That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

Philadelphia Phillies 2018 top prospect list: Nos. 1-5

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 18: J.P. Crawford #2 of the Philadelphia Phillies hive fives his teammates in the dugout after throwing out Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (NOT PICTURED) in the top of the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park on September 18, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Dodgers 4-3. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 18: J.P. Crawford #2 of the Philadelphia Phillies hive fives his teammates in the dugout after throwing out Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers (NOT PICTURED) in the top of the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park on September 18, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Dodgers 4-3. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next

No. 4: Right-handed pitcher Adonis Medina

The two pitchers in this part of the list both have the potential to be impact players at the major-league level. The first of these two is 20-year-old Adonis Medina.

Last year in short-season Williamsport, Medina showed a strong fastball and ground-ball rate but wasn’t able to strike many guys out and walked far more batters than would be hoped for a guy who relies on getting ground ball outs.

This season, that narrative shifted as Sanchez more than doubled his strikeout rate in Low-A Lakewood, collecting 10 strikeouts per nine innings. In addition, his walk rate lowered from nine percent to 7.4 percent. He ultimately finished the year with a 3.01 ERA, 3.34 fielding-independent pitching, and 1.19 WHIP in 22 starts.

That large jump in strikeouts came from a major improvement in his secondary pitches. Medina’s changeup went from being around average to being a consistent plus pitch. His slider continues to flash plus and is consistently a good offering. His command is still a little shaky, but he showed improvement this year and he has more than enough stuff to work with.

After a full season in Low-A, Medina should start the year in High-A Clearwater and potentially get a chance to test Double-A Reading by the end of the year.

Home/Phillies Prospects