Prospects to Keep an Eye on in the Phillies’ System
With the Phillies in first place and all of the focus on new Phillies Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura, and holdovers like Rhys Hoskins and Aaron Nola, it’s easy to forget that the Phillies have a handful of prospects in the minors who could easily be Major League contributors in the near future.
Mickey Moniak was the number one overall pick in the 2016 draft, and he’s been a pretty big disappointment so far. Hitting .250 on the year for Double-A Reading, the Phillies’ ninth-ranked prospect needs to start to show why he was worthy of that selection. But this could be the year where he starts to put it together. Going into this week, he was second on the team in RBI with 20 and has contributed with three home runs and 17 runs scored.
Even better, he’s hit .308 over his last 10 games. He plays a decent center field and could use that to his advantage over the course of 2019. It’s not unforeseeable that the Phillies look to move away from Odubel Herrera at some point in the next year or so, and Moniak could find his way in there. So what does he need to do to make it happen? If he gets his bat going and finishes the season in Triple-A, we may see Moniak in 2020.
That is if fellow Fightin’ Phil Adam Haseley doesn’t beat him there. His 2019 campaign for Reading, however, has been so-so, as he’s hitting only .254 with six home runs, 15 RBI, and 24 runs scored.
The good thing about Haseley is that his overall minor league numbers are much better than that. And at 23 years of age, there’s still time for him to develop and improve his swing. He’s the Phillies number three prospect, and like Moniak, he can play anywhere in the outfield but is a CF by trade. It’s bad news for Odubel that two of the prospects that fans know about and who were drafted high by the Phillies can knock him out of his role. Haseley should be in Lehigh Valley before the season is up.
But the number one prospect in the Phillies farm system is 2018 first round draft pick – third overall – Alec Bohm. Bohm is only in High A Clearwater, but he’s a player to get excited about.
When he was drafted, the Phillies considered him one of the best hitters in his class. And he has not disappointed. He’s hitting .338 in the minors this year, split between Lakewood and Clearwater. Throw in six home runs and 26 RBI, and he has the makings of a true star in Philadelphia.
Bohm is average at third base at the moment, but as he works on his defense, it could cause the Phillies to look his way sooner rather than later. Maikel Franco can’t become a free agent until 2022, but he’s been rather frustrating for the Phillies after starting out the season quite hot. He’s a player who has never fulfilled his potential but is given a shot year after year. As Bohm continues on his meteoric rise through the minor leagues – one would expect him to be in Reading by the end of the year at this rate – the pressure will be on for Franco to make his presence known in the big leagues.
Here’s the caveat with everyone but Bohm; they could be traded by the July 31st trade deadline. Bohm has too much potential and has been too good to include in a trade. You don’t trade your number one prospect for a potential rental, especially with a valuable position like third base. But Moniak and Haseley? That’s a different story.
One of the outfielders could be included in a package with say, Cesar Hernandez and another piece or two, to acquire a starting pitcher, maybe Madison Bumgarner or Trevor Bauer.
Whatever happens, these three have the potential to shape the future of the Phillies for years to come.
Photo: via Twitter (@MiLB)
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Categorized:Phillies