2021 Phillies top 10 prospects list shows promise for future

Top 10 Phillies prospects list for the 2021 season

The Philadelphia Phillies farm system has hardly been one to receive praise, at least over the past decade; however, there are still several reasons for optimism heading into the 2021 season.

Baseball America recently released its annual Top 10 Phillies prospects list, featuring three right-handed pitchers, three infielders, three outfielders, and one catcher.

Two of these prospects debuted in the majors this past season; they, along with the eight others, have shown signs of promise that can correlate to future success at the big-league level.

10. Nick Maton, INF

Drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 draft out of Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, the 23-year-old Nick Maton has fielded second base, shortstop, and third base so far in his professional career. He has been praised for his solid defensive skills at each position, and could very well become the next “Scott Kingery,” utility-type player on the big-league roster.

The younger brother of four-year veteran reliever Phil Maton — who appeared in more than one-third of the games this past season with the Cleveland Indians — Nick has been praised for his impressive strikeouts to walks ratios; So far through 286 career minor-league games and 1,168 plate appearances, he has struck out only 235 times compared to his 123 walks.

“He’s never going to be a huge power guy, but he’s not going to have the bat knocked out of his hand either, with some extra-base authority from the left side of the plate,” MLB Pipeline writes. “He’s not a burner, but he’s aggressive on the basepaths and is still learning how to steal bases more consistently.”

Maton most recently appeared in the 2019 Arizona Fall League, but appeared in only three games, slashing .333/.385/.667, due to suffering a broken thumb. The Phillies recently added him, along with five other prospects, to their 40-man roster as protection from this offseason’s Rule 5 Draft.

9. Johan Rojas, OF

The Dominican Republic native Johan Rojas, who turned 20 this past August, has only played professionally in the Phillies organization for two seasons, after being signed as an international prospect during the 2017-18 signing period.

So far, he has impressed. Spanning 128 combined games and 548 plate appearances, Rojas has slashed .294/.346/.425 with 23 doubles, 15 triples, four home runs, 46 RBI, 33 stolen bases, 32 walks, and just 78 strikeouts.

MLB Pipeline projects Rojas to make his big-league debut sometime in 2023, and says he “makes a ton of hard contact from the right side of the plate, barreling up the baseball very well and has the chance to be a solid hitter with good power.”

Rojas is said to also have plus speed, which he takes advantage of on the base paths stealing bases, as well as when fielding in the outfield. Rojas has been primarily used as a center fielder, and has committed only six errors through 295 chances and 1,079 1/3 innings so far in the Phillies system overall.

“He’s played more center field than anywhere else to date and has the range and the instincts to stay there, though he’s also shown the ability to play both corners and has plenty of arm strength for right,” MLB Pipeline continues.

8. Simon Muzziotti, OF

The Venezuela native Simon Muzziotti also was an international prospect, but came to the Phillies through unique circumstances. The Boston Red Sox first inked the outfielder during the 2015-16 signing period; however, he was later declared a free-agent, once the Red Sox were forced to forfeit him and others — as well as became banned from signing international prospects the subsequent year — due to signing-bonus rule violations.

So far, Muzziotti has shown promising signs in the Phillies system, having struck out only 127 times compared to his 70 walks through 1,157 plate appearances from 2016-19. And, Muzziotti was even named a 2019 Florida State League All-Star, after slashing .287/.337/.372 with 21 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 28 RBI, and 21 stolen bases.

The primary center fielder will turn 22 next month and is described as a “natural defender with outstanding instincts — one who reads hitters well, gets great jumps and takes very good routes to the ball, with a very accurate arm to boot.” The Phillies recently added Muzziotti, along with five other prospects, to their 40-man roster as protection from this offseason’s Rule 5 Draft.

7. Yhoswar Garcia, OF

Venezuela native outfielder Yhoswar Garcia has yet to play professionally in the Phillies organization due to the COVID-19 crisis canceling the 2020 minor-league season. The international amateur prospect was  supposed to sign in July 2019; however, he was ruled ineligible “because of an age issue,” MLB Pipeline writes.

Instead, Garcia and the Phillies came to terms the following March; now 19, he is described as being “very toolsy,” with speed being his most intriguing attribute so far — running 6.3 seconds in the 60-yard dash.

At the plate, Garcia is said to have a decent approach, with “more of a line-drive, gap-to-gap bat right now, but there’s more power to come as he matures.”

While there are not any statistics yet to analyze Garcia, if these descriptions hold true, the Phillies appear to have a young, promising prospect to look forward to.

6. Luis Garcia, INF

The 20-year-old, switch-hitting infielder Luis Garcia struggled in 2019 with the Lakewood BlueClaws, slashing only .186/.261/.255; however, he did produce 14 doubles, three triples, four home runs, and 36 RBI across 127 games. The year prior, with the GCL Phillies West, the Dominican Republic native won the  Gulf Coast League batting title — slashing .369/.433/.488 with 11 doubles, three triples, one home run, and 32 RBI spanning just 43 games.

It appears Baseball America is treating the 2019 season more like a fluke, and believes Garcia will be able to return to his 2018 numbers come the 2021 minor-league season. MLB Pipeline is doing the same. “It might be OK to give the teenager a mulligan for last season as he still has the raw tools that made him such a premium talent on the international market and plenty of time to figure it out,” they write. “The switch-hitter didn’t produce much at the plate in 2019, though he was better from the right side, mostly because of his inability to recognize breaking stuff.

The Phillies inked Garcia during the 2017-18 international signing period, the same class that featured Shohei Ohtani and Wander Franco. So far, Garcia has fielded second base and shortstop, committing a combined 11 errors through 198 chances for a .944 fielding percentage.

5. Rafael Marchan, C

Venezuela native catcher Rafael Marchan made his big-league debut this past season and did not disappoint, slugging his first professional career home run — a three-run shot that helped the Phillies edge the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-7, in the second game of a seven-inning, mid-September twin bill double-header.

The 21-year-old is most respected for his defense, as well as catch-and-throw skills, and is poised to be at least the long-term Phillies backup catcher for years to come.

4. Francisco Morales, RHP

The Phillies recently added pitcher Francisco Morales, along with five other prospects, to their 40-man roster as protection from this offseason’s Rule 5 Draft. Inked to the organization during the 2016-17 international signing period, the 6-foot-4 right-hander has logged 241 strikeouts through 194 1/3 innings and three levels in the system.

The Venezuela native’s pitching repertoire includes having a fastball that reaches the high 90s, a changeup that has depth, as well as a filthy slider and breaking ball — the latter pitch which induced a 30 percent swing-and-miss rate opposite South Atlantic League batters during the 2019 season.

Thirty-seven of Morales’ 50 professional appearances have come as a starter; the Phillies might view Morales as a candidate to enter at least the back-end of the rotation in the coming seasons.

3. Bryson Stott, SS

The Phillies drafted shortstop Bryson Stott in the first round, 14th overall, of the 2019 amateur draft out of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Growing up in the world-renowned Nevada city, Stott is already friends with fellow area native, star outfielder Bryce Harper.

The 23-year-old performed up to expectations during his first professional season last year, combined between the GCL Phillies East and Williamsport Crosscutters. Spanning 48 games and 193 plate appearances, Stott slashed .295/.391/.494 with nine doubles, three triples, six home runs, 27 RBI, 24 walks, and just 39 strikeouts.

Stott is surely a candidate to become the next everyday Phillies shortstop, and possibly is the reason why the Phillies seem to have been wary to commit to Didi Gregorius and others long-term at the position.