Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel did a reevaluation of sorts for the state of the minor leagues right now. There isn’t a ton new for Phillies fans since it doesn’t go very deep, but it is an interesting look at pop up guys and other things going on.
Crawford at #3:
Not much new here, J.P. Crawford comes in at #3 on Kiley’s list behind Corey Seager and newly demoted Byron Buxton. Kiley upgraded Crawford from a 60 FV to a 65 FV which gives him the same grade as the two guys above him plus the three below him (Giolito, Urias, Moncada). Crawford is really good. The list only went 26 deep and no other Phillies made it (which is not really that surprising)
Kilome on the Rise:
The next section was 17 players who did not make the preseason Top 200, but have grades high enough to warrant their inclusion now. Kilome checked in at #16 behind a lot of guys having great breakout years. I am a bit higher on Kilome, but I can’t argue too much on this. He is at the same 50 FV has most of the list so it is a lot of judgement calls.
Randolph Sitting Solid:
McDaniel also ranked the 16 best new players in pro ball. Cornelius Randolph the Phillies’ first round pick (and #10 overall pick) checks in at #11 (Dansby Swanson actually checked in on the Top 26 so it is really #12). He is behind the 9 guys taken ahead of him, plus Dodgers’ big money signing RHP Yadier Alvarez and #15 pick Trent Clark. Everyone but Swanson, Bregman, and Rodgers checks in at a 50 FV so again there is a lot of fluidity there. The guys above him haven’t really faltered, but good to see the Phillies not lose ground on a guy that some saw as a bit of a reach.
Franco’s Rookie Campaign:
Before talking about Franco I wanted to address Aaron Nola. He is absent from all these lists for a reason. He is caught in the middle, he is not the minors and he has not yet graduated out of his rookie status, so no list for him to go. EDIT: In his chat Kiley indicated Nola actually did miss the Top 26 and would be in the 27-50 range.
On the actual rookie list, Franco checks in at #11 behind Correa, Bryant, Syndergaard, Schwarber, Pederson, Lindor, Sano, Russell, Rodon, and Kang. All of those except Kang (who was ineligible) were lower ranked prospects than Franco, and he actually passed some people too. Kiley upgrades Franco to a 60 FV from his preseason 55 FV. Franco is not going to be the superstar that someone like Correa or Bryant might be, but he really has established himself as a really solid building block for the Phillies.
I will always look at Trent Clark in comparison to Randolph. I would have taken Clark over Randolph, but right now they are looking to be pretty similar.
Numbers 26-100 should be well represented with future Phillies and I’m curious about his top 200 as well. We have a fair number of guys unlikely to crack the top 100 who could slot somewhere 100-200. I’d think Pinto, Knapp, Quinn, maybe Tocci and who knows who else McDaniel likes. The system has plenty of worthy candidates, depending on his taste.