The Philadelphia Phillies have a few top-ranked prospects whose debut in the majors will be highly anticipated, but they also have other prospects due for a breakthrough season in 2025 that fans should keep an eye on.
The Phillies' best prospects include starting pitcher Andrew Painter, who may debut with the big league club in the middle of the 2025 season. He missed two years recovering from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander returned to pitch at the 2024 Arizona Fall League, where he won the Pitcher of the Year Award. If Painter joins Philly this upcoming season, he will be at the end of their rotation. His ceiling is at least a reliable second starter and possibly the ace of the Phillies' pitching staff several years from now.
Outfielder Justin Crawford has excelled in the minor league system. He ended last year in Double-A with the Reading Fightin Phils after beginning the year with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws in High-A. The Phillies' third-ranked prospect is expected to be promoted to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in Triple-A during the upcoming season. If Philadelphia struggles with consistent outfield production for a second straight year, the club may promote the youngster to the majors during the second half or by the end of the season. He has the capability of being their future center fielder.
The Phillies are not counting on shortstop Aidan Miller to be ready this season. Philadelphia's first-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft spent time with three minor league teams in 2024. He began last year with the Clearwater Threshers in Single-A, playing in 39 games and totaling a .884 OPS. He finished with a .797 OPS in 58 contests with the BlueClaws. He debuted with the Fightin Phils at the beginning of September and played in five games.
Philadelphia's farm system is not among the best in the majors. It got weaker following the trade of shortstop Starlyn Caba, their No. 4 prospect in 2024, to the Miami Marlins. The Phillies included outfielder Emaarion Boyd, their No. 23 prospect, in the trade for Jesús Luzardo as well. If multiple players in the Phillies' Top 30 prospects do well this year, their farm system ranking will improve, creating more excitement among the fanbase about the club's prospect depth.
Let's look at three Phillies prospects about to have their breakthrough season in 2025.
Moisés Chace
Moisés Chace is the Phillies' No. 23 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Philly traded reliever Gregory Soto to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for pitcher Seth Johnson and the 21-year-old at last year's trade deadline.
Chace began last year in High-A with the Aberdeen IronBirds and played in 17 games, making nine starts. The native of La Guaira, Venezuela, had a 3.46 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He totaled 76 strikeouts and 30 walks in 52 innings.
Following the trade to the Phillies, Chace made two starts with the BlueClaws. He had a 4.15 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 8 2/3 innings. The right-hander compiled 13 strikeouts and three walks during his brief time with Jersey Shore. He finished 2024 with the Fightin Phils and made four starts. The young prospect had 10 strikeouts during a start on Aug. 24 versus the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. He surpassed that total in his following appearance with 13 punchouts against the Somerset Patriots on Aug. 31.
Moisés Chace has earned his spot on the 40-man roster after throwing 48 strikeouts in only 27.4 innings during his first two months in the @Phillies organization! pic.twitter.com/HWHNZFItKr
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) November 19, 2024
Chace was one of the three players the Phillies protected from being selected in December's Rule 5 Draft by adding him to their 40-man roster. Preston Mattingly, Philadelphia's assistant general manager of player development at the time, said the following about the right-hander on an episode of The Phillies Show podcast: "Moisés Chace is a guy to me that has the stuff now to compete in the big leagues, it's just refining. The fastball is special; he's got a sweeper, a cutter, and a changeup. It's a lot of finer points with him we're trying to do, like holding runners."
According to his scouting report on Baseball Savant, Chace relies on three pitches: a fastball that reaches the low 90s followed by a sweeper and changeup. The report also includes that his ceiling is predicted to be at the end of a starting rotation. He may also end up being a reliever. He needs to improve his command to find the strike zone more consistently.