The Philadelphia Phillies’ farm system is not well regarded. In fact, it’s considered among the worst in the majors. The organization has had a difficult time turning talented prospects into impactful big leaguers over the years.
Gage Wood, Aidan Miller, and Bryan Rincon highlight a crop of youngsters who are close to the Majors, but are there any diamonds in the rough in the low minors who could make the jump to the big leagues in 2027? Let’s dive into a few who could.
Mavis Graves, LHP
Tall lefty Mavis Graves was highlighted by president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski during his end-of-season press conference. After spending three and a half years in the minors as a rather ineffective starter, Graves switched to the bullpen upon a late-season promotion to Double-A Reading.
One of the #Phillies prospects Dave Dombrowski mentioned that could have that Bryan Rincon or Alex McFarlane leap in 2027?
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrPHL) October 16, 2026
Mavis Graves.
Moved from SP to RP in Reading. 0.96 ERA in 14 games and was massive towards Eastern League title.
6-6 LHP has excellent spin rate.
There he pitched to a 0.96 ERA in 18.2 IP, striking out 31 and walking 14. He still struggles with command issues, but the hard-throwing southpaw has excellent spin rate on his slider and was invaluable to the Fightin's in their charge toward the Eastern League title.
The Phillies' farm system isn't great, but there are still some youngsters worth getting excited about
Cade Obermueller, LHP
The Phillies really lacked left-handed relief pitching in 2026. Without scrapheap pickup Tim Mayza, the club wouldn’t have had a single reliable southpaw all season. The front office will try to bring in reinforcements in free agency, but they’ll also need some internal candidates to step up. One of those could be Cade Obermueller.
The Phils drafted Obermueller in the second round in 2025 out of the University of Iowa, and he split the 2026 minor league campaign between Low-A and High-A. So far he’s been used as a starter, tossing 58 total innings of 5.43 ERA ball across 18 outings between both levels. However, his terrific fastball/slider combination and low arm slot could make him an ideal reliever. If the organization decides he’s better off in the bullpen, he could rapidly ascend the minor league ladder.
Griffin Burkholder, OF
Man, do the Phillies need outfielders. Between Brandon Marsh cratering in the second half, Justin Crawford’s rather uninspiring rookie season, and Bryce Harper moving back to first base, all three of the outfield positions are question marks heading into 2027. A free agent addition or two is not just possible, but probable. However, it would be great if an internal improvement could help fill one of the gaps, even just as a bench bat, to avoid having to splash even more money around.
2024 second-rounder Griffin Burkholder is a long way off from the majors currently, having just turned 21 and having spent the past season at Low and High-A. He wasn’t any great shakes either, posting just a .672 OPS in 87 games across both levels. That being said, The Virginian has legitimate five-tool upside and the Phillies liked him enough to give him an overslot $2.5 million signing bonus. He’s not likely to reach the Show this coming season, but if things click for him there isn’t much blocking his path.
Carson DeMartini, 2B/3B
DeMartini is a really interesting case. If he were healthy last season, the 23-year-old out of Virginia Beach could have ended the year in Triple-A. Instead, upon his August return to Reading, he slashed .308/.490/.598. He's going to be playing winter ball with the Criollos de Caguas of Puerto Rico's Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League to extend his season.
If Rincon or Miller start to fall behind the pack for whatever reason, DeMartini is the next man up in the Phillies circle of infield prospects. DeMartini porbably profiles more as a bench bat right now than as a starter, but could slip into that role if he has to fill in for an injured big-leaguer.
Brad Pacheco, RHP
Venezuelan right-hander Brad Pacheco is currently being developed as a starter, and with decent results, considering he fired 101 ⅓ frames of 4.00 ERA ball in Clearwater this past year. If he keeps progressing at the current rate, he could be in the Phils’ rotation in a few years’ time. On the other hand, his blazing fastball and wipeout slider make him a perfect relief option if things don’t pan out as a starter. The organization will most likely take a wait-and-see approach with his development, but it wouldn’t be ridiculous for them to consider making him next year’s Alex McFarlane.
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