Phillies: Five prospects who had breakout seasons in 2018

The Minor League season is over and there are a few prospects that stood out this year in the Phillies’ system.

For years the Phillies farm systems was among the worst in baseball, but thanks to trades and changes in the front office the minor league system is stocked with quality, young talent.

Let’s start with the first of two Paul Owens award recipients as the Phillies’ best minor league players.

David Parkinson, LHP, Lakewood/Clearwater

The 22-year-old left hander started the season in Lakewood and instantly made a name for himself. In 17 starts, he was 8-1 with a 1.51 ERA. He added four more starts and a relief appearance in Clearwater, pitching to a 3-0 record and a 1.24 ERA in 29.0 innings.

Parkinson’s season in Lakewood was highlighted by a seven inning complete game shutout on July 22 against Hagerstown. In that outing, Parkinson gave up four hits, walking none and striking out seven on an efficient 81 pitches.

His best outing for Clearwater came in his first start for the Threshers on Aug. 4. In the win, Parkinson again tossed seven innings of two hit shutout ball, walking two and striking out seven on 75 pitches.

His combined statistics for 2018 were impressive. This summer, Parkinson went 11-1 with a 1.45 ERA in 22 appearances (21 starts). The lefty pitched 124.1 innings with 141 strikeouts, a 1.01 WHIP. Opponents hit just .202 against him and he only surrendered 20 earned runs the entire season.

The 2017 12th round pick truly broke out this year. The Phillies will expect him to take another step and move up in the organization next season.

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Austin Listi, 1B/OF, Clearwater/Reading

Austin Listi came into the organization with somewhat low expectations. He was a late round pick, being selected by the Phillies in the 17th round in the 2017 draft. However, this year was his coming out party.

Listi spent the first half of the season in Clearwater hitting .344 with nine home runs and 45 RBI in 58 games.

After a call-up on June 18, Listi played the remaining 65 games of his season in Reading. There, he hit .281 with another nine home runs and 39 RBI.

Listi showed tremendous plate discipline throughout the year. He walked 65 times and struck out just 94 times in 123 games.

Although his average dropped after his call-up, Listi still put together a great year. Combined, Listi slashed .312/.412/.502 with 25 doubles, 18 home runs and 84 RBI.

The Phillies have a crowded pool of outfielders in their system, so he may not make it to the big club, but he will certainly move up in the organization next year. He could be a potential trade piece next summer with the Phillies expectations of competing for a division title once again.

The Phillies awarded Listi and Parkinson players as their Minor League players of the year, but they weren’t the only prospects who shined this season.

Cole Irvin, LHP, Lehigh Valley

Cole Irvin was one of the best pitchers in the International League in 2018. After having a 3.39 ERA in 2017, he came back this year and went 14-4 with a 2.57 ERA in 26 games, all but one being a start.

Irvin’s lone relief appearance came on Aug. 17 and it was a lengthy one. That day, he pitched 7.1 innings out of the bullpen, giving up no runs on two hits and earned the win.

The University of Oregon product was the model of consistency this year. He pitched six innings or more in 20 of his 26 outings and gave up three earned runs or less in 20 of his appearances.

On May 30 against Charlotte, Irvin picked up a win after pitching 8.2 shutout innings, giving up four hits, walking one and striking out six. He threw 117 pitches in what ended up being his longest outing of the year in terms of both innings and pitches thrown.

If Irvin gets the call to the Phillies next year, he could be a welcome addition to a starting rotation that lacks a left-handed pitcher.

Enyel De Los Santos, RHP, Lehigh Valley/Philadelphia

The Phillies acquired De Los Santos from the Padres for shortstop Freddy Galvis last offseason, and the return has been fantastic..

He spent most of the year in Lehigh Valley and had a few call-ups to the Phillies when the team was dealing with injuries. In five major league games, two of which were starts, De Los Santos is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA. He looked strong in his major league debut against the Mets, going 6.1 innings giving up three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six.

Philadelphia Phillies

De Los Santos had decent expectations after being labeled a top pitching prospect in the Padres’ deep pool of pitchers and after the Phillies gave up their starting shortstop for him. De Los Santos did not disappoint in his first season in the Phillies organization. In Lehigh Valley, the 22-year-old was 10-5 with a 2.63 ERA in 22 starts.

In his first 12 starts, De Los Santos had a 1.47 ERA. In that 12th start on June 12, he threw a seven inning complete game shutout against Buffalo. In the win, he gave up four hits, walked three, hit two and struck out seven. He had a season-high 115 pitches in that start.

In the second half, he slowed down a bit, but not enough to derail his season. His only poor starts came in the second half when gave up seven earned runs on July 29 and four earned on Aug. 29.

Other than that, De Los Santos gave up three or less earned runs in all of his other 20 starts.

Depending on what the Phillies do this offseason, De Los Santos could find himself in the rotation next year or he could be a long man out of the bullpen.