Many of the Philadelphia Phillies' top prospects have been prospering so far in the 2024 season. Following the recent promotion of No. 3 prospect Justin Crawford to Double-A Reading, another pair of top 10 Phillies prospects have followed suit.
As first reported by MiLB Central's Chase Ford on Monday, Starlyn Caba and Eduardo Tait have moved up a level to Single-A Clearwater after posting strong seasons to date with the FCL Phillies in the Rookie League.
Phillies promote pair of top 10 prospects drawing trade interest
Phillies Player Development confirmed the promotions on Tuesday.
Congrats to Starlyn Caba (No. 4 Phillies, No. 88 MLB prospect) and Eduardo Tait (No. 8 Phillies prospect) on being promoted to the Threshers 👏 pic.twitter.com/pIHwkQYrvB
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) July 23, 2024
That could be good and bad news for the Phillies, depending on how you see it. The good news is that the Phillies’ minor league system is successfully developing elite young talent. The bad news is that the better they are, the more likely they will become attractive trade bait at the deadline. That is exactly how things are turning out for both Caba and Tait, as they have recently become the targets of multiple teams in trade talks, according to Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports.
The Phillies’ No. 4 prospect, Caba had been having a fine season with the FCL Phillies. In 52 games, he hit a solid .254 with a .762 OPS, a whopping 44 runs scored, six doubles, two home runs and 17 RBI. More importantly, the shortstop has been a speed demon on the basepaths, swiping 37 bases in 45 attempts. On top of that, he has demonstrated strong plate discipline, drawing an impressive 51 walks to go along with 34 strikeouts.
As for Tait, the Phillies’ No. 8 prospect had also been raking with the FCL Phillies. Caba may have been the master of generating runs, but Tait was the master of driving in runs. In 51 games, the young catcher batted a stellar .321 with an .877 OPS, 13 doubles, six home runs and an eye-popping 49 RBI. He also went a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen bases just for good measure.
It would be tough for the Phillies to give up on such promising talent so early into their careers, with Caba being only 18 and Tait only 17. But with the club’s intention to hold onto high-end talent in Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford and perhaps even Mick Abel, they could be forced to move some unproven young talent to bring in the necessary upgrades for the Phillies’ stretch run. In that case, Caba or Tait might be the unfortunate casualties.