Philadelphia Phillies Have Excelled Balancing Winning Now With Player Development

The Philadelphia Phillies have done a wonderful job of putting together a winning roster without sacrificing their entire farm system.

Jul 8, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; National League Futures designated hitter Justin Crawford (13) of the Philadelphia Phillies hits an RBI-sacrifice fly against the American League Futures during the second inning of the All Star-Futures Game at T-Mobile Park. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the better-performing teams in the regular season over the last few years.

Since winning only 66 games during the 2017 campaign, they have seen their win total increase each year since. In 2024, that culminated in a 95-win season, the second most in baseball, and a National League East division title.

While that didn’t translate to playoff success, since they were eliminated by the New York Mets in the NLDS, it still proves that what they are doing is working.

Finding sustainable success is a delicate balancing act that not every organization has been able to figure out.

Sometimes teams are overly aggressive, going all-in and not leaving enough assets in the cupboard to continue upgrading their roster.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are teams that hoard prospects but fail to develop them into everyday contributors at the Major League level. Or hold onto them too long, diminishing their value and not cashing in when the time was right.

If it was something everyone was capable of doing, there wouldn’t be turnover in front offices across the league each year.

But it is a formula Philadelphia has figured out.

Not only are they legitimate World Series contenders with a strong Major League roster, they have a well-stocked minor league system that should keep the success rolling even when this current core moves on.

There is no denying the level of talent the Phillies have on their roster, and soon, they are going to start infusing younger players into the mix as early as this summer with top pitching prospect Andrew Painter.

He is one of several star-studded prospects the team has in their pipeline, which is highly regarded by Keith Law of The Athletic.

The MLB writer placed them at No. 11 in his rankings. He likes the players they have at the top and the high-upside depth that has been put together in the lower levels.

“It’s top-heavy, with three guys in the top 50 and one on the just-missed list, but they have a lot of potential in the lowest levels, from the Low-A level on down to the DSL," he wrote.

Joining Painter, who is No. 12 on Law's top 100 prospect list, is shortstop Aidan Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford, who are ranked No. 13 and No. 41, respectively.

With so many pieces of their core on the wrong side of 30, some franchises would panic looking to keep their title window open as long as possible.

Philadelphia's front office hasn’t, as they are confident in the work they have done with their minor league system. They know impact players are on the way and if a few of the lottery tickets hit, they are going to be well positioned for years to come.

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