When Dave Dombrowski took over as president of the baseball operations for the Philadelphia Phillies in December 2020, the farm system gave fans virtually nothing to get excited about. Entering 2021, the Phillies farm system ranked 23rd, but fast forward to 2024 and the farm system has started to show signs of life.
The improved depth of the farm has allowed the Phillies to make some instant upgrades to the major league roster, like acquiring Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins in exchange for their No. 4 prospect Starlyn Caba and No. 23 prospect Emaarion Boyd.
In a scout survey conducted by Baseball America, the Phillies, along with their prospects, were praised throughout. They were tied with the Baltimore Orioles for the fifth-best team at identifying talent, and both amateur scouting director Brian Barber and crosschecker Bryce Harman were praised for their work. Three Phillies prospects were named as sleepers who deserve more attention by scouts as well.
3 Phillies prospects who pro scouts think should be getting way more attention
Aidan Miller
Talent evaluators call Aidan Miller the "best position-player prospect since at least Chase Utley," and it's easy to see why. Despite being the Phillies No. 1 prospect, MLB Pipeline's No. 26 overall prospect and Baseball America's Phillies Minor League Player of the Year, scouts still believe that the Phillies first-round pick in 2023 should garner more attention.
In his second season as a professional, the 20-year-old flew up the ranks, starting his year down in Single-A with the Clearwater Threshers and ending it in Double-A with the Reading Fightin Phils. Across the three levels, Miller tallied a .261/.366/.446 line with 11 home runs, 28 doubles, 60 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
He spent the majority of his summer with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws where he struggled initially, hitting just .195 with a .634 OPS through his first 145 plate appearances, but took the South Atlantic League by storm in August, slashing a .299/.370/.536 line in the month across 108 plate appearances.
Miller, alongside teammate Justin Crawford, represented Jersey Shore in the MLB All-Star Futures Game, and his dominance in August helped him become the BlueClaws' first South Atlantic League Player of the Month since they became the Phillies' High-A affiliate in 2021. His time in High-A came to an end just a day later on Sept. 1, after a 5-for-5 day that included a home run and double.
Eduardo Tait
Much like Miller, Eduardo Tait is another young and upcoming prospect in the organization. After being signed out of Panama in January 2023, the 18-year-old catcher rode a breakout 2024 all the way to becoming the Phillies No. 4 prospect with a .302/.356/.486 line in 326 plate appearances between Rookie ball and Single-A, but it was a scorching hot July that put him on everyone's radar. In his last 14 games in the Florida Complex League, Tait recorded a .438/.444/.583 line and was named the Phillies Minor League Player of the Month for July.
Alongside his ability to hit for contact and get on base, Tait's power numbers were something that caught the attention of then assistant general manager of player development Preston Mattingly and the rest of the Phillies scouts. Through 79 games between the two levels, Tait totaled 30 extra-base hits, 11 of them coming from the long ball, and 73 RBI. Mattingly touched on this raw power during his appearance on The Phillies Show podcast.
"As a 17-year-old, he essentially played the full season... but we thought he could handle it," Mattingly said. "Just the at-bat quality and strength is not an issue. Usually with young kids, strength can be a little bit of an issue. With him, it's not and he's got a chance to be special."
Eduardo Tait was a beast this season
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) December 28, 2024
The 18-year-old No. 4 Phillies prospect showed off his powerful bat and arm in 2024 for the FCL Phillies and Clearwater Threshers pic.twitter.com/kxzriooPxR
Jean Cabrera
2024 seemed to be the year Cabrera finally figured it out. While he may have been overshadowed by the likes of Andrew Painter, Mick Abel and Griff McGarry during his initial three years in the organization, the 23-year-old right-handed starter gave the Phillies something to think about after a dominant season in High-A. In 77 innings with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, Cabrera struck out 91 while walking just 25 and posted a 3.39 ERA. In his final start with the team, he struck out 10 and tossed six no-hit innings.
This caught the attention of not only the Phillies, but scouts everywhere, as the Phillies promoted him to Double-A just five days later and Cabrera went from being an unranked prospect to the Phillies No. 12 prospect. His repertoire consists of a dominant 98 mph fastball, a 94-95 mph sinking two-seamer, an 87-90 changeup, and an 82-85 mph sweeper that can "freeze hitters."
While he struggled to record the same strikeout volume in his 29 2/3 innings at Double-A, the Phillies have something here with Cabrera, adding to the collection of starters that they have waiting in the wings.