With the MLB Draft and the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the Phillies received a surprising boost in their farm system rankings from a major national sports outlet.
ESPN ranked the Phillies No. 18 in its first farm system power rankings since the conclusion of the trade deadline and draft last month. This is up five spots from the preseason, where the Phillies were placed at No. 23 heading into the 2024 campaign.
Phillies' farm system jumps up rankings after draft and trade deadline
Despite losing highly-touted pitching prospects George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri to the Angels in the Carlos Estévez trade, the Phillies received a boost in large part due to the progression of their top young players.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel praised the team’s draft selections of Griffin Burkholder and Dante Nori while highlighting the impressive development of top prospects including Justin Crawford, Aidan Miller and Starlyn Caba. While highlighting these prospects, McDaniel also made note of the struggles of former first-round pick Mick Abel, who has had command issues so far in 2024. These issues have led the team to place him on the development list, meaning he will be away from live action for the time being while he continues to work on his game.
Nori was selected in the first round by the Phillies with the 27th selection out of Northville High School in Michigan. He provides the Phillies with an intriguing outfield piece in a unit that lacks depth behind Justin Crawford.
The Phillies didn't stop there in upgrading that unit as they selected Burkholder with the 63rd overall pick. Burkholder hit .436 with two home runs and 21 RBI in 21 games at Freedom High School in South Riding, Virginia.
These two players possess above-average speed and athleticism and will look to give the Phillies consistent outfield play for years to come.
Crawford, Miller and Caba have all made names for themselves so far during their time in the organization. All three players rank in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects at Nos. 27, 53 and 86, respectively.
Crawford made the jump to Double-A Reading in July, and his numbers have been stellar so far in limited action. He's hitting .320 with six RBI and six stolen bases in 12 total games. Miller and Caba have shown flashes of potential at the Single-A level with Miller posting a .365 OBP in 75 games, while Caba has shown incredible plate discipline and athleticism with 57 walks and 44 stolen bases in 61 games.
The Phillies' highest-ranked prospect, Andrew Painter, will be back next season after recovering from Tommy John surgery which has put him out of commission since early 2023. All four of these players are intriguing and a big reason for the team’s jump in the rankings.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, general manager Sam Fuld and assistant general manager of player development Preston Mattingly deserve a lot of credit for the work they have put into revamping the organization's farm system.
They have managed to make the team competitive while also maintaining a competitive minor league farm system with several athletes who have the potential to be the future of the franchise in time. They have a lot of work to do to become one of the best pipelines in baseball, but things are looking up for the Phillies organization.