It's time to eat some words on one pick in particular, and I am starting to see him being the homegrown replacement for Kyle Schwarber when he decides to hang them up.
I wrote about the Phillies' 2026 draft class back in July, detailing how I thought the Phillies did a really good job on Day 1, but I wasn't exactly glowing about Caden Bogenpohl as the Phillies' second-round pick. Now, it's time to revisit that take because a month later he's doing things nobody in this farm system has ever done.
Last week, Bogenpohl hit a three-run homer for Single-A Clearwater at 117.1 mph off the bat, which isthe hardest ball struck by any Phillies player, major or minor league, in the Statcast era, dating back to 2015. He added a 116.6 mph single in the same game and finished with four hits and four RBI. This isn't some one-off, either — he touched 119.4 mph at the MLB Draft Combine before the Phillies ever picked him, one of the selling points at the time for the pick.
The 6-foot-6 Missouri State product was a wild bet on raw power over a down junior season, and one month into his pro career, that bet is paying off loud enough to ask a real question. If the Phillies are looking for the eventual successor to what Kyle Schwarber has meant to this lineup, and what his current deal will be paying for over the next several years, is Bogenpohl's bat the one already in the system built to do it? That's the lens I'm ranking him through now, and it's why he climbs so high below.
117.1 mph homer 🔥@Phillies 2026 second-rounder Caden Bogenpohl is 13-for-32 (.406) to begin his pro career for the Single-A @Threshers. pic.twitter.com/Dpcgzkp0CM
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 15, 2026
One quick note on approach before the list: when I rank prospects, I lean toward giving upside the benefit of the doubt over big-league readiness. That means I hold newer names, guys who've barely played a month of pro ball (or haven't made their pro debut yet), to a different standard than players who've had a couple full seasons to prove it in the upper minors. It's also why Dante Nori and Aroon Escobar, both of whom have had real opportunities in Double-A the last two years, don't get much love here. Neither has hit like a true breakout should this season, and that matters more to me for guys with their track record than it does for a draftee three weeks into his first taste of pro ball.
Phillies' Top 10 Prospects, re-ranked after 2026 MLB Draft class settles
My reranked Top 10:
1. Gage Wood, RHP — One of the best RHP is all of minor league baseball, his 70 grade fastball should create opportunities for swing and miss secondaries.
2. Francisco Renteria, OF — a $4 million international signee and MLB Pipeline's No. 3-ranked prospect in his signing class, still just 17 and yet to play a game stateside.
3. Tyler Spangler, SS — still hasn't played since being picked 36 overall, but I can't wait to see what he does.
4. Aidan Miller, SS — hasn't played all year with a back injury, but the talent that made him a potential top-10 pick hasn't gone anywhere.
5. Caden Bogenpohl, OF — Having a great start to his pro career slashing .326/.500/.873 with insane exit velocity numbers.
6. Will Gasparino, OF — has shown the upside in his first pro games that has scouts excited about his power and speed with 6'6" frame. Slashing .264/.500/.864 with a couple stolen bases.
7. Bryan Rincon, SS — having a nice power uptick this year, with a floor as an everyday infielder because of the defense tool.
8. Dante Nori, OF — former first rounder with tools who still has value, but needs to start performing at the higher levels.
9. Alirio Ferrebus, C/1B — hitting .310 with 11 homers and 58 RBI between Clearwater and Jersey Shore, and finally healthy after three injury-plagued seasons.
10. Ruger Riojas, RHP — pitched himself toward top-three-round buzz at Texas before a bout of flu and bronchitis derailed his stuff late; if the Phillies get that earlier version back, this is a real steal at pick No. 100.
Jaxon Jelkin (Kentucky), Devin Sheerin (LSU), and the rest of the newer arms simply haven't thrown a pro pitch yet, so there's nothing to rank them on other than draft-day buzz. Riojas simply makes the list because of the stuff I saw from him early in the season as Texas' Friday night starter and how exciting that could be in professional baseball.
The headline here isn't really the order, though. I think the front office did a great job finding some upside in their college picks, and I love a few of their very young prospects who haven't even seen A-ball yet. In fact, MLB Pipeline's updated organizational rankings have the Phillies down at No. 26 overall, and while I get the logic (Painter and Crawford both graduating off the Top 100, plus Miller missing the entire year with his back), I think that number climbs in a hurry once guys like Spangler, Jelkin, and Riojas actually get the runway to show what they can do.
Combine that upside with how Philadelphia navigated the entire trade deadline without moving any of their major prospects, and how they found a dude that's rewriting the franchise Statcast record book, and fans should be excited. I was wrong to doubt the Bogenpohl pick in July because, a month later, he may be the one I am most excited about for Phils fans.
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