With one of the oldest rosters in Major League Baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies need their top prospects to pan out more than any other contending team. Their contention window is still open, but rapidly closing with core star position players like Bryce Harper and Trea Turner into their early 30s. Both players are under contract through at least 2031, so until then, they could use a wave of youthful production in their lineup with a handful of top-100 prospects.
The Phillies have three bats in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospect rankings in baseball. Catcher Eduardo Tait and outfielder Justin Crawford are among the Phillies' offensive representatives on the list, which is headlined by shortstop Aidan Miller at No. 25. Miller is starting in Double-A Reading in just his second full professional season, although perhaps the Phillies were too aggressive in rushing him to this level.
Phillies top prospect Aidan Miller needs to adjust to Double-A pitching in his mission to reach the majors
Miller quickly rose through the Phillies' minor-league system in 2024, playing across three levels. He started the year in Single-A Clearwater before spending most of the season playing for High-A Jersey Shore, slashing .258/.444/.797 in 58 games for the BlueClaws.
Impressed by his development, the Phillies promoted Miller to the Reading Fightin Phils in Double-A at the end of the season to get his feet wet by experiencing pitching at the next highest level. He hit just .190 in 21 at-bats in his cup of coffee with the club, but it was enough for the Phillies to keep the 20-year-old in Reading to start 2025.
Miller is struggling in just seven games through April 14, hitting just 3-for-29 for a .103 batting average. Most alarmingly, Miller is striking out a ton, with 12 so far, good for a strikeout rate of 36.4 percent. He posted a 21.6 percent strikeout rate over 395 at-bats in 2024, so his strikeout rate is sure to decrease over the course of the season. He still has a solid 12.1 percent walk rate, though.
On the brighter side, one of these hits includes a solo home run he hit on Reading's Opening Day for his first Double-A extra-base hit.
Phillies won't give up on Aidan Miller anytime soon
The Phillies lucked out when Miller fell into their laps at 27th overall in the 2023 MLB draft. He ranked highly on most draft experts' boards, with MLB Pipeline ranking him as their 13th-best prospect. The reason for Miller's fall was that his draft stock took a hit after a hit-by-pitch broke the hamate bone in his left hand and sidelined him for his senior season of high school ball.
Miller's best tool is his bat, and he's so young that he will naturally develop more power as he ages. He has received national recognition, participating in the All-Star Futures Game in 2024, as well the Phillies' 2025 Spring Breakout Game.
Miller is uber-talented, and although he's off to the coldest start of the Phillies' top prospects, his talent will certainly shine through and snap him out of his current slump. Though the only defensive position he's ever played in the minors is shortstop, Miller also has experience over at third base, which is the position he was drafted as.
It seems as if the Phillies are set on Miller being a shortstop, which is interesting because Turner is signed through 2033. Either a future position change is in the cards for Turner, or Miller is the replacement for Alec Bohm, whose future with the team seems murky amid his early-season struggles and offseason trade rumors.