Inside the Phillies' Midseason Top Ten Prospects

Inside the Phillies' staff take a look at the Philadelphia Phillies top prospects post-All-Star break.

Alex Carr | Jul 21, 2022

In this story:

Philadelphia Phillies

For the first time in what feels like ages, the Philadelphia Phillies' system boasts a total of four consensus Top-100 talents, and there may be more on the way.

The system itself is rather top-heavy, and doesn't possess the all-around strength of the team's foremost prospects, but there's no denying: this is the best the farm has looked in quite some time.

With every new draft comes a new top prospect or two, so here is the Inside the Phillies' staff-wide Top 10 Prospects List for Midseason 2022:

Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter / Photo via Mark Wylie

1. RHP Andrew Painter, 19 years old, High-A

When Painter was taken 14th overall in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Phillies fans had split opinions. Back-to-back prep-arm selections was a bold strategy given the failings from previous iterations of the Phillies' draft cabinet.

Yet, the pick paid dividends the second the 19-year-old touched a professional mound. Painter has gone above and beyond to ascend to—not just the top of Phillies intra-system rankings—but is widely considered one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball.

A 1.60 ERA across 50.2 professional innings will definitely get you there, as will 88 strikeouts in that same span. Painter has looked utterly untouchable in his professional career, and will aim to continue the trend as he makes his way through the minors.

2. RHP Mick Abel, 20 years old, High-A

While he's been the less-sung of the Pain-and-Abel duo, the Phillies first round pick from 2020 is doing more than enough to substantiate his claim of, again, one of the better pitching prospects in baseball.

The Phillies are taking a more balanced approach with the young righty, making sure he utilizes his vast arsenal, and ensuring he logs a proper amount of innings as he progresses. Still, that hasn't stopped Abel from earning comparisons to Justin Verlander. With his high-octane and high-spin fastball, alongside two secondaries which have a chance to be plus, or even plus-plus pitches, Abel has been dominant in 2022.

On paper, he hasn't been as impressive as his counterpart Painter, but his stuff is certainly on par, if not better.

3. C Logan O'Hoppe, 22 years old, Double-A

One of the quickest risers in the Phillies system finally got his due this year, achieving consensus top-100 prospect status, and garnering a whole heap of praise.

O'Hoppe is a wonderful mix of defensive and offensive ability. Not only is he one of the better receivers and framers in the minors, but he boasts a solid and accurate arm. The 22-year-old pairs this with an exceptional eye at the plate, and a keen ability to find gaps, as well as some raw power that he's begun to tap into, as demonstrated by his 14 home runs in Double-A this year.

It's been a brilliant year for the former 23rd rounder, the first of many.

Fireballer Griff McGarry pitching for the University of Virginia / © Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

4. RHP Griff McGarry, 23 years old, Double-A

The Phillies flexed their development muscles when they drafted Griff McGarry in the fifth round in 2021. Upon his selection, the Phillies publicly pointed to a couple of fixes they'd be able to make with the young righty's mechanics, and he immediately saw results.

McGarry is often cited as having the best pure stuff in all of the minor leagues. He carries a mess of plus pitches, and merely has to learn to command them, which he's done well within the minors this year.

He's going to move fast through the remaining levels of the minors, and could very well be under consideration for the Phillies' pitching staff in 2023.

5. OF Justin Crawford, 18 years old, TBD

The Phillies' newest first-round selection was a good one, as they nabbed Justin Crawford, the son of former major leaguer Carl Crawford, at 17th overall.

Much like his dad, Crawford boasts plus to double-plus speed, and is a future gold-glover in center field. He also touts strong bat-to-ball skills, though his approach and pitch selection could use some work.

If he can manage to add some power and weight to a projectable 6'3" frame, the Phillies could be looking at a five-tool talent here, with the potential for superstardom. There's a reason he's garnered comparisons to the dynamic Byron Buxton.

Granted, in his current form, Crawford is closer to Roman Quinn than the illustrious Buxton, but the ceiling is certainly there.

6. OF Johan Rojas, 20 years old, Double-A

To the surprise of many, Johan Rojas grabbed the bull by the horns after an aggressive promotion to Double-A Reading, and is thriving in his new home.

Rojas got off to a tepid start to the year, slashing .230/.287/.325 in 70 games with Jersey Shore. Yet, a hot month of June showed the Phillies organization enough to where they felt the time was right to have him face the toughest jump in all of the minors, and they were immediately proven right.

In 16 games with Double-A, Rojas has hit .290/.380/.403, and already swiped 10 uninterrupted bags for a total of 43 on the season. He's been caught stealing just once.

Rojas' glove, arm, and speed would play in the major leagues right now. The hit tool has a ways to go, but he's earned his spot in the upper echelon of Phillies prospects.

7. INF Hao-Yu Lee, 19 years old, Single-A

One of the bigger surprises on this list, Hao-Yu Lee is the real deal. His knack for quality contact, mature approach, and surprising pop led the Taiwan's top talent to a .284/.387/.460 slash and seven homers with Clearwater, until a hand fracture kept him out for most of June and July.

While he's semi-positionless, scouts believe that Lee will find a home at either second or third base in the future, but the bat is a big selling point for the 19-year-old. He's had an outstanding first crack at affiliated ball.

8. RHP Ben Brown, 22 years old, High-A

Mark this down as breakout number two for Ben Brown, whose initial rise was cut short by Tommy John Surgery in 2019.

This year, however, Brown came back better and throwing harder than ever. His fastball now sits in the 95-96 miles per hour range, and he can dial it up to 98 when he needs to. The breaking pitches are average at the moment, but they get whiffs.

In 69.0 innings of work this year, Brown has already eclipsed the 100-strikeout mark, turning in a 3.26 ERA in the process. The former 33rd rounder is a big success story for Phillies' development.

Reliever Erik Miller pitching at the Futures Game in Los Angeles / © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

9. LHP Erik Miller, 24 years old, Double-A

When the Phillies selected Miller in the fourth round in 2019, it came with the knowledge that he was working with a good deal of injury history. Still, they liked what they saw in his three plus pitch shapes. He began his Phillies career as a starter, but came into 2022 as a reliever, a transition which seemingly stuck.

Miller is now quite easily the top relief prospect on the season. He's turned in an impressive 25.2 innings in Reading, posting a 1.40 ERA, and 34 strikeouts in that same span. Control remains a bit of an issue for the 24-year-old, but his stuff more than makes up for it. His fastball now sits 95-97, and his slider has become his main out-pitch, with his changeup serving as an interesting weapon against both lefties and righties.

10. OF Jhailyn Ortiz, 23 years old, Double-A

What a comeback story it has been for Jhailyn Ortiz. The Phillies big-money signee in 2015 has worked his way back into an exciting prospect after a dismal last few years with the club.

Still just 23 years old, Ortiz has learned to harness his raw power, putting up 13 home runs and 20 doubles this year with Double-A Reading.

Strikeouts remain an issue for Ortiz (100 Ks in 75 games this year) but his arm is one of the strongest in the system, and his glove is plus at the corners. In fact, it's widely believed that Ortiz could probably handle center field, were it not for the plus gloves of Rojas and Muzziotti being present at his same level.

The slugger turned in a solid first-half slash, hitting .252/.332/.461 in 75 games this year.

More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Substack and Twitter!

Published Jul 21, 2022

ALEX CARR

Alex Carr is a writer, editor, and podcast host for Sports Illustrated and FanNation's 'Inside The Phillies'. Previously, his work has been featured on SBNation's 'TheGoodPhight'. He/him.