January 26, 2026
Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images
Aidan Miller will be at spring training and is knocking on the door for a promotion.
It's prospect season, as several outlets are publishing their own rankings of the best young players in baseball ahead of spring training next month.
Not long after MLB.com rolled out it's top 100 — with three Phillies distinguishing themselves — The Athletic has a wildly different take on the Phillies top farm hands.
Aidan Miller took 23rd via MLB's rankings. He is the sixth-best prospect in baseball right now, according to Keith Law, who made a wild proclamation in his synopsis of Miller's outlook:
Miller is a power-hitting shortstop who’s improved in almost every aspect of the game over his two full seasons in the Phillies’ system, and he’s going to push the Phillies into making some hard decisions about their middle infield before this year is out. ... I don’t think he needs a full year at that level before he’s ready for the majors, just needing to refine some of his pitch recognition, and there’s a good chance that by July 1 he’ll be the best choice for shortstop at Citizens Bank Park. [The Athletic]
The best choice for shortstop by July 1? What is happening to Trea Turner?
One of the issues the Phillies had this offseason was they didn't really have a path for a position player upgrade. Their attempted move to net Bo Bichette was complicated and would have required the team to trade Alec Bohm or Bryson Stott away, and play Bichette out of position. He signed with the Mets, and perhaps as a result, Miller is much more likely to have a path to a major league job.
Andrew Painter is also touted higher via The Athletic than MLB, with his high ceiling improving his spot from 28th to 22nd. The big 6-foot-7 flamethrower will have a chance at landing on the Phillies' Opening Day rotation this March.
Philadelphia's third-best prospect, another with a direct path to a spot on the 26-man roster, is Justin Crawford, whom Law ranks 48th, better than the 58th spot he took in the MLB top 100. Crawford had a really good showing in Triple-A last season and appears to be a very talented singles hitter and defender, but lacks real power.
A fourth Phillies prospect is in The Athletic's top 100 as well, Aroon Escobar, whose bat "should make him a strong regular with a chance to be an occasional All-Star thanks to 15-20 homer power."
Also worth noting is the 93rd-best prospect Eduardo Tait, a catcher traded to the Twins as part of the Jhoan Duran deal.SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter
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