A Critical Look at the Phillies Organization and Minor League Baseball
As I mentioned on Monday with the positional rankings, I am trying a fun little ranking experiment. The first thing I do is positional rankings, and I can already see from your results for that poll that you have also created tiered clumps, which is something I find helpful when I then have to think … Read more
The major league season is over, free agency is about to begin, and prospect rankings have already arrived at both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. I have started my own writing, but I am not as proactive as either of those sites (nor do I have a book that I have to make a deadline … Read more
The draft picks have all signed and the trade deadline is next week, so like last year I am going to combine the two into a rankings update and thoughts on the trade deadline. Like always I have divided the list up into tiers. Within a tier the order is my preference. It isn’t 100% … Read more
We are now 12 weeks into the minor league season and 6 weeks before the trade deadline. With the FCL season over a month in, this year gives a good chance to have actual information on the breakouts already happening. Not all rankings changes may be as reflected in the actual number, as the tiers … Read more
A little late coming, but not every prospect can make the list and some weren’t particularly close. However, it is time to dump all of the notes I do have, because some of these guys could surprise because many are still kids and an eternity away or things just click sometimes for players who aren’t … Read more
It is once again list season, a time and activity that brings me excitement and stress. Ultimately the list allows me to consolidate thoughts on a one year check in on the players in the system. The actual numbers help in identifying value and justifying that value. I don’t do OFPs or Future Values, but … Read more
The top of the Phillies system is populated by the usual suspects, the last 4 first round picks (all high schoolers), their best international signing in recent seasons, and their breakout prospect who reached the majors in 2023. While the 1st round picks are not perfect, and all suffer from their own injury or weakness … Read more
The Phillies have struggled to develop unknown talent, they have struggled on international signings, and they have struggled to identify and develop high upside prospects. This group is not a solution to all of those problems, and in the case of some players it is a warning sign of how things don’t always work out … Read more
The Phillies concentrated the 2022 draft class and their international pitching in Clearwater to open the year. The result was one of the best performing teams in the minors. After injuries and promotions, Jean Cabrera and Estibenzon Jimenez formed the core of the rotation into the postseason. This section involves those arms, their opening day … Read more
The Phillies system is not particularly deep or great. This part of the list would ideally be 5-10 spots deeper, but it isn’t. What it is, is some upper minors players right on the cusp of contributing, but not good enough to knock down the door. The rest is sort of the reality of young … Read more