2026 DSL Phillies Season Recap

Season Recap

Record: 36-20 (2-1 in DSL Cup, did not advance)

The Phillies made the decision this spring to reduce their DSL footprint from 2 teams to just 1. They were coming off of disappointing seasons for both teams and were adding a relatively shallow signing class due to the signing bonus for Francisco Renteria. This meant they cut a lot of fringe org and development players and had a much more talent concentrated and younger team. In particular the DSL Phillies were one of the youngest pitching teams in the league.

Given those parameters, the DSL Phillies season was a complete success. They improved over the course of the season, had one of the best hitters in the league, and won their division and made the postseason. In the postseason injuries to Juan Parra and Yilmar Samudio during the first game caused some cascading pitching usage and removed one of the offensive engines of their lineup. Ultimately they went 2-1 and did not advance on the tiebreaker. The Phillies showed an improved ability to identify and develop both hitting and pitching talent, but that growth may be stunted by how the international signing process changes in the new CBA.

Top Prospects

OF Francisco Renteria – Renteria won the DSL MVP thanks to an absolutely scorching .379/.470/.682 batting line for the season, which was capped off by a 1.544 OPS in August prior to the postseason. He is a physical monster with plus plus raw power, at least plus speed, and a projectable frame that will may hold onto the speed while adding even more power. There are some flaws to his game. He will expand the zone when behind in counts and was susceptible at time to spin. He has a good batting eye and overall approach, so the hope is the weakness doesn’t expand as he faces better stuff. This also led to move ground balls than you would necessarily like for a player of his raw power, and there were some ill advised swings that led to some worm burners. It is more nitpicking and looking at potential future issues than current fatal flaws though. Defensively, he needs some work on routes and consistency, but he has the range and effort to play center field now. As he is likely to lose a step as he bulks out, he will need to work on the non-athletic side of defense to stay in center. He is a high effort player who gets praised from coaches for his makeup and work ethic. He does border on Bryce Harper recklessness in the field and on the base paths, and while it probably would benefit his health to tone it down some, that may not be the type of person he is. If he can keep offensive nits from becoming full blown problems he has one of the highest ceilings of any hitter in the minor leagues.

SS Juan Parra – It was already known when Parra signed that he was going to be very advanced for the DSL level, and that proved to be true. He is a patient batter at the plate, who showed a willingness to hit pitches in the zone while waiting out inexperienced pitchers. He has solid raw power, especially from the left side of the plate. We rarely got to see his right handed swing, and it is hard to draw any real conclusions given how infrequently he faced lefties, but it was more of a struggle from that side. Defensively he is fine at shortstop, but he might end up being a better fit at second base. He isn’t a big time athlete or physically projectable, so he doesn’t look to have a big untapped ceiling and the current tools are more average than plus. His feel for the game gives some hope that he can put together the sum of the parts into a really solid baseball player.

RHP Yilmar Samudio – Another low six-figure signing for the Phillies, Samudio reportedly was initially going to sign with the Yankees. He flashed big velocity early in the year, up to 98 in his first start, but had to back off a bit as he was overthrowing his pitches. He has a bit stride and extension, and when he was near the zone he was able to dominate with just his fastball. He doesn’t have big spin rates, but throws a good vertical curveball. In the spring he threw a hard, firm changeup, but it didn’t appear in regular season games. Given his current velocity, and projectability, he could have a monster fastball in the future. He should get the chance to start and develop a full arsenal and consistent command, but there is obvious reliever risk.

Others to Know

RHP Cristian Rego – Rego signed for $300,000 in March. The Cuban righty is fairly filled out for a now 18 year old, but there is still some room for improvement. His fastball velocity was inconsistent over the year, sitting mostly 90-93, but he can touch 94-96. He gets a big downhill stride and plenty of extension, and it would be interesting to know what the private data says about the shape of the pitch. His primary offspeed is either a power curve or two plane slider that sits 78-81. He also will throw a changeup in the mid 80s. His control wavered late in the season, but he spent most of the year able to consistently throw strikes. He likely grows into a mid 90s fastball with a more diversified arsenal that may give him a remote shot at a mid rotation upside.

LHP Samuel Ortiz – Ortiz was the Phillies most consistent starter for much of the year. He doesn’t have the size or velocity of Samudio and Rego. He sat mostly 88-92 with his fastball, and you would like to see that get to at least more 91-94 in the future. Like many young pitchers his changeup needs consistency, but he has feel for the pitch already. His best pitch as the year went on was his slider, which he was able to run away from lefties and down and in to righties. There is still some projection left, but for now he looks like a back end starter.

1B/OF Edwin Ramirez – It is unclear why Ramirez signed a year after he was eligible, but that has worked out to the Phillies benefit. Ramirez will show a quick swing that can lead to impressive exit velocities. He did not get those hard hit balls in the air enough, but if he does he should put up good home run numbers. He expanded the zone at times, but showed a good approach for the level. If he can tap into his offensive potential, he could be an interesting offensively oriented corner bat.

C Nelson Prieto – Prieto was a low money signing in 2025 who missed his first full season due to injury. He is an aggressive swinger, who will need to dial in his swing decisions to have success against better pitchers, and he showed improvement in that area as the season went on. He has plus raw power and hit some laser line drives and big home runs. His frame, power, aggression, and defensive limitations bring to mind Alirio Ferrebus, but he might have more power and less contact ability than his fellow catcher.

C/IF/OF Jose Tovar – Positional versatility is largely a product of need and the player is usually stretched across that range. Tovar played every position but first base this year, and shortstop is probable the only one where he is really stretched. He is a little guy with poor power, and he probably isn’t going to have more than below average power at peak maturity. He does get the bat to the ball and is more than just a slap hitter. He has plus speed and at least plus arm strength. Given the rigors of the catching position he seems to fit more as a IF/OF utility player who can be third catcher. It is a strange profile, which will make him interesting to watch going forward.

C Sebastian Saenz – Saenz signed for $200,000 this signing period, but had more buzz than a normal signing of that amount. He had a .564 OPS over the first month of the season, but hit .328/.389/.405 over the last two months (32 games). He has more raw power than he showed in games, and he should grow into fringe average game power. He shows good defensive ability behind the plate, albeit with the inconsistencies that come from a 17 year old. It takes a while for catchers to develop and there are a lot of pitfalls but he has a good starting foundation.

OF Elian Adames – Adames was a holdover from the 2025 teams, and took a large step forward this season. He has plus or better raw power, from a long, projectable physique. He significantly cut down on his strikeouts this season, and while susceptible to breaking balls, he put together competitive at bats all season. He also increased the quality of his contact, with more balls hit in the air with authority. His hit tool improvements will be tested against better arms, but he has the raw power to be worth monitoring.

IF Nieves Izaguirre – Izaguirre was the Phillies biggest signing in the 2025 signing class, but was still a relatively moderate bonus signing. He missed a lot of 2025 to injury and then missed most of the start of the 2026 season as well. He plays a solid infield, but isn’t a lock to play shortstop. He has a solid approach and moderate power (which he tapped into more this year), but was passive in 2025 and barely played in 2026. He is behind developmentally, but there is still a utility infielder ceiling in there.

RHP Justin Burgos – Burgos was the most prominent pitching signing heading into the system, but was behind some of his teammates on the field. He has good size, which should help him grow into more velocity as he matures, but currently he sits 88-91 without any visual outlier features. He will throw a mid 80s changeup, but he needs to find more feel and consistency for it. He does show feel for spin with an upper 70s curveball. He struggled with control at times, but generally looked more confident towards the end of the season. He still has a longer timeline of development in front of him.

C Deivis Velasquez – Velasquez was signed for $620,000 in 2025, but missed the full year to injury. He has a patient, or really passive, approach which works against DSL pitchers. He has plus raw power, and given the approach you would like to see him tap into the power more in advantageous counts. He is still a work in progress behind the plate, and will need to stick there for the bat to work.

IF Javen Maduro – Maduro was signed for $125,000 this year out of a Aruba, and mainly played second base and hit at the bottom of the Phillies lineup. He did not hit for any power, and needs to grow into hitting at least gap doubles and some home runs to make it work at second. He had 29 walks to 19 strikeouts, which gives him something to work on in a likely return to the DSL next year.

Stat Leaders

Pitching