Philadelphia Phillies Top 50 Prospects (2023)

Philadelphia Phillies Top 50 graphic design by Michael Packard, @CollectingPack on Twitter

The Phillies are coming off a successful 2022 where they made the World Series for the first time since 2009. A lot of that success was due to their free agent signings, but some of it was also because of the homegrown talent they cultivated over the years. Aaron Nola, Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm, and Matt Vierling were a few of the players who contributed. Not every prospect becomes an All-Star, but some can contribute both to the major league team along with your fantasy teams.

As of right now, the Phillies have a few players who will be given the opportunity to help them this year on the pitching side. The organization is actually deep in pitching across all of their levels. The hitters are more of projects given there are no sure things close to the majors. That’s not saying there isn’t some potential here. Dynasty managers looking for long-term gambles have some good opportunities with some of these players below.


Prospects1500 Tiers:
Tier 1:
 Players with high expectations of both making the majors and playing at an All-Star level for several years
Tier 2: Players with an above-average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
Tier 3: Players with an average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
Tier 4: Players who have the potential of making the majors, or have a high likelihood of making the majors but provide minimal impact (e.g. middle reliever, low-ceiling UT guys)
Tier 5: Players of interest, worth keeping an eye on, who have an outside chance of making their team’s 40-man roster

Levels listed for each player are the highest levels player reached in 2022

Tier 1

1. Andrew Painter, RHP, 19, Double-A
The organization’s top prospect two years running did nothing to change that ranking. He was lights-out all year and there was even talk of a late-season promotion but it didn’t come to be. Painter was mentioned by manager, Rob Thomson, as a potential candidate for the 5th spot in the rotation coming out of spring training. He has all the tools and qualities to become an ace at the major league level.

Tier 2

2. Mick Abel, RHP, 21, Double-A
Abel was also named as potential starter out of training camp, as with Painter above. Although he’s ranked lower than him, he also has the ability to make an impact for your fantasy squad. He may not become a true ace, but Abel should settle in as a solid 2 starter maybe as soon as next year but, more realistically, in 2025.

3. William Bergolla, SS, 18, Rookie (DSL)
Bergolla is a 2nd generation ballplayer, signed last year during the International Free Agent signing period. He showed an incredible recognition of the strike zone in his first year in the DSL, walking 11 times compared to only 3 strikeouts. While it was only 83 plate appearances, it’s still very impressive for a then-17 year old. He’s expected to develop power as he matures. Get in on him now while there’s still time before his price skyrockets.

Tier 3

4. Hao Yu Lee, 2B, 19, Single-A
Lee has done nothing but hit since being signed out of the Taiwanese League two years ago. He has good speed and gets the bat on the ball at the plate. He’s the type of player who makes a good gamble since he’s expected to develop more power to go with that strong hit tool. Imagine a middle infield of Bergolla and Lee at Citizens Bank Park in a few years if they both realize their potential!

5. Justin Crawford, OF, 18, Single-A
The 2022 1st round pick didn’t disappoint in his first exposure to minor league baseball. The son of former major league outfielder, Carl, he hit a combined .241/.333/.276 with 10 stolen bases across two levels. Crawford’s best tool, as expected like his dad, is his game-changing speed. If he continues to develop his hit tool, we could be looking at the team’s future center fielder in a few years.

6. Griff McGarry, RHP, 23, Triple-A
McGarry gained more exposure this season after dominating in High-A then in Double-A. He struggled slightly when moved up to Triple-A, giving up 8 runs in his 8 innings of work. Small sample size applies, of course. This came after a 2021 that was just as impressive showing that the talent is there. In 111 total minor league innings, he as a K/9 of 13.9. His command needs a little work but that didn’t stop the speculation that McGarry would be promoted in September to help in the major league team’s bullpen. While that didn’t happen, he was the 3rd pitcher mentioned as a candidate to open 2023 in the starting rotation. He may struggle initially, but will be a good source of strikeouts and wins with that lineup.

7. Johan Rojas, OF, 22, Double-A
Rojas struggled to start his year but really turned it on after a promotion to Double-A Reading hitting .260/.333/.387. While the hit tool still needs some work, there is amazing speed here, shown by his 62 stolen bases in 130 games. He probably won’t see meaningful at-bats for the major league team this year but a late-season call up is a possibility. With steals getting more and more rare, a player like Rojas is a great gamble to see if he can put it all together.

8. Rafael Marchan, C, 23, Triple-A
Marchan is a good hitting catcher with limited power, but he really hasn’t gotten much of a chance with the Phillies because of the presence of J.T. Realmuto. At his age, he’s ready to play in the majors but being a backup could hurt his development. As the team showed by trading Logan O’Hoppe, they are fully committed to Realmuto, so any chances of Marchan playing meaningful games will have to come through a trade. With Rickardo Perez in the lower levels, they could look to him, rather than Marchan, to be their heir at catcher by the time Realmuto’s contract is complete.

9. Nikau Pouaka-Grego, 2B/3B, 18, Rookie (FCL)
You probably won’t see Pouaka-Grego this high on other lists, but he impressed me greatly in his short time in Rookie ball. He can hit, hit with power, gets on base and also has some speed. He has some positional versatility, too, which could accelerate his advancement through the system. He’s my target in all dynasty leagues, but at only 18 years old, it will take a few years before he gets to the majors.

Tier 4

10. Jordan Viars, OF, 19, Rookie (FCL)
11. Carlos De La Cruz, OF, 23, High-A
12. Jhailyn Ortiz, OF, 24, Double-A
13. Ethan Wilson, OF, 23, Double-A
14. Marcus Lee Sang, OF, 22, Single-A
15. Alexeis Azuaje, 2B, 20, Single-A
16. Erik Miller, LHP, 24, Triple-A
17. Emaarion Boyd, OF, 19, Single-A
18. Rafael Marcano, LHP, 22, High-A
19. Gabriel Rincones, OF, 21, Rookie (FCL)
20. Yhoswar Garcia, OF, 21, Single-A
21. Rickardo Perez, C, 19, Single-A
22. Lou Helmig, OF, 19, Rookie (FCL)
23. Aroon Escobar, 2B/3B, 18, Rookie (DSL)
24. Hans Crouse, RHP, 24, Triple-A
25. Simon Muzziotti, OF, 24, MLB

Viars has struggled with injuries but has too much potential not to move up in these rankings given a full, healthy season. De La Cruz had his best season yet in 2022, whereas Ortiz is still hitting a lot of home runs but still striking out at a high rate. Wilson and Lee Sang are two players I am most interested in to see how they do in 2023. Azuaje is a solid middle infielder who has potential to move up. Miller has carved out a niche as a good middle reliever after struggling as a starter. Boyd and Rincones are recent draft picks with good potential. Perez is a young but mature catcher who can hit. Helmig and Escobar are both recent International Free Agent signings with good bloodlines – Helmig’s father and grandfather are in Germany’s Baseball Hall of Fame and Escobar’s cousin is Ronald Acuna, Jr. More important than family relations, they both have good hitting ability with growing power. Marcano is an interesting name to keep an eye on, striking out 11 batters per 9 but also having control problems. Garcia stole 32 bases last season but hit .212/.309/.311. Crouse and Muzziotti are both on the 40 man roster but haven’t shown much during their major league auditions.

Tier 5

26. Alex McFarlane, RHP, 21, Single-A
27. Ethan Lindow, LHP, 24, Double-A
28. Micah Ottenbreit, RHP, 19, Single-A
29. Yemal Flores, OF, 19, Rookie (FCL)
30. Jerffson Pena, OF, 19, Rookie (DSL)
31. Enrique Segura, RHP, 18, Rookie (DSL)
32. Casey Martin, 2B, 23, High-A
33. Jamari Baylor, 2B/SS, 22, Single-A
34. Kendall Simmons, SS, 22, Single-A
35. Adam Leverett, RHP, 24, Double-A
36. Noah Skirrow, RHP, 24, Triple-A
37. Mavis Graves, LHP, 19, Rookie (FCL)
38. Cristian Hernandez, RHP, 22, Low-A
39. Baron Radcliff, OF, 23, High-A
40. Starlyn Castillo, RHP, 20, Rookie (FCL)
41. Jean Cabrera, RHP, 21, Single-A
42. Rixon Wingrove, 1B, 22, High-A
43. Maxwel Hernandez, RHP, 19, Rookie (DSL)
44. Dominic Pipkin, RHP, 23, High-A
45. Christian McGowan, RHP, 22, High-A
46. Orion Kerkering, RHP, 21, Single-A
47. Jaydenn Estanista, RHP, 21, Rookie (FCL)
48. James McArthur, RHP, 26, Double-A
49. McKinley Moore, RHP, 24, Double-A
50. Brett Schulze, RHP, 25, Double-A

McFarlane is a recent draft pick with command issues to go along with a blazing fastball. Lindow is soft-tossing lefthander who could be a 6th-starter type in the majors.  Ottenbreit pitched only 7 innings this year due to injury but has a good fastball with control issues. He’s someone to keep an eye on, as he makes his way back this upcoming season. Flores has a lot of power but has to work on his hitting ability. Pena and Segura are both young, exciting prospects – Pena with his speed and Segura with his pitching potential. Martin, Baylor and Simmons are three talented middle infielders but all have strikeout concerns and haven’t developed as originally hoped. They are are still young and have time to put it all together. Leverett and Skirrow are both potential back-end starter types. Graves is a 2022 6th round pick out of high school with a solid arsenal for such a young kid. Hernandez has shown great stuff and has potential to make the majors if he continues his development. He’s the most likely name in this group to move up in our Mid-Season rankings. Radcliff has a lot of power and is developing his hit tool. Castillo was a hyped International Signing but has struggled with walks and inconsistency. McGowan was injured most of the year but has some good tools to move up these rankings.  Pipkin, McArthur, Moore and Schulze project to be no more than middle reliever types if they make the majors.

Encore:
Noah Song, RHP, 25, DNP since 2019
In an either slick or dirty move (depending on who you ask), the Phillies selected Song in December’s Rule 5 Draft from Boston knowing he has to finish his military commitment. Once he is able to pitch again, the Phillies will have to add him to their major league roster. For a contending team to use a spot on a pitcher who hasn’t thrown professionally since 2019 is a curious move. Can Song help and develop out of the bullpen? Has the time away impacted him? It had to, right? He has upside potential but comes with so many questions. However, if he isn’t already taken in your league, he’s not a bad pick to gamble on if you can stash him in your farm system.

 

 

 

Tony Bps Spina is a lifelong baseball fan hailing from the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia! Tony has loved baseball since 1980 and has followed the Phillies through good and bad times. Tony is married with 3 kids and works for a financial institution but has enough free time to play in 20 fantasy baseball leagues with 75% of them being Dynasty Leagues. He lives a few blocks away from Citizens Bank Park and attends many Phillies games per year in addition to their minor league teams in Lehigh Valley and Reading. He can be reached on Twitter at @TonyBps1.




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