Progression isn't linear in baseball and every season brings new challenges for Philadelphia Phillies prospects as they try to make the climb toward the majors. That was true for one highly regarded prospect this season, as Griffin Burkholder struggled to get a foothold in his first full season as a professional.
After being drafted out of high school in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, Burkholder entered the 2025 season as a top 10 Phillies prospect, according to both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. However, after a tough year, both outlets have dropped the now 20-year-old outfielder out of their top 10.
Burkholder played just 34 games this season, struggling in Single-A Clearwater before being demoted to the Phillies' Florida Complex League team. He was shut down after suffering a season-ending injury in early August. It was a tough turn of events, especially after he made just two plate appearances in his 2024 debut before suffering a hamstring injury.
Overall, in 145 plate appearances he hit just .197/.290/.386 with four home runs and 13 RBIs, running a 29 percent strikeout rate with a .189 ISO. Even though his 70-grade speed has been his top-graded tool since being drafted, Burkholder picked up only one stolen base.
Phillies prospect Griffin Burkholder showed potential under the hood despite a disappointing season
But beyond the surface stats, which are far from appealing, Burkholder showed impact potential this year (subscription required), according to Ian Cundall of Baseball America. The outlet picked Burkholder as the Phillies' potential breakout hitting prospect based on his underlying contact metrics.
Despite his high strikeout rate and 11th percentile 16.6 percent swinging strike rate, Burkholder's 105.4 mph 90th percentile exit velocity was well above average for his age and level, per Cundall. He also posted an impressive max exit velocity of 111.1 mph and a 13.3 percent barrel rate which ranked in the 92nd percentile among A-ball hitters, even though it came with a below-average whiff rate of 39.6 percent.
Cundall liked Burkholder's launch angles, however, and thinks that "if he can make more consistent contact, he could be in for a bounceback 2026." The current Phillies No. 12 MLB Pipeline prospect had a 39.5 percent fly ball rate and a 22.2 percent line drive rate in his small 2025 sample.
The Phillies paid Burkholder an overslot bonus of $2.5 million to sign last summer, so they obviously liked the tools they saw. Coming into the 2025 season, Pipeline's scouting report was high on the former West Virginia University commit:
"Big, physical and athletic, the Phillies have taken to calling Burkholder 'Captain America' because he can do everything well. There’s a ton of raw power for him to tap into, but in high school he didn’t always find the barrel consistently. He’s shown off early aptitude by already making the most swing adjustments of anyone in the system, eliminating some length in his swing and fixing some angles, allowing him to barrel up the baseball much more frequently."
Only time will tell if Burkholder can stay healthy in 2026 and