim Callis of MLB.com, the Phillies have the fifth-best farm system in baseball.
1. San Diego Padres
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Philadelphia Phillies
6. New York Yankees
7. Oakland Athletics
8. Cincinnati Reds
9. Toronto Blue Jays
10. Los Angeles Dodgers
After checking in at No. 7 on MLB.com's 2016 preseason rankings, the Phillies began the 2017 season outside the top 10. But, by the time the mid-season rankings came out, they had climbed back to up to No. 7. Now, with the team entering its first season under new manager Gabe Kapler, the Phillies' farm system seems to be trending up.
Despite several of their top prospects expected to be playing at Citizens Bank Park in 2018, Mayo, who broke down the Phils' system for MLB.com, doesn't expect the organization to fall off their list any time in the near future.
Even if there isn't anyone to immediately replace the top players who will graduate soon off the list as elite-level prospects, the depth of this system should keep things humming along for some time. The 2018 Phillies should be fun to watch. The 2019 Phillies should be very competitive. The 2020 Phillies? Watch out. [mlb.com]
Here's a look at what MLB.com had to say about the Phillies farm system, one that includes six of the top 100 prospects in baseball:
5. Philadelphia Phillies
Top 100: 6 -- Sixto Sanchez, RHP (No. 26), Scott Kingery, 2B (No. 35), J.P. Crawford, SS (No. 37), Adonis Medina, RHP (No. 86), Mickey Moniak, OF (No. 88), Adam Haseley, OF (No. 95)
Prospect Points (MLB Rank): 239 (8)
The six players the Phillies have on the Top 100 tie them for fourth with the Rays and Yankees, and it's the big steps forward some of those top-level prospects made last year that contributed to their jump up these farm system rankings. Sanchez wasn't even on the Top 100 prior to the start of the 2017 season and he now sits at No. 26 and atop the Phillies' Top 30 with more "prospect helium" than perhaps any other pitcher. Then there's second baseman Kingery, who seemed like a solid college performer type before exploding with a 20-20 season and jumping into the top 40 overall list as well. Those hoping to see the Phillies get more competitive now should be cheered by the fact that Kingery, shortstop Crawford and catcher Jorge Alfaro will all be making big contributions in 2018. And there's a lot more coming. Keep an eye on outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz. He could be near the top of this list by this time next year. [mlb.com]
Only three teams have more Top 100 prospects than the Phillies (White Sox, Braves and Padres). It's worth noting, however, that the Phillies had a few players drop down the rankings, or fall out completely, like catcher Jorge Alfaro (62nd in 2017 mid-season rankings).
Furthermore, their top-ranked prospect from a year ago, former No. 1 pick Mickey Moniak, fell nearly 60 spots after being ranked 29th in last year's mid-season update – and nearly 70 spots since coming in 19th overall heading into last season. Fellow first-round pick Adam Haseley also fell, going from 88th in mid-2017 to 95th, but that's nothing compared to Moniak.
Meanwhile, the other Phillies prospects on the list – Sanchez (47th in 2017), Kingery (50th), Crawford (54th), and Medina (unranked) – all saw their rankings rise.
For a closer look at the Phillies' top 30 prospects, you can check out the MLB.com team-specific rankings here.
Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
