We are now into the top 20 prospects of the Phillies system. Inside this section are powerful outfielders and a mixed bag of pitchers.
The Phillies were a complete mess in the outfield this season. While Odubel Herrera was a solid centerpiece, the surrounding outfielders were less than solid.
Tyler Goeddel manned left field on Opening Day, but his playing time was limited this season. Even though Goeddel struggled – .549 OPS this year – the Phillies couldn’t demote him to Triple-A since he was selected from the Rays in the Rule 5 draft. Instead, he stayed on the roster for the entire year while other players spent time in left field.
Aaron Altherr was poised to be the starting right fielder, but a wrist injury in spring training required surgery and caused him to remain out of action until August. After returning from injury, Altherr carried a .202/.304/.293 line in 57 games. Safe to say, Altherr’s return was less than ideal.
In addition to these young players, several others also spent time in the outfield. Peter Bourjos had a tremendous June with a 190 wRC+, but the rest of his season was otherwise poor. Cody Asche managed to be worse than his previous seasons, being worth -0.6 fWAR in 71 games. Finally, the Phillies signed Jimmy Paredes hoping he would put up his solid numbers from 2014 and 2015 with Baltimore, but he instead had a meager .591 OPS.
Despite the struggles of the outfield, some help is on the way from the minor-leagues. Roman Quinn made an impressive debut in September before an oblique injury cut his season short. In addition, several other prospects, including some in this section, could help the team’s outfield in the future. Without further ado, let’s dive into prospects No. 16-20 in the Phillies system.