5 Non-40-man prospects to watch in Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training

Which Philadelphia Phillies prospects should you keep an eye on in Spring Training?

It’s official. Half an hour before MLB’s 5 PM deadline on Tuesday, the Players’ Union rejected MLB’s final proposal. As a result, the league made good on its threat and canceled Opening Day. The first two series of the MLB season will be missed by all teams and not made up; if we’re lucky, we’ll get a 156-game season.

Since the lockout has not ended, players on the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 40-man roster remain unable to report to Spring Training

While this is a worst-case scenario for those on the 40-man, it offers those in the organization not on that roster an opportunity to shine. For minor leaguers making minimal pay and hoping to reach the majors, the spotlight could be life-changing.

Here are five players not on the 40-man roster to watch in in minor-league Spring Training…

Bryson Stott, Phillies SS

Starting with the obvious, Bryce Harper’s hometown pal Bryson Stott is in Clearwater, Florida, to earn a spot with the big boys. That’s what President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski challenged him to do last fall, and Stott told the media in February that he’s confident he can.

The Phillies’ top non-pitching prospect, Stott rose rapidly through the farm system. He was the club’s first-round pick in 2019, spent time at the alternate training site in 2020, and traversed three levels of the farm in 2021, finishing the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Stott is expected to debut early in the season, but the mess of the lockout could impact that, for better or worse.