MLB Pipeline has recently released the Philadelphia Phillies Top 30 Prospects list for 2025. To no surprise, leading the charge is top pitching prospect Andrew Painter, who happens to be No. 8 overall as well in MLB’s Top 100 Prospects rankings. Painter is followed by last year’s Phillies' top prospect Aidan Miller, along with the Phillies’ 2024 Minor League Hitter of the Year, Justin Crawford, and catching standout Eduardo Tait.
But as great as they have all been, none of them made as significant of a jump in the rankings as infield prospect Aroon Escobar. Escobar was the biggest surprise riser in the Phillies organization, going from being unranked in 2024 all the way to making his debut on the list at No. 13 to start the 2025 season.
Under-the-radar Phillies prospect Aroon Escobar makes MLB Pipeline Top 30 debut
So who is Escobar, and how did he suddenly appear out of nowhere? Well, the 20-year-old prospect happens to be the cousin of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. and was signed by the Phillies out of Venezuela in 2022. Once with the organization, Escobar began his professional baseball career in the Dominican Summer League (DOSL). He spent two seasons in DOSL in which he put up rather pedestrian numbers, posting a .225 batting average and .694 OPS, 50 runs scored, 11 doubles, four home runs, 45 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 81 games played between 2022-23.
However, Escobar broke out in a huge way during his 2024 minor league campaign playing for the Rookie affiliate FCL Phillies, amassing an impressive .338 average, .495 on-base percentage and .976 OPS, with 24 runs scored, three home runs and 17 RBI in 24 games. He displayed some of his speed on the basepaths by going a perfect nine-for-nine in stolen bases.
On top of that, Escobar demonstrated tremendous plate discipline at a very young age, registering 21 walks with just 10 strikeouts in 104 plate appearances. As Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com points out, he makes a ton of contact with a strong plate approach. Unfortunately, Escobar encountered issues with shin splints that ultimately ended his season prematurely.
AROON ESCOBAR. GRAND SLAM 🚨 pic.twitter.com/dHU5UVhXpB
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) April 24, 2024
With such a drastic improvement in numbers across the board, no wonder he made the leap all the way into the Phillies' top 15 prospects for 2025, putting him even ahead of more notable names such as Bryan Rincon, Michael Mercado and Griff McGarry, who happens to be one of the biggest fallers in prospect rankings within the organization.
Just in case anyone had any doubt in his potential, Escobar had a dazzling spring training debut with the Phillies as a minor league call-up on Sunday. After coming into the game against the Baltimore Orioles as a pinch runner for J.T. Realmuto and scoring a run, he did this in his first at-bat, unloading a bomb down the left field line.
Escobar’s homer was measured at 385 feet with a powerful 108.2 mph exit velocity. His two-run shot gave the Phillies an 8-2 lead at the time. More importantly, he delivered that memorable first impression for everyone, including the Phillies’ brass, to take in.
With Miller and Devin Saltiban the only infield prospects ranked ahead of Escobar in the Phillies Top 30 prospects list, it shows the great potential that Escobar possesses despite having played only as high as Rookie-level ball. Escobar will likely begin 2025 with the Phillies' Single-A affiliate Clearwater Threshers as he looks to build on his 2024 season and make his path to the big leagues one step closer. For being Acuña’s cousin, if Escobar even turns out half as good as Acuña, then the Phillies certainly have a gem on their hands.