The Phillies have used their farm system to rebuild the major league roster fairly quickly over the last few seasons, but now the farm system has had a toll taken on it. There are a few big name prospects amongst the ranks to be sure but each of those prospects has questions about them and mainly we will need to see where everyone will play now that Philadelphia has several defensive roster spots locked down for a while. As some of these prospects progress, the Phillies should begin to rise through the organizational ranks starting next year.
Org. Rank (100): 23 | Division Rank (100): 4th | Top-100 Prospects: 3 |
Org. Rank (300): 27 | Division Rank (300): 4th | Top-300 Prospects: 5 |
Affiliate | Level | League |
VSL/DSL Phillies | Rookie Summer League | Venezuelan/Dominican Summer League |
GCL Phillies | Rookie | Gulf Coast League |
Williamsport Crosscutters | Class-A Short | New York-Penn League |
Lakewood BlueClaws | Class A | South Atlantic League |
Clearwater Threshers | Class A-Advanced | Florida State League |
Reading Fightin Phils | Double-A | Eastern League |
Lehigh Valley IronPigs | Triple-A | International League |
Top Prospects In The System
Pos. - 3B Ht/Wt - 6’5” 225 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 23
Level - Double-A Drafted - 2018 (1.3) ETA: 2020
Grades: Hit: 55 Power: 55 Run: 40 Arm: 50 Field: 45
When he was taken third overall in the 2018 June draft, I wrote this in the draft analysis “At his size, it’s a big frame to move around at the hot corner and his defensive attributes are lacking for a guy as highly rated as he is. However, the bat is the difference-maker here. A quick stroke that generates good bat speed and a fair amount of raw power has him looking like a potential middle-of-the-order bat down the line no matter where on the field he plays. Bohm’s grasp of the strike zone and understanding that he doesn’t have to sell out to hit the ball hard means he should provide a nice average along with the pop. A move to first base will likely be his ultimate destination as he just doesn’t have the arm or range to play third in the majors.” For the most part that has managed to keep true as he’s made it to Double-A Reading, and the Phillies have begun playing him on the opposite corner at first base for 25 games in 2019. He played 125 total games in 2019 and slashed .305/.378/.518 with 21 homers, 80 RBI, 76 runs, and six steals with a double-digit walk rate and sub-15-percent K-rate. The only issues for him were the fact that his average dropped at each of the three spots he played last year and his defense at the hot corner continues to be sketchy. In 107 games played at third base since hitting A-ball, Bohm has 20 errors including eight in 44 games at Double-A in 2019. The two errors at first base in 25 games is a small sample size, but it is 2.5 times better than his error rate at third. The Phillies would love for him to remain at third base since that’s where the hole is to fill at the major league level with Franco no longer on the team and Rhys Hoskins at first base, but they won’t sacrifice the defense that much just to get his bat at the position so Bohm will have to really improve in that area going forward.
Pos. - RHP Ht/Wt - 6’2” 205 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 23
Level - Double-A Drafted: 2017 (2.45) ETA: 2020
Grades: Fastball: 65 Slider: 55 Curveball: 50 Changeup: 50 Control: 50
Howard has come a long way since being a reliever in his freshman year in college and is now being looked at as a frontline starter type for the Phillies. He pitched 71 innings last season between High-A and Double-A and posted a 2.03 ERA and a sparkling 94:16 K:BB ratio and a 0.83 WHIP. The pitch mix is a great one with two plus pitches already and two that can be above-average when finished with his mid-90s fastball leading the arsenal especially with the deceptive late life it has. The slider and curveball can be a bit inconsistent but when he’s on top of them they both have distinctive, tight, breaks that work to both sides of the plate. The changeup is still developing but does show the promise of good fade and depth. In 2018 at Class-A he was on the mound for 112 innings and had a 3.78 ERA but a 2.61 FIP and an 11.81 K/9 resulting in a 147:40 K:BB ratio. Howard has been climbing the prospect rankings as quickly as he’s been moving through the Philadelphia system but there is clearly good reason for that as he has all of the weapons and size to be a number two starter potentially as early as 2020 when he’s expected to come up.
Pos. - SS Ht/Wt - 6’3” 200 lbs. Bats: L Throws: R Age: 22
Level - Class-A Drafted - 2019 (1.14) ETA: 2022
Grades: Hit: 55 Power: 50 Run: 55 Arm: 55 Field: 55
The Phillies had some choices in the middle of the first round of the 2019 draft as they are trying to rebuild the farm system after some trades over the last few years and Stott is the guy they went with. In the draft analysis at the time, this is what I said about him “Stott is a polished college bat at short which is hard to come by and most of his tools grade out as above-average at the highest level. A three-year starter at UNLV, Stott improved his numbers every year and went for 10 homers and 16 steals in 58 games in 2019. A slash line of .356/.486/.599 shows his advanced approach at the plate from the left side. His hands do a good job of following the power his lower builds up with the leg kick and keep the barrel in the zone for a long time to maximize the contact he can get. His instincts at plus arm at times gives him a chance to stick at short long-term but moving him to second could also be in his feature where his offensive profile of a 15-15 guy also fits very nicely.” The analysis pretty well lays out his ceiling and his first taste of pro ball hasn’t dissuaded from that either. In 48 games (44 at Low-A) last year, Stott slashed .295/.391/.494 with six home runs, 30 runs, 27 RBI, and five steals and impressively walking nearly as much as he struck out. He should be a fast riser given his polish coming out of college and he mainly just needs to get used to the breaking pitches and the speed of the balls on defense but Stott appears to be set to be the mainstay at shortstop for quite a while in Philadelphia.
Pos. - SS/2B Ht/Wt - 5’11” 170 lbs. Bats: S Throws: R Age: 19
Level - Class-A Signed - July 2017 ETA: 2022
Grades: Hit: 50 Power: 35 Run: 60 Arm: 60 Field: 55
Not to be confused with the prospect of the same name in Washington, this Luís Garcia is a switch-hitting middle infielder whose main skill is the speed aspect of his profile. After signing for $2.5 million in 2017, he won the Gulf Coast League batting title in 2018 with a .369 mark in 43 games while also stealing 12 bags in that time. However, his jump to full-year ball this year didn’t go so well over the span of 127 games. In that time he hit .186/.261/.255 with four homers, 36 runs, 36 RBI, and nine steals for Class-A and his defense took a hit too with 24 errors split evenly between short and second base. Garcia is young still and was still fairly raw when he was signed out of the Dominican Republic so it’s not a shock for a teenager to take a step back but he will certainly need to turn in a better showing in 2020 if he wants to keep being considered one of the better prospects in the system. Ultimately, the middle infielder and his smooth switch-hitting stroke profile as a guy that will steal 20-25 bags and hit 10-12 homers a year while hitting near .300 while playing stellar defense at either second or short, most likely second given Stott’s standing ahead of him in the system.
Pos. - RHP Ht/Wt - 6’4” 185 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 20
Level - Class-A Signed - July 2016 ETA: 2022
Grades: Fastball: 60 Slider: 55 Changeup: 45 Control: 45
Morales is a young kid with a ton of raw stuff that is just that...raw. The fastball sits in the mid 90s and has some wicked movement to it and the slider, when he controls it, is also a burgeoning plus pitch with tight break. The changeup is just a pitch and it’s not really fooling anyone but there are signs that it is developing into at least an average pitch. The biggest problem facing Morales is his ability to rework or refine his delivery that right now is not repeatable and that leads to a lot of walks and higher WHIPs than he should post with his caliber of stuff. He also needs to learn the art of being a pitcher and not a thrower but the good news is, Morales is still young and has plenty of time to sort it out. In 2019 for example, he pitched 96.2 innings in 27 appearances, 15 starts, and posted 12.01 K/9 (a career best) and a 4.28 BB/9 rate which was a walk per nine lower than 2018 and a result his ERA dropped a run and a half to 3.82 and a 3.51 FIP as well as lowering the WHIP to 1.31. The other thing that will help his control as he gets older and matures is adding weight to his lanky six-foot-four frame and that will help the secondary pitches develop too. Ultimately, there are two paths for Morales to take, either a number two type starter if he gets his control going in the right direction and a solid third pitch, or a bullpen arm that has an electric fastball-slider combo and you’re already seeing that develop given his appearance splits last year.
Prospects To Watch For
OF Age: 21 Double-A ETA: 2021
Moniak was a bit of a surprise pick for the number one overall pick in the 2016 draft but he’s finally rounding into form and showing the skills the Phillies hoped he’d develop are starting to arrive as well. He’s been progressing a level a year to this point and that was no different in 2019 when he stayed at Double-A Reading for the 119 games he played. In that time, he put up a .252/.303/.439 slash line with 11 home runs, 67 RBI, 63 runs, and 15 steals. Moniak was making too weak of contact early in his career but made a swing adjustment late in the 2018 season in the Florida State League and that’s helped him start looking like the guy they drafted. His defense is improving as well and had eight outfield assists to four errors last year. Overall, he grades out as average in the hit tool, slightly below-average in power, above-average in speed, and average in the arm and field departments which puts him as a guy that’ll hit .270-.280 and be a 15-20 guy in homers and steals.
2B/SS Age: 19 Low-A ETA: 2023
Simmons was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft and since that time has been showing his impressive blend of speed and power in the lower minors. He played 51 games at Low-A last year with a .234/.333/.520 slash line and 12 homers, 34 RBI, 31 runs, and five steals, though that belies his second half when he slashed .278/.398/.646 in August with seven home runs and two steals. The high average he pulled off in August, likely won’t stand up over the long-term as he possesses a sub-par hit tool but he does have plus power and plus speed tools. If he can make enough contact going forward, Simmons’ power and speed should be able to show through. In 83 games in his pro career between Rookie ball and Low-A, there are 15 home runs and seven steals with 52 runs and 45 RBI and the only downside being the .233 average though the OBP is more than 100 points higher. The defense is solid enough for the middle infield and ultimately he may go to second base as he appears to be blocked at shortstop given who’s ahead of him in the system.
Kendall Simmons absolutely unloads on this 2-1 hanging slider on the inner half ... A 106 mph exit velocity with an estimated distance of 445 feet ... It’s Simmons’ 6th home run in his last nine games for Williamsport pic.twitter.com/mA9K4diRsB
— Mitch Rupert (@Mitch_Rupert) August 7, 2019
RHP Age: 23 Double-A ETA: 2020
At this point last year, Medina was in the Phillies top-five prospects, after being bumped up following the trade of Sixto Sanchez to Miami as part of the return for J.T. Realmuto . However, last year he took a step back in the performance at Double-A with a 4.94 ERA and 4.53 FIP over 105.2 innings with less than seven K/9 and nearly four walks per nine. From a stuff standpoint, Medina has some of the best stuff in the minors with a 60-grade fastball that sits 93-96 and has so much movement hitters often can’t barrel it up, let alone hit it, and then backs that up with two above-average pitches in his slider and changeup. The slider is sharp and shows good two-plane break and the changeup flashes plus at times with the fade and depth and command he’s able to show. The problem is that Medina is still learning to harness the stuff in the zone as the delivery and movement can make the pitches inconsistent at times and therefore makes him more hittable than the stuff suggests he should be. If he can gather all of that movement and stuff properly, Medina is a frontline starter waiting in the wings, if he can’t he’s got the makings of a dominant late-inning arm in high-leverage situations.
Steps to properly consuming Adonis Medina's repertoire...
— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) February 28, 2019
1? Make sure you are seated
2? Try not to feel bad for opposing hitter
2?.5? Realize the #Phillies may not need Sixto... ????
3? Enjoy#SpringTraining @PitchingNinja pic.twitter.com/aouOiFLqLB
RHP Age: 24 Double-A ETA: 2020
Seabold was taken in the third round of the 2017 draft out of Cal State Fullerton and was expected to move fairly quickly through the system as a polished college arm, however that hasn’t necessarily been the case. In his first full year he did reach Double-A in 2018 and then capped off that year with a great showing in the Arizona Fall League where he struck out 22 in 17 innings with a .588 WHIP and 1.06 ERA. His 2019 campaign got started in June thanks to an injury but in the 40 innings he pitched at Double-A he posted a 2.25 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 8.1 K/9, 2.25 BB/9, and a 1.13 WHIP. He doesn’t have the overpowering stuff that is commonplace in rotations nowadays but he does have a great feel and command for his stuff and uses that command and pitch-mixing to keep hitters off-balance. The fastball sits in the low-90s but is pinpoint accurate to both sides of the plate and then he has a curveball and changeup that play off of that and play up because of the command. Seabold is a mid-rotation type arm in the mold of Kyle Hendriks who doesn’t overwhelm guys with velocity but keeps them off-balance and fills the zone with strikes throughout his starts.
Phillies prospect Connor Seabold leads the Arizona Fall League with 10 strikeouts ... He’s allowed just one hit in his seven innings with one walk ... His ceiling is probably that of a backend rotation guy, but he’s been consistently up to 93 this year and in the AFL pic.twitter.com/a2JI6mMuDq
— Mitch Rupert (@Mitch_Rupert) September 26, 2019
LHP Age: 22 Class-A ETA: 2022
Miller is a big-bodied, southpaw who was a fourth-round pick in 2019 out of Stanford who has as good of stuff as any lefty in the draft. He’s got a fastball that sits 96-97 but unfortunately doesn’t have as much life to it as you’d like to see but he does back that up with a slider and changeup that both flash plus from time-to-time. So with that kind of velocity and being a southpaw... why wasn’t he higher than a fourth round pick? He can’t control the arsenal nearly as well as he should be able to at this point and part of that is due to his stiff front leg that doesn’t allow him to come down plane like he wants to. There is no doubt that the stuff resulted in a good showing in his first taste of pro ball this year when he posted a 1.50 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 36 innings with a 1.11 WHIP. However, the 15 walks in that same span aren’t too helpful and leads to the thought that he may actually be geared toward a bullpen role where the fastball-slider combo could be lethal rather than a starter where the control issues come more into play.
The Phillies selected Stanford lefty Erik Miller at No. 120.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 4, 2019
Find his scouting report at No. 105 in the BA 500: https://t.co/mb7Nl0HvJc pic.twitter.com/f566WxMG3K