Top Prospects
Aidan Miller – Miller was the Phillies first round pick in the 2023 draft. His swing is a little unconventional, but he has made contact thanks to a good approach and eye at the plate, and great bat speed. That bat speed leads to at least plus raw power. He is a bit stretched at shortstop, but the Phillies will continue to give him work there, alongside third base which should be his long term position. He has the potential to be a middle of the order hitter and with a good season could be one of the better prospects in baseball.
Devin Saltiban – Saltiban has gotten a lot of buzz since the Phillies drafted him in the third round of 2023. He was a high school outfielder from Hawaii, who the Phillies have now moved to the infield. He has not faced as much high level competition as the other high school bats on the Threshers roster, but he has succeeded when he has had that opportunity. He shows good power for his age and size along with good contact abilities.
TJayy Walton – Walton has some of the same problems as other hitters in the Phillies system in that he did not elevate the ball enough. The Phillies 4th round pick in 2023, however is big and strong and hits the ball as hard as almost anyone in the system. He is athletic enough to play an outfield corner, and if he starts hitting a few more fly balls he could be an impact bat.
George Klassen – Klassen, the Phillies 6th round pick in 2023, can get his fastball over 100 (was sitting high 90s this spring), but walked 47 batters in 56.2 innings in college last year. The reports are very positive about him this spring, just like they were for Alex McFarlane last year. He is going to need to throw strikes and stay healthy (he already has Tommy John in his past), but he might be the most electric arm in the system. Pitchers like him are most often relievers, but the Phillies will likely delay that decision and see if he can start for now.
Under the Radar
Nikau Pouaka-Grego – Pouaka-Grego missed all of 2023 after a knee injury the previous offseason. He is only 19 and hit .301/.424/.466 with 16 walks and 16 strikeouts as a 17 year old in the FCL in 2022. He is no the most physical player, but prior to the injury he had surprising power and a great feel for squaring up the ball. He will play second and third base.
Avery Owusu-Asiedu – Owusu-Asiedu is a three year college player who won’t turn 21 until this June. He is big and projectable, with plus to plus plus speed, a good center field glove and plenty of physical projection. He fell to the 9th round last year because he played at a smaller school and has some swing and miss to his game. He is a real lottery ticket and could break out in a big way if the tools come together.
Luis Caicuto – Caicuto signed with the Diamondbacks back in July of 2019, but the pandemic and injuries meant that in his first 5 years in baseball he played in 46 games total. The Diamondbacks opted to not protect him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, and so he is now a Phillies prospect. He just turned 21, so he is younger than the college contingent on the Threshers. In his age 19 season in the ACL he hit .352/.433/.451 in 30 games. He is sort of a mystery box, but there may be something here.
Offensive Expectations
I highlighted 6 hitters above and there are still two more hitters in my Top 30 Phillies prospects that I didn’t mention. Corner outfielder Raylin Heredia expanded the zone a bit much in Clearwater, but still managed a .708 OPS between the regular and postseason after hitting .326/.415/.532 in the FCL. He has a easy swing, plus raw power, and feel for contact. Catcher Kehden Hettiger got the 4th highest bonus in the class as an 11th round pick and is a big switch hitting catcher with some contact questions, but good raw power and approach. He still has some work to do behind the plate and young catchers can struggle with the grind, but he has good offensive tools. First base will be occupied by Dakota Kotowski an old for the level slugger who laid waste to the FCL last year, and Keaton Anthony who has a good pro debut after hitting .389/.505/.701 at Iowa as a junior. Big corner outfielder, Jordan Viars is back for his third go at Clearwater, but is still only 20 years old. The bench will include Bryson Ware, Pierce Bennett, and Trent Farquhar who had mixed pro debuts but were big time college performers in power conferences and catcher Lou Albrecht.
Last year’s offense made a ton of contact, stole bases, and was complete chaos of never giving up. This year’s team has a lot more offensive firepower with most of the lineup on a given night being capable of putting a charge into one out of the ballpark. The expected starting lineup is also going to be fairly young, so there is a chance there are some cold streaks, but the veterans should help give the lineup a high floor.
Pitching Expectations
Part of the problem with projecting out how the pitching will go for the Threshers is just the lack of information. Many pitchers in the 2023 draft class appeared in few or little games. The rotation will include Klassen, but also Mavis Graves a big high school lefty from the 2022 draft class who has struggle with control, but has a 4 pitch mix with two breaking balls and can really spin it, Micah Ottenbreit a high schooler from the 2021 class who essentially missed two seasons to Tommy John surgery and recovery, Jose Pena also from the 2021 draft class who has struggled with consistency and command, Jake Eddington a 7th round pick in 2023 with a good arm, and then a mix of Luke Russo and Casey Steward a pair of day 3 college arms from the 2023 class.
The bullpen is going to be mostly a collection of college arms from the last two draft classes and while some have received positive outlook, it can always be a wait and see for who will pop. Returning arms include Jaydenn Estanista who has an electric fastball with big ride, and a new cutter, but has struggled with command in the past. Saul Teran returns as well after having three great appearances and one poor.
Overall the pitching has a chance to be good, but there just is not a lot to hang a hat on now. The 2023 Threshers were in a similar boat and they threw a first month no hitter and were dominant all year. Given how the Phillies draft and develop you can certainly expect large guys throwing hard.
Injuries
The Threshers will be missing a couple of potential arms to Tommy John surgery in Marty Gair and Giussepe Velasquez, but otherwise head into the spring with most of the expected group of players (Jared Thomas might be banged up and join eventually). The only injury addition they are likely to get is Wen Hui Pan’s rehab as he will be eligible to pitch for the Threshers on rehab before he is eligible to return for the BlueClaws.
Looking Ahead and Overall Thoughts
Much like the 2023 Threshers, the 2024 Threshers has almost all of the previous year’s draft class. Of the 26 draftees and NDFAs, 22 are on the active roster with Gair on the IL, Thomas and A.J. Shaver across the complex, and Zach Arnold with the BlueClaws. They won’t stay together all year, and the college guys may move up first followed by the top high schoolers in late summer, but they will get a chance at the start of the season to build comradery and a winning culture. They have a real chance to be good too, especially if the young hitters pop.
The second half of the season could be really interesting with the shift in the FCL season. The Phillies have been aggressive with their young players and two of their best hitters lurk in the complex in Starlyn Caba and Eduardo Tait. There are other hitters and pitchers that could help as well, but an already young Threshers team could get even younger if they promote up some of the current top prospects and backfill with the teenagers after the FCL season.