The Adelaide Giants of the Australian Baseball League (ABL) announced on Tuesday via Instagram that they are extending their partnership with the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2026-27 season.
Though the Phillies have yet to announce which minor leaguers will be joining the team, four prospects from the Philadelphia system are expected to join the Giants for the upcoming season.
Over the past decade, several Phillies have found offseason success in Australia, including Rhys Hoskins, Logan O’Hoppe, Luke Williams, Alirio Ferrebus, and Devin Saltiban. The ABL season starts November 19 this year, and the Giants will take on the Brisbane Bandits on Opening Day at Dicolor Australia Stadium.
The ABL is probably closest in talent level to High-A in the American system, but talent across the league ranges anywhere from Rookie-ball to Triple-A level.
In the past, stars like Ronald Acuna Jr., Liam Hendricks, Junior Caminero, Kevin Kiermaier, Travis Bazzana, and Cristopher Sanchez (before he was a Phillie) have used the ABL as a launch pad for their careers.
In fact, Curtis Mead, who had agreed to a deal with the Phillies at the time, was traded for Sanchez while playing for the Giants in the ABL.
The Australia to Philadelphia pipeline is already up and running
Though the Phillies still don't have a strong presence in Asia, their Australia (and New Zealand)-to-America talent pipeline has always been strong.
Beyond Mead, Nikau Pouaka-Grego, of Kiwi descent, is currently in their system. Patrick Crotty, an 18-year-old from Brisbane, signed a deal with the Phillies during the 2025-26 offseason. And though his 2026 debut in Rookie ball stateside did not go swimmingly—he allowed 18 earned runs in 9.1 IP to start his career—he represents a potential new talent development program the Phillies are fostering in the land down under.
Mitch Neunborn is yet another Australian native in the Phillies system. After posting a 3.16 ERA in Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2026, he could be an emergency relief option down the stretch in 2027. Plus, he appeared in two scoreless outings for the Australian national team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Though the Phillies setup won’t necessarily uncover the next Travis Bazzana, growing roots in an expanding Australian baseball market is a perhaps overlooked component of the Phillies' developmental growth under president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.
Since 2020, nine Australian-born players have made their Major League debut. It’s not the Dominican Republic or even Venezuela, but baseball is growing across the Pacific. The Phillies have been smart to tap into that well of talent.
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