MLB Expert Gives Philadelphia Phillies Surprising Farm System Ranking

Keith Law's annual MLB farm system rankings have the Philadelphia Phillies higher than expected.

Jun 24, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski prior to the game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. / John Geliebter-Imagn Images

Since Dave Dombrowski became the Philadelphia Phillies' president of baseball operations in December 2020, he's helped construct one of the best teams in baseball. The Phillies have improved their record every year under his watch, making the playoffs three times in four seasons and becoming a perennial World Series contender.

While Dombrowski has assembled one of MLB's most talented rosters by acquiring stars such as Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos, he's also been quietly building one of the league's better farm systems.

Philadelphia's improving farm system caught the eye of prospect expert Keith Law, who gave the Phillies a surprisingly good rating in his annual MLB farm system rankings for The Athletic this week.

Keith Law ranks the Phillies #11 in farm system rankings. His reasoning: pic.twitter.com/AsQOfgY5sX

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) January 30, 2025

Law ranked Philadelphia right outside the top 10 at No. 11, putting it in Tier 3 of 7 between the Milwaukee Brewers (No. 10) and the rebuilding Chicago White Sox (No. 12).

Law cited a lack of depth but plenty of upside with the organization's top prospects, calling many of them boom or bust. Still, he sees enough potential in the Phillies' farmhands to give the team an above-average (and better than expected) farm system ranking.

With three of Philadelphia's prospects in his top 50 and several more with high ceilings, Law thinks the club "might have five or six stars...in the system right now,"

Law's positive assessment is good news for Phillies fans for several reasons.

One is that Dombrowski has a reputation for dismantling farm systems in the pursuit of championships, which he did during his most recent jobs with the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox. Fortunately, he seems to have learned his lesson and has shown more restraint with Philadelphia, allowing prospects to develop rather than trading them for established veterans.

Another encouraging sign is that according to Law, the Phillies appear to have a handful of legitimate stars in their system. This is good news for a veteran team whose best players are mostly in their 30s and may start declining soon.

With promising youngsters like Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford and Eduardo Tait on the horizon, Philadelphia shouldn't have to wait much longer for its next wave of talent to reach the Major Leagues and boost its aging roster.

If Law's rankings are accurate and the Phillies' prospects pan out as hoped, the team could remain a legitimate contender in the NL East for years to come.