Philadelphia Phillies to Face In-State Rival in Next Spring Breakout Matchup

The Philadelphia Phillies won’t have to go far to play its Spring Breakout matchup next March during spring training.

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 during the second inning of the All Star-Futures game at T-Mobile Park. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies drew the home game in their 2025 Spring Breakout game, as announced by Major League Baseball.

The Phillies will stay in Clearwater, Fla., and will host the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 14, with game time and rosters to be announced at a later day.

The game is supposed to pit the top prospects from both organizations. Last year, when the Pirates faced the Baltimore Orioles in their Breakout game, it featured a matchup between top pitching prospect Paul Skenes of the Pirates and top hitting prospect Jackson Holliday of the Orioles.

Both are now in the Major Leagues. They are two of 95 Spring Breakout players that have made it to the Majors this year, with 35 of them part of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects.

When the MLB Futures Game was held last month during All-Star Game weekend, 48 of the 54 players in the game participated in the Spring Breakout.

So, for Phillies fans looking ahead, two top prospects were in the MLB Futures Game — infielder Aidan Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford.

Neither appear poised for an MLB call-up by season’s end, though both are playing well. Miller is at High-A Jersey Shore and Crawford is at Double-A Reading.

That is part of the reason the rosters aren’t usually set until early March. It won’t be clear which prospects are truly in line for an Opening-Day job until then. If Miller or Crawford are competing for a job, that could impact their availability for the game.

Another interesting case is pitcher Andrew Painter, who is behind Miller as the organization’s No. 2 prospect. He has missed this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. But he should be ready to go for spring training. Before the injury, he was an option for the 2023 Phillies rotation. Will that be the case next spring after nearly two years off?

Two new pitchers could be candidates for the game, too. When the Phillies traded Gregory Soto to the Baltimore Orioles, they received two Top 30 prospects in return — Seth Johnson and Moisés Chace.

This year’s draft class figures to be a part of the game, too. First-round pick Dante Nori, an outfielder; second-round pick Griffin Burkholder, an outfielder; fifth-round pick John Spikerman, an outfielder; and fourth-round pick Carson DeMartini, a third baseman, are all Top 30 prospects.

Fast-rising pitching prospect Jean Cabrera, now at Double-A Reading, could be a selection as well. It’s also worth watching which Phillies prospects head to the Arizona Fall League. Those selections are usually reserved for rising prospects.