What Paul Owens Award means for Phillies futures of Bryan Rincon, Alex McFarlane

Neither Bryan Rincon nor Alex McFarlane was ranked among the Philadelphia Phillies' consensus top 10 prospects at the start of the season. Rincon was a toolsy shortstop with serious questions about his ability to hit, and McFarlane was an injury-prone starter with an erratic fastball.

Following sensational 2026 seasons, both have quieted their doubters. Rincon demonstrated vastly improved bat-to-ball skills, raising his average by 86 points over 2025 and more than doubling his career minor league home run total—from 18 to 44. Meanwhile, McFarlane established himself as the top closer in the Eastern League before joining the Phillies, halving his walk rate while sporting the seventh-fastest fastball velocity in MLB.

Respectively, they were honored as the Phillies’ Paul Owens Award winners, presented annually to the system’s top minor league hitter and pitcher.

Paul Owens had been the Phillies farm director from 1966 to 1972, then general manager from 1972 to 1984 (as well as on-field manager in 1983-84). In 1986, the Phillies christened a new award in his name and have since used it to honor their system's top prospects.

Since Ruben Amaro Jr. was relieved of his duties as general manager in 2015, 10 of 12 Phillies hitters to receive the award have made the big leagues, while only six of the 11 pitchers have (Rhys Hoskins and Dylan Cozens were co-winners in 2016, therein the discrepancy).

McFarlane has already checked that item off his bucket list, becoming one of only three players since 2015 (Otto Kemp and Orion Kerkering) to win the award while on the Major League roster. 

Just how good are Phillies prospects Bryan Rincon and Alex McFarlane?

22-year-old Bryan Rincon has a much more arduous path to Philadelphia. Not only are there fewer spots for infielders on rosters, but he is behind both Trea Turner and Aiden Miller on the depth chart.

That said, he is probably a higher-pedigree prospect than McFarlane was, even before the latter’s promotion. No player in the Eastern League had more at-bats and a higher OPS in 2026. In fact, his .927 figure in 534 plate appearances is 36 points higher than the next-closest player who accrued even 400 plate appearances. Rincon did this while playing elite defense at shortstop and stole 30 bases in the process. He was passed over for league MVP in favor of Franklin Arias, who had more than 200 fewer plate appearances.

Rincon was just added to MLB’s list of top 100 prospects and should feature in the top 50 by the beginning of the 2027 season. He’s joined the four-man shortlist of blue-chip Phillies prospects, including Gage Wood (MLB No. 30 prospect), Aiden Miller (MLB No. 58), and Francisco Renteria (MLB No. 78).

McFarlane, meanwhile, has already graduated from prospect status. He and Kerkering, whom the Phillies selected the round after they drafted McFarlane in 2022, are the only two Phillies pitchers to play in the Majors since 2015 after receiving the Paul Owens Award.

McFarlane is now so integral to the Phillies' postseason plans that it’s impossible to discuss him under the guise of prospecthood. The 25-year-old is one of only two relievers that manager Don Mattingly has expressed comfort in using in tight situations. In fact, Mattingly said that if the score had stayed close during Sunday's victory over the New York Mets, he would have used McFarlane and closer Jhoan Duran to get the final eight outs.

The kid gloves are off. The weapon the Phillies have in McFarlane is all too clear. And yet, they are placing an inordinate amount of faith in him. When Kerkering arrived in the Majors at the tail end of 2023, he joined a bullpen with a more solid foundation than in 2026, but the mess he made of the 2023 playoffs still affects his confidence to this day.

The last pitcher to win a Paul Owens Award and accrue more than five career WAR was J.A. Happ. The Phillies cannot afford to make the same mistake that they made with Kerkering to McFarlane, yet they also cannot protect him from situations that might end in disaster.

Rincon and McFarlane were bestowed the highest honor the Phillies could confer upon them. Now the latter already has a chance to pay that confidence back.

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