Phillies prospects update: Pitcher Jean Cabrera and switch-hitting catcher Kehden Hettiger

The Phillies’ quiet offseason continues to be quiet. But our weekly prospect report will continue on. This week, we’ll focus on Jean Cabrera, a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher from Maracay, Venezuela, and Kehden Hettiger, a 19-year-old switch-hitting catcher from Southern California.

Cabrera was signed to a minor league contract in 2019 and has taken significant strides in the last year. He has spent his last two seasons with low-A Clearwater and will likely start the 2024 season with high-A Jersey Shore. Fangraphs recently ranked him at No. 22 on its top 26 Phillies prospect list.

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Hettiger was swayed from a commitment to the University of Oregon by the Phillies when he signed for a $397,500 bonus in July 2023. He was signed out of Sierra Canyon School, where he — fun fact — overlapped with LeBron James’ son, Bronny James. He spent 10 games with the Florida Coast League Phillies, and could start 2024 in low-A Clearwater. MLB.com recently ranked him at No. 29 on its top 30 Phillies prospect list.

Here’s a deeper look at why the Phillies are high on Cabrera and Hettiger.

At first glance, Cabrera’s stats don’t jump off the page — a 4.32 ERA across 19 games — but he has certainly shown signs of growth. Cabrera cut his walk rate from 13.1% in 2022 to 6.1% in 2023. His velocity also ticked up. In 2022, he averaged 93.2 mph on his fastball, which rose to an average of 94.5 mph in 2023. His max fastball velocity rose from 95.3 mph in 2022 to 97.4 mph in 2023.

The velocity on his slider followed suit. The hardest he threw his slider in 2022 was 85.2 mph. In 2023, that number increased to 87.7 mph. It’s a significant jump for a young player in the span of a year.

Much of Cabrera’s improved command and velocity can be attributed to the strength he added over last season. Preston Mattingly, the Phillies’ assistant general manager, said Cabrera put on 12-15 pounds in 2023. In addition to the uptick in velocity and improved command, those gains led to more durability over the course of the season. In 2022, he made 12 starts in 46⅓ innings. In 2023, he pitched in 19 games over 81⅓ innings.

Cabrera — like many Phillies pitching prospects — throws once a week, akin to a college program. This allows him to lift three times a week and build muscle.

“A lot of teams don’t throw their guys every fifth day, especially at the lower levels, because some of these kids are 18, 19, 20 years old,” Mattingly said. “You’re trying to build workload before you just go out and throw 150 innings. Once you get to double A, triple A, guys go more on the five-day term.

“The added strength has helped his command. He was always a guy that had a skinnier frame. He always had the pitch ability. You could tell in bullpens that the command was there, but it just wasn’t quite translating to the game. I think like the strength gains he made helped him repeat his delivery a little bit better and get more in the strike zone.”

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Cabrera’s best start last season came in the playoffs. On Sept. 12, he allowed one hit and no earned runs in 6⅓ innings against single-A Lakeland, with five strikeouts and two walks. He followed that with a six-inning outing on Sept. 19, allowing five hits and one earned run with one walk and six strikeouts.

“It was good, with his workout program, to see him continue to push throughout the year,” Mattingly said. “That allowed him to be at his best at the very end.”

Like Cabrera, Hettiger’s numbers don’t jump off the page, but unlike Cabrera, he has a much smaller sample size. In 10 games and 21 at-bats, the catcher hit .190/.370/.238 with six walks and seven strikeouts.

That is obviously not enough to go on, but there is a lot of intrigue here. Hettiger has a good approach at the plate, and has the raw power that the Phillies believe will only grow as he continues to add weight. Mattingly said Hettiger has added 20-25 pounds since he signed. He is now listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds.

“He’s really been one of the poster boys for our high performance camp,” Mattingly said. “He’s taking advantage of it. With the good muscle mass he’s put on, we think he’s going to have a little bit more power than people think.”

Hettiger has been working with director of hitting development Luke Murton on improving his timing and getting his swing and stance in a good place. The Phillies are excited about his defense. They view him as a catcher, first and foremost, but he also played some first and third base in high school.

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“I think he’s a little bit raw for his age, from a catching standpoint, but he has very good hands, and he sits very well for a young kid,” Mattingly said. “We think he’s got a chance to be an above-average catcher. So we’re really excited about that.

“It’s always good to be versatile, and it’s probably good for his development. A lot of times you hear stories about guys that played different positions and sports growing up. J.T. [Realmuto] was a shortstop in high school, and a quarterback for his football team. I think these guys get exposed to different movements, athletically, when they play different positions, and that only helps you when you go to other positions. So, I would assume some of the things he did in high school helps him.”