Ranking the 10 most valuable young players in the Phillies organization

With the way the current Philadelphia Phillies roster is constructed, the bulk of their successful core has been primarily built up through key trades and moves in free agency. Whether it be the brilliant signings of Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner, or the smart acquisitions of J.T. Realmuto, Brandon Marsh and Jesús Luzardo, they have all played a part in helping the Phillies become legitimate contenders on a yearly basis.

However, as much as Philadelphia has depended on impactful external pieces to bolster the club, in order for sustainable success, they definitely need some homegrown talent from the younger generation as well to help support the star-studded cast. In recent years, the Phillies have seen the likes of Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez grow and develop in front of their eyes to become prominent pieces in their current contending puzzle.

Which 10 young Phillies players are the most valuable to the organization?

So which Phillies players could become part of the next influx of talent? Here, we will take a look at and rank the 10 most valuable young players in the Phillies organization. Each of these players could ultimately provide a significant impact on the franchise’s success going forward.

No. 10: Johan Rojas, OF

Perhaps one of the most athletic prospects in the system in recent years, it felt like it has already been so long since Johan Rojas made his debut with the Phillies just two years ago. Despite having some ups and downs so far in his MLB career, he hasn’t looked back ever since.

Without question, Rojas has made Philadelphia much more defensively sound in the outfield with his presence, posting a solid .988 fielding percentage while accumulating 18 total DRS already in now just entering his third season with the club. On top of that, he has been a major threat for the Phillies on the base paths with his elite speed, averaging over 30 stolen bases over a full 162-game schedule.

However, one main caveat in Rojas’ game that still remains is the lack of production with his bat. Rojas had impressed coming out of the gate for his debut in 2023 when he maintained a solid .302 batting average with 23 RBIs in 59 games that season. Since then, the 24-year-old outfielder has settled in as a .242 hitter with a .602 OPS, while averaging just one run scored and one RBI every three to four games.

With that significant limitation in offensive production, Rojas will likely top out as a valuable fourth outfielder for the Phillies for the foreseeable future. In addition to spelling outfield starters in their off days, his impact most likely will come in late-game situations, where his speed and defense could play huge roles in helping the team to victories. As a result, the value is there, but not being able to secure an everyday role prevents Rojas from being ranked any higher on this list.

No. 9: Otto Kemp, INF

After going highly unnoticed for much of his past few minor league seasons in the Phillies organization, infielder Otto Kemp has suddenly vaulted himself into a name of relevance so far in 2025. He's currently ranked 24th among the Phillies’ top prospects according to MLB Pipeline.

Kemp has had a blazing start to the year with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, amassing a phenomenal .318 average and 1.017 OPS, along with 44 runs scored, 17 doubles, 12 home runs, 45 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in just 51 games.

With the uncertainty of Bohm's future at third base or Edmundo Sosa’s return to the Phillies upon the completion of the 2025 season, along with Kemp’s ability to play multiple positions in the infield, he could become the ideal in-house replacement if either player ends up leaving the organization for good.

No. 8: Aroon Escobar, 2B

As for under-the-radar prospects who have had quite the surprise to start their professional baseball career, Phillies No. 13 prospect Aroon Escobar certainly falls under that category. As a promising young hitter with great plate discipline, Escobar showed glimpses of his offensive potential last season with the Rookie-level FCL Phillies, posting a stellar .338 average and .976 OPS, with 24 runs scored, three home runs, 17 RBIs, nine stolen bases, 21 walks and just 10 strikeouts in 24 games played.

This year, the now 20-year-old infielder hasn’t missed a beat after beginning the season with Single-A Clearwater. In 41 games to date, Escobar is batting .329 with a .953 OPS, 37 runs scored, eight doubles, eight home runs, 27 RBIs, along with 24 walks and 33 strikeouts. It may still be early, but he could be the next coming of Chase Utley for the Phillies. If Escobar ends up becoming even half as good as Utley, it would be a massive win for Philadelphia.

No. 7: Moisés Chace, RHP

When the Phillies got rid of Gregory Soto at last year’s trade deadline, many believed it was already an addition by subtraction for the Phillies. Nevertheless, Philadelphia still managed to pry some assets from the Baltimore Orioles in the deal by landing prospects Seth Johnson and Moisés Chace. Johnson was thought to be the focus piece coming back, but No. 5 prospect Chace has started to make a case to be the prominent return piece instead. 

After joining the Phillies, Chace put his amazing strikeout ability on full display by whiffing close to two batters per inning while posting a solid mid-3.00 ERA at the same time over his six starts he made to end his 2024 campaign.

An unfortunate elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery ultimately ended his 2025 season just six starts in. Nevertheless, once Chace is fully recovered, he appears to be on track to become the next big pitching prospect coming up in the Phillies system and could come close to matching the levels of a Mick Abel or perhaps even glimpses of an Andrew Painter.

No. 6: Eduardo Tait, C

As one of the organization’s breakout prospects last season, No. 4 prospect Eduardo Tait put together a solid 2024 campaign split between the Rookie-level FCL Phillies and Single-A Clearwater Threshers. In 80 total games, Tait compiled a stellar .302 average and .842 OPS, along with 42 runs scored, 18 doubles, 11 home runs and a whopping 73 RBIs. Just for good measure, he also managed to go a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts.

This year, Tait has continued his success with a strong start to 2025, posting a .279 average and .805 OPS with seven home runs and 31 RBIs in just 40 games with the Threshers. With his ability to hit for power, and maintain a high average while showing glimpses of speed, he appears more and more to be on his way to becoming J.T. Realmuto’s successor at the catcher position down the road for the Phillies.

No. 5: Mick Abel, RHP

When top pitching prospect Mick Abel, ranked No. 8 by MLB Pipeline, struggled immensely with his control and command last season, many had feared that he was turning into a bust. After posting an ERA of 6.46 and a WHIP of 1.81 with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2024, a trip to the development list helped salvage his disappointing campaign by righting the ship somewhat for the 23-year-old right-hander. In doing so, he posted solid outings in which he gave up just two runs or fewer in five of his final nine starts.

Whatever they worked on with Abel, it seems to have provided the antidote to his issues, as he has gotten off to a strong start in 2025. He has rediscovered his prior dominant form by going 6-2 with a stellar 2.41 ERA, 1.20 WHIP along with 59 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings pitched in nine starts with Lehigh Valley.

That performance earned him a one-game spot start in the majors to make his MLB debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Abel dazzled by holding the Pirates scoreless on five hits with nine strikeouts over six innings to record his first-ever major league win. As a result, he has reinstated himself as a major piece in the Phillies’ pitching puzzle for the future.

No. 4: Justin Crawford, OF

It has been a while since the Phillies have had an elite, potential five-tool outfield prospect since the Shane Victorino era. But with the rapidly budding Justin Crawford, Philadelphia may finally have one on their hands after almost two decades.

Crawford is coming off a breakthrough 2024 minor league campaign in which he batted a solid .313 with an .805 OPS, with 79 runs scored, 25 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 61 RBIs and 42 stolen bases in 110 games. That was enough to earn him the Paul Owens Award as the Phillies Minor League Player of the Year.

This year, Crawford is one step closer to the big leagues as he began his 2025 season with Lehigh Valley. He certainly hasn’t looked out of place, compiling a .324 average and .827 OPS, with 35 runs scored, 11 doubles, three triples, one home run, 18 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 46 games of action. With the Phillies constantly looking for the ideal solution for their outfield over the past couple of seasons, they may already have it in Crawford. Philadelphia just needs to wait until he’s officially ready, which could come sooner than expected.

No. 3: Orion Kerkering, RHP

Everyone knew that former top pitching prospect Orion Kerkering was something special when a three-game cameo with the Phillies at the end of the 2023 season was enough to convince them to include him on the postseason roster that year. Kerkering certainly didn’t disappoint during the Phillies’ playoff run and has been a staple in their relief corps ever since. 

Last year, Kerkering was one of the top arms in the Phillies bullpen, going 5-3 with 14 holds, along with a tidy 2.29 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 74 strikeouts in 63 innings over a career-high 64 appearances.

The young 24-year-old righty may have struggled a bit coming out of the gate in 2025, but has bounced back nicely with a spectacular month of May, posting a stellar 0.87 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, yielding only one earned run in 12 total relief appearances. As the Phillies’ potential closer of the future, Kerkering will no doubt be playing a big role in the team’s success going forward.

No. 2: Aidan Miller, SS

As the Phillies’ top positional prospect, ranked No. 2 overall, Aidan Miller has not disappointed ever since Philadelphia took him in the first round in the 2023 MLB Draft. In his first full minor league season in 2024, Miller impressed enough to play through three levels to reach Double-A by the end of the year. In 102 contests, the 20-year-old shortstop amassed a .261 average and .811 OPS, with 64 runs scored, 28 doubles, six triples, 11 home runs, 60 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.

This season, Miller started off slow with Double-A Reading, but has since picked things up in the month of May (subscription required), per The Athletic's Charlotte Varnes. On the year, he has compiled a .235 average and .682 OPS with four home runs, 10 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 41 games. With loads of promise and potential, and likely the eventual successor of Trea Turner at shortstop for the Phillies, Miller is as close to being an untouchable as the No. 1 player on this list.

No. 1: Andrew Painter, RHP

Andrew Painter is unquestionably the unanimous top young player in the organization to look out for in the coming years. It isn’t too often that a team knows that they have a potential cornerstone franchise piece before the player has even reached the majors.

But the Phillies managed to find one by selecting Painter 13th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft with their first pick. The 22-year-old phenom wowed right away in his first full minor league season when he posted a 6-2 record with an eye-popping 1.56 ERA and 0.89 WHIP along with a whopping 155 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings over 22 starts across three levels in 2022.

In fact, Painter was actually on the verge of surprising everyone by potentially making the big league club out of spring training in 2023. However, an unfortunate elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery setback the promising right-hander for two years— until now.

This year, Painter has already made his way to the Triple-A level and has dominated the competition with an impressive 3.65 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 17 innings of work over four starts with Lehigh Valley. His MLB debut looks to be imminent, so it’s just a matter of whether it will be in the coming weeks or coming month. Nevertheless, once Painter does, look for him to be a game-changer for the franchise for years to come.

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