One of the limitation of doing a top 50 is that there are only 50 spots and it creates a cut off. With the shrinking minor leagues there has been a condensing of talent and high rate of turnover. That means that most players in the system have some level of MLB upside, even if it is remote. Following just one organization also means that I have notes on a lot more than the top 50. So here are some notes not on the next 40-50 prospects, but on players I find interesting and have information on.
New Acquisitions
SS Nieves Izaguirre – The Phillies top international signing in 2025 is similar to other signings they have made recently. He has a good feel for the game, but limited power. He has less glove than Starlyn Caba and less hit tool than William Bergolla.
OF Dylan Campbell – The Phillies received Campbell from the Dodgers for international signing money. He is young for a college draftee (his first full season was at age 21). He has a pull heavy approach to get to his power, but it leads to some questions about his ability to hit higher level pitching. He has good speed and can play center, but is probably more of a corner outfielder. He has played some infield, which would be intriguing versatility. He would have slotted into the 20s if the trade had happened before the rankings.
Catchers
C Caleb Ricketts – Ricketts struggled to hit in 2024 with a .831 OPS at home in Reading and .497 OPS on the road. He has not hit for enough power as a pro to justify his shaky defense.
C Kehden Hettiger – Hettiger struggled at and behind the plate, seeing more time at first base than behind the plate. He did not hit the ball particularly hard, and he showed below average contact abilities. He offset some of this by not chasing, but also at the cost of being too passive overall.
C Jordan Dissin – For the second year in a row Dissin was a negative hitter (he does walk enough and get hit by pitches to keep his OBP up) but a good defender. He had a very good June and a great approach over the last 3 months, but he will need to find more offensive ability to be a backup catcher.
C/OF Paul McIntosh – McIntosh came over in the Jesus Luzardo trade and is already 27 having signed as a UDFA in 2021. He has good raw power, but some swing and miss. His defense behind the plate is questionable, and he has already gotten time in LF.
C Luis Caicuto – Caicuto was a minor league Rule 5 pick in 2023 and showed a good approach and feel for contact. However, he showed little to no power, with 0 XBHs in 113 PAs with Jersey Shore.
C Andrick Nava – Nava had a good start to the year with Jersey Shore, but tailed off as Reading’s backup. He is back to making line drive contact with a good approach. However, he continues to not hit for power.
Infielders
IF Erick Brito – Brito has been slowly moving up through the system, showing a solid feel for contact and little power. He is a good defender at second, and fine at short. He seems to lack the defensive ability to overcome a poor bat.
IF Robert Moore – Moore is a solid infield defender, who hit a career high 9 home runs in 2024. However, he had .785 OPS and .171 ISO at his hitter friendly home ballpark and a .581 OPS and .072 ISO on the road.
1B Carson Taylor – Taylor was a minor league Rule 5 pick that moved from catching to first base. He hit a large number of line drives, but saw a power boost when playing at home. He had large platoon splits as well and profiles as a middle of the order org guy.
1B/3B Felix Reyes – Reyes looked like he might be breaking out in 2023, but his aggressive approach undid him as the season went on. He did hit .294 in August and September, but the walk rate (3.4%) indicates the approach was still poor. He has looked better at third base, but he will need to find a lot more patience and discernment early in the season to get back on track.
IF/OF Nolan Beltran – Beltran once again showed a solid approach, and a bit more power this season. He still will make poor contact, but he is growing into his body more and providing more offensive upside. However, this has also shifted him a bit on the defensive spectrum, with him only playing 3B and LF this season (though he got time at 2B this winter).
IF Juan Villavicencio – Villavicencio received an intriguing amount of time at the top of the FCL lineup after Aroon Escobar’s injury, indicating the Phillies like him. He has some positional flexibility, but he also has struck out a decent rate at each stop and doesn’t really have starting punch in his bat.
Outfielders
1B/OF Leandro Pineda – Pineda has made incremental slow progress year over year, and his overall profile is starting to make more sense. He has good size, athleticism, and power. However, he has yet to have a really dominant season. Pineda saw some time at first base due to org needs, but he fits a future bench profile. He has struggled against left handed pitching and will probably be a platoon player.
OF Avery Owusu-Asiedu – Owusu-Asiedu looked like a potential steal in the 9th round of the 2023 draft, but he was rawer than even skeptical evaluators thought he was. He whiffed and chased at some of the worst rates in the Florida State League. There are still interesting tools, but he just might not make enough contact for that to matter.
OF Jerffson Pena – Pena put up a solid season playing primarily center field in the FCL. He still swings and misses too much to be a viable prospect.
IF/OF Matt Kroon – Kroon is back for another year after re-signing as a minor league free agent. He struggled to stay healthy, and his zone contact rate and power numbers took a dive. He is still listed as an infielder, but played exclusively in the outfield in 2024.
Starting Pitchers
LHP Juan Amarante – Amarante is a short left handed pitcher with below average velocity (88-92), but a full 5 pitch mix topped with a big looping curveball. It is easy to compare this archetype to Ranger Suarez, but that also shows how Amarante is probably a grade of velocity and multiple grades of command away from being a major league caliber starter.
RHP Danyony Pulido – Pulido made his stateside debut after three years in the DSL, starting for both the FCL Phillies and Threshers. His command and consistency is a complete mess, but he can get his fastball up to 97. He has interesting pieces, but he is probably a reliever and a project.
RHP Orlando Gonzalez – Gonzalez signed late in 2023, but did not pitch. He pitched in one game in the DSL before moving to the FCL Phillies and then Threshers. He will use a 4-seam fastball and a sinker that will sit 90-93, touching 94, with the sinker looking more interesting but being highly hittable. His changeup was his best pitch results wise. He started and relieved, and looks like a swing man.
RHP Alexis De La Cruz – It was a mess of a year for De La Cruz who was a hot name after last year in the DSL. His velocity backed up to the low 90s and his command completely fell apart. This will be his age 20 season, and he still has good size and projection, so this could just be a setback.
RHP Braydon Tucker – Tucker was a 2023 non-drafted free agent who was not great in his pro debut. In 2024 he moved from a swing man to starter with the Threshers before putting up a good run with the Blue Claws. His fastballs have relatively poor shape and sit 88-93, touching up to 94, but he succeeded by just throwing his offspeed much more. He has a sweeper and a cutter/gyro slider, and a changeup. He was able to keep opposing hitters off balance with the pitch mix and solid command. He didn’t really miss many bats, but that didn’t hamper his success. He probably needs to add a little more velocity to make the fastballs threats, but if he does he could be an interesting #6 starter/swing man type.
LHP Matt Osterberg – Osterberg is LHP with a fastball that sits 87 to 92 and a huge bag of tricks. Like 2024 rotation mate Lachlan Wells, Osterberg was dominant in the ABL this offseason. He probably isn’t a major league pitcher, but he likely could pitch somewhere else for a long time.
RHP Wilmer Blanco – Like Alexis De La Cruz, Blanco’s first year stateside was a definite step back. However, he put things a bit back together, going on a nice run of command after the first two starts of the year. He has a riding fastball in the low 90s to go with a slider, changeup, and curveball. He really struggled against lefties.
RHP Luke Russo – The Phillies took Russo in the 16th round of the 2023 draft, and he put up good underlying numbers all year (though with an unseemly ERA with the Threshers). He is another kitchen sink type pitcher who with the Threshers threw his two fastballs just 38% of the time. His slider and curveball were dominant, with very little velocity separation, but good vertical separation. He probably has poor enough fastballs to not really have much MLB ceiling without the velocity jump in a bullpen role or his changeup progressing enough to make him viable vs LHBs.
Relief Pitching
RHP Luis Avila – Avila is an older international signing that moved stateside in 2024 and was Clearwater’s closer by end of year. At times he struggled with control, but was dominant out of the Threshers’ bullpen. His fastball will sit 93-96 and can touch 98, but it struggled to miss bats due to below average movement. His slider had success and is not particularly sharp or sweepy. In a very small sample size his changeup had great results, particularly in the zone.
RHP Jake Eddington – Eddington struggled with his control and consistency all year. His fastballs lack good shape, despite a decent angle, and were hit around. He throws a cutter and a sweepier slider, along with a changeup. He probably fits best in a bullpen, but he could be in a bulk role this year.
RHP Andrew Schultz – Schultz has made incremental improvements year over year. His ERA continues to not be great, and while a 6.2 BB/9 is his lowest since his freshman year at Tennessee, it is still very high. His stuff continues to be the same, with his fastball sitting 96-98 and touching up to 100 with a low 90s cutter/slider as his primary secondary pitch.
LHP Camron Hill – The Phillies selected Hill in the 8th round of the 2024 draft, but he did not pitch in pro ball. He had a poor junior year and a disastrous return trip to the Cape Cod League after a superb 2023 trip there. He is a tall lefty who will sit low 90s with a good slider and will mix in a changeup. He is probably a reliever, but he has some starting upside.
RHP Charles King – King has a great story of going into the dev and analytics side of baseball and then back to the playing side. He missed over a month in the middle of the season, but he ended the year on a high note. He has a sinking fastball that sits 93-96 and pairs that with a good sweeping slider in the mid 80s, and he started throwing a promising looking splitter in the second half of the season.
RHP Tommy McCollum – McCollum has failed to take the next step forward the last two seasons. His walk rate was slightly better with Reading, but still too high, and his strikeout rate declined. He is still mid 90s with a plus splitter and an occasionally used slider. He has struggled to get same side hitters out.
LHP Tristan Garnett – Garnett is a tall, funky lefty that comes over the top with a low 90s fastball and a big looping changeup. He has been death on righties because of this, and is working on a breaking ball to help with lefties. He has struggled with his control as well, and his ceiling is probably up and down reliever.
RHP Ethan Chenault – The Phillies took Chenault in the 18th round of the 2023 draft, and his underlying numbers look worse than he pitched. After walking 8 with 4 strikeouts and a 12.15 ERA in April, he has a 3.25 ERA with a much better 21 walks and 57 strikeouts in 36 innings. He sits 94-97 with a 4-seam fastball and sinker, but really missed bats with a mid 80s two plane breaking ball.
RHP Jaydenn Estanista – Estanista took a much needed step forward in 2024. He found a better offspeed plan with a slider and a cutter to go with his mid 90s fastball. His control is better, but still poor, and he likely has more velocity than he has shown so far.
RHP Adilson Peralta – Peralta has been slowly moving up levels, missing more bats every year. He will sit low 80s with a slider and a changeup.
RHP Gunner Mayer – Mayer moved full time to the bullpen in 2024 and at times looked like he might break out, but his control continued to hold him back. He is 93 to 97 out of the bullpen with a cutter and occasional changeup.
LHP Wesley Moore – Moore struggled with health and results in 2024. He is still about 89 to 92 with sinker motion to go with the big changeup and occasional curveball. It remains to be seen if he can handle upper level hitters.
RHP Estibenzon Jimenez – It was a terrible year for Estibenzon Jimenez, who ended up demoted out of the rotation partially through the year. His velocity is still there, he just ended up throwing way too many hittable pitches. He had a dominant trip to the ABL this winter (2.77 ERA 4 BB 44 K in 26 innings), so maybe there is a bounceback coming.
RHP Alan Rangel – The Phillies signed Rangel after the Angels released him, and then surprisingly added him to the 40 man roster to prevent him from becoming a free agent. He gets good ride on his fastball, but poor angle, which leads to it getting hit. However, his slider, curveball, and changeup all rate out very interestingly from an analytical side. In his last three appearances for the IronPigs he went 13 innings with 6 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, and 11 strikeouts. He can handle starting and relieving.
RHP Devin Sweet – Sweet was acquired in a trade for cash from the Tigers and then added to the 40 man roster. He has a vertically oriented fastball in the low 90s that missed some bats, but that might be due to a very good changeup that has 15 inches of vertical separation from his fastball. He also has a high 80s cuttery slider.
Dominican Complex
OF Jeaden Calderon – Calderon was the best hitter for the Phillies in the DSL, putting up a .282/.429/.444 line (aided by 13 hit by pitches). He doesn’t have big tools, but he can turn on a pitch and has a decent approach.
RHP Pedro Peralta – Peralta had his second wild year in the DSL, but he only turned 18 this summer. His fastball will sit anywhere from 90 to 98, and he has some interesting offspeed pitches. He might be too much of a mess to be anything, but he is doing some uncommon things for his age.
OF Victor Cardoza – Cardoza switched DSL teams in late July and was one of the best hitters in the league after that point (.415/.448/.744). He has an aggressive approach and lacks overwhelming tools, but he can play some center field.
C Cesar Mujica – Mujica is a solid built catcher who looks solid defensively, but struggled greatly at the plate for the first two months of the year. He looked much better in August and Instructs.
RHP Naiker Velasquez – Velasquez signed in June as a 19 year old, and mostly pitched out of the bullpen after he signed. He is tall and projectable and started to see his velocity increase in Instructs, sitting 90-95 with a slider, changeup, and curveball.
SS Jose Familia – Familia got the 3rd highest bonus in the Phillies 2024 signing class, and physically you can see why, as he is lanky and projectable with the ability to occasionally get a hold of one. He should stick at shortstop as well. He played most of the year at age 16, and his numbers suffered from a clear collapse of ability to impact the ball in August (2-20 on balls in play).
LHP Raymon Rosario – Rosario has decent size with some remaining projection. He will sit 89 to 93 with a sweeping slider, a changeup, and an occasional big curveball. He is probably more of a reliever or back end starter, but he was quite competent down the stretch.
RHP Eligio Arias – Arias is a big, skinny pitcher with some issues syncing up his delivery. He struggled early in the year as a starter, but found some footing in the bullpen. His fastball is up to 96 with a hard changeup and mid 80s slider. He projects as a reliever going forward, especially since he will be 22 on opening day.
RHP Enderson Jean – Jean was an interesting arm in 2023, and put up a sterling 1.96 ERA in 2024, but with a high walk rate and a large discrepancy between RA9 and ERA. He has good arm strength, but he will either sit in the mid to high 90s (up to 98) or in the low 90s. He has an interesting slider and looked to be throwing a changeup or splitter. He is already a reliever in the DSL and will need to improve his control to have a future.
RHP Darling Reyes – Reyes is a short reliever with a big arm and control issues. He is up to 98 with a high 70s curveball, and was much better after June.
IF Adrian Garcia – Garcia signed last April and played all over the infield for the Phillies. He had two good months and one poor one. He looks like a solid baseball player when he is on the field.
LHP Zuher Yousuf – Yousuf is a shorter lefty who pitched bulk innings, but did not start. He had a couple of poor outings, but he was generally 88 to 92 with a slider, curveball, and changeup. His size is probably going to be a hindrance, and his stuff needs some growth, but he was generally interesting.
OF Samuel Estevez – Estevez was another recent signing who struggled in his first year. He did not hit for much power, and struggled with his approach and swing and miss throughout the year. He looks better than the stat line, and if he can show the patience he did in July over a full season, he might be more interesting a year from now.
RHP Joel Heredia – Heredia is a tall and lanky starting pitcher who showed better control in 2024, but struggled to miss bats. His fastball went from topping out at 93 in 2023, to 95 in 2024. He throws a slider, changeup, and curveball. He will be stateside in 2025 and is on the older (21) side.