Baseball America’s Phillies Minor League Player of the Year shouldn’t surprise anyone

When Dave Dombrowski took over as president of baseball operations for the Philadelphia Phillies in December 2020, the veteran general manager inherited a farm system that was consistently near the bottom of many publication's rankings of minor league systems. The cupboards were by no means barren when Dombrowski assumed the role, but it was no secret that there was plenty of work to be done when it came to the MLB Draft and international signing period.

As we revisit those circumstances nearly four years later, Dombrowski and his baseball operations staff are inching closer to seeing the fruits of their labor over the last three drafts become a reality with prospects like right-hander Andrew Painter and MLB Pipeline's Phillies hitter of the year Justin Crawford both possibilities to contribute in 2025. While it's too soon to celebrate development victories in the cases of Painter and Crawford just yet, it seems like a safe bet that the pair will graduate from the minor league ranks next season.

A little behind those two is 2023 first-round draft pick Aidan Miller. This past season saw Miller make a major climb through the minor league system, making the jump from Low-A Clearwater to Double-A Reading by the end of the season. Along the way, the third baseman was named to the MLB Futures Game this summer and impressed at all three levels with a .261 batting average, 103 hits, 11 home runs, 60 RBI and 23 stolen bases.

Aidan Miller being Baseball America’s Phillies Minor League Player of the Year shouldn’t surprise anyone

Miller's second season in professional baseball was nothing short of a success, and Baseball America named the talented 20-year-old as the Phillies Minor League Player of the Year (subscription required).

The honor is impressive, considering the outstanding numbers put up by Crawford across two levels this season. Miller's power potential has many talent evaluators excited, but his all-around game and ability to adapt certainly caught the attention of Alex Coffey from Baseball America.

"Miller has plus power, hits for contact and has a mature approach at the plate," Coffey writes. "He struggled in his first few weeks at High-A, batting below the Mendoza line across 58 at-bats in June. But he responded well to the adversity and didn’t panic—despite the temptation to tinker with his swing."

Miller will almost certainly begin his season at Double-A Reading. Recent comments from Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski suggest that Miller will spend 2025 in the minors, saying, "Aidan Miller I don’t anticipate being ready this coming year," when the topic of the team's No.1 prospect came up during the season-ending press conference.

With Alec Bohm and Trea Turner slated to return to the left side of the infield next season, there's no obvious room for Miller on the 26-man roster at this point anyway. But all eyes will be on how the team handles arbitration with Bohm this offseason. There has been little indication that the Phillies are looking to extend Bohm, despite being selected to be an NL All-Star this summer. While anything can change this offseason, right now it appears more development at the minor league level will be necessary before Miller makes a case for a roster spot.

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