4 red-hot Phillies prospects soar up new Top 50 rankings

The Philadelphia Phillies' minor league system may be a bit top-heavy, but it has come a long way in just a few short years.

There are some household names that many fans are familiar with in Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford, however, there have been a number of other young players who have had impressive showings to begin the 2025 season.

Four current Phillies prospects were ranked in The Athletic's Top 50 prospects list (subscription required) created by Keith Law. Some on the list are not surprising, yet others have earned their rank more recently.

Which Phillies prospects landed in The Athletic's new Top 50 rankings?

Andrew Painter, No. 5

Unsurprisingly, Painter is listed at No. 5 in Law's rankings. The hard-throwing right-hander has been considered a top pitching prospect for the last few years despite undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the entire 2024 season.

The 22-year-old pitcher has been slowly progressing in his rehab and is aiming to take a shot at the Phillies' rotation sooner rather than later. In eight appearances between Single-A Clearwater and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Painter has pitched to a 3.18 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in 28 1/3 innings. He has struck out 32 hitters while holding opposing lineups to a .222 batting average.

While his numbers are impressive, the fact that his velocity has remained consistent through higher pitch counts should get fans excited.

Painter is getting close to being ready for a big-league mound and being ranked above other highly touted pitching prospects like Bubba Chandler of the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system demonstrates just how good he can really be.

Aidan Miller, No. 9

Miller's move into the top 10 despite struggling through his first month at Double-A says a lot about what people around the game think about his pedigree. Drafted late in the first round, at pick 27, in 2023, the 20-year-old shortstop drew considerable praise. Many teams passed on him because he missed much of his senior year due to a hand injury.

Miller's splits between April and May show that despite being younger than much of the competition at Double-A, the highly touted shortstop has the ability to turn things around. During April, Miller slashed .203/.314/.311 with just two home runs and four RBIs in 19 games.

Fast forward to May and the 20-year-old slashed .284/.364/.432 with three home runs and eight runs knocked in.

Miller is not as close as Painter is to seeing a major league field, but he is trending in the right direction and has garnered attention from many people around the game.

Aroon Escobar, No. 40

Aroon Escobar might be the most surprising Phillies prospect to make the list. His hot start to the season at Clearwater has earned some attention.

The infield prospect has slashed .322/.421/.503 to begin the year. With that, he has shown some insane power and the ability to plate runs with his eight homers and 27 RBIs.

At just 20 years old and in just his second professional season in the United States, Escobar still has plenty of developing to do. His ability to stay consistent at the plate, however, has demonstrated that his impressive numbers are not just a flash in the pan.

Justin Crawford, No. 42

Crawford has been a prospect that has been ranked differently by scouts and media personnel around baseball. Law likes what he sees in the Phillies' 2022 first round draft selection enough to put him toward the end of his list.

Between his speed, his defensive abilities, and his ability to get on base, Crawford has some major league potential. His .338/.407/.438 slash line to begin the season at Triple-A has been impressive. The young outfielder's on-base percentage is higher than it was to finish any of his previous minor league seasons.

One reason for the increase in the stat category is that he is drawing more walks. In 228 plate appearances, Crawford has walked 24 times. To put that in perspective, in 2024 the 21-year-old drew 32 walks in 497 plate appearances.

Of these four prospects, Crawford is the closest position player to contributing on a big-league field. He still has to come into his own a bit in terms of driving the ball and developing some more power, but the other aspects of his game are there.

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