Phillies Farm System has More Questions Than Answers

Phillies fans should be more concerned about the farm system then they are

The Phillies farm system is already a thousand times better than it was entering the 2015 season. Ruben Amaro Jr. left us with a bounty of young talent before we shoved him out the door. New General Manager Matt Klentak added on to that bounty with the Ken Giles and Carlos Ruiz trades.

However, the farm system has more questions than answers concerning many of the top prospects.

Nick Williams on one hand has struck out 18 times over his last 10 games. In those same 10 games, he has one walk, no home runs, and seven hits. The plate discipline issue has always been a major factor in Williams’s career, and it continues to plague him this season.

The strike out to walk ratio will overshadow his 32 doubles, 12 home runs, and .728 OPS.

2015 first round pick Cornelius Randolph has missed a large portion of the season with a shoulder injury. In 63 games between the Gulf Coast League and Lakewood, Randolph has hit .268 with two home runs and 56 strikeouts. While he’s just 19 years old, the team expected a much higher batting average from Randolph.

Dylan Cozens and Rhys Hoskins are on the verge of breaking Darin Ruf’s Reading home run record of 38 in a season. We’ve seen what Darin Ruf can do in the major leagues, and it’s not much.

A hitters-friendly park in Reading skews the numbers dramatically, especially for Cozens.

Outfielder Roman Quinn is hurt. Again. While his bat and speed will carry him far, injuries to his wrist, achillies, and head have held him up.

Finally, Mark Appel is recovering from another season-ending injury to his throwing arm. Acquired in the Ken Giles trade, Appel was expected to compete for a rotation spot in spring training.

Beyond those five examples, many questions remain. Several prospects (Franklyn Kilome, Kevin Gowdy, Mickey Moniak) aren’t expected to be ready until 2019.

So while the future looks sunny, it’s still further away than we thought.