The Philadelphia Phillies roster will be made up of a predominantly veteran core again in 2026. However, while much of the club remains intact from the previous few seasons, the Phillies are hoping to receive contributions from three of their top prospects this year.
Justin Crawford is expected to make the Opening Day roster. Andrew Painter has an opportunity to make the rotation out of spring training. Another of their top prospects, Aidan Miller, may also debut this year, possibly in the second half.
After having an up-and-down year for the first four months last season with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils, Miller turned things around in a big way, ending 2025 on a positive note in Triple-A Lehigh Valley. His late-season improvement has led to increased expectations for this season.
Hype continues to build anticipating Aidan Miller's Phillies debut this season
Miller is now the Phillies' top MLB Pipeline prospect and is ranked No. 23 overall in MLB's new Top 100 prospect list for 2026. MLB Network's Steve Phillips recently described Miller as the future of the Phillies and heaped glowing praise on the youngster.
"Aidan Miller is the future of this organization," Phillips said. "He's playing shortstop right now, but he ultimately may move to second, he may move to third, but he can swing the bat. First-round pick in 2023, and this young man has legit speed, stole 59 bases last year.
"Some of the comparisons are Alex Bregman, but with speed. Great plate discipline, pitch recognition, he's got pop in the bat, he's got athleticism, he can play solid defensively … Aidan Miller's part of the future. When he got drafted, there was a veteran Phillies scout that said that he's the best position player prospect that they've drafted since Mike Schmidt. That's what they think about him."
Hype Train: “Aidan Miller is the future of this organization…Alex Bregman, but with speed.”
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) January 25, 2026
One veteran Phillies scout reportedly called him the best position player prospect they’ve drafted since Mike Schmidt.🔥 👀 pic.twitter.com/QbgnqPrGVz
Being compared to an exceptional veteran infielder like Bregman and the best Phillies player and third baseman of all time in Schmidt are bold comparisons, indeed.
Miller slashed .264/.392/.433 with an .825 OPS in 116 games last season, with most of his time spent at Double-A. Despite his slow start to the year, it was still a slight improvement over his .261/.366/.446 slash line and .812 OPS in 2024. In eight games at Triple-A at the end of 2025, he slashed .333/.514/.519.
He demonstrated his talent on the basepaths throughout last year. His 59 steals were a substantial improvement over the 23 he compiled in 2024. The plate discipline Phillips spoke of was on display in 2025 as he finished with 82 walks, significantly more than the 56 he had the season prior.
The Phillies certainly hope they have a top young infielder they can build their club around once Miller acclimates to the major leagues. He received an invitation to major league camp. Despite still being just 21, if he does well in spring training and with the IronPigs early in the season, the buzz will grow louder and the calls will come for the Phillies to promote him this summer.