Phillies Top Prospects Among 15 Spring Training Invitations
The Philadelphia Phillies have extended 15 invitations to Major League Spring Training to non-40-man players, including several top prospects in the organization.
Pitchers and catchers will report to Clearwater, Fla., on Feb. 14, with position players following no later than Feb. 19.
The highest-rated prospect on the list is right-handed pitcher Mick Abel, who is ranked as the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline. He played at Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley last season and struck out 132 in 113.1 innings and allowing batters to hit .192 against him.
He started for the National League in the MLB Futures Game in Seattle last July and there is an outside chance he could make his MLB debut in 2024, based on MLB Pipeline’s rankings.
Two other Top 10 prospects earned invites. Right-handed pitcher Griff McGarry is the Phillies No. 5 prospects and reached Lehigh Valley last season. He struck out 12.15 hitters per nine innings and was the Eastern League Pitcher of the Month for July.
Outfielder Carlos De La Cruz is the Phillies No. 6 prospect. He earned Eastern League All-Star honors at Reading after he batted .259 and led the league in hits and total bases. At one point he had a 38-game on-base streak, which was the longest for a Reading player since 2009.
Several invitees have MLB experience. Right-handed pitcher Ryan Burr has a 4.08 ERA in 66 games with the Chicago White Sox but spent 2023 with Tampa Bay’s Triple-A Durham Bulls.
Right-handed pitcher José Ruiz boasts 212 major league appearances and has a 5-8 record with a 4.51 ERA and 219 career innings.
Another right-handed pitcher, Nick Snyder, missed all of last season due to a right shoulder injury. He pitched in six games with the Texas Rangers in 2021-22 and had a 7.71 ERA.
Utility player Scott Kingery will be in Clearwater. He’s played 325 career games with the Phillies but was in the minors last season. Outfielder Cal Stevenson played 29 games in the Majors in 2022-23 on the west coast. The Phillies claimed him off waivers last year.
Catcher Aramis Garcia, outfielder Matt Kroon, right-handed pitcher Tyler McKay, right-handed pitcher Tyler Phillips, infielder Nick Podkul, catcher Cody Roberts and catcher William Simoneit were all Phillies minor-league players last year and have never played in an MLB game.
