3 Phillies prospects that should be untouchable at the MLB trade deadline
Who should the Philadelphia Phillies keep at all costs when dealing at the MLB trade deadline?
When a contending team like the Philadelphia Phillies head towards the trade deadline, they often have a dilemma on their hands. To give the team the most optimal chance to make the postseason, they should look to the trade route for potential upgrades for the team. In doing so, very often the assets given up are valuable prospects within the organization in exchange for proven MLB players that could be difference makers for the team. But giving up too many prospects could potentially jeopardize a team’s future success down the road, especially if the current trades don’t end up producing a championship title for the ballclub.
As a result, a team should be selective in terms of determining which value prospects will be available as trade bait, and which ones should be declared untouchable and not end up being traded under any circumstances possible. That way, it could help prolong the team’s contention window, as well as maintaining future success for the team. Finding the right balance is what differentiates a team that could produce a dynasty, from a team that could be just a “one-and-done” fairytale.
With that in mind, here we will take a look at three top Phillies prospects in the organization that should be given the “untouchable” status no matter who is at play in the potential trade deal. If the Phillies’ for whatever reason end up moving one of these three players, they must be willing to accept the future consequences of them becoming star-calibre players that come back to haunt them for many years to come.
Andrew Painter
The first one is quite obvious, Andrew Painter is a can’t miss elite pitching prospect that is destined to have a major impact once he reaches the majors. It is often very rare to have a homegrown product that oozes star potential already when they have only a couple years of professional baseball experience under their belt, but Painter has “superstar” written all over him right from the start. Taken by the Phillies in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft right out of Calvary Christian High School, Florida, Painter has been on the fast track to the big leagues. With a fastball that could hit triple digits and with a scouting grade of 70, along with his plus offerings of his slider, curveball, and changeup in his fearsome four-pitch arsenal, he has generated the ability to induce many strikeouts with his great command of his pitches.
As a result, Painter had blazed through three minor league levels in just the past year in 2022, recording an impressive 1.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, striking out a whopping 155 batters in just 103.2 innings pitched over 22 games started. He was even projected to start this season with the Phillies on their Opening Day roster until he suffered a sprained UCL in his right pitching elbow in Spring Training that has sidelined him ever since. Apparently, news with regards to the update on his injury has unfortunately taken a turn for the worse recently, as he may now need to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery to rectify the issue.
Nevertheless, he will still be at the young ripe age of 22 by the time he fully recovers from the surgery, if he chooses to pursue that route, with plenty of time left to build upon his success so far in his professional baseball career. With his unlimited potential and ultimate impact that he will have with the ballclub in the future, it is definitely a “must” that the Phillies do not include Painter in any trade talks whatsoever.
Mick Abel
For Phillies’ pitching prospect Mick Abel, he was selected also in the first round, this time from the 2020 MLB Draft out of Jesuit High School, Oregon, and was the top high school pitching prospect at the time of the draft. Currently, he is the second-ranked prospect on the Phillies’ MLB Top Prospects list, and has been ever since 2021, showing that much of his stock has been maintained within the Phillies upcoming prospects hierarchy. In addition, Abel has been gaining ground in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list, moving all the way up to the No. 42 spot for 2023.
Abel possesses a plus fastball that hits consistently in the mid-90s and that could reach in the upper 90s at times. Similar to Painter, he also has a mid-80s slider, curveball and changeup in his four-pitch repertoire, but overall scouts believe he is just a step behind Painter, in particular with his curveball being the one to work on. Also compared to Painter, his command and control could be a little wild at times, but once he matures and hones in on keeping it more consistent, he will hopefully round into form and become a strong one-two punch with Painter for the Phillies’ future. In doing so, it should bring back dominant pitching vibes from back in the early 2010s when the Phillies had the likes of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee anchoring their pitching staff.
Because of such dominant potential, along with the rarity of having two potentially MLB-ready front-end starters in a couple years time, the Phillies should avoid including Abel as well at the trade deadline. He may still have some struggles as seen so far in his 2023 season, but his recent good developmental progress in June has given the ballclub reasons of optimism that he will eventually round into form in short order.
Justin Crawford
Finally, there’s the son of former MLB All-Star Carl Crawford in Justin Crawford. Crawford also happened to be taken by the Phillies in the first round, this time from last year’s MLB Draft, and again out of high school from Bishop Gorman HS, Nevada. So the Phillies appear to like the high-risk, high-rewards prep prospects in the past few years, and so far, it appears their gambles are paying off. If Crawford is anything close to what his dad produced during his MLB career, then the Phillies have a great one on their hands.
With the perfect mix of hitting, fielding instincts, athleticism, speed, and some developing power, Crawford has the potential of being a star five-tool player for the Phillies, something that hasn’t come too often for the ballclub. His calling card is definitely his speed, tormenting the basepaths while covering plenty of ground in the field as well. In particular, he has been having a breakout season this year with the Phillies Single-A affiliate Clearwater Threshers, posting a strong .335 batting average, .830 OPS, with 41 runs scored, 10 doubles, six triples, one home run, 40 RBI, and 36 stolen bases in just 55 games played. The home run power is believed to eventually come as he fills out his body and muscles as the young 19-year-old continues his development.
With the possibility of Crawford even surpassing his dad in terms of potential impact and success in the future in MLB, he is definitely a can’t miss positional prospect the Phillies should avoid at all costs to include in any potential trade packages. With Painter potentially on the shelf for the coming year, along with Abel just starting to round into form, look for many teams to do anything they can to try and pry Crawford away from the Phillies, and the Phillies should resist as much as possible, unless of course, if the deal ends up to be really Shohei Ohtani, then what the hey. Otherwise, Crawford is here to stay and for a long time.