July 16, 2025

Phillies prospect watch: Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford heating up as trade deadline nears

Some recent first-round picks are handling their bats well as Andrew Painter continues to struggle.

By Evan Macy
PhillyVoice Staff

Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images

Aidan Miller is playing well and could be nearing a promotion.

Baseball prospects are never more front of mind than in mid July.

With the trade deadline approaching in two weeks, the Phillies will be making some painstaking decisions as to which of their top farmhands they want to ride into next season, and who they are willing to part with to make short-term upgrades.

The Phillies are expected to be very active in shopping for help in the bullpen, and could also add an outfield bat. The cost could include some of the prospects we'll look at below.

Young talent is also front and center this week after the conclusion of the MLB Draft — which saw the Phillies add a deluge of college pitching, including Gage Wood, Philly's first-round pick from Sunday who is expected to not only be ranked among the organization's top 15 prospects very soon, but he could make a near immediate impact on the MLB team as he is very close to big league ready.

Here's a look at MLB.com's current top 15 prospects in the Phillies' farm system, and which of them are currently playing the best for their respective minor league teams:

Who's hot?

Aidan Miller, SS (No. 2)

Philly's top positional prospect has been on base a ton over the last few weeks, boosting his stock in Double-A with the trade deadline fast approaching. Over his last 10 games, Miller has been on base at a .432 clip, with nine walks and nine hits over that span. He's also up to eight homers so far on the year, a reassuring stat as his power stroke appears to be developing. He hit a home run in his last game before the All-Star break.

Justin Crawford, OF (No. 3)

Crawford continues to hit consistently in Triple-A, and many are calling for the Phillies to call him up to replace struggling outfielder Max Kepler on the big league roster. Crawford is hitting .331 this season and has been dynamic on the base paths, stealing 29 bases in his 73 games. Over a stretch of games to end the month of June, he hit four doubles and reached base eight times over three contests.

Eduardo Tait, C (No. 4)

He didn't set the world on fire, but Tait was the lone Phillies player in the MLB Futures game this weekend, and because of that he gets on our "hot" list. He caught one inning and grounded out in limited action. On the year, the 18-year-old has 31 extra base hits and is slashing .254/.328/.445. These are numbers you'd love from your big league catcher. He could be promoted to High-A sometime soon.

Mick Abel, SP (No. 5)

How could we have Abel listed among the well-performing prospects after his demotion from the majors a few weeks ago? Well, upon his return to Triple-A, Abel tossed six one-hit innings and looked like his confident self again. Whether or not he'll get a third trip to "The Show" this season is up to the Phillies' front office. But it does appear the handful of impressive starts he had in the majors weren't a complete fluke.

Aroon Escobar, IF (No. 6)

The last time we documented Escobar's minor league exploits, he was the No. 13 prospect. He's since jumped seven spots via MLB.com, amid a promotion to Jersey Shore from Clearwater. Over his six starts for his new team the 20-year-old has hit safely in five of them.

Dante Nori, OF (No. 8)

Last year's first-round pick has been hitting well in his last 10 games, to the tune of a .324 average over that span in Clearwater. He has hit two home runs in his last three games and now has 22 stolen bases on the year. He also might be due a promotion in the next few weeks.

Jean Cabrera, SP (No. 12)

Cabrera has been one of the best pitchers in Double-A Reading this season, and he's been remarkably consistent over his last nine starts — allowing three runs just once, and two or fewer eight times. His biggest issue right now is control — he's issued 43 walks over 17 starts. But he limits the damage by handling hitters to the tune of a .199 batting average against.

Seth Johnson, RP (No. 12)

With well-documented bullpen woes, the Phillies called up Johnson for a second time this season and he has been very solid in two outings before the break, tossing three scoreless innings. We'll have to see how long he lasts in the majors after the Phils make some expected relief pitching acquisitions over the next few weeks.

Who's not?

Andrew Painter, SP (No. 1 prospect)

Painter has not been good this season. And it's leading many to surmise he might not make the jump to the majors this summer, as was essentially assumed at the beginning of the season. Over 12 starts in Lehigh Valley, the big 21-year-old has a 5.01 ERA and a WHIP of 1.44. His most recent outing was over this last weekend — he allowed three runs on two homers and six total hits in five frames. He's only struck out more than five hitters once in his last five starts.

Griffin Burkholder, OF (No. 9)

Burkholder was last year's second-round pick and is having trouble finding his footing in the pro ranks, in Rookie Ball. After a stint on the IL, Burkholder is hitting .204 over his last 14 games with 17 strikeouts.

Devin Saltiban, 2B (No. 10)

At just 20, Saltiban is having a rough go of it this season. When he's not injured, he's struggling to hit in Single-A. Over three levels of A-ball this season, he's hitting a combined .226

Gabriel Rincones, OF (No. 11)

The 24-year-old former third-round pick is hitting .222 over his last 10 games and .212 on the year in Triple-A. He looked like a possible future piece and contender to make the roster out of spring training, but after missing the opportunity to be promoted, he's been unable to hit consistently — and sometimes at all — in Lehigh Valley.

Bryan Rincon, SS (No. 14)

A late-round pick in 2023, Rincon hasn't yet found his hitter's touch in Single-A. He is hitting .167 for Jersey Shore right now.

Carson DeMartini, 3B (No. 15)

DeMartini, last year's fourth-round pick, was raking in Jersey Shore to start the year, prompting a promotion to Reading in June. He's not made the jump well, hitting just .224 over 28 games for the Fightin's.