2019 Top 50 Phillies Prospects: 31-40

Not every prospect that will set foot on a major league field will be an impact player. The drafts under Johnny Almaraz have done a very good job of finding players who look like major league contributors regardless of the round they were drafted in. Pitchers like Kyle Dohy and Zach Warren may have been late round picks, but they had enough upside that, when handed to the Phillies developmental staff, they were able to get players that profile as MLB contributors. On day 2 of the draft, the Phillies seem to be getting better at finding players with solid foundational skills to at very least fit on a bench or back of a rotation. It isn’t all about safety, as the Phillies have been mixing in high upside high school players like Kyle Young in the 22nd round of the 2016 draft, or giving day 2 picks Dominic Pipkin and Logan Simmons early round bonuses in the 2018 draft. It may not all work out, but the Phillies are finally leveraging the draft into building future major league caliber depth. Those players don’t hold a spot of prominence on the list, but they still make the list as valuable pieces of the Phillies organization.

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

All ages are for major league opening day.

31. Kyle Dohy – LHP

DOB: 9/17/1996 (22)
H/W: 6’2″ 180lbs
B/T: L/L
Acquired: 16th Round pick in the 2017 Draft by the Phillies
2018 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
Lakewood (A-)	24	0	3-3	33.2	0.80	4.3	0.3	12.9%	47.7%
Clearwater (A+)	7	0	2-1	11.0	1.64	4.1	0.8	7.5%	45.0%
Reading (AA)	18	0	2-5	22.2	5.56	5.2	1.2	21.8%	29.7%

Role: High Leverage Reliever
Risk: High – Dohy has major league level stuff, but upper level hitters did not chase his pitches as much as they did in A-ball. He is going to need to make some large control strides in order to be a major league arm.
Summary: The Phillies took Dohy as a pure arm strength guy in the 2017 draft. In 2017 he walked 20 in 20 innings, with only 22 strikeouts. Over the winter, he worked with Caleb Cotham on his delivery and his slider. Until he reached AA, he was around the strike zone enough to cause hitters to chase everything. His fastball is in the low 90s, but he can touch into the mid 90s. His slider is a plus pitch that is extremely hard on left handed batters. He will show a decent changeup as well. When Dohy dominated Lakewood they moved him quickly, and he arrived in Clearwater on June 22 and was in Reading by July 14. At his best, Dohy looks like a dominant 7th/8th inning reliever that should handle righties and lefties. He is going to need to improve his control, because major league hitters are not going to flail at his breaking ball out of the zone like A-ballers did, but the raw pitches are good enough to get good hitters out. Once he fixes the control he could get to the majors quickly.
2019 Outlook: Dohy will open the year in Reading. If he puts it all together he could arrive in Philadelphia by late spring, early summer, but there is also a chance getting the control in line will take time.
ETA: 2019
Previous Rank: UR

32. Logan Simmons – SS

DOB: 4/11/2000 (18)
H/W: 6’2″ 180lbs
B/T: R/R
Acquired: 6th Round pick in the 2018 Draft by the Phillies
2018 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	PA	HR	SB	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG
GCL East (Rk)	32	113	3	2	8.0%	26.5%	.232	.345	.400

Role: Average Regular
Risk: Extreme – Simmons has all kinds of major league tools and a chance to stay at shortstop. However, the biggest question mark is his hit tool, and his approach and feel for contact are very raw at this point in his career.
Summary: The Phillies were missing their 2nd and 3rd round picks from signing Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana, and they looked to replace that upside with overslot bonus to Simmons and Dominic Pipkin. Simmons is not a super athletic shortstop, but he has loud tools, starting with his power and arm. Right now he is a shortstop, but he is only an average runner so any loss of speed as he ages and bulks up will likely force him to third base. While Simmons has big raw power, there have been a lot of questions about his hit tool. He didn’t hit against showcase arms over the summer before his senior year, and in his start to pro-ball he went 3-27 with 1 walk and 10 strikeouts. After that he hit .279/.395/.500 with 8 walks to 20 strikeouts in 81 PAs. If he can hit enough to get to his power, Simmons could be a power hitting, good glove third baseman. If he can stick at shortstop, his upside is immense. It might take a while for the pieces to come together for Simmons, but the payoff could be worth it.
2019 Outlook: Simmons will open the year in the complex, and if he has a good spring he should go north to Williamsport. However, given how raw he is at the plate, he might have a repeat year in the GCL.
ETA: 2023
Previous Rank: N/A

33. Zach Warren – LHP

DOB: 6/9/1996 (22)
H/W: 6’5″ 200lbs
B/T: L/L
Acquired: 14th Round pick in the 2017 Draft by the Phillies
2018 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
Lakewood (A-)	39	0	3-2	56.2	1.91	5.2	0.3	12.4%	44.4%

Role: High Leverage Reliever
Risk: High – Warren was lights out down the stretch and probably has near major league ready stuff. However, he has not pitched above Lakewood, and there is a lot of room for regression and pitfalls.
Summary: Warren was coming off a down college tenure when the Phillies took him the 14th round of the 2017 draft. He had struggled with his control and overall effectiveness, moving from starting pitcher to the bullpen during a disastrous junior season. He was solid in his pro-debut, putting up good, but not mind blowing numbers for the Williamsport Crosscutters. It was a lot of the same to open the low-A season. He posted a 2.97 ERA in 30.1 innings from April to June, walking 16 and striking out 44 until he became the closer in late June. From June 23 (his first save) until his last playoff appearance he went: 28.1 IP 0.63 ERA (2 ER) 13 BB 61 K. The stretch would give him exactly 100 regular season strikeouts on the season and 3rd highest K% in the minors (minimum 50 IP). Warren’s success came from rediscovering his fastball and a plus curveball that devastated hitters. Warren’s fastball sat 91-95 and his power curveball ranged from 78 to 85. Warren gets good break on the curveball, and the angle makes it very tough on lefties (he has also shown the ability to break it on the feet of righties). His control still needs a bit more work as he will likely struggle, like Kyle Dohy did, when upper minors hitters chase a bit less. If he can really work the curveball into righties and at least pitch to parts of the zone,  Warren has the making of a 7th/8th inning lefty who can devastate lefties and hold his own vs righties. As former starter, he has also shown the ability to get 4 to 6 outs when needed. He ended the year 2 levels behind Dohy, but they are not too developmentally off from each other.
2019 Outlook: Now that he has ironed out his problems, Warren should be fast moving through the system. He could easily open the year in Clearwater and end the season in Lehigh Valley.
ETA: 2020
Previous Rank: UR

34. Matt Vierling – OF

DOB: 9/6/1996 (22)
H/W: 6’3″ 205lbs
B/T: R/R
Acquired: 5th Round pick in the 2018 Draft by the Phillies
2018 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	PA	HR	SB	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG
Williamsport (SS)	12	53	1	2	5.7%	3.8%	.420	.453	.580
Lakewood (A-)	50	204	6	5	4.9%	18.6%	.293	.342	.473

Role: Second Division Regular
Risk: High – Vierling has strong tweener risk where his glove ends up not good enough for center field and his bat is light for a corner. In the world of 4 man benches, the ability to play center is key for a bench outfielder, making a 4th outfield role a risk if his bat doesn’t come through.
Summary: It is a bit surprising in retrospect that Vierling did not make Baseball America’s top 500 draft prospects. He hit very well at a big conference school (Notre Dame), and he will show 5 tools and a possibility of staying up the middle defensively. The big glaring weakness on his resume was a poor track record with wood bats, especially a .182/.245/.273 line in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2017. After signing, Vierling blitzed through Williamsport, and then had a poor July in Lakewood, with 2 walks to 21 strikeouts in 24 games. He was absolutely on fire down the stretch, hitting .323/.393/.570 in the last 26 regular season games, with a more reasonable 8 walks to 17 strikeouts. Vierling can player center field right now, but he is probably destined for an outfield corner. He was a pitcher in college, but will just hit in the pros, and his arm does translate as plus in the outfield. He has solid raw power and showed the ability to actualize it during his August hot streak. The big question is his hit tool. He showed in college that he could hit and keep his walks and strikeouts in a good place, a feat that he repeated at the end of the South Atlantic League season. However, his July coupled with his past wood bat experiences lend a lot of hesitancy to saying his problems are fixed. He will need to show the hit tool against upper level pitchers before there is a lot of confidence in it going forward. He will need to have the hit tool to succeed, because moving to an outfield corner puts a lot of pressure on his bat to provide the impact in his profile. If he can show that he can hit, he will rise quickly up lists during the season.
2019 Outlook: Given that he aced his 50 games in Lakewood, Vierling should open the year in Clearwater with Reading a possibility by midseason with a good start.
ETA: 2021
Previous Rank: N/A

35. Nick Maton – SS

DOB: 2/18/1997 (22)
H/W: 6’2″ 165lbs
B/T: L/R
Acquired: 7th Round pick in the 2017 Draft by the Phillies
2018 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	PA	HR	SB	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG
Lakewood (A-)	114	466	8	5	9.2%	22.1%	.256	.330	.404

Role: Second Division Regular/Utility Infielder
Risk: High – Maton might not have enough glove to play shortstop and might not have enough bat for second or third. However, he fields and hits well enough to carve out a bench role if he keeps on his current pace.
Summary: The Phillies took Maton in the 7th round out of a junior college. After a solid, but unspectacular opening year, Maton went to Lakewood as the everyday shortstop. Maton tailed off a bit towards the end of the year (he was hitting .278/.340/.442 after July, before hitting .180 the rest of the way), but he showed a solid across the board skill set for the BlueClaws. At the plate, Maton has a solid hit tool and below average power. He has a good, but not amazing approach and he has some speed, but isn’t a burner. For right now, he can handle shortstop, but he is not a lock to stay there. A move to second base would help his glove profile better, but his bat is unlikely to be an asset there. Long term, Maton profiles as a bench infielder, and he probably could play third base and outfield with reps. If he can unlock a bit more power, he might be able to hold down an infield position on a poor team or team loaded with bats elsewhere.
2019 Outlook: Maton should be in the infield for the Clearwater Threshers. Depending on assignments, he could be splitting time with Daniel Brito and Arquimedes Gamboa, playing more of a primary role if the Phillies push Gamboa. Maton is experienced enough he could move to Reading by midseason, but he is also young enough that he could go a level per year and be fine developmentally.
ETA: 2021
Previous Rank: HM

36. Edgar Garcia – RHP

DOB: 10/4/1996 (22)
H/W: 6’1″ 180lbs
B/T: R/R
Acquired: 2014 International Free Agent Signing by the Phillies
2018 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
Reading (AA)	47	0	7-2	59.2	3.32	6.8	0.9	10.0%	27.2%
Lehigh Valley (AAA)	5	0	0-1	4.2	7.71	7.7	3.9	10.0%	20.0%

Role: Solid Reliever
Risk: Medium – Garcia put up good numbers in AA at a young age, but he lacks the impact fastball to be a no doubt high leverage reliever.
Summary: The Phillies aggressively moved Edgar Garcia to the bullpen and to full season ball in 2016. That meant he spent all of 2018 at age 21 in AA, before being added to the 40 man roster. Garcia has been a bit inconsistent appearance to appearance; his fastball ranges from 89 to 96, tending to be at one end of the range or the other. His slider is a plus pitch and given current reliever trends, he could end up relying on the pitch more than his fastball at the MLB level, much like Victor Arano has the past two years. He does have a changeup, but rarely uses it. Garcia has not been dominant at any level, but he also has been young for each level. Garcia does need to sharpen up his command and consistency to be an impactful reliever at the major league level, as he has outings where he ends up walking a few batters. Without a dominant fastball or a plus plus secondary pitch, Garcia profiles more as a 7th/8th inning arm who may be deployed more as a right handed specialist than a generalist.
2019 Outlook: Garcia ended the year in AAA, and should open 2019 with the IronPigs. He was added to the 40 man roster in the offseason, so he is simply a phone call and a car ride from the majors if needed.
ETA: 2019
Previous Rank: 37

37. Cole Irvin – LHP

DOB: 1/31/1994 (25)
H/W: 6’4″ 180lbs
B/T: L/L
Acquired: 5th Round pick in the 2016 Draft by the Phillies
2018 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
Lehigh Valley (AAA)	26	25	14-4	161.1	2.57	7.5	0.2	5.5	20.5

Role: #5 Starter
Risk: Low – Irvin was very good in 161.1 innings in AAA during the 2019 season and is essentially major league ready. Given his lack of a plus pitch and declining fastball velocity, it will take him being near perfect with his control and pitch mix to stick in a major league rotation.
Summary: Cole Irvin was supposed to be a fast moving, innings eating, backend starter when the Phillies took him in the 5th round of the 2016 draft. He looked like a bit more than that in his first two years in the Phillies system, with his fastball topping out at 95 and sitting in the low 90s. Irvin had a good statistical year in AAA in 2018, but his fastball was more 88-92, topping out at 93, during the season. The loss of velocity puts a damper on a profile that relies more on a mix of pitches and velocity than overpowering batters with a plus pitcher or two. Irvin does mix his pitches better than most. He has a fastball, changeup, slider, and curveball, none of which profile better than above average. He can throw them all for strikes and move them around the zone. He can manipulate the shape and velocity on his fastball as well. The worry is that he will be 25 on opening day and had Tommy John in college, and having already lost velocity before last year, there is not really much more he can lose and maintain effectiveness. Irvin will get a major league chance at some point soon, but he will need to be a constantly adapting pitcher who is going to probably have to prove it each night with little margin for error.
2019 Outlook: Irvin will return to Lehigh Valley where he is buried on the depth chart for now. He could make the majors late in the season if the Phillies have a string of injuries.
ETA: 2019
Previous Rank: 26

38. Kyle Young – LHP

DOB: 12/2/1997 (21)
H/W: 7’0″ 225lbs
B/T: L/L
Acquired: 22nd Round Pick in the 2016 Draft by the Phillies
2018 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
GCL West (Rk)	3	3	0-0	4.0	2.25	4.5	0.0	12.5%	25.0%
Williamsport (SS)	1	1	0-0	3.0	0.00	0	0.0	0.0%	18.2%
Lakewood (A-)	9	9	3-3	52.1	3.10	7.9	0.3	3.5%	21.7%

Role: #4 SP
Risk: High – Young has many of the foundational pieces to be a good starter, with good control, a repeatable delivery, and great extension. However, he still has a lot of growth ahead to get any of his pitches to above average.
Summary: For his first two years in the Phillies system, Kyle Young had been a pleasant surprise. The 22nd round pick showed surprising athleticism and body control for his size and, given his size, a huge hint at future possibilities. His 2018 season, however, was marred with injuries and stagnation. Young still shows impressive control for his size, and his fastball gets on the hitter quickly due to the great extension on his pitches. The problem is that his velocity has not increased, and is still sitting 87-91. Additionally, his secondary pitches are still very much a work in progress with his breaking ball still more of a loopy slider. He has sky high potential because there is plenty of room on his frame to add muscle and velocity, but he does need to start showing pitches to get outs vs good hitters. Right now, he still reasonably projects as a back end starter, where he is able to use his pitch mix and deception to keep hitters off balance. Without pitch growth, he does have a fall back as a LOOGY, as his pitches are difficult for lefty batters to pick up.
2019 Outlook: Young is on the border between Lakewood and Clearwater to open the 2019 season. Given his missed time, a return to Lakewood would not be a setback, but if he does return there, a midseason promotion to Clearwater is likely. The big thing for Young will be whether he can start to show improvement in his individual pitches.
ETA: 2021
Previous Rank: 25

39. Dominic Pipkin – RHP

DOB: 11/5/1999 (19)
H/W: 6’4″ 160lbs
B/T: R/R
Acquired: 9th Round pick in the 2018 Draft by the Phillies
2018 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
GCL East (Rk)	10	8	1-2	29.2	3.64	8.2	0.9	6.9	15.5

Role: #3 SP
Risk: Extreme – Pipkin is ultra projectable, but he is also a huge risk. He has under 30 innings in pro-ball and his stuff was just pedestrian, but he has a good frame and is athletic enough that he could be throwing in the mid 90s in his prime.
Summary: Heading into the spring, Pipkin was viewed as a top two round talent. In showcases the previous summer, he showed a fastball up to 96 and an above average to plus slider. A poor start to his spring caused him to fall all the way to the 9th round, where the Phillies gave him $800,000 (roughly the value of the 75th overall pick). In the GCL he was 91-94 with mixed reviews on the secondary pitches. He was able to throw strikes in pro-ball, something he struggled with all spring, but he also didn’t miss many bats. Pipkin’s future is all about potential. His frame has plenty of places to put on good weight, and he should add velocity as he matures. He is athletic, but his delivery has been a bit all over the place. The Phillies’ success over the years with fixing and maximizing deliveries lends a lot of hope to his development there. The big difference maker for his future will be whether he can get his offspeed pitches to be weapons. There is a plus slider somewhere in his arm that he will need to rediscover, and he has shown changeup feel in the past. The Phillies haven’t had a high school arm like Pipkin since Kevin Gowdy in 2016, and with Gowdy’s injury, the two California products will be tests of whether the Phillies development staff can convert upside into actualized talent like they have with lower profile pitchers.
2019 Outlook: Pipkin will open the season in Extended Spring Training. A good spring could see him go north to Williamsport. If not, he should get plenty of innings in one of the Phillies two GCL rotations.
ETA: 2023
Previous Rank: N/A

40. Colton Eastman – RHP

DOB: 8/22/1996 (22)
H/W: 6’3″ 185lbs
B/T: R/R
Acquired: 4th Round pick in the 2018 Draft by the Phillies
2018 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
Williamsport (SS)	8	8	0-2	18.0	3.00	9.0	0.5	9.2	30.3

Role: #4 Starter
Risk: High – It is a thin line between major league starter and AAA fodder for right handers with below average fastballs. Eastman has good enough secondary pitches that he could make it work, but he is going to need hold on to the stuff he has and continue to show above average command.
Summary: The Phillies like Cal State Fullerton right handed pitchers, taking Eastman after previously drafting Connor Seabold and trading for Thomas Eshelman. Eastman has less command than Eshelman and less fastball than Seabold, but he has better secondary pitches than both of them. Eastman will sit 88 to 92 with his fastball and will back it up with a mid 70s curveball and mid 80s changeup that both have above average to plus potential, with the curveball being the better pitch going into pro-ball. Eastman didn’t pitch much in pro-ball after a long college season, and his numbers are skewed by a rough first outing. There is not a long track record of success for guys who throw as hard as Eastman does, especially not without a plus secondary pitch to lean on. This puts a lot of pressure on his changeup and curveball to improve, but if they can, he could be a back of the rotation starter based on his command and pitch mix. He should be a fast mover through the system and could factor into 2020 with a good 2019 season.
2019 Outlook: Given how advanced his pitchability is, Eastman likely follows the same path as Seabold and Eshelman, starting his first full season in Clearwater, before moving to Reading in the middle of the season.
ETA: 2021
Previous Rank: N/A