Top Prospects
SS Aidan Miller – Miller nearly immediately became the Phillies best hitting prospect as he took on his first full season of pro ball. Once thought to be a third baseman, he is now a shortstop who might have to switch position due to team need and not skills. At the plate he has a good approach, and good feel for contact. He has at least plus raw power, but it has played more towards above average. He doesn’t have an elite skill to make him a top top prospect right now, but he is good at everything, and if he can tap into more power, while staying at short, he could be a really good player.
RHP Moises Chace – Chace’s breakout came after he came over to the Phillies in the Gregory Soto trade. The Phillies moved him fully to the rotation and he showed some signs of using his full arsenal well. At his best, he will sit mid 90s with fastball with elite traits (plus rise and low angle) that misses a ton of bats. He has not been at his best this spring, sitting more around 90. Chace’s secondary pitches are inconsistent, but on the right day you can see an above average to plus sweeper and changeup, and a solid cutter. He still has work to do with location and some of the art of pitching, but could a mid rotation or better starter.
RHP Jean Cabrera – Cabrera took a solid step forward in 2024 to establish himself as one of the better pitching prospects in the Phillies system. His fastball will sit 93-96, with him mostly using a sinker, but mixing in a 4-seamer as well. His sweeper is an average pitch, but he got much better at putting it on the edges of the zone for strikes. Cabrera’s best pitch however, is his change which he throws in the mid to high 80s where it tunnels off his fastball and falls away. He is working on a cutter to help give him another pitch for hitters to think about. Despite is size, Cabrera has pitched a decent number of innings and profiles as a #4 starter.
RHP Eiberson Castellano – Castellano, fresh off his time in Twins camp, will need to stretch back out as a starting pitcher. He was up to 98 in relief but will likely sit 93-96 with his pair of fastballs in a starting role. Neither pitch has bat missing shape, but he can throw them for strikes and elevate out of the zone for chases. His main bat misser is a power curveball that he will at least need to land for strikes enough to keep hitters guessing. He has been working on an improving changeup that will be important for his chance to stick in a rotation.
Under the Radar
1B Keaton Anthony – All Anthony did last year was hit. He was a line drive machine at every level, and put up really solid walk and strikeout rate. What he didn’t do was hit for average, let alone plus, power. He is a first baseman (though maybe he could handle an outfield corner), so he will need to hit for power, and Reading is a good place to do so.
OF Hendry Mendez – Hendry Mendez hits the ball on the ground a lot thanks to one of the ugliest swings you will see. However, he knows what to swing at and managed an even 52 walks and strikeouts last season. He even manages to hit the ball quite hard when he makes contact. If he can ever take his ability to put the bat on the ball and do it in a way that is under control and connected, he could really break out. Defensively he will probably shift between the outfield corners and DH.
OF Leandro Pineda – Pineda is a left handed hitting corner outfielder who will show you good raw power from a good swing, and a good frame. He can slide over to first base to give flexibility and is solid against right handed pitchers. It isn’t the flashiest profile, but there is a role for it on a major league team if he can be solid in a platoon role.
Offensive Expectations
It is not the deepest and most dynamic offense Reading has ever had. Miller is young enough that he might not be a dynamo, and unless one of the other three take a jump forward there might not be a lineup anchoring bat. Trent Farquhar is a solid player who should get on base and chip in a double. Marcus Lee Sang has had AA success before, and Robert Moore and Caleb Ricketts will look to make the repeat better. Cade Fergus is a good defender, but he will swing and miss too much, and Paul McIntosh has raw power that should play. Elio Prado, who was take in the minor league Rule 5 draft, was interesting this spring and has been solid in the past. Felix Reyes is on the roster, but is currently in Florida, if he does make it up north he is a high contact bat with good raw power, and a tendency to swing a lot. There is probably some decent contact numbers out of the group, but at the end of the season there might not be anyone who hits 20 home runs.
Pitching Expectations
The top 3 of the rotation are pretty good, but it drops off a bit after that. Gabe Mosser and Braeden Fausnaught will operate more as wily veterans than prospects. Griff McGarry is going back to the rotation, but to count on anything but walks from him is going to be fraught. If Chase and Castellano don’t round into form, it could be rough.
The Bullpen is less heralded, but there are some solid arms. Daniel Harper might not be in Reading for long and could start as the closer. Andrew Bechtold and Travis Kuhn have experience and throw hard. Andrew Walling is a sneakily solid lefty who could pitch some important late innings. The rest of the pen has a mix of velocity and funk, and overall should be pretty solid between Chuck King, Jack Dallas, Gunner Mayer, and Wesley Moore.
Looking Ahead and Overall Thoughts
Just with Miller being in Reading it should be a must watch team. The three righties at the top of the rotation will make it a good time most nights. The rest of the team might be a little lacking. There might be more bullpen arms coming with Tommy McCollum, Andrew Baker, and Andrew Schultz all starting at Jersey Shore or the complex after spending much of 2024 in Reading. Casey Steward looked like a breakout this spring, and it would not be surprising if he forces himself up a level. They probably will also be a stop on the Andrew Painter rehab tour.
On the hitting side, there might be some catcher movement, but none of the Jersey Shore catchers will change the equation too much. Dylan Campbell is probably the most reasonable hitter call up midseason as he is functionally repeating high-A. If Carson DeMartini continues his breakout, he could also be an interesting call up.
It is likely at the end of the year this isn’t a postseason team, and probably closer to .500 than truly bad. The system is kind of thin and that is going to show in teams that have a couple high level players and then a real drop off.