4 Phillies prospects who could steal roster spots at Spring Training

2. Hans Crouse RHP

Hans Crouse was part of the trade package the Phillies received from the Texas Rangers at the 2021 deadline when they acquired big-league arms Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy. They also received Crouse, a top Rangers prospect, and somehow convinced the Rangers to pay them $4M. In exchange, former top pitching prospect Spencer Howard became a Ranger.

Now the number-four prospect in the Phillies’ system, Crouse had never pitched above Double-A before the trade and pitched in exactly one game at Triple-A Lehigh Valley after the trade. He also made four starts in the Arizona Fall League, to the tune of a 5.06 ERA over 16 innings.

Gibson and Kennedy proved to be mediocre additions to the Phillies’ already-struggling pitching arsenal, so it’s kind of up to Crouse to make this trade seem like a win. He already debuted with the Phillies, making two big-league starts.