2018 Phillies Top 50 – Outfielder Supplement

The tour of the system continues with outfielder, a position that the Phillies are very strong at in the majors, but doesn’t actually have a ton of depth in the minors. There were 9 outfielders in the Top 50, lead by teenage masher Jhailyn Ortiz and former 1st round picks Adam Haseley and Mickey Moniak. Once we get outside of the Top 50 there are a bunch of flawed hitters that might be bench bats or org depth, including some no power center fielders and some ex top prospects trying to find a way to get their careers back on track.

Top 50: 1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | 31-40 | 41-50

Top 50 Supplements: LHP | IF  | OF

Top 50:

#6 Jhailyn Ortiz
#8 Adam Haseley
#10 Mickey Moniak
#13 Roman Quinn
#19 Cornelius Randolph
#23 Simon Muzziotti
#35 Dylan Cozens
#40 Andrew Pullin
#43 Ben Pelletier

Outfielders:

Keudy Bocio, Age 19, 5’10” 161lbs, International FA July 2015
Bocio was a second baseman when he signed, but he does not fit there with all of the Phillies middle infielders, so he started the GCL season at third. After Muzziotti’s injury, Bocio moved to center, and the position made sense for him. He is a plus or better runner who draws a lot of walks while rarely striking out, but he has no power. It makes sense for Bocio to still get some infield reps going forward because his future is likely as a bench player, but his path to regular time is probably in centerfield.

Zach Coppola, Age 23, 5’10” 160lbs, 13th rd 2015 Draft
It is easy to see former Phillies outfielder Ben Revere in Coppola’s game. He has no power and good speed (but less than Revere did). Coppola has a good approach and feel for contact, but it is not elite, and he struggled when pitchers pounded the strike zone. Coppola has a plus arm, so he can play all three outfield positions in a bench role.

Mark Laird, Age 25, 6’2″ 180lbs, 9th rd 2015 Draft
The Phillies took Laird in the same draft as Coppola. Laird has poor power (though not nothing), above average speed, and a good glove in center field. Laird has a poor arm, and at only 25 with no AA time, he will need to really hit in 2018 to have any MLB future.

Malvin Matos, Age 21, 6’3″ 170lbs, International FA 
The Phillies have not had the same luck with Latin American outfielders that they have had in other areas, and Matos is the latest in a line of toolsy outfielders. Matos has solid tools and can play all three outfield positions. He struggled against same side pitching and mashed lefties. He will need to show that he can hit righties to get past Lakewood.

Austin Listi, Age 24, 6’0″ 218lbs, 17th rd 2017 Draft
Listi is old for a college senior, having missed the 2015 season to try and become a SEAL. Listi mashed as a senior and carried that over to pro ball. He swings hard and has plenty of swing and miss in his game, but he crushes mistakes. Listi likely moves to first base long term, and he will need to show a better approach in pro ball to not just be an org player.

Josh Stephen, Age 20, 6’0″ 185lbs, 11th rd 2016 Draft
The Phillies gave Stephens a large bonus to sign out of the 2016 draft. Like the other high schoolers in the Phillies 2016 draft, Stephen struggled with his approach this year. He is also a left fielder only, and with marginal power, he will need to hit and walk at a high rate to have value.

Jan Hernandez, Age 23, 6’1″ 195lbs, 3rd rd 2013 Draft
Over the summer, the Phillies moved Hernandez from third to right field to give him a new look and increase his defensive flexibility. He took to the position quickly, with his strong arm proving a weapon. Hernandez has plus raw power, but large swing and miss and approach problems. He did mash lefties but was terrible against righties. Hernandez hit well in winter ball, so there might still be some hope as a bench player.

Jiandido Tromp, Age 24, 5’11” 175lbs, International FA August 2011
Tromp had a breakout 2016 season, and he built on that in 2017 in Reading. Tromp doesn’t walk much, but his strikeout rates are not unreasonable. He has solid power, decent speed, and can theoretically play all three outfield positions. Tromp mashed lefties all year and didn’t show big home/road splits around Reading. He is probably a AAAA outfielder, but he might work his way into a major league bench role with a good 2018 in AAA.

Jose Pujols, Age 22, 6’3″ 175lbs, Internatioanl FA July 2012
After setting the Lakewood record for home runs last year, Jose Pujols fell flat in Clearwater. His approach issues got worse, and he wasn’t able to tap into his raw power at all. Pujols’ continued lack of progress and the Phillies’ depth makes his spot in the organization tenuous.

Cord Sandberg, Age 23, 6’3″ 215lbs, 3rd rd 2013 Draft
Sandberg started the 2017 season with a demotion to Lakewood, but with some ok performances at both A-ball levels, Sandberg ended the year in Reading. Sandberg finally started tapping into his power, but his approach continues to be poor. He did hit righties pretty well with a .297/.330/.481 line across three levels. He likely returns to Reading to build on some of the little successes of his 2017 season.

David Martinelli, Age 23, 6’2″ 209lbs, 6th rd 2016 Draft
Martinelli fell in the 2016 draft due to concerns about his performance with a wood bat, and so far those concerns look very real. Martinelli was even worse in the second half of the 2017 season, with a high strikeout rate and little power. The 2018 season might already be too late for last chances.

Carlos De La Cruz, Age 18, 6’8″ 210lbs, UDFA August 2017
Signing undrafted high schoolers is always a rare occurrence. Signing 6’8” hitters out of New York City, even rarer. Cruz has a lot of room to fill out, but it is easy to see the power potential. Right now his swing is a bit long and stiff, and he has yet to play in a pro game to see the state of his plate discipline.