April 19, 2024
Joe Nicholson/USA Today Sports
Justin Crawford of the Philadelphia Phillies hits an RBI-sacrifice fly during the second inning of the All Star-Futures Game in 2023.
While their big league roster is stacked with veterans — they have the fourth oldest hitters and eighth oldest pitchers in the majors right now — the Phillies' top minor league talent is incredibly young.
It makes sense, as there are very few opportunities for prospects anytime soon at the MLB level and many of the players we'll look at below are more likely to be used as trade pieces than play for the Phillies. Of MLB.com's top 30 prospects in the Philly farm system, 19 of them are in Single-A or lower right now and 10 of them are still teenagers.
With Andrew Painter out of commission for the year as he recovers from 2023 Tommy John surgery, a lot of the top rated prospects in the organization are relatively unknown. Here's a look at how the top 15 of these have been playing through the season's first two weeks:
3. Aiden Miller, SS/3B
The Phils' first round pick last summer is hoping to make his Single-A stint short, as he's raked to start the year. He's hit .318 through 10 games with two homers and nine RBI. The 19-year-old is technically positionally blocked by Alec Bohm and Trea Turner, neither of whom is going anywhere anytime soon — but they'll deal with that when they have to.
4. Justin Crawford, OF
A position playing prospect not blocked at the big league level is Crawford, who is playing well for Jersey Shore to begin his third pro season. The first round pick is slashing .297/.422/.486 and is still just 20 years old. The Phillies would be thrilled to see him finish the year hitting that well in Double-A.
10. Gabriel Rincones Jr., OF
Rincones Jr., 23, is the first prospect on here who has an outside chance of playing in the majors this year. If the Phils need help due to injury (or a trade) in the outfield, he might get a call, boasting power and a big arm. He has three homers in eight games and is hitting .286 in Double-A Reading.
2. Mick Abel, SP
Abel has had three starts in Triple-A this year and he hasn't had his best stuff. He's 1-1 with a 6.94 ERA and has yet to allow fewer than three runs in a game. His control is also lacking control, tallying nine walks to go with 14 strikeouts in 11.1 innings.
7. Devin Saltiban, SS/2B
A third round pick from last year who has been under the radar, 20-year-old Saltiban has a ton of speed and power. Hailing from Hawaii, he has had a rough start in Clearwater striking out 11 times in nine games with a .200 batting average.
8. Bryan Rincon, SS
Another young infielder, Rincon has potential but he's not putting it in play in Jersey Shore — he has just two hits in nine games (.069). He's an ascending former 14th round pick.
11. Griff McGarry, RP
Recently converted to the bullpen, the 24-year-old knows it's time for him to make it to the show as an older prospect. He hasn't adjusted well in four appearances, with a 5.68 ERA so far. If he does figure it out in the Lehigh Valley pen, he could be a reinforcement in the Phillies pen.
12. William Bergolla, 2B/SS
Bergolla hasn't hit well in Single-A this season after two strong showings prior. He is hitting just .219 in the early going. The smooth-fielding 19-year-old has plenty of time to get it right.
13. Carlos De La Cruz, 1B/OF
Another older prospect, 24-year-old De La Cruz has power. In 2022 he hit 17 homers and last year he hit 24 with 67 RBI in 129 games. He's off to a slow start in Reading, hitting just .175 over 11 games without any home runs yet.
1. Andrew Painter, SP
Painter continues to slowly grind back from Tommy John surgery last year and he's targeting next spring to be fully healthy, when he'll be 22 and expected to be big-league ready.
5. Starlyn Caba, SS
Caba is just 18 and is a hot international signee. He hasn't started his pro career yet.
9. Eduardo Tait, C
The 17-year-old touted as the next Carlos Ruiz at catcher has yet to play in 2024.
14. Wen Hui Pan, SP
Pan is still working back from an injury that ended his 2023 season. He is 21.
15. Alex McFarlane, SP
Like Painter, McFarlane is working back from TJ surgery.
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