June 16, 2023
The Phillies' big league club is red hot in June — and players in the farm system are following suit.
Just why it takes this team three months to start playing actual winning baseball is anyone's guess, but having light's out performances throughout the organization can only be a good thing.
Will the Phillies' current top prospects be able to make cases for promotions during the summer months? Will their impressive performances help the front office manuver trades to allow Philly to make another World Series run?
Here's a look at who's hot, and who's not right now in the minor leagues:
Mick Abel, SP, Reading (Prospect No. 2)
Abel has strung together three solid starts in a row in Reading, going five or more innings with two or fewer runs each time. He's struck out 60 so far in 50.2 frames and the Phillies — who are desperate for a fifth starter — might be wise to consider boosting him to Triple-A sometime soon just in case they find themselves in need of an in house option in the majors.
Griff McGarry, SP, Reading (No. 3)
McGarry found his groove following a bit of an injury hiccup to start the year. He didn't allow a hit in his last outing — a five-inning, two walk, eight strikeout gem on June 10 against Binghamton. Like Abel, the Phils may be served well promoting McGarry soon.
Justin Crawford, OF, Clearwater (No. 4)
During his current modest eight-game his streak, the Phillies most recent first rounder has actually collected 15 hits and raised his batting average from .306 to .331. Like the two players we just mentioned, Crawford is not destined to remain at his current organizational level and at 19, he's one of the more optimistic stories in the farm system right now.
Johan Rojas, OF, Reading (No. 6)
Rojas has 10 hits and six RBI over his last five games. He's now hitting .305 on the year thanks to a .419 clip over his last 10 games in Double-A. Positionally blocked in the outfield, it's possible Rojas could be a headliner in a trade deadline move next month.
Alex McFarlane, SP, Clearwater (No. 8)
He's another newcomer to the top prospect rankings as a fourth-round pick from 2022. The 22-year-old has allowed three or more runs just three times in his last 10 starts, and his worst was a four run outing. He has a 3.86 ERA over 42 innings with 58 punch outs.
Carlos De Los Cruz, OF, Reading (No. 9)
Another Fightins' outfielder could be trade bait — De Los Crus is hitting .371 over his last 10 games and .290 overall. He has flashed a bit of power too, with 12 homers and 32 RBI this season.
Simon Muzziotti, OF, Lehigh Valley (No. 10)
There's not much more that this 24-year-old prospect can do to make his case for the majors. In Triple-A this season the left-handed outfielder has hit .367 with three homers and 30 RBI in his first 55 games. He also has 15 stolen bases. If a spot on the Phillies' active roster opens up, it seems likely the eight-year pro will get a chance in the majors.
William Bergolla, SS, Clearwater (No. 11)
The Phils' second-best infielder has played in six games in Single-A so far and is off to a hot start, hitting .360. He is an 18-year-old international signee to keep an eye on.
Emaarion Boyd, OF, Clearwater (No. 12)
Boyd is just 19 and has incredible speed and timing on the base paths. In 42 games this season the outfielder has a ridiculous 36 stolen bases. Back on June 6th he had six of them, and he leads the Florida State League in stolen bags (Justin Crawford is in second).
Ethan Wilson, OF, Reading (No. 14)
Wilson hit two homers back on June 13 and is showing consistent improvement with the bat. He hit .215 in 2021, .235 in 2022, and is currently at .273 this season.
Hao-Yu Lee, 2B, Jersey Shore (No. 5)
Lee is the franchise's only infield prospect inside the top 10 but he struggled a bit returning from injury in a "rehab" stint in rookie ball, hitting just .182. Overall this year, mostly in Jersey Shore, Lee has a .259 average with a bit of a troubling .345 slugging percentage.
Gabriel Rincones Jr., OF, Jersey Shore (No. 7)
A new name to many Phillies fans, last year's third-round pick has dropped off quite a but after a fast start, hitting just .231 since being promoted from Clearwater.
Jordan Viars, OF, Clearwater (No. 13)
Viars is hitting only .186 this season. This is the start of the third season in Single-A for the 19-year old from Texas.
Andrew Painter, SP (No. 1)
Painter is throwing bullpen sessions, finally, and is likely to get some work against live hitters sometime soon.
Rickardo Perez, C, FCL (No. 15)
The top catcher in the farm system is the 19-year-old Perez, who hit an eye-popping .349 for the Phillies Florida Complex League rookie ball team last year. He hasn't suited up yet in 2023.
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