Re-ranking our top 10 Phillies prospects as their seasons end, and what’s next for each in 2025

As usual, the Phillies received calls on many of their top prospects before the trade deadline.

The conversations didn’t last long.

“We have some guys I really didn’t want to trade,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said recently. “They’re our upper-echelon of guys, and that’s why I’m thrilled that we made the moves we made.”

» READ MORE: The 2024 stat to know for each of the Phillies' top 10 prospects

Maybe things would have been different if Dombrowski believed he could acquire a difference-making player at the deadline. But the Tigers were never going to trade ace lefty Tarik Skubal, and the White Sox’s asking price was understandably high for lefty Garrett Crochet. Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. stayed put on Chicago’s South Side, too.

So, whereas the perennially go-for-broke Padres dealt six of their top 16 prospects, according to Baseball America’s rankings, to beef up the back of their bullpen, the Phillies chose to hold on to each of their big three — Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, and Justin Crawford.

The deadline didn’t pass without a cost. The Phillies swallowed hard and moved ascending A-ball right-handers George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri to the Angels for closer Carlos Estévez. But they also added a pair of young righties in a trade with the Orioles.

» READ MORE: Carlos Estévez was the Phillies’ top trade-deadline pitching target. His former coach explains his rise.

“We gave up some talent,” Dombrowski said. “But we also have those [top three] guys, and [teenage shortstop Starlyn] Caba, and some other guys that we’re extremely high on.”

It feels like a reasonable time, then, after the trade deadline and before the minor-league season ends, to consult a few opposing scouts and re-rank our top 10 Phillies prospects, an exercise that we initially performed in the weeks leading up to spring training.

(One note: Neither outfielders Dante Nori nor Griffin Burkholder are featured in our new rankings, mostly because scouts haven’t had much of a look yet at the Phillies’ top two picks in this year’s draft. Both players reported to low-A Clearwater earlier this month. Burkholder played one game and went on the injured list.)

Age: 21 | Height: 6-foot-7 | Weight: 215 pounds

2024 stats: Did not pitch.

Outlook: Thirteen months removed from Tommy John elbow surgery, he’s throwing bullpen sessions at the Phillies’ complex in Clearwater, Fla. Next up: Facing hitters in a live batting practice setting. Although there aren’t plans to send him to the Arizona Fall League, according to Dombrowski, Painter likely will start a few simulated games before getting a break for the winter. It’s a tedious rehabilitation process. The Phillies aren’t skipping steps with their prized 2021 first-round pick.

» READ MORE: From spring training: Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter has one goal for 2024: ‘Just get on a mound’

Key question: Will he compete for a rotation spot in spring training?

Possibly. But if the Phillies learned anything from spring training 2023 — a.k.a., Painterpalooza — they will take things slowly. Every move Painter made two years ago attracted attention. His bullpen sessions were appointment viewing, even for owner John Middleton. As long as Painter regains his array of pitches, from the blazing fastball to the knees-knocking curveball, he will make his major-league debut next season. He will surely pitch on an innings limit, though, so the Phillies will have to decide when and how to utilize him.

Age: 20 | Height: 6-2 | Weight: 205

2024 stats (through Thursday): .275/.401/.483, 5 homers, 10-for-11 stolen bases, 14.3% walk rate, 21.4% strikeout rate at low-A Clearwater (182 plate appearances); .252/.356/.437, 5 HR, 12-for-16 SB, 12.6% BB rate, 23% K rate at high-A Jersey Shore (239 PA).

Outlook: If not for a broken hamate bone in his left hand, Miller would have been long gone by the time the Phillies made the 27th overall pick in the 2023 draft. It might turn out to be a steal. He started the season with Clearwater, but the Phillies moved him up to high-A in Lakewood after only 35 games. There were initial challenges in advanced A-ball, but he has caught fire this month. One scout cited Miller’s contact and on-base skills, coupled with “20-to-25 homer potential,” as his most impressive tools at the plate.

» READ MORE: Slugger Aidan Miller ‘can get used to this’ after teaming up with Phillies top prospects

Key question: Will he remain at shortstop?

After the draft, the presumption was the Phillies would move Miller to third base. But they told him in spring training that they were committed to playing him at shortstop, his high school position, and have kept him there all season. He even played shortstop for the National League at the Futures Game in Texas in July. If he continues to mature physically, a position switch might still be in the cards. Speaking of which, he’s a baseball card collector, which will give him something to talk about with reliever Matt Strahm in camp next spring.

Age: 20 | Height: 6-1 | Weight: 175

2024 stats: .301/.349/.438, 6 HR, 27-for-35 SB, 6.6% BB rate, 20.2% K rate at Jersey Shore (317 PA); .310/.352/.407, 1 HR, 11-for-12 SB, 5.7% BB rate, 18.7% K rate at double-A Reading (123 PA).

Outlook: There’s no denying Crawford’s speed. After watching him play last season, Dombrowski came away with a gushing assessment: “He flies.” The Phillies are hoping that he will generate more power with his left-handed swing as he learns to hit the ball in the air more often while still making consistent contact. It might happen naturally. He has added muscle to his frame this season, and the Phillies have seen an increase in his fly-ball rate since last year.

» READ MORE: Phillies prospect Justin Crawford is doing his part to make The Show, with a helping hand from Bryson Stott

Key question: Can he be the elusive answer in center field?

The Phillies have been trying to find their future center fielder for years. Odúbel Herrera wasn’t the guy. Neither was Scott Kingery. Nor Roman Quinn. Nor Adam Haseley or Mickey Moniak. Maybe it’s Brandon Marsh, although he’s a better left fielder. The jury remains out on Johan Rojas. Crawford should get an invitation to major-league camp next spring, and Dombrowski has never been afraid to skip a prospect from double A to the majors. It’ll be a spring-training storyline.

Age: 18 | Height: 5-11 | Weight: 219

2024 stats: .321/.377/.500, 13 doubles, 6 HR, 6.1% BB rate, 14.6% K rate in rookie ball (212 PA); .250/.290/.457, 4 2B, 5 HR, 6.0% BB rate, 28.0% K rate at Clearwater (100 PA).

Outlook: The average age of players in the low-A Florida State League is 21. Tait turned 18 this week. How’s that for precocious? But in his first season in the United States, the Panamanian catcher slugged his way out of rookie ball after only 51 games. His most pronounced tool is left-handed power, and he figures to only get stronger. Behind the plate, Tait continues to refine his technique. Scouts have noted his arm, as he threw out eight of the first 20 base stealers after the promotion to Clearwater. “He has the raw tools to continue to mature defensively,” one scout said.

» READ MORE: Phillies prospect updates: Eduardo Tait’s potential, Justin Crawford’s added strength, and more

Key question: Will the Phillies have another catcher from Panama?

Twenty-five years ago, the Phillies signed Carlos Ruiz out of Panama for $8,000. That worked out well. The price was a little higher ($90,000) for Tait, who told MLB.com that he met Ruiz when he was 10. Compared to Tait, Ruiz was a late-bloomer. He didn’t come to the U.S. until he was 21 or make his major-league debut until age 27. Tait has a great head start, then. An NL talent evaluator predicted that he could be “special by the ‘26 season.”

Age: 18 | Height: 5-10 | Weight: 171

2024 stats: .254/.427/.335, 2 HR, 37-for-45 SB, 22.7% BB rate, 15.1% K rate in rookie ball (225 PA); .193/.313/.193, 0 HR, 12-for-15 SB, 13.1% BB rate, 13.1% K rate at Clearwater (99 PA).

Outlook: The Phillies signed Caba out of the Dominican Republic for $3 million at the start of the 2023 international signing period. A year later, they brought him to the United States, and a few things have stood out to scouts: his silky-smooth defense, knowledge of the strike zone, and what one evaluator described as “sneaky power that will come in time.” In rookie ball, the switch-hitting teen walked more often than he struck out. The Phillies challenged him with a July promotion to Clearwater, where he is among the youngest players in the Florida State League. If there’s a criticism, it was that Caba seemed to tire in the second half, which isn’t uncommon in a player’s full first season in pro ball.

» READ MORE: What the shortstop aging curve means for the Phillies’ 11-year contract with Trea Turner

Key question: How good is his defense?

“As good as it gets,” said well-respected Phillies international scout Sal Agostinelli, who has compared Caba’s defense with Francisco Lindor’s. It’s a long way from Clearwater to the majors, but the Phillies have time. Trea Turner is signed for nine more seasons. If he’s able to stay at shortstop for another two or three, the Phillies might have his replacement by 2026.

Age: 23| Height: 6-5 | Weight: 190

2024 stats: 5.88 ERA, 22% strikeout rate, 15.1% walk rate at triple-A Lehigh Valley (93⅓ innings)

Outlook: Nobody said it aloud, but Phillies officials expected in spring training that Abel would be ready to help the major-league rotation at some point this season. It’s not going to happen. The 2020 first-round pick has struggled to repeat his delivery and throw strikes, walking three or more batters in 13 of 20 starts. He also tweaked the shape of his slider — a pitch that he refers to as a “gyro slider” — in the offseason, and it has blurred with his curveball. At its best, his fastball has sinking action. But he wasn’t getting as many swings and misses with it early in the season.

» READ MORE: From 2023: Don’t forget about Mick Abel, the other half of the Phillies’ best pitching prospect duo in 20 years

Key question: Is he still a rotation option?

Abel’s miserable season has caused him to slide down most prospect rankings. All that matters, though, are the Phillies’ internal evaluations. They would be trading low if they move him in the offseason, and after dealing Klassen and Aldegheri, it makes sense to continue working to harness Abel’s talent. He had two of his best starts this month, allowing one unearned run in 11 innings. Maybe it’s a building block.

Age: 23 | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 231

2024 stats: .281/.366/.544, 12 2B, 11 HR, 15-for-20 SB, 10.3% BB rate, 25.3% K rate at Reading (194 PA); .167/.278/.200, 0 HR, 3-for-3 SB, 11.1% BB rate, 22.2% K rate in rookie ball (rehab assignment, 36 PA).

Outlook: Given the favorable conditions for hitting in Reading, Rincones was a decent bet to put up big power numbers. Instead, he missed two months because of a torn ligament in his right thumb. Upon returning to Reading on July 20, he bashed six homers in his first 104 at-bats for a .539 slugging percentage. It was the kind of left-handed power that the Phillies envisioned when they drafted him in the third round in 2022.

» READ MORE: The Phillies’ next great hitting prospect might be a Scottish Venezuelan-American with a frame like Pat Burrell

Key question: Will he hit lefties?

Rincones’ bat will carry him as far as he goes, so it’s notable that he has Marsh-like splits, mashing righties and struggling against lefties. There’s also the question of Rincones’ best position. Thus far, the Phillies have played him exclusively in the outfield — mostly in right. Some scouts have suggested that he could wind up at first base. If he hits, there will be a spot for him.

Age: 20| Height: 5-11 | Weight: 197

2024 stats: .198/.331/.354, 2 HR, 7-for-7 SB, 16.1% BB rate, 31.4% K rate at Jersey Shore (118 PA); .143/.250/.143, 0 HR, 0-for-0 SB, 12.5% BB rate, .250% K rate at Clearwater (rehab assignment, 4 PA).

Outlook: After a breakout season for Clearwater drove up his prospect stock, the switch-hitting shortstop moved to high-A and struggled in April, batting .151 with 23 strikeouts in 68 plate appearances. He seemed to be adapting better in May, demonstrating the bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline that impressed evaluators last year. But the 2022 14th-round pick strained his hamstring and was sidelined for three months. He went on a brief rehab assignment with Clearwater, then rejoined Jersey Shore this week.

» READ MORE: Phillies 2024 MLB draft tracker: Meet every pick

Key question: Where does he fit on the shortstop depth chart?

The Phillies are stocked with shortstops in the A-ball ranks. As long as Miller remains at shortstop, he will sit atop the pyramid. Caba, the best defender in the bunch, is close behind. Rincon was playing shortstop before he got injured, with since-traded William Bergolla Jr. moving to second base. Now that Rincon and Miller are teammates, it will be interesting to see how the playing time at shortstop is doled out — and if the Phillies begin exposing Rincon to other infield positions.

Age: 19 | Height: 5-9 | Weight: 185

2024 stats: .237/.347/.423, 16 HR, 21-for-23 SB, 12.1% BB rate, 24.7% K rate at Clearwater (396 PA).

Outlook: Saltiban was primarily an outfielder in high school in Hawaii, but the Phillies moved him to the infield after drafting him in the third round last year. He has played second base for Clearwater, showing an attractive combination of speed and power.

Key question: What’s his best position?

It’s probably best if he doesn’t have one. Saltiban’s versatility might wind up being his best asset. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Phillies give him reps at shortstop, third base, and even back in the outfield as he moves through the system.

Age: 25 | Height: 6-1 | Weight: 205

2024 stats: 2.63 ERA, 13% BB rate, 22.6% K rate at double-A Bowie (65 IP); 3.52 ERA, 3% BB rate, 27.2% K rate at Reading (7⅔ IP); 0.90 ERA, 12.5% BB rate, 20% K rate at Lehigh Valley (10 IP).

Outlook: Seeking to restock the pitching cupboard after trading away Klassen and Aldegheri, the Phillies peeled Johnson and 21-year-old righty Moisés Chace away from the Orioles for lefty reliever Gregory Soto. Johnson is the closer of the two to reaching the majors. Drafted 40th overall by the Rays in 2019 and traded to the Orioles three years later after Tommy John surgery, his lively fastball and solid slider are his best weapons.

» READ MORE: Meet the pitching prospects the Phillies got in the Gregory Soto trade: Seth Johnson and Moisés Chace

Key question: Can he add to the Phillies’ starting depth?

The development of Johnson’s curveball and changeup may determine whether his future is in the rotation or the bullpen. But he’s on the 40-man roster, which means the Phillies will give him a look in some capacity.