The state of the Phillies’ minor league system: Investing in development and prospects to watch

Phillies farm director Preston Mattingly shares his thoughts on his first year in the role and what's ahead for 2023.

Outfielder Gabriel Rincones, Jr. didn't play last season after being drafted in the third round, but the Phillies like his power potential.Read moreAP

Published Jan. 17, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

Preston Mattingly was hired as the Phillies’ director of player development in September of 2021 and given the unenviable task of taking over a system that some employees had described as toxic. Communication was a consistent issue. A clear player development philosophy had yet to be put in place. In short, it was not an easy job.

Looking back on his first full season as farm director, Mattingly knows there is still work to be done. But he also believes the organization has made important strides, especially from a cultural standpoint.

This week, he shared some thoughts with The Inquirer on how his first full season went, and what’s in store in 2023.

Better communication and taking pride in the little things

Mattingly’s first priority was setting a clear standard for how the Phillies were going to do things. Collaboration has been a point of emphasis. Before Mattingly’s arrival, there were some who believed their voices weren’t being heard. Mattingly has tried to give as many staff members a voice as he can.

In spring training last year, for example, he included a wider swath of staff — like strength and conditioning coaches, medical staff, field staff, and research and development employees — in conversations about which players the Phillies were considering releasing. Mattingly said the organization ended up changing course on a few players — either opting to release them or not release them — based on the feedback he received from staff members.

“A lot of times, they are the ones that are working with the players more than anybody, and they know them better than anybody,” Mattingly said. “So, including them and giving them a voice in these big decisions to me is very important.”

Another point of emphasis was taking pride in the little things. Like many teams, the Phillies create individualized plans for all of their minor league players, but Mattingly encouraged his staff to make sure the plans were as tailor-made as possible.

“There’s nothing worse than coming to spring training and having the same program as another player that I know doesn’t move the same way as you,” Mattingly said. “Or doesn’t have the same flaws or skills that you have. We tried to not just build specific plans for our players but also give them some freedom to make mistakes and grow and learn and get better. I think we did a pretty good job with it.”

Investing in player development

The Phillies are in the midst of building a pitching and hitting lab at their facility in Clearwater, Fla. The lab will be available for major league players, but the Phillies hope it can also help them make more informed decisions about the development of their minor league players.

The hitting and pitching lab is equipped to capture biomechanical data through motion capture and force plate systems. The Phillies anticipate it will be ready by major league spring training, which begins Feb. 16 when pitchers and catchers report. Once it’s open, it will be open year-round. The organization has three biomechanists, three analysts, and four associates on staff who will work in the lab.

They’ve also made a few upgrades to their facility in the Dominican Republic, like putting turf on their agility field for training sessions, building a plyo wall and covered mounds in the bullpen.

“We really believe in giving these guys the opportunity to train year-round with us if that’s something they want to do, both in the Dominican Republic and in the States,” Mattingly said. “I’ve got 50 players at the complex in Clearwater right now. We’ve had two strength camps, we’ve had two high-performance camps, and we’ve had an instructional league. The complex has essentially been running fully functional the entire year with the exception of a month during the holidays.

“I don’t know if everyone is doing it this way, but I don’t think everybody is. But we really want to be the training hub for our players. We have the resources. We have every facility they need. We want to treat them better than anyone else and give them more resources to succeed, and I think the organization is doing a great job of backing that up.”

Names to keep an eye on

The most prominent names in the Phillies system are pitchers Andrew Painter and Mick Abel, but Mattingly believes there are a few other prospects who have flown under the radar. The first he mentioned is infielder Hao Yu Lee, who jumped from rookie ball to high-A last season. Lee, who turns 20 Feb. 3, hit .284/.386/.438 across those three levels in 2022.

“He is still a guy, to me, that people don’t know enough about,” Mattingly said. “I don’t know if it’s because he’s from Taiwan and didn’t play high school baseball here in the States, but a kid his age, with the performance he had, and the raw strength this guy has, the hit ability … I think he’s a guy that is on the radar now, but I think, you know, a couple years from now, people are going to really get to know this kid.”

Mattingly also pointed out Gabriel Rincones Jr., a 21-year-old outfielder who was drafted out of Florida Atlantic University in the third round by the Phillies in 2022.

“He didn’t play last season, because he got a little nicked up in college and we wanted to get him healthy,” Mattingly said. “But he is a big, physical kid, he’s left-handed, he has some feel to hit and he has real power.”

On the pitching side, Mattingly mentioned right-handers Alex McFarlane, a fourth-round pick in 2022, and Christian McGowan, a seventh-round pick in 2021.

“McFarlane is a big right-handed pitcher, great body, two plus secondary pitches with the slider and the split,” he said. “The fastball we’re really working on to hone in on some efficiency. We think he’s got a chance to be really special.

“McGowan had Tommy John [surgery] last year. He’ll be back at some point this year. He’s a physical kid out of junior college, with a full arsenal of pitches. I think he’ll be a name that is going to pop on the radar once he gets back healthy. He’s a true starting pitcher. I don’t know where he starts in 2023, but he could potentially get to double A by the end of the year and pitch in the fall league.”