Now that Philadelphia Phillies spring training has started, this time of year is great for many things. Especially this year getting a look at top prospects like Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford, and Aidan Miller. Despite those exciting names, the Phillies have struggled to move up the farm system rankings, especially the lates rankings from Baseball America.
Baseball America ranks the Phillies as the 20th-best farm system in MLB (subscription required), settling in around the same spot as it has in recent years. The Phillies' previous rankings were 20th in 2025, 21st in 2024, 19th in 2023, and 23rd in 2022.
The Phillies have been operating with plenty of veteran players on their roster, limiting the amount of youth on the field. The outlook seems to be changing, but the farm system still leaves some to be desired again in 2026.
Phillies' top-heavy farm system stuck in a rut after multiple years of prospect trades
They have some top prospects on the verge of being impact MLB players, and there are other names that help round out the farm system, but most of them aren't expected to make their MLB debut in 2026.
“Miller, Andrew Painter, and Justin Crawford give the Phillies an enviable trio, but trades have sapped the system of depth,” according to Baseball America. “They’ll need to hit big on their draft picks to move back up the ranks.”
The Phillies have some names to be proud of, like Painter, Crawford, and Miller, for sure. But they've also traded away numerous players to acquire some cheap but exciting talent.
To bring in left-hander Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins last offseason, the Phillies had to part ways with shortstop Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd. At the 2024 trade deadline they dealt a pair of pitching prospects, George Klassen and Sam Aldegheri, for Carlos Estévez.
The Phillies also unloaded some talent in their two trades with the Minnesota Twins at last year's trade deadline. They brought in some massive pieces in closer Jhoan Duran and center fielder Harrison Bader but sent back a combined package of pitchers Mick Abel and Geremy Villoria, outfielder Hendry Mendez, and catcher Eduardo Tait.
What the Phillies need to do now is hit on their draft picks to swiftly move up the rankings. They picked Crawford 17th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft and then followed that up with Miller as the 27th overall selection in 2023. Painter was selected 13th overall in 2021, but Tommy John surgery set him back until now. Baseball America currently ranks Miller as the Phillies' No. 1 prospect (subscription required), while Painter and Crawford follow at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
The Phillies did an impressive job drafting right-handed pitchers Gage Wood and Matthew Fisher in last year's draft. Wood was picked 26th overall and is ranked as the Phillies' No. 5 prospect. Fisher, on the other hand, is something of a diamond in the rough, drafted in the seventh round but still landing at No. 9. The Phillies also have their most recent top international signing of outfielder Francisco Renteria, who just turned 17 in January.
The Phillies have some picks to be proud of that should bode well for future rankings, as long as they can hang on to and develop some of these promising players.