The 2026 Minor League Baseball is now in full swing. All affiliates have games under their belt, so it's time to overreact (just a bit) and highlight a few under-the-radar prospects who performed well in the early going.
Phillies No. 21 prospect Alirio Ferrebus had a strong start with Single-A Clearwater, Brandon Beckel's impressed in two outings with High-A Jersey Shore, and Rule 5 pick Austin Murr's walk-off home run with Double-A Reading has us hoping there is more in the tank all season for these three farmhands.
Phillies prospects Alirio Ferrebus, Brandon Beckel, Austin Murr impress in minor leagues
Ferrebus, 20, seems like he is officially done with rookie ball. He played in 44 games with Clearwater last year and he returned to the club with ease. He has five hits in his first 14 at-bats alongside four RBIs. Last year, Ferrebus did not get his fourth RBI until his 10th game. He's at the mark in less than half the time. His .357 batting average is also a major jump from his .219 clip last season.
Beckel began his 2025 campaign with Jersey Shore, but was promoted to Double-A after handing in a 3.20 ERA with a .220 batting average against. Unfortunately, Beckel never found his footing at this level, so he has returned to the shore, but with conviction.
In his first two relief outings, the 24-year-old has twirled four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and only one hit allowed. If he's too dominant in High-A once again, we hope he has a stronger stint at the next level, whenever that time will come. For now, the BlueClaws are more than happy to have him on board.
Austin Murr hit a walk-off home run last night in Reading! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/glAdhy8zlt
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) April 10, 2026
Murr, who can play fist base and the corner outfield spots, unloaded a 10th-inning walk-off two-run home run in Thursday against Hartford. It was his first home run of the season as part of a 7-for-18 start at the plate. Murr made a big leap from High-A to Triple-A last year, but a .208 batting average at the higher level has him comfortably with Reading to begin the 2026 schedule.
Murr isn't necessarily a home run hitter, having muscled 26 in his first five minor league seasons, but the 27-year-old's jack on Thursday had some added pop, which tells us that this might be the year when he really breaks out.