Five Phillies prospects who could make their debut in 2019

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 4: Nick Williams #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates hitting his two run home run with manager Gabe Kapler #22 in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Citizens Bank Park on July 4, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Orioles 4-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 4: Nick Williams #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates hitting his two run home run with manager Gabe Kapler #22 in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Citizens Bank Park on July 4, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Orioles 4-1. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Omaha, NE – JUNE 24: Player Adam Haseley (R) of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrates after scoring with teammate Pavin Smith #10 against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the seventh inning during game three of the College World Series Championship Series on June 24, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

Adam Haseley

To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Phillies drafting Adam Haseley last year. After drafting outfielders two years in a row in the first round I was looking for the team to go a different way with the No. 8 pick. Ultimately, my opinion is irrelevant and Haseley became a Phillie.

Haseley had a good start to his professional career after being drafted. In 58 games between the Gulf Coast League, short-season Williamsport, and Low-A Lakewood, he had a .284/.357/.405 line with three home runs, two triples, 13 doubles, and 28 runs batted in. He struck out 44 times and walked 22 times in 246 plate appearances.

This year, Haseley took a major step forward. He opened the season in High-A Clearwater, posting a .300/.343/.415 line with a 5.4% walk rate and 15.3% strikeout rate in 354 plate appearances. He hit five home runs, drove in 38, and scored 54 runs in 79 games.

Haseley earned a midseason promotion and tore the cover off the ball once he reached Reading. In 39 games he hit six home runs, walked almost as much as he struck out (16 walks to 19 strikeouts) and posted an .880 OPS. His 148 wRC+ ranked 13th among all Eastern League players with 100 or more plate appearances. Haseley’s offensive numbers earned him the honor of MLB Pipeline’s Phillies prospect of the year alongside pitcher David Parkinson.

Looking towards next year, Haseley should start the season in Triple-A. The team was aggressive in assigning him to Clearwater to start this year, so they will likely be aggressive again next season. If he continues to post strong offensive numbers, it will be hard to keep him out of the majors.