Philadelphia Phillies Minor-League System Balance Shows in New Rankings

The Philadelphia Phillies have put together a balanced group of prospects to build their future around in the near future.

May 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have never been afraid to give up some of their future to win now. They did that at this year’s trade deadline, giving up a pair of Top 30 prospects to get some relief help.

Perhaps they knew what they already had in the minor leagues — a balanced group of prospects, which showed up as Baseball America did its final Top 30 rankings for the regular season for the Phillies.

Among the Top 10 prospects are four that are ranked among the Top 100 in all of baseball. Plus, there are three pitchers, three infielders, three outfielders and a catcher.

It’s enough to build a core around.

Right-hander Andrew Painter (No. 20 overall) still leads the top of the organization’s prospects, as he has for the past two years even though he hasn’t pitched since 2022 due to Tommy John surgery. He’s pointed toward a return next spring, but it’s a testament to just how much scouts like his make-up that he remains at the top even with the injury.

He is 6-2 with a 1.48 ERA as a professional.

Right-hander Seth Johnson, who came to the Phillies in a trade with Baltimore at the deadline, is No. 7 and was called up to start for Philadelphia on Sunday. The other pitcher is right-hander Jean Cabrera, one of the organization’s fastest-rising prospects. He’s now at Double-A Reading and closing in on a potential 2025 call-up.

Aidan Miller (No. 36) leads the infielders and is Philadelphia’s No. 2 prospect. The third baseman was just promoted to Reading and represented the franchise at the MLB Futures Game in July. He was their first-round pick in 2023.

The Phillies’ fourth Top 100 prospect is shortstop Starlyn Caba (No. 56), who is their No. 4 prospect. He’s a couple of years away from being Major League-ready, but he recently earned a promotion to Class-A Clearwater. Shortstop Bryan Rincon is the No. 9 prospect and he’s at High-A Jersey Shore.

Justin Crawford, the No. 46 overall prospect and Philadelphia's No. 3 prospect, leads the outfielders. The son of former MLB star Carl Crawford was their first-round pick in 2022 and is at Reading. Plus, Griffin Burkholder (No. 6) and Dante Nori (No. 10) were both taken in the MLB draft in July.

The catcher is Eduardo Tait, the Phillies No. 5 prospect. The 2023 international free agent signee is playing at Clearwater.

The rest of the Top 30 prospects include outfielder Gabriel Rincones, right-handed pitcher Mick Abel, shortstop Devin Saltiban, right-handed pitcher Michael Mercado, right-handed pitcher Moises Chace, right-handed pitcher Wen Hui Pan, outfielder TayShaun Walton, right-handed pitcher Christian McGowan, right-handed pitcher Alex McFarlane, outfielder John Spikerman, shortstop Carson DeMartini, right-handed pitcher Aroon Escobar, outfielder Raylin Heredia, right-handed pitcher Enrique Segura, catcher Anderson Navas, outfielder Jalvin Arias, outfielder Henrdy Mendez, left-handed pitcher Mavis Graves, outfielder Emarion Boyd and catcher Caleb Ricketts.