Spencer Howard, Mick Abel head Phillies top 30 prospect list

It is hard to believe but the 2021 Philadelphia Phillies regular season is less than three weeks away, with Opening Day set for April 1, home against the Atlanta Braves.

Before Phillies fans see their first April game at Citizens Bank Park in nearly 700 days, however, one of the last agenda items to tick off the “to-do list” was MLB Pipeline releasing the team’s annual top 30 prospects list. Friday morning, that task was made complete.

Spencer Howard — who made six starts as a rookie during the 2020 season, going 1-2 with a 5.92 ERA and 1.644 WHIP —  tops the list, followed by fellow right-handed pitcher Mick Abel, the team’s first-round pick (No. 15 overall) from last year’s amateur draft. The pair are respectively also ranked as the 42nd and 76th-best overall prospect in Major League Baseball.

2021 Top 30 Philadelphia Phillies Prospects List

1. Spencer Howard, RHP
2. Mick Abel, RHP
3. Bryson Stott, SS
4. Francisco Morales, RHP
5. Rafael Marchan, C
6. Luis Garcia, SS
7. Casey Martin, SS
8. Johan Rojas, OF
9. Erik Miller, LHP
10. Simon Muzziotti, OF
11. Adonis Medina, RHP
12. Mickey Moniak, OF
13. Yhoswar Garcia, OF
14. Damon Jones, LHP
15. JoJo Romero, LHP
16. Kendall Simmons, 2B/SS/3B
17. Jamari Baylor, SS
18. Mauricio Llovera, RHP
19. Nick Maton, SS
20. Rodolfo Duran, C
21. Ramon Rosso, RHP
22. Connor Brogdon, RHP
23. Rickardo Perez, C
24. Jhailyn Ortiz, OF
25. Cristopher Sanchez, LHP
26. Ethan Lindow, LHP
27. Kyle Dohy, LHP
28. Logan O’Hoppe, C
29. Jordi Martinez, LHP
30. Eduar Segovia, RHP

Four of these players are catchers, one a second baseman, five shortstops and outfielders each, eight right-handed pitchers, and seven southpaws. The Phillies acquired half of these 30 prospects through the draft, a dozen through international signings, two through trade and one through free agency.

No. 3 overall pick from the 2018 draft, corner infielder Alec Bohm, officially “graduates” from the Phillies prospect list — as he exceeded his rookie limits in 2020, slashing .338/.400/.481 across 44 games and 180 plate appearances. Bohm finished tied for second in the Rookie of the Year Award race.

The newly ranked No. 13 overall Phillies prospect, outfielder Yhoswar Garcia, saw the biggest jump on the list, as he ranked 10 spots lower in 2020. Other “jumpers” include infielder Kendall Simmons, ranked 16th for 2021 as opposed to 26 in 2020, and shortstop Jamari Baylor (ranked 17th for 2021, 10 spots righter than 2020).

The Phillies prospect who saw the biggest dip was right-hander Enyel De Los Santos, going from being the team’s No. 8 overall prospect in 2020, to not making the list at all for 2021. The Dominican Republic native debuted in 2018, going 1-0 with a 4.74 ERA through two starts and five relief appearances. In 2019, he went 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA across one start and four relief outings. The 25-year-old — acquired from the San Diego Padres in December 2017 for shortstop Freddy Galvis — did not appear in the majors at all last year, and was even designated for assignment and went unclaimed.