Draft season is right around the corner and Philadelphia Phillies fans are eagerly anticipating an influx of young talent into the farm system. With that excitement comes expectations, and unfortunately not every highly-touted draft pick will reach the heights fans envisioned. With that in mind, let’s dive into the biggest recent draft busts in Phillies history.
A few quick notes: first, this list will be limited to the last twenty years to account for the fact that most current Phillies fans won’t remember failed prospects from decades ago. Second, we’ll limit ourselves to first-round picks, seeing as they come with the highest expectations and cause the most heartache when they faceplant. Lastly, why not add a bit of salt to the wound by giving a few players the Phillies passed up each time? Now, let’s jump in.
Adam Haseley (2017)
Who they could have picked: Jo Adell, Shane Baz, Brent Rooker
We’re less than 10 years removed from 2017, and yet it feels like a lifetime ago. Bryce Harper was still a National, Zack Wheeler was a Met, and the whole world had never heard of COVID-19. There was one constant, however: the Phillies stunk.
Smack dab in the middle of a decade-long playoff drought, the 2016 Phils lost 91 games and earned themselves the eighth overall pick in the following year’s draft. Royce Lewis, Hunter Greene and MacKenzie Gore made up a solid top three picks, but Phillies general manager Matt Klentak thought he'd struck gold on University of Virginia outfielder Adam Haseley in their wake.
The 21-year-old profiled as a Brandon Marsh-esque jack of all trades with a terrific hit tool and ability to cover ground in the outfield. Unfortunately, that never came to fruition, as Haseley appeared in just 116 games in parts of three seasons in red pinstripes, posting an ugly .695 OPS along the way. His time with the organization came to an unceremonious end when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for fringy reliever McKinley Moore.
Mickey Moniak (2016)
Who they could have picked: A.J. Puk, Cole Ragans, Will Smith
Oh Mickey Moniak, what could have been. The Phillies were cursed with owning the first overall pick in one of the worst draft classes ever, and took a swing on the California high school product as a result. MLB.com compared him to Christian Yelich, which sounds wonderful to a present-day Phillies team that has just one competent outfielder.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, the Mick never came close to those expectations; at least not in Philly. The poor kid struggled to figure out the minor leagues and got into just 47 games with the parent club, putting up a woeful .386 OPS. Deciding a change of scenery was best for everybody, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski flipped Moniak to the Los Angeles Angels at the 2022 trade deadline for veteran starter Noah Syndergaard (who did yeoman’s work for a pennant-winning team).
While it didn’t work out for Moniak with the Phillies, he’s reinvented himself recently with the Colorado Rockies, owning a scorching hot .839 OPS in two seasons with the club, and putting himself in All-Star consideration this year.
Cornelius Randolph (2015)
Who they could have picked: Josh Naylor, Taylor Ward, Austin Riley
Mickey Moniak and Adam Haseley were big time busts for the Phillies, but at least they made it to the majors. 2015 draftee Cornelius Randolph can’t even lay claim to that honor. The Georgia high schooler was a bit of a project, but Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. hoped to turn him into a top-of-the-order hitter.
Amaro had his work cut out for him, as Randolph had little pop, not much speed and was being moved off of shortstop to the outfield. The experiment went belly up almost immediately, and Randolph ended up toiling away in the minors for six years before the Phils finally cut bait. He lasted one more season in affiliated ball in the Chicago White Sox’s system, and has bounced around Indy ball teams the past few years. Boy, would it be nice to have Taylor Ward right about now.
The Phillies have had some brutal whiffs in recent drafts
Larry Greene (2011)
Who they could have picked: Jackie Bradley Jr., Trevor Story, Blake Snell
This one may be cheating a little bit since Larry Greene wasn’t drafted with an ordinary first-round pick, but a compensation pick received for the loss of Jayson Werth in free agency. Still, the Georgia high school outfielder is one of the more legendary draft busts in Phillies history, and no list is complete without him.
Nary a Phillies fan has fond memories of Ruben Amaro Jr. as general manager, and selections like Larry Greene are exactly why. The stocky outfielder’s power was something to dream on, but he didn’t do anything else particularly well and the Phillies were not exactly an organization known for getting the most out of their prospects.
Greene’s limitations led to his minor league career playing out exactly as expected: he was out of organized baseball by the age of 21. In three seasons in the Phillies’ system, Greene limped to a .638 OPS and never made it past A-ball. Yikes.
Jesse Biddle (2010)
Who they could have picked: Aaron Sanchez, Noah Syndergaard, Nick Castellanos
The Phillies made a local kid’s dreams come true back in 2010 when they selected Germantown Friends High School left-hander Jesse Biddle with the 27th overall selection. Biddle showed plenty of promise early on, posting ERAs in the 3.00-4.00ish range from 2011-2013, but injuries derailed his ascent to the majors and the Phils ultimately flipped him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016 for no-name reliever Yoervis Medina (who never appeared in a game for the team).
Everyone likes a good comeback story, and Biddle delivered just that in 2018 when he made his long-awaited big league debut with the division-rival Atlanta Braves. All told, the southpaw appeared in 99 contests at the sport’s highest level for four different teams, working to a 5.07 ERA. Not great, but he finally made it.
Anthony Hewitt (2008)
Who they could have picked: Jake Odorizzi, Lance Lynn, Wade Miley
Pat Gillick will never have to buy another drink in the city of Philadelphia, and rightly so seeing as he’s the general manager who put together the World Series-winning 2008 team. That accomplishment has earned him everlasting love from the fanbase, but boy oh boy did he blow it with the 2008 draft.
Gillick selected slugging third baseman Anthony Hewitt with the 24th overall selection that year and hoped he would bring thump to Phillies lineups for years to come. Well, "if wishes were horses" applies in this scenario. Hewitt never got off the ground in the Phillies’ system, posting sub-.700 OPS marks in each of his first five minor league seasons.
He finally broke that barrier in 2013, but just barely, with a .726 mark in Double-A. That proved to be the peak of Hewitt’s career, as the Phillies cut him loose a year later and he was out of affiliated ball after a brief pit stop in the Baltimore Orioles’ system. Hey, at least they won the World Series the year he was drafted.
Joe Savery (2007)
Who they could have picked: Rick Porcello, Todd Frazier, Josh Donaldson
Two-way talent Joe Savery came out of prestigious Rice University (alma mater of All-Stars Lance Berkman, Anthony Rendon and others) with loads of talent on both sides of the ball. The Phillies went about turning the hulking lefty into a full-time pitcher after selecting him 19th overall in the 2007 draft.
The Texan made good on that arrangement and debuted in the show at the tail end of the 2011 season. He wound up appearing in 41 games over parts of three seasons with the Phils, firing 47 ⅔ frames of 4.15 ERA ball. A three-game stint with the Oakland A’s in 2012 wrapped up Savery’s major league career.
Considering he not only made the majors, but was halfway decent in a brief run with the Phillies, Savery’s far from the worst draft bust they’ve ever had. Still, it’s hard not to wonder how differently the post-2011 falloff would have been with an All-Star talent like Todd Frazier or Josh Donaldson propping things up.
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