I debated on whether to put this out before or after the trade deadline and ultimately decided to put it out there. Please note that some of these players will not be with the organization following this Friday’s deadline and that is okay! The Phillies clearly need upgrades in the OF/bullpen and should do just about everything they can to capitalize on the opportunity to maximize the potential of the core group of Phillies. With that! Feel free to dissect, scrutinize, or lambast the following prospect
ranking.
1. Andrew Painter, RHP, 22 years old
There was never a doubt who would be number one on this list and that is simply because Painter is both a consensus MLB Top 15 prospect and NO ONE has challenged him in the organization for this spot. Painter is back (after an Arizona Fall League appearance) following a long and grueling decision to get Tommy John surgery and missing all of 2024.
Good news is Painter is already looking and showing that frontline starter upside. The command isn’t quite where it was pre-surgery and he likely needs more time to develop than fans would have hoped. Also good is that while the numbers aren’t spectacular at AAA, he is also working on his pitching arsenal adding pitches (see: sinker). The velocity is there (which is always a huge worry post-TJS) so please be patient.
2. Aidan Miller, SS, 21 years old
It’s easy to look at Miller’s 2025 season and be a bit disappointed. Low batting average, high strikeout rate, and a decline in power. An impressive 2024 campaign had Miller as one of the steals of the 2023 MLB Draft. With that, lets remember prospect development isn’t linear as much as we think that every prospect is Paul Skenes. Miller took the meteoric jump from A+ to AA and that isn’t insignificant. He is nearly 3 years younger than the average age for the league and is still doing some good things. The defense has been good and he should stick at shortstop which was a question mark from Day 1. Despite the lack of hits, he is still getting on base at a higher clip than his previous two seasons and wrecking havoc on the basepaths with 37 steals already. A recurring theme: please be patient.
3. Justin Crawford, CF, 21 years old
This placement will anger both sides of the Justin Crawford Debate. As of 7/27, Crawford is slashing .327/.409/.430 in 321 at-bats in AAA. Without context this is an extraordinary feat for someone playing against quad-A players (he is 5.5 years younger than the league average fwiw). How is he doing this? A lot of groundball singles. Yes, putting the ball in play is a good thing...but how much of this is transferrable to the majors? His groundball rates, if successful, would put him in a class of his own in MLB. Is that realistic? Probably not with the better pitching and the defense he would face on a day-to-day basis. The counter-argument to that is, “what if he is this unicorn and with the Phillies desperately needing a table-setter at the top of their lineup why not take a shot?”. Do you want him to cut his teeth during an important playoff run? His defense is not better than Rojas and Marsh in CF...can that work with Castellanos and Kepler/Wilson at his wings? Something tells me time will tell following this trade deadline.
4. Eduardo Tait, C, 18 years old
It would be really neat to have another Panamanian catcher become a starter for the Phillies! Tait faced the challenge of full-season ball with ease as an 18 year old (he doesn’t turn 19 until late-August) which earned him a mid-season promotion to A+ Jersey Shore. Tait has cut down on his strikeouts and improved his walk-rate from the previous season. The catching is coming along and that might be the biggest struggle with him as a prospect if the bat keeps improving. Phillies are going to get A LOT of calls about Tait in any prospect package at the trade deadline and it will take a special player coming back for the Phillies to let go of him.
5. Aroon Escobar, 2B, 20 years old
Escobar was a Top 10 prospect going into the season, but has arguably made himself into one of the best hitting prospects in the organization, period. Prior to his promotion to Jersey Shore, Escobar was slashing .285/.377/.452 with 11 HR and 10 SB. Second base looks to be his best position, but he can play SS and 3B in a pinch. While his stint in Jersey Shore hasn’t been quite as explosive, he is a prospect to watch in an organization surely lacking legitimate hitting prospects.
6. Mick Abel, RHP, 23 years old
In a relative surprise for fans, Mick Abel made his major league debut in 2025 with some mixed results. His debut against the Pirates was spectacular, tossing 6 innings of no-run, no walk ball with 9 strikeouts. Abel followed that up with off-on good/bad starts before running into a rain-delay situation where he missed a start and then came back a week later and was ripped apart by the Padres before being sent back down to AAA. Control has been Abel’s Achilles heal since joining the organization and aside from that disastrous last start, it looked like he started to overcome that in AAA and his MLB time. There isn’t front-of-the-rotation starter potential anymore, but middle-rotation starter is much more possible now. Because of his 2025, he will be a name every GM will be calling about this week. Abel also needs to prove he can go at least 6 innings.
7. Gage Wood, RHP, 21 years old
The Phillies 2025 1st Round Pick certainly looks like one that could quickly move through the organization. Shoulder issues scared some teams off, but you can’t deny the potential is tantalizing with Wood. He came into the national spotlight last year with a 19 strikeout no-hitter game in the College World Series, just the third no-hitter in CWS history. Some think he is reliever-bound for his career, but if he can learn to harness a MLB starter’s load he has front-line rotation potential...which is important if/when Zack Wheeler hangs up his cleats.
8. Alex McFarlane, RHP, 24 years old
Yes, McFarlane just turned 24 years old but missed significant time (see: all of 2024 and half of 2023) recovering from Tommy John surgery. There has always been upside with McFarlane and has shown it since coming back with an upper-90’s fastball and wicked slider. Now with that pitch combo, he might ultimately be a reliever and that is okay. McFarlane will need to work himself back and prove he can go 6 innings consistently, but will need to be protected from the Rule 5 to do so within the Phillies org.
9. Dante Nori, CF, 20 years old
Perhaps this ranking is too high for Nori, but I’m seeing the potential of a more successful CF profile than Justin Crawford. Granted, he doesn’t have the pedigree, the track-record of Crawford yet or his minor-league resume but you can see it. In fun with arbitrary endpoints, Nori is slashing .303/.391/.455 with 16 SB in his last 47 games (178 at-bats). The power looks to be coming around and that is exciting for a player who’s biggest question since being draft was IF there will be any power.
10. Matthew Fisher, RHP, 19 years old
When the Phillies sign a 7th round pick for WAY over-slot...you know something is up. Fisher was expected to go much earlier in the draft (MLB had him ranked #46 best prospect fyi). It was likely going to need to be a ton of money for him to get him to sign, but the Phillies did it. Fisher isn’t a power arm, but has a deep arsenal that will be interesting to develop and see how it shows up when he makes his org debut.
The Rest!
11. Carson DeMartini, 2B, 22 years old
12. Jean Cabrera, RHP, 23 years old
13. Hendry Mendez, LF, 21 years old
14. Cade Obermueller, LHP, 22 years old
15. Seth Johnson, RHP, 25 years old
16. Avery Owusu-Asiedu, OF, 22 years old
17. Gabriel Rincones Jr., RF, 24 years old
18. Moises Chace, RHP, 22 years old
19. Griffin Burkholder, OF, 19 years old
20. Anderson Araujo, C, 17 years old
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