Update on Phillies’ Top Prospects
Over the past two years, the Phillies have gone from having one of the worst farm systems in all of baseball to now having one of the best in baseball. The Phillies now have legitimate prospects and real hope for the future. The Phillies have abundance of high quality talent at all levels, and that is evident by the impressive records by the entire farm system, but especially the Phillies’ AA affiliate, the Reading Fightin Phils, who at 87-50 have the best record in all of professional baseball.
The talent that the Phillies have is not at one particular position on the field. There is talent up and down the organization and they have it at seemingly every position. In its Post-Deadline Farm System rankings, Bleacher Report ranked the Phillies with the 7th best system in all of baseball, which is down from its pre-season ranking of 5th. The Phillies were jumped by teams who made several moves at the deadline, the Yankees and Brewers. Although, I personally feel the Phillies have a top-3 farm system in baseball because what really defines a quality farm system is young, high-quality talent at the upper levels, Triple-A and Double-A. That is exactly what the Phillies have, and the records of both the IronPigs and Fightin Phils shows that. Those teams don’t have lineups headlined by former big-leaguers looking to get back into the Show. No, those lineups are headlined by talented players that are very young and all in the Phillies Top 30 Prospects list.
Without further adieu, here is an update on how some of the Phillies’ top prospects have been performing this season. They will be listed in order of how they are ranked on the Phillies Top 30 Prospects list on MLB.com, and here they are:
SS J.P. Crawford
J.P. Crawford has been ranked the Phillies’ #1 prospect for the past three years, but over the past year and a half, he has been regarded as one of the best prospects in all of Major League Baseball. Crawford is currently ranked as the third best prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com. Crawford has a multitude of skills, but what really catches scouts’ eyes is his plate vision and his defense. It has already been said that Crawford has a better feel for the strike zone than most umpires! Crawford is currently one step away from the big league club after starting the season in Double-A, as he has been playing with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate for over two months now. Crawford’s average isn’t where most people would like it to be, he’s hitting .242 with the IronPigs. But one stat really sticks out, his on-base percentage. Crawford was getting on base almost 4 out of 10 times with Reading, and he has still shown the ability to get on-base with Lehigh Valley as well. Crawford’s on-base percentage is currently at .331 with Lehigh Valley. Crawford’s defense has also stuck out to me as well. I watched him play at Lehigh Valley on June 19th, and he looks like an incredibly gifted fielder. Crawford plays shortstop so smoothly, and I saw him make one of the most incredible plays I’ve ever seen by a minor leaguer. Crawford back-handed a play in the hole between third and short, then did his best Derek Jeter impression with a jump throw to first and hit the first baseman in the chest, while getting the runner out by at least a step.
OF Mickey Moniak
Mickey Moniak is currently ranked as #2 prospect in the Phillies organization, the 29th best prospect in all of baseball, and the 9th ranked outfield prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com. The reason the Phillies took Moniak with the 1st overall pick in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft in June was because of his bat, and he has been every bit as good as advertised throughout the first two months of his professional career. Moniak has 139 at-bats through his first 37 games as a professional, and he is currently hitting .284/.340/.409 with 11 doubles, four triples, and a home run. The power will come for Moniak as he continues to add muscle to his currently skinny frame, but for now he needs to focus on making good contact at the plate, and he has done just that so far. Moniak has the speed to stay in center long-term and his defense has not been a problem to this point, but the main focus for Moniak will be continuing to make good contact and hit for a high average.
OF Nick Williams
Acquired in the Cole Hamels trade at last year’s trade deadline, Nick Williams is playing in his first full season in the Phillies organization and is currently ranked as the Phillies’ third best prospect and the 56th overall prospect, according to MLB.com. Williams spent all of his time in Double-A Reading last year while with the Phillies organization, but this year Williams has played the entire year with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Williams started off the year slow, but then began to pick it up significantly in the summer months, and now has seemed to be in a bit of a slump over the past week or so. Williams is a very gifted outfielder, although he prefers to play center, and he has been the three-hitter for the IronPigs the majority of the season. However, Williams has tested the coaching staff in Lehigh Valley and has already been benched several times for a lack of hustle. Williams seemed like a lock to be called up at some point in September when he was on a tear during June and July, but his recent struggles make it look more likely than not that he won’t be up with the big league club this season.
C Jorge Alfaro
Fans got excited when they head Jorge Alfaro was being called up after the team traded Carlos Ruiz, but it turned out to be only one game that he didn’t even appear in. Being the only other catcher on the Phillies’ 40-man roster, he was only called up to be the back up catcher until recently acquired A.J. Ellis arrived. Nonetheless, Alfaro has had an excellent first full season as a member of the Phillies. He is currently ranked as the fourth best prospect in the Phillies organization, the 62nd best prospect in all of baseball, and the second best catching prospect in all of baseball. Alfaro has spent the entire season with Double-A Reading and has a lot of success both offensively and defensively. Alfaro is currently hitting .292/.331/.468 with 15 home runs and 67 RBIs in 94 games. His power is undeniable as scouts have raved about the hard contact he consistently makes and the booming sound that comes off the bat when he gets a hold of one. Alfaro’s arm behind the plate is also something that can’t be denied either. Alfaro has thrown out 33 of 75 runners trying to steal off him this season, which is about 44%. Alfaro is almost a lock to come up once his season in Reading ends, so Phillies fans will get their first look at the potential backstop for this team for many years to come in the coming weeks.
OF Dylan Cozens
The emergence of Dylan Cozens as a legitimate prospect in the Phillies organization this season has only added to the depth the Phillies have in the minor league as far as good, young outfielders go. Cozens recently tied Darin Ruf’s record for home runs in a season by a Reading player with 38. Cozens’ power is undeniable, as he and Rhys Hoskins, who I’ll talk about later, have been an incredible power duo in the middle of that Reading lineup. Cozens also has shown a lot of athleticism this year, as he swiped 21 bags this year and shown that he can track down plenty of balls in the outfield. The only alarming stat about Cozens’ game is his strikeout rate. Cozens has struck out 174 times in 500 ABs this season, which is really something he’s going to need to limit if he wants to become an everyday outfielder at the big league level. However, Cozens’ impressive season can’t be overlooked, and it hasn’t been by anyone, as he jumped from being the 22nd ranked Phillies prospect at the beginning of the year, to now being ranked as the seventh best prospect in the organization.
1B Rhys Hoskins
Rhys Hoskins hasn’t received the same amount of hype that Cozens has this season, but his numbers are just as similar, and up until his recent struggles, he was actually having the better season. But, Hoskins is in a bit of a slump lately and his average has slipped to .275 on the year. Hoskins has displayed the ability to get on base when he isn’t hitting home runs, as he has an impressive .370 on-base percentage through 131 games this season. His strikeout rate isn’t as bad as Cozens’, but it’s still something he is going to need to work on. He has struck out 125 times this season, but his other offensive numbers can’t be overlooked. Hoskins is one homer behind Cozens with 37 on the year, and if he continues to develop his plate discipline and his defense, he could surpass Tommy Joseph as the Phils’ future at first base.
2B Scott Kingery
Scott Kingery is easily one of my favorite prospects the Phillies have coming up. Kingery was drafted in the second round out of Arizona last season, and he’s done nothing but produce in his time as a professional. Kingery started the year with Single-A Clearwater and was called up to Double-A about two months ago. Currently ranked as the 14th best prospect in the Phillies organization and the fifth best second base prospect in all of baseball, Kingery has made a smooth transition to Double-A, as he is hitting .286/.342/.395 with 35 doubles, five triples, and five home runs in just 33 games with Reading. He has cemented himself as the two hitter is Reading’s lineup, and his combination of speed and contact have made him a really intriguing prospect. His defense has also stood out as he was named the Phillies’ minor league defensive player of the month, for the month of April. It was announced today that Kingery will be headed to the Arizona Fall League to represent the Phillies. Kingery has all the necessary tools to be a solid everyday second baseman for the Phillies for many years to come, and the thought of seeing him and Crawford turning double plays together at Citizens Bank Park is reason for all Phillies fans to get excited.
SP Nick Pivetta
In case you forgot, Nick Pivetta was the player the Phillies acquired when they traded Jonathan Papelbon to the Nationals before last year’s trade deadline. Pivetta was assigned to Double-A Reading right away, and he stayed there for the rest of last season and began the year there this year. However, Pivetta was recently promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and he has continued to improve. Pivetta struggled as a member of the organization last year, but has really turned it around in his first full season in the organization. He is currently ranked as the 18th best prospect in the organization, and he has all the necessary attributes to succeed. Standing at 6’5″, Pivetta is a physical presence on the mound. He has the ability to touch the mid-90s consistently, and he has the stuff to rack up a lot of strikeouts. Pivetta is 0-2 is his first four Triple-A starts, but he has 3.20 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 19 and 2/3 innings. With Papelbon recently being released by the Nationals and Pivetta emerging as a potential back end rotation option for the Phillies in the future, it’s safe to say the Phillies won that trade.
Photo via Flickr.com
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