Top Five Phillies Prospects Who Never Panned Out

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Here we will take a look at several former Phillies prospects from the past few years who just never panned out

Baseball prospects have well-known volatility. Players take several years from when they’re drafted or signed internationally to reach the majors. The Phillies have had plenty of prospects succeed (Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Maikel Franco), but at the same time many have failed.

If you go back and look at top prospect lists from several years ago, there are plenty of names you wouldn’t recognize. Some may still be toiling away in the Phillies system, while others could be out of baseball entirely by now.

However, there have been some who fell further than others. Some prospects who had the praise of multiple baseball outlets, yet are nowhere to be seen on the Phillies roster.

Here we will take a look at several former Phillies prospects from the past few years who just never panned out. To keep this concise, I will limit this list to the last ten years.

Dishonorable Mentions: Larry Greene, Brody Colvin, Sebastian Valle, Jonathan Pettibone, Ethan Martin, Tyson Gillies, J.C. Ramirez, Cody Asche

Next: No. 5-The Alternating Bust

Feb 28, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Joe Savery poses for a portrait during photo day at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

#5. Joe Savery

A year after drafting right-handed pitcher Kyle Drabek, the Phillies went for pitching again, selecting lefty Joe Savery No. 19 overall. Savery was successful both on the mound and at the plate in college, making him an easy selection.

Rather than focusing on one position, Savery bounced between the mound and the field. Savery struggled pitching in AAA in 2010 before heading back to High-A in 2011 to try his luck hitting. Savery actually was successful starting the year, hitting for a .778 OPS in 54 games.

With his numbers at the plate falling as he rose back through the minors, Savery once again returned to the mound in AAA, eventually making his major-league debut at the end of 2011. He started 2012 in the big-league bullpen, but posted a 5.40 ERA and was back in Lehigh Valley by the end of the year.

Savery continued to cycle in and out of the majors through 2013, doing well in AAA but being unable to find the same results with the Phillies. After nearly seven years in the organization, Savery was designated for assignment by the Phillies prior to the 2014 season.

Savery spent a year with the Athletics in 2014, making three appearances with the A’s. Savery had a 2.84 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 43 relief appearances with the A’s AAA affiliate. However, the A’s released Savery after the season. He joined the White Sox in spring training in 2015, but he was released yet again.

From there, Savery’s career was over, and he retired soon after being released. We will always wonder how Savery would fare if he remained focused on his pitching.

Next: No. 4-The Failed Clfif Lee Trade

Jun 19, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Phillippe Aumont (48) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

#4. Phillippe Aumont

After acquiring Roy Halladay, the Phillies were poised to have a top-tier rotation in 2010. The combination of Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels gave fans plenty to dream on.

Instead, the Phillies opted to trade Lee to the Mariners for a trio of prospects, headed by 2007 first-round pick Phillippe Aumont. The big right-hander was already in AA, although he reached that level in the bullpen.

The Phillies tried Aumont again in the rotation, but his control suffered. Aumont walked 6.89 batters per nine innings in 11 starts with the AA Reading Phillies that year.

Apr 25, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Phillippe Aumont (48) walks to the bench after being relieved during the eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. The Pirates defeated the Phillies 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

After a return to the bullpen, Aumont returned to pre-trade form, carrying a 2.48 FIP between AA and AAA in 2011. The same couldn’t be said for 2012, where his FIP regressed to 4.02 in the minors.

After a middling major-league debut in 2012, Aumont continued to struggle in 22 appearances out of the bullpen in 2013. From there, he bounced between the majors and AAA, never finding his control. Aumont could punch batters out at a solid rate, but it didn’t matter when he was walking them just as much.

Perhaps what stung the most about Aumont was the fact that the Phillies traded a fan favorite to get him. Lee carried the Phillies to the World Series the season prior, and was rewarded with his second trade in six months. The Phillies hoped the trade would helped replenish the farm system; it instead robbed them of a year of Cliff Lee and the prospects meant to better the team’s future bottomed out.

Next: No. 3-The Month to End All Months

Apr 16, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf (18) reacts after striking out during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals defeated the Phillies, 8-1. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

#3. Darin Ruf

Prior to 2011, there was little chatter about Darin Ruf, whom the Phillies selected in the 20th round of the 2009 draft. He hit for average well through the short-season leagues as well as his debut in full-season ball at Low-A Lakewood.

Ruf started showing up on radars after hitting 17 home runs with High-A Clearwater while maintaining a .311 average. As a first baseman, power was requisite, and Ruf started to flash it.

In 2012, Ruf’s status as a prospect truly started to rise. Through July at AA Reading, Ruf had already surpassed his home run total from the previous year with 18.

More from That Balls Outta Here

When August rolled around, Ruf truly took off. He hit 20 home runs in the month of August (no doubt with the assistance of Reading’s hitter-friendly environment) at one point hitting six home runs in five games. He drove in 36 runs that month as he launched himself into the prospect conversation.

With 38 home runs on the year, Ruf easily took home Eastern League MVP and Rookie of the Year honors. MiLB.com named him an organizational All-Star for the second year in a row.

When the rosters expanded in September, Ruf got a shot in the majors, hurtling AAA straight to the big-leagues. Ruf hit three more home runs in 37 plate appearances, showing off the power to the Philly faithful.

After starting 2013 in AAA, Ruf was back in the majors in 2013. He hit 14 home runs in 73 games, spending time at first as well as the corner outfield positions.

Mar 4, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard (6) and first baseman Darin Ruf (18) talk before a spring training baseball game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

The following season was lost for Ruf due to injury, appearing in just 52 games for the Phillies. He struggled in those games, batting just .235 while striking out 27.4% of the time. He continued to struggle in 2015, again batting .235 with a below-average 94 wRC+.

Ruf started 2016 in a platoon with Ryan Howard, as Ruf battered lefties, but struggled to hit against righties with a career .204/.274/.360 hitting split against them. The platoon quickly went up in flames, with Ruf posting a meager .503 OPS against lefties and just .399 overall OPS this season.

In May, the Phillies demoted Ruf to AAA in favor of the hot-hitting Tommy Joseph. With Rhys Hoskins nipping at Ruf’s heels in AA, his time with the Phillies could be up sooner rather than later, especially as he continues to decline at the plate.

Next: No.2-The Hometown Kid

Mar 13, 2015; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesse Biddle (70) throws a pitch during the fifth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

#2. Jesse Biddle

Jesse Biddle had plenty going for him when the Phillies selected him in the first round of the 2010 draft out of Germantown. The lefty got to play for his childhood team, a true dream for kids across the country.

Biddle put up solid strikeout numbers throughout his first several seasons in the minors, using his solid fastball-curve mix to punch out batters across the lower minors. After two solid seasons of production and the raw tools to be a top-tier starter, Baseball America saw it fit to rank Biddle the No. 1 prospect in the Phillies system prior to the 2013 season.

Jul 14, 2013; Flushing , NY, USA; USA pitcher Jesse Biddle throws a pitch during the 2013 All Star Futures Game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

When Biddle reached AA Reading in 2014, his career started to go off the rails. He suffered a concussion in a freak hailstorm and had to deal with mental health problems. He managed to make 16 starts with the Fightin’ Phils in 2014, but control continued to plague him.

Biddle started 2015 back in Reading as part of the “Fab Five” rotation. He wasn’t punching batters out at the same rate, but his walk rate was its lowest since 2012, a promising sign for a pitcher who needed something to build on.

Biddle moved one step closer to the big-leagues after his promotion to AAA Lehigh Valley. The elevated competition caused Biddle to struggle, as his ERA ballooned to 6.25 while he gave up a WHIP of 1.88. His elbow started to bother him as the year went on, and it eventually led to Tommy John surgery in October.

With Biddle out-of-commission for a year and declining numbers, his time in the Phillies system was coming to an end. The Phillies traded Biddle to Pittsburgh for Yoervis Medina, who was released in June.

The Pirates designated Biddle for assignment, with the Braves claiming him off waivers. That is now where Biddle resides as he recovers from Tommy John surgery with the hope he can make a comeback in 2017.

Next: No. 1-It's Obvious Who

Jun 18, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Domonic Brown (9) in the dugout between innings against the Baltimore Orioles at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

#1. Dominic Brown

Domonic Brown ranked as the No. 4 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America in 2011. He came just behind Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, and ahead of Aroldis Chapman, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas. With this kind of company, one would think Brown should be a top-tier talent for the Phillies right now.

BA described Brown as a “future All-Star” before the 2011 season, and to their credit, they were right. He reached the All-Star Game in 2013 after hitting 23 home runs with an .856 OPS in the first half. For many fans at the time, Brown truly looked to be the future in the Phillies outfield.

However, it all fell apart from there. Brown suffered a concussion in the late July, playing just 38 games in the second half. He hit just four home runs in that span, with his slugging percentage falling from .535 in the first half to .390 in the second.

The 2014 season wasn’t any better for Brown, as his average fell to .235 and had a -1.7 WAR. In 2015, Brown started the year back in AAA Lehigh Valley as he recovered from injury, but he stayed there for the first few months of the season. He was unimpressive in 52 games there, holding a .303 wOBA.

Brown went back to the majors in June as the Phillies hit their worst span of 2015. Brown did little to help, batting just .228 and posting a 73 wRC+. It was clear Brown just wasn’t the same player who reached the All-Star Game two years earlier.

Mar 17, 2016; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Dominic Brown (13) works out prior to the game against the Houston Astros at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

After 2015, the Phillies outrighted Brown off the 40-man roster, where he elected free agency rather than heading back to Lehigh Valley.

He signed with the Blue Jays to a minor-league deal in the offseason, and he hasn’t returned to the majors since.

Brown, one of the most highly touted Phillies prospects in the last decade, proved the hype surrounding him was too much. He had a mercurial rise and fall, decaying into baseball purgatory.

Teams will continue to sign Brown on the hope he returns to 2013 form, but in all likelihood he never will.

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