TBOH Phillies Top 10 Prospects

TBOH presents the 2015 Top 10 Phillies Prospects

For the first time, TBOH is pleased to present our Philadelphia Phillies Top 10 Prospects ranking. Our opinion as to the prospects most likely to impact the club in the next 2-3 years. Our ranking was derived at through an examination of a wide range of publicly available industry prospect evaluations.

The TBOH rankings can be considered as very much inclusive of those overall industry opinions, incorporating information from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, Fangraphs, MLB Pipeline, Scouting Book, Top Prospect Alert, as well as a variety of Phillies-specific writers and bloggers sites.

The baseball industry is nearly universal in their opinion of the players making up the top 3 prospects in the Phils organization. And it’s our opinion here at TBOH that the Top 5 prospects here are no-doubt future big leaguers, given health.

After those top 3-5, there are as many opinions as there are outlets. Here at TBOH, we took their opinions, factored in recent moves by the organization, took a look into our own crystal ball, and came up with our ranking.

So here goes, for 2015, the very first TBOH Philadelphia Phillies Top 10 Prospects ranking. Flip through to view each and our take on their development:

TBOH 2015 Phillies #10 Prospect – Jesse Biddle

10 – JESSE BIDDLE, LHP

Jesse Biddle was the Phillies 1st Round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft out of Germantown Friends HS right here in Philadelphia. He is a big, strong lefty and a hard thrower, exactly the type of physical specimen that every organization hopes to unearth. He progressed consistently both through the system and on prospect rankings over his first three seasons in pro ball, establishing himself as a strikeout pitcher. In both 2012 and 2013 he struck out more batters than innings pitched, with more than 150 K’s each season. In 2014, a concussion and later elbow troubles resulted in basically a completely lost developmental season for the 23-year old. He remains as talented as any pitching prospect in the organization, and was recently added to the 40-man roster. He currently profiles as a 3-4 starting pitcher, but has the stuff and repertoire to be a #2 if he can get it back together. He also may not be too far away from the big leagues. All of the 2014 health issues suddenly make him a huge question mark. Biddle needs to show he is healthy in 2015. If so, he could see a callup later in the season.

TBOH 2015 Phillies #9 Prospect – Roman Quinn

9 – ROMAN QUINN, CF

Roman Quinn was the Phillies 2nd Round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft out of a Florida high school. He was converted from shortstop to centerfield by the Phillies in 2014, and he took to the change well. It was a positive season in every way for Quinn after near-disaster in 2013. Just over a year ago, Quinn suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. He seemed fully recovered this season, stealing 32 bases and scoring 51 runs at High-A Clearwater. He is considered an 80 runner on the scouting scale. GM Ruben Amaro has called him “As fast as you’re going to get on a baseball field.” The 21-year old is likely to see AA-Reading in 2015, looking to put himself into position for a 2016 fight for the big league lineup. Quinn could also still conceivably be moved back into the infield as a possible long-term replacement for Chase Utley. But for now, the Phils are going to see if he can be a speedy centerfielder who can hit atop the batting order.

TBOH 2015 Phillies #8 Prospect – Matt Imhof

8 – MATT IMHOF, LHP

Matt Imhof was the Phillies 2nd Round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft out of Cal-Poly University. A big, strong lefty in much the same physical mold as Biddle, the 21-year old has the classic fastball/slider/change repertoire and he looked really strong in his first pro experience this summer after being drafted. Imhof advanced already through 3 different levels, which wasn’t all that surprising with his college experience. Lakewood manager Greg Legg reported: “He has gone after the hitters. He has a good changeup, a good fastball. I was really impressed with his composure. The angle on his ball, his changeup and his command are all things I saw that are going to be really good.” Another guy who may start 2015 at High-A, but who should be ready for AA-Reading. If he keeps progressing, he could come fast and become a rotation option in Philadelphia as soon as the start of 2016.

TBOH 2015 Phillies #7 Prospect – Dylan Cozens (Photo Credit: Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)

7 – DYLAN COZENS, RF

Dylan Cozens was the Phillies 2nd Round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft out of a Scottsdale, Arizona high school. The 20-year old has progressed steadily now through three minor league levels, and he really began to show his power this past season by blasting 16 homers at Lakewood. He also has shown a propensity to strike out, with 147 K’s in 2014, leading some scouts to view him as a 4A-type player who may never be more than a big league backup outfielder. The Phillies see more in the hustler who also stole 23 bases this past season. No doubt 2015 will be a key developmental season for Cozens. Everyone would like to see him become a bit more disciplined. If he can continue to play a strong rightfield, develop his power, maintain his speed, and also cut down some on those strikeouts, his left-handed bat will begin to profile much stronger in those outside scouts eyes. For now, we like his power-speed combo and his gamer attitude. The talent is there for him to outperform the outsiders current expectations.

TBOH 2015 Phillies #6 Prospect – Carlos Tocci

6 – CARLOS TOCCI, CF

Carlos Tocci was considered one of the top international free agents available when the Phillies signed him in August of 2011 as a 16-year old out of Venezuela. Frankly, he is still just a kid. The teenager spent a 2nd consecutive season at Lakewood in 2014, and his tools remain ahead of his results. But those tools still flash with the potential of his being something special down the line. He has a fluid swing, and has speed and an arm that can both impact games. Many will see this is an extremely generous rank based on projection. But there is a reason that these kids are regarded so highly in the first place, and he continues to garner respect from the scouts as he has progressed over three pro seasons. To this point, he still looks like a nice projection guy. But any kind of true breakout season at any point would rocket him up prospect lists. I’m still buying for now.

TBOH 2015 Phillies #4 Prospect – Aaron Nola

4 – AARON NOLA, RHP

Aaron Nola was the Phillies 1st Round pick at 7th overall in the 2014 MLB Draft out of LSU. Considered an advanced prospect immediately on being drafted, the 21-year old started at High-A but moved to AA Reading for his final 5 starts. Overall it was clearly a strong first pro year for Nola. He made 11 starts, yielding 49 hits in 55.1 innings while producing a 45/10 K/BB ratio. Now a Top 50 prospect in all of MLB, Nola is on the fast track to Philadelphia and could arrive as soon as the coming 2015 season. That might be rushing him a bit, and the Phils would surely prefer to see him establish himself against advanced minor league hitting at AAA before his big league debut. Much will depend on his continued production and development, and what happens in the rest of the Phillies rotation before or during 2015. Everything the Phillies hoped he would be in a Top 10 MLB draftee, it’s now just about Nola staying healthy and continuing his march towards red pinstripes.

TBOH 2015 Phillies #3 Prospect – Zach Eflin

3 – ZACH EFLIN, RHP

Zach Eflin was the San Diego Padres 1st Round pick at 33rd overall in the 2012 MLB Draft out of a Florida high school. He was part of the package that the Dodgers received in December in the Matt Kemp trade, and then was flipped to the Phillies in the Jimmy Rollins trade. After having his first pro summer slowed by a bout with mononucleosis, Eflin came out strong in 2013 and 2014, making 45 starts in his first two full seasons. He’ll turn 21 just as the 2015 season opens and is likely to be yet another big Phils prospect arm at AA Reading. He has a big fastball and a well-developed curve in his repertoire, and has been reportedly doing nicely in developing his changeup. Right now he is at least projectable as a 3-4 option in a future Phillies rotation. Improving that change could make him a legitimate #2 starter in the big leagues. Still young with development ahead of him, Eflin was a nice pickup in the Rollins trade who could be in the Phils rotation for years after JRoll retires. Continued health and progress puts him on track for a 2016 debut at latest.

TBOH 2015 Phillies #2 Prospect – Maikel Franco (Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

2. MAIKEL FRANCO, 3B

Maikel Franco was a Phillies international free agent signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2010 who started slow over his first two pro seasons. But in 2012 in his 2nd go-around at Lakewood, Franco busted out with a 14 homer-84 rbi season in which he hit .280 and also rapped out 32 doubles. In 2013, he took it a step further in a season split evenly between High-A Clearwater and AA-Reading. Franco blasted 31 homers, drove in 103 runs and hit .320 to establish himself as one of the top prospects in all of baseball. Coming into 2014, Baseball America had him as the #14 prospect in the game, and he was universally rated as a Top 50 prospect. As a 21- year old at AAA this year, Franco drilled 16 homers and 33 doubles, but his average dipped to .257 against the more experienced pitching. Still, the Phils felt he was ready for a September audition, and with the team out of postseason contention he got the call, making his big league debut on September 2nd at Atlanta. He started at 3rd base and got his first RBI in that game with an 8th inning sac fly. Three days later at Washington, Franco registered his first big league hit with an infield single in the top of the 11th that scored the go-ahead run. He later scored himself on a Ben Revere hit, giving him his first MLB run. He ended up hitting just .179 in 58 plate appearances, with 5 runs scored and 5 rbi, but his MLB career is underway. He is likely to begin getting much more regular time in Philly in 2015, though whether that time is at 3rd base or at 1st base depends on other roster developments. He is an excellent defender at 3rd, but the Phillies may want to leave young Cody Asche there, moving Franco across the diamond to concentrate on his power-hitting game. He should become an easy 25-homer guy, and could be a bit more.

TBOH 2015 Phillies #1 Prospect – J.P. Crawford (Tony Farlow/Four Seam Images)

1 – J.P. CRAWFORD, SS

J.P. Crawford was the Phillies 1st Round pick as the 16th overall selection in the 2013 MLB Draft out of Lakewood HS in California. A product of MLB’s RBI program, Crawford is a natural shortstop who signed a USC commitment before getting drafted and turning pro. He will stay at that premium position, and projects to be the Phillies shortstop of the future, possibly as soon as 2016. He hit .308 with a .405 on-base percentage and 14 steals at two levels in his first pro action after signing in 2013. This past year, Crawford continued to advance, hitting .285 with a .375 on-base percentage with 11 homers and 24 steals across two more levels. Turning just 20 years old in January of 2015, it’s likely that Crawford advances to AA Reading either right away or as the season moves along. It’s about finishing school time now for J.P. Crawford. He has an advanced eye at the plate, good speed, fields his position exceptionally. He is tall, leading some to speculate that he could move into the outfield. While that’s possible, the Phils clearly are committed to trying him at shortstop for as long as possible. He and Franco could be a dynamic left-side infield combo for the Phillies throughout the 2nd half of this decade and into the 2020’s.