Phillies: 3 prospects who provide optimism for future
By Matt Rappa
These Phillies prospects are turning heads this season.
Next month’s Major League Baseball trade deadline is intriguing, as you never know what President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski will do to improve the outlook of the Philadelphia Phillies roster.
While adding players who would immediately make a significant impact would be nice, it is important to still develop homegrown prospects — such as what the organization has done with stars Aaron Nola, Rhys Hoskins, and Alec Bohm, among others.
Here are three Phillies prospects who should provide optimism to fans for a brighter tomorrow.
1. Bailey Falter
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 draft out of Chino Hills High School in California, the left-handed-throwing Bailey Falter has turned some heads in his six starts this season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley — particularly his five most recent.
Spanning 28 1/3 innings, Falter has posted a combined 1.91 ERA, .212/.261/.337 opposing slash line, and a 41-7 strikeouts-to-walks ratio.
In his five most recent starts (24 1/3 innings), Falter has surrendered only two earned runs — while striking out 36 of his 93 batters faced — good for a lights-out 0.74 ERA and .205/.247/.307 opposing slash line.
The 24-year-old made his big-league debut in a two-inning relief appearance, away against the Colorado Rockies on April 25. While he allowed two runs on four hits, he still struck out a pair of batters — a positive sign.
Falter just might crack the big-league rotation at some point this season, particularly since there is uncertainty surrounding offseason free-agent signees Matt Moore and Chase Anderson.