Are the top 5 Phillies prospects showing progress?
Checking in to see how the Phillies' top prospects are doing early in the season.
The Philadelphia Phillies farm system is starting to build a reputation as being one of the most improved in all of Major League Baseball. Currently ranked No. 22 out of the 30 franchises by MLB Pipeline, an argument can be made that their current ranking sells short a minor league system that's busting at the seams with talent.
It's no secret that the Phillies have been successfully infusing youth with the veteran core for a few seasons now. Alec Bohm has been one of the best hitters in the game in 2024, and since his debut in 2020 has continued to grow into the type of player the Phillies thought he was when they drafted him with the third overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
The trend continued in 2022 when Bryson Stott, the Phillies' No. 1 pick in 2019, made his debut and became the second young position player to ascend into the role of an everyday player on the big league roster. Along with Bohm and Brandon Marsh, the Phillies have three well-above-average position players under 30 who help balance the ratio of youth on a team that's top-heavy with veteran players over 30.
When will the next wave of top prospects make their debut in a Phillies uniform? It's hard to project, with many of the organization's most exciting young players currently developing at various stops in the lower minor league levels.
That didn't stop the young and dynamic Orion Kerkering from jumping all the way from Low-A last year to finding his way into the Phillies' bullpen last September. The lesson here is never to count out the possibility of another breakthrough in 2024.
Are the top 5 Phillies prospects showing progress?
As we wait impatiently to see who will be the next youngster to make their way to Citizens Bank Park, let's check in with the top five prospects in the Phillies system and see how they're doing in 2024.
No. 5: Starlyn Caba (Rookie FCL Phillies)
Starlyn Caba is an 18-year-old shortstop currently making quite a name for himself down in the Florida Complex League. Signed during the international signing period in January 2023, Caba had a successful debut in the Dominican Summer League last year.
According to Alex Coffey for Baseball America, the youngster received rave reviews (subscription required) after his brief stint in the Dominican. His glove and bat proved to both be advanced for a young player getting his first taste of professional baseball.
Caba is off to a very impressive start in his first four games in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. Batting .316 with six hits, two RBI, two stolen bases and six walks to one strikeout, he made his presence known during his first game when he launched the first professional home run of his career.
Caba has already been mentioned as a player the Phillies could possibly make available via trade with Trea Turner and Bryson Stott not likely to be going anywhere anytime soon. What type of talent would a player like Caba net the Phillies if he were to be traded? It's an intriguing question.
No. 5 Phillies prospect Starlyn Caba hit his first professional home run in the first game of the FCL season pic.twitter.com/sCxV305X7x
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) May 5, 2024
No. 4: Justin Crawford (High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws)
The Philadelphia Phillies added some elite athleticism when they drafted high school outfielder Justin Crawford in the first round (17th overall) in the 2022 MLB Draft. If the name Crawford sounds familiar, that's because Justin's father is former four-time MLB All-Star Carl Crawford. Featuring a similar skill set as his father, it's clear good baseball genes run in the Crawford family.
The talented 20-year-old is currently patrolling the outfield for High-A Jersey Shore and is showing that his bat is more than capable of handling High-A pitching. Crawford is off to a blistering start at the plate with a .300 batting average and 30 hits in 100 at-bats, in addition to two home runs and 12 RBI.
Crawford's speed is going to play well at the big league level, and this season he has already swiped 11 bags while only being caught three times — MLB catchers are already on notice.
MLB's No. 68 prospect Justin Crawford ties his career high with four knocks for the @BlueClaws.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 8, 2024
Selected 17th overall in the 2022 Draft (@Phillies), the 20-year-old ups his High-A slash line to .318/.388/.432 this year. pic.twitter.com/D37BXQ1Z15
No. 3: Aidan Miller (Low-A Clearwater Threshers)
The Phillies continued the trend of drafting high school bats when they selected third baseman/shortstop Aidan Miller with the 27th pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Miller's prodigious power makes him an intriguing prospect to watch. At 19, he's already hitting tape measure shots while lacing them up for the Low-A Clearwater Threshers.
Miller is absolutely demolishing Low-A pitching this season. The scorching-hot youngster is batting a sizzling .337 with 28 hits in 83 at-bats. The power is legit, as Miller has four home runs and 16 RBI in addition to eight doubles batting in the middle of the order for Clearwater.
It wouldn't shock anyone if Miller joins No. 4 prospect Justin Crawford at High-A Jersey Shore in the not-so-distant-future. File Miller away as untouchable.
"I don't want to jinx it, but he looks like a big league shortstop out there right now."
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 9, 2024
The @Phillies' Aidan Miller (MLB No. 54) earned high praise after a big offensive night for the @Threshers: https://t.co/nh2odDAhVh pic.twitter.com/RJH0mkv0tg
No. 2: Mick Abel (Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs)
Mick Abel is the closest of the top five prospects on this list to making his major league debut. Currently pitching for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, the 22-year-old hasn't been able to carry over his success in spring training to his second extended taste at the Triple-A Level.
Some Phillies fans were hoping Abel would force his way into the Phillies rotation after his stellar showing during spring training. The front office obviously felt like Abel has more to prove against Triple-A hitters. So far, that decision seems to be the right one.
In five starts, Abel is 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA and a WHIP of 1.68 While he has 26 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings pitched, he has allowed four home runs and walked 17 batters. That foot traffic on the basepaths has been a major problem for the talented right-hander over the course of his first five starts of 2024.
If Abel can solve his command issues and start dominating Triple-A hitters, it's possible we could see him make his debut sometime this summer or as a September call-up.
No. 1: Andrew Painter (Recovering from Tommy John)
The Pittsburgh Pirates will get a glimpse of the future this Saturday when 2023 first-round pick Paul Skenes makes his MLB debut after a brief but dominant showing in the minor leagues. Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter was on a similar trajectory last year before being lost for the last ten months due to Tommy John surgery.
Now 21, Painter is rehabbing his way back from the injury, and an optimistic outcome could see the flame thrower make a minor league start at the end of the season. Speaking with MLB.com's Todd Zolecki in February, Painter and the Phillies were clear about being as careful as possible not to rush the organization's No.1 prospect back too soon and risk further injury.
“We haven’t talked about a timetable or anything like that,” Painter explained, per Zolecki. “We don’t want to clog the mind with different scenarios and play the hypothetical game. We’re just trying to make sure there’s the least amount of distractions possible and I can just go in and focus on my rehab and make sure we’re getting better every day.”
At the time of this interview, Painter was just beginning to throw a baseball again. It was the first small step for a pitcher only seven months removed from major elbow surgery.
“I kind of just picked up a ball,” said Painter, per Zolecki. “It's like riding a bike. Just kind of picked it up and started throwing. By that time, I made a couple throws, and you can't look back on it and be scared, because you've already done it.”
The Phillies will hope all goes smoothly for Painter this summer as he takes the next steps in his recovery. What kind of pitcher he'll be when he comes back remains a mystery, but his dominant 26 starts in the minors in 2021 and 2022 gave the impression the Phillies have a future top-of-the-rotation starter. Let's hope that remains his trajectory when he returns to the mound in 2025.
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