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 rotation mate, a late addition to the Threshers and three members of the 2023 class that will look to replace the success the Phillies had in 2023 for the 2024 Threshers.
All ages are as of opening day (March 28)
16. Devin Saltiban, SS
Age: 19
Acquired: Drafted in the 3rd Round of the 2023 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 5’10” 180lbs
2023 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | PA | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| PHI (FCL) | 10 | 46 | 1 | 5 | 6.5% | 15.2% | .333 | .391 | .452 |
Role: Average Regular
Risk: Extreme – Saltiban did not face top competition in high school, was not on the showcase circuit vs top arms, and is moving to shortstop having never really played it before signing. It is a decently long list of areas where he is going to need to prove something against an unknown.
Summary: The Phillies drafts under Brian Barber have been very comfortable with risk and small sample sizes, and no one probably exemplifies that more than Saltiban. He is a high school outfielder from Hawaii who did not really appear in showcases and was relatively unknown. As a high schooler he played 11 games in the MLB Draft League for West Virginia against college aged guys and was good. He then reportedly excelled at the Draft Combine. The Phillies took him in the draft and announced him as a shortstop, despite him never really playing there (it turns out that a crosschecker saw him on the infield and made the suggestion). He looks promising at shortstop, but it is still very early in that process. He might have enough speed to move out to center field if the infield experiment doesn’t work, but there is a danger he slides down the defensive spectrum to corner outfield. He currently has plus speed, but depending on how he fills out that could change. At the plate he isn’t the biggest guy, but he has a quick bat and short swing, and there is definitely the makings of at least average power and a solid hit tool. Nothing immediately jumps off the page for Saltiban, but he sort of looks like a ball player, and nothing stands out as a negative either. It is possible the Phillies got a real steal in the third round by moving quickly on a rising player, there are just still too many moving parts and unknowns to really make that evaluation yet.
2024 Outlook: The early indications are that the Phillies might hold Saltiban back in Extended Spring Training to work on the move to shortstop. His bat looks ready for Clearwater, so they may not be able to hold him back for the whole season.
ETA: 2028
Previous Rank: N/A
17. TJayy Walton, OF
Age: 19
Acquired: Drafted in the 4th Round of the 2023 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’3” 225lbs
2023 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | PA | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| PHI (FCL) | 5 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17.6% | 35.3% | .385 | .529 | .692 |
Role: Average Regular
Risk: High – Walton is a high school corner outfielder who has not yet hit for home run power and has only 5 games of pro ball.
Summary: Walton was the third of three straight interesting high school bats the Phillies took to open the 2023 draft. Like Miller and Saltiban, he had some risks that scared off teams at the time of the draft. Baseball America reported that he missed the showcase circuit in 2022 with an arm injury. Overall, all the pre-draft reports listed his lack of balls in the air as his biggest problem. He is a corner outfielder all the way, though he isn’t going to be a negative in either corner spot. That is going to put pressure on his bat to perform. He has plenty of raw power, Baseball America reported he had the 4th highest max exit velocity at the Draft Combine. He hit multiple balls over 100mph in his brief appearance in the FCL after signing as well. His swing does have a bit of length with a bit of a late load in the swing itself, but he stays connected through his body. I am not a swing expert, but it doesn’t look like a swing overhaul is required, but maybe quieting some of his motion and getting his timing in a place where he catches the ball more out in front to drive it. He is going to need to get to at least average game power to have a future in a corner, and there is certainly room in his body and bat for plus raw power, so he can get there. There likely is not going to be much margin for error at each level, but he could exceed expectations if he is really able to fully tap into his physicality.
2024 Outlook: Walton has a fairly advanced bat for a high schooler, and as a high pick the Phillies are likely to send him to Clearwater to play corner outfield. He probably spends most of the year in Florida.
ETA: 2027
Previous Rank: N/A
18. Jean Cabrera, RHP
Age: 22
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies on July 2, 2019
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’1” 160lbs
2023 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
| CLW (A-) | 19 | 13 | 5-7 | 81.1 | 4.32 | 12.0 | 0.3 | 6.1% | 24.0% |
Role: #4 Starter
Risk: High – Cabrera just finished a year as a 21 year old in the Florida State League where he was more fine than dominant. He has major league ability, but there is a fine line between back end starter and not major leaguer.
Summary: Cabrera signed in July of 2019 as a 17 year old, for a small bonus (as most overage pitchers end up having to do). He didn’t pitch in a game for the Phillies for nearly two years, and was dominant when he took the mound in the DSL in 2021, earning himself the Paul Owens Award. He struggled in 2022 as they aggressively pushed him to the Florida State League, but was much better upon repeating the level. Cabrera is definitely bigger than his list weight, and likely height, as he has filled out since signing. A bit older and stronger, he was able to sit in the higher end of his velocity range this season, 93 to 96, and despite a dip in August, he was able to rebound in September when he got a bit more rest. He has thrown both a 4-seamer and sinker, with the Phillies working the two seamer more over the course of the season. He had better results with the 4-seamer, but the sinker fits the rest of the arsenal slightly better. I expect him to throw both of them in the long term. He gets decent spin on both, and he can get some decent ride on the 4-seamer, but nothing elite, just enough to get misses up in the zone. His slider has some sweeper characteristics, and the Phillies tweaked it some over the season to be more horizontally oriented, trading about 2 inches of drop for 2 inches of sweep. It has been his best pitch, and he does very well to put it in the zone for called strikes as well. He had a harder changeup coming into the season that tunneled off of the 4-seamer, but without great movement characteristics. He now throws it a couple of miles per hour slower, but gets a lot more drop and fade on it. He primarily has used it as a chase pitch, and he sells it well. He used to have a curveball, but the Phillies scrapped it this season. Like many young pitchers, Cabrera is more control than command still, and he can throw the ball for a strike, but he doesn’t always hit all of his spots. He does repeat his delivery pretty well, so I would expect that he improves there with time. Statistically, Cabrera was very unlucky in 2023, with his BABIP of .432 being one of the highest in the minors, despite generating a large amount of ground ball contact. I hesitate to use minor league FIP (and I should note he ran an unusually low HR/FB rate), but his FIP of 3.13 vs his ERA of 4.32 shows sort of the luck gap. He made two dominant appearances in the postseason giving him a total innings output over 93, which might be the most successful part of his season. There is a chance that Cabrera finds another gear and he is more of a #3 than a 4, but it is not to difficult to see the outlines of a #4 that can go be the modern version of an innings eater.
2024 Outlook: Cabrera will open the year with Jersey Shore and has already gone through one round of Rule 5 eligibility. If he excels with the BlueClaws, it would not be surprising if the Phillies push him to Reading at some point in the summer.
ETA: 2026
Previous Rank: 29
19. Estibenzon Jimenez, RHP
Age: 22
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies on February 22, 2020
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’1” 172lbs
2023 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
| CLW (A-) | 21 | 19 | 4-8 | 90.0 | 3.60 | 8.3 | 1.0 | 10.1% | 20.3% |
Role: #4 Starter
Risk: High – Jimenez has not pitched above Clearwater and while his stuff is solid, it isn’t going to carry him on his own. He will need to improve his command to reach his ceiling.
Summary: Estibenzon was a bulk reliever and swing man for the 2022 FCL Phillies, before getting two starts late in the year for the Threshers. In 2023, he transitioned to the rotation full time. He is a short, solidly built pitcher who comes from a high three-quarter that gets him a fairly flat approach angle. He threw his fastball about half the time over the course of the season, but it faded in usage down the stretch. He will mostly sit 91-94, but can get it up to 96 with decent, but not spectacular ride (17”-18” IVB up in the zone) with some run. He sells his mid 80s changeup well, and it comes in with mostly the same horizontal movement as the fastball with about 8 inches more drop. He compliments that with a vertical oriented slider that averaged 82 mph on the season. He gets good whiff rates on the slider (36%) and changeup (32%), with both functioning as change pitches for him. He does get a solid number of whiffs (21%) on the fastball as well. He shows a feel for where he should throw his pitches, but his command can be shaky at times, and he will need to establish both offspeed pitches in the zone against better hitters. He has added a touch more velocity this season, and showed an extra gear in the postseason, and if he can hold that there may be a bit more ceiling. Right now he profiles as a 5-6 inning mid rotation-ish starter.
2024 Outlook: Jimenez should start the year with Jersey Shore, but given he is Rule 5 eligible after the season, a good showing could see him pushed to Reading late in the year.
ETA: 2026
Previous Rank: UR
20. Raylin Heredia, OF
Age: 20
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies on February 2, 2021
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’0” 174lbs
2023 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | PA | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| PHI (FCL) | 35 | 164 | 4 | 7 | 10.4% | 25.6% | .326 | .415 | .532 |
| CLW (A-) | 18 | 73 | 1 | 4 | 8.2% | 31.5% | .288 | .342 | .409 |
Role: Average Regular
Risk: Extreme – Heredia was one of the best hitters statistically in the FCL, but he swung and missed at a high enough rate there, and post promotion in Clearwater, to raise some concerns about whether he will make enough contact.
Summary: The buzz on Heredia was decently loud over the summer, and I likely pushed him up the list a bit too hard at the time. He came down to earth quite a bit when he joined the Threshers, as he swung a bit too freely and was susceptible to chasing breaking balls. Heredia looks the part of a good player, he is long and a bit lanky, with good athleticism. His swing is relatively simple and quiet with good balance and bat speed, and he already has a good feel for getting the ball in the air. He has above average raw power, and he should get close to that in games as he is already geared to get to his pull power, and in the FCL he was routinely hitting the ball over 100mph (88.5 mph average and 102.5 90th percentile EV on 41 tracked balls in play in the FCL). He did struggle against opposite side pitching, as lefties were able to get up and in on his hands and he struggled to make consistent contact with them. He showed solid patience and approach at the plate in the FCL, but he was more of a free swinger in the DSL previously, and he had a tendency to lose his approach for an at bat or two. He is a plus runner now, and there is a chance that fades to more above average as he fills out. He has mostly moved off to an outfield corner, and while he needs some work, he should be a solid right field defender. Overall, Heredia looked to be in the middle of a breakout season in 2023, and it sort of lost momentum before the finish line. He could be in line for an actual breakout if he cleans up some of his flaws, and he has the potential to be an everyday player for a good team.
2024 Outlook: Heredia should be one of the starting outfielders for the Threshers, and could spend a significant amount of the season in Florida. He will need to work on handling breaking balls and dealing with fastballs in.
ETA: 2027
Previous Rank: UR
21. Alex McFarlane, RHP
Age: 22
Acquired: Drafted in the 4th Round of the 2022 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’3” 215lbs
2023 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
| CLW (A-) | 16 | 16 | 0-4 | 50.1 | 5.72 | 8.2 | 0.7 | 16.3% | 29.6% |
Role: Frustrating Mid Rotation Starter / Late Inning Reliever
Risk: Extreme – McFarlane flashed big velocity and a monster slider early in the season, but his velocity took a big drop and he eventually had Tommy John surgery, leaving his future role and success much more in doubt.
Summary: McFarlane worked out of the bullpen for most of his junior year in 2022, and after signing, the Phillies started moving him to the rotation, a role that continued into early 2023. The reports out of Spring Training were very good, and he came out firing when the FSL season started. He averaged 98 mph on his fastball in his first start, throwing 4 of them over 100mph and peaking at 100.5. He averaged higher than 96 mph in every start until mid May, when his average velocity on each start kept decreasing sharply. The Phillies eventually shut him down in late June. He came back briefly in August before then being shut down again and eventually having Tommy John surgery. Not surprisingly, given he had been a reliever, McFarlane did have a tendency to lose velocity deeper into starts, and it is a real concern if the Phillies try to have him start post recovery. As for the pitch itself, McFarlane throws a high spin (averaged over 2600 RPM on the season) sinker that has a large amount of drop and armside run. He throws a high spin slider (RPM>2800) with good verticality that sits in the mid 80s. He then will infrequently throw a high 80s changeup that has a good amount of drop off the fastball with similar run. He generally struggled to throw strikes and, despite the velocity, the movement on his fastball made it a good, but not elite pitch. His changeup generally had poor results, and he struggled to throw it in the zone. The special pitch is his slider, which he posted a 56% whiff rate on for the year, and a 42.4% CSW% thanks to also landing it in the zone for called strikes at a high rate (for reference Orion Kerkering’s slider with Clearwater was at 52% whiff rate and 52.9% CSW% due to his elite ability to throw it in the zone). Given the injury, the control problems, and the lack of a usable changeup, McFarlane looks like a reliever. The Phillies have not always been quick to make those sort of changes, so they could run him back out as a starter. If he can throw the fastball and slider in the zone enough to not walk the world, he potentially could be a high leverage, late inning arm. Due to the injury, he will miss all of the 2024 season and will likely be limited in 2025 as well.
2024 Outlook: McFarlane had Tommy John in the fall and will miss all of the 2024 season. There is a possibility we hear about him throwing bullpens next fall, but he won’t appear in a game until spring 2025.
ETA: 2026
Previous Rank: 9
22. George Klassen, RHP
Age: 22
Acquired: Drafted in the 6th Round of the 2023 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’2” 170lbs|
2023 Stats: Did not pitch professionally in 2023
Role: Late inning reliever
Risk: Extreme – Klassen walked 47 and struck out 49 in 56.2 innings at Minnesota as a starting pitcher. He did not pitch after signing, and while it is presumed he will move to the bullpen, that move has not been made official.
Summary: The Phillies in recent drafts have not been afraid of pitchers with poor control and poor results, but also big stuff. Klassen fits the same mold as Griff McGarry and Alex McFarlane in the past two drafts, but with even less track record of success. Klassen is short and slight, but he was reportedly high 90s, up to 101 with Minnesota in spring 2023. He throws a slider as well, and Baseball America reported that he also threw a cutter at the Draft Combine. Klassen slid all the way to the 6th round because his control was poor at best. His lack of control has him publicly earmarked to move to a bullpen role, where maybe some simplicity and lack of needing to turn a lineup over will lead to better control. The Phillies have not always followed conventional wisdom, so there is a chance he starts or long relieves, especially if they are reworking his delivery or arsenal.
2024 Outlook: Given he did not pitch in a game after the draft, it would be a surprise if he started anywhere other than Clearwater or the complex. Unless he moves to the bullpen and takes off, it is probably going to be slow moving for a while.
ETA: 2027
Previous Rank: N/A