On Monday, the MLB Pipeline rankings of the Philadelphia Phillies‘ best prospects were released. Five of their top 30 prospects in these rankings are participating in spring training. Of those five, Orion Kerkering, who is ranked sixth, is the only one on the Phillies 40-man roster. However, Kerkering will graduate off of the prospects list this season in all likelihood. The other four players are non-roster invitees to spring training. Some other notable prospect rankings outside of the top five include two other non-roster invitees ranked in the top 15: Griff McGarry, who is ranked 11th, and Carlos De La Cruz, ranked 13th.
It’s very likely Andrew Painter — who looked like he was making a beeline to the big leagues — won’t pitch until 2025, but he’ll still be just 22.
Painter joins three other high school Draft picks atop the new @Phillies‘ Top 30 Prospects list: https://t.co/iPvtt63lNK pic.twitter.com/9cEoBdnChr
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 4, 2024
The Phillies’ Best Prospects According to MLB Pipeline
Andrew Painter
Something that should not come as a surprise is Andrew Painter being ranked as the Phillies’ best prospect. Furthermore, Painter is the 27th-best prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline rankings. The Phillies 2021 first-round pick, Painter would likely have made his major league debut last season if it were not for his elbow injury suffered during spring training last year that led to Tommy John surgery. It is expected that Painter will not play during the 2024 season. In 22 starts in the minor leagues in 2022, Painter had a 6-2 record with a 1.56 ERA and 155 strikeouts.
Mick Abel
The lone non-roster invitee among the Phillies’ top five prospects is Mick Abel, who is ranked second. MLB Pipeline ranks Abel as the 49th-best prospect in baseball. So far Abel has made one spring training appearance. In that appearance, he struck out two of the three batters he faced. Last season in 23 minor league outings, Abel had a 5-6 record with a 4.13 ERA and 132 strikeouts. It is expected that Abel will pitch in the majors at some point this season. However, it is unlikely that he will be on the Phillies’ Opening Day roster. The Phillies drafted Abel in the first round of the 2020 draft.
Aidan Miller
The Phillies’ most recent first-round pick, Aidan Miller, is their third-ranked prospect. MLB Pipeline also ranks him as the 61st-best prospect in baseball. In 20 minor league games last season, Miller had a .303/.425/.379 line with no home runs and two RBI. He also recorded 20 hits and scored 10 runs while adding four stolen bases. It is currently projected that Miller will reach the majors in 2027. Miller has played third base and shortstop in the minor leagues. Going forward, it remains to be seen if Miller will end up playing third base or shortstop more. In high school, he primarily played shortstop.
Justin Crawford
In the 2022 draft, the Phillies drafted their current fourth-ranked prospect, Justin Crawford, in the first round. Additionally, MLB Pipeline ranks Crawford as the 77th-best prospect in baseball. In 2023, he had a .332/.392/.467 line with three home runs and 64 RBI as well as 47 stolen bases in 87 games in the minor leagues. Currently, Crawford is projected to reach the majors in 2026. He is on track to be a starting outfielder for the Phillies in a few years if he continues on his current trajectory. It would not be surprising to see Crawford at Phillies spring training next season.
Starlyn Caba
The highest-ranked prospect among the Phillies’ international signings, Starlyn Caba rounds out the top five. On January 15 of last year, the Phillies signed Caba, who is from the Dominican Republic. In the 38 minor league games last season, he had a .301/.423/.346 line with no home runs and 17 RBI as well as 17 stolen bases. Those games also saw Caba record 40 hits and score 29 runs. Currently, Caba is projected to reach the majors in 2027. He currently plays shortstop. If Caba continues to perform at his current level, he has a chance to be a great player for the Phillies in the future.
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