When I sat down to the yearly exercise of putting together this list, I was under no delusion that I was writing up a strong farm system. The Phillies are a competitive team that has struggled with development while not having the depth to cycle out players for influxes of talent like the Dodgers have over the years. Years of shallow drafts and trading players for major league talent has left the system top heavy, with each tier smaller than you would like and some real dropoffs at times. If they still had Starlyn Caba, Eduardo Tait, Mick Abel, Hendry Mendez, Hao-Yu Lee, George Klassen, and Sam Aldegheri this writeup would look much better, but they also have now won the division twice in a row and made the postseason in 4 straight, and that was the cost of doing business.
On the positive side, the Phillies had what looked to be a good 2025 draft, manipulating their draft board to get Matthew Fisher to fall to a 7th round overslot bonus and stock a pitching desperate system with pitchers with interesting traits that they can give to their player development staff to actually get positive outcomes from those selections. In January, the Phillies will also be signing the highest profile and upside international player they have since I started writing in 2012. One of the biggest critiques I can level against this front office is that they have often given themselves little chance to get lucky or to make their position better on the minor league side, and in this current acquisition cycle they look to be giving themselves some real chances to make good things happen.
The system itself has one very good prospect in Aidan Miller, who had a rough start to the year, but ended in a way that positions him as one of the better prospects in baseball. It was a step back for Andrew Painter in his return from injury, but there are still positive underlying traits, and he will get a chance at the majors this year. That is a continuing theme in Justin Crawford, one of the most polarizing prospects in baseball who will be handed the starting center field job, making him the first real prospect to arrive for the Phillies in many years. Aroon Escobar, who actualized flashes into being a solid prospect and Gage Wood, who the Phillies took in the 1st round in 2025, round out a decently strong top prospect group.
There are some real drop offs after that as players have taken steps backwards or stagnated. In addition to developing the injection of new talent, the coaching staff will need to show they can get some previously well regarded players back on track. The Phillies want this to be a sustainable continually competitive team, and with some of the stars in the majors starting to age, it will be up to the internal staff to bring along players to aid what is a newly emerging pitching core via promotion or trade.
As always, this list is sort of an internal scouting not quite trade priority list. I have broken it up into tiers that help show where the value gaps are and then ordered within those tiers based on my personal preference. I don’t do OFP, and risks and roles have drifted apart from different outlets doing these sort of writeups. There is always risk, so the Role is a reasonable, optimistic outcome for a player and then the Risk is meant to show what specific pitfalls there are to the player’s development beyond the normal risks associated with prospects. My hope is that if you value different things or have a differing risk appetite you can reorder to match your preferences.
To make the list I used publicly available data from Fangraphs, MLB, Baseball Reference, Baseball Prospectus, Brooksbaseball and online video streams. In addition to visualizations and stat aggregations available on those sites I used data taken from them into my own spreadsheets (I will learn a real statistical analysis tool eventually) and Rob Orr’s shinyapp. I also talked to individuals in the public sphere, some of whom write for the above or other sites. When available I watched and tracked video for every level of the Phillies system. I did not end up talking to anyone employed by a team or attending any game in person this season. Since I don’t evaluate amateur players, I am reliant on reports made by the previously listed sites and some video to be able to form a picture of those players prior to the draft.
An arbitrary cut off at 50 truncates the bottom of the list, this group that starts with Anderson Araujo at #37 extends likely into the 60s or 70s. It is made of many types of players; future and current relievers, complex level players, former prospects, and much more. It is a catch all for the fringes of prospectdom in the system.
All ages are as of Opening Day – March 26, 2026
37. Anderson Araujo, C
Age: 17(4/8/08)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies in 2025
B/T: R/R
H/W: 5’11” 177 lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | PA | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSLR (DSL) | 45 | 183 | 7 | 11 | 10.4% | 20.2% | .289 | .377 | .528 |
Role: Second Division Regular
Risk: Extreme – Araujo is a complex league level catcher without a carrying tool on offense or defense. He is surprisingly advanced for his age and level.
Overview: Araujo was not on the Phillies largest 2025 international signings, and he struggled to start the season. He then hit 6 home runs in 9 games to start July and hit .373/.431/.814 overall for the month. His swing is fairly simple and quiet, and he gets to his power in the air. He has average to above average raw power, and he doesn’t have the frame to see big power growth as he gets older. Defensively he looks like a catcher, but he has an average arm and slow transfer that leads to below average pop times. His blocking and footwork needs some work, but he is 17, and the same could be said of his receiving, which is a bit stabby. There is a lot to like about the way Araujo looked in the DSL, but he might not have the projection and upside to be a major prospect.
2026 Outlook: Araujo has positioned himself to come stateside to play in the Florida Complex. Young catchers are always prone to poor stretches as they adjust to the workload.
ETA: 2030
Previous Rank: N/A
38. Casey Steward, RHP
Age: 24 (8/2/01)
Acquired: Drafted in the 19th round of the 2023 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’5” 260lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JS (A+) | 25 | 19 | 3-10 | 88.0 | 5.93 | 9.7 | 0.9 | 10.8% | 19.7% |
Role: Middle Reliever
Risk: High – There is only a small sample of Steward as a reliever, so much of his outcome is projecting his stuff and growth in the role change. If he comes up short of the flashes, he loses a lot of wiggle room to pitch in leverage.
Overview: Steward was an intriguing kitchen sink starting pitcher in 2024, but struggles with control raised questions about his future role. In the Spring Breakout game, his fastball was 97-98 with all of his offspeed pitches also seeing a similar velocity jump. He was unable to hold that velocity in the Jersey Shore rotation with his control regressing as well. He struggled to miss bats. Steward’s 4-seam fastball and sinker have mediocre movement, so the loss of velocity made them very hittable, and his changeup has lagged behind his breaking balls enough that it can’t keep hitters off the heater. After an injury in August he came back as a reliever and was 94-97 with his harder cutter/slider, and his sweeper showed more dominance as well. Given the success in shorter relief, it makes sense to deploy Steward in 1-2 inning stints going forward to see if he can sit upper 90s with the pair of good breaking balls. If he takes to the role, Steward could move relatively quickly through the upper minors.
2026 Outlook: The Phillies have not announced that Steward will be a reliever going forward, so there is a chance he wins a job in the Jersey Shore rotation again. Long term, it feels like the bullpen move is coming though.
ETA: 2027
Previous Rank: 43
39. Titan Kennedy-Hayes, RHP
Age: 24 (11/12/01)
Acquired: Drafted in the 11th round of the 2024 draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’2” 218lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLW (A-) | 30 | 0 | 1-4 | 35.1 | 4.58 | 9.8 | 0.5 | 15.0% | 31.1% |
| JS (A+) | 10 | 0 | 0-2 | 10.1 | 5.23 | 4.4 | 0.9 | 11.4% | 31.8% |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 1-6 | 45.2 | 4.73 | 8.1 | 0.6 | 14.2% | 31.3% |
Role: Middle Reliever
Risk: High – Kennedy-Hayes fits the good breaking ball, poor fastball archetype of reliever, and comes with the added bonus of below average control and poor results in A-ball.
Overview: Taken in the 11th round of the 2024 draft, Kennedy-Hayes started his first full year on fire, allowing no earned runs in his first month. He struggled to prevent runs the rest of the year, in particular he walked too many batters and left handed batters hit him around. The good thing is that by both results and pitch characteristics, his breaking ball is a plus plus pitch. Statcast labeled it as a cutter, but it is closer to a sweeper with good armside movement, while also averaging 88 mph. All season he got swings and misses in the zone and with chases on it. The more negative side are the fastballs, now a distinct sinker and 4-seamer. He averages a tiny bit under 97 on both of them, and can get up to 100, but the shape of both is not great, as are the results. He gets an ok angle on the 4-seamer, but limited ride, and his sinker does not have great run or separation from his 4-seamer. Mixing two pitches will help, but hitters were not fooled, hitting both of them hard. The nature of his breaking ball means he is going to be platoon dependent, so maybe a splitter or changeup is in order. His walk rate was down slightly with Jersey Shore, and while he doesn’t need to live in the zone more, he needs to at least give the threat of it for his fastball to play. Without a new pitch or change in fastball shape, he is probably limited to a middle reliever, but his breaking ball gives him a real major league ceiling.
2026 Outlook: Kennedy-Hayes ended the year with the BlueClaws and that is likely where he begins the year in 2026. The Phillies are not afraid to move relievers quickly if it clicks, but he needs to show more consistency and control.
ETA: 2028
Previous Rank: 47
40. James Tallon, LHP
Age: 22 (9/29/03)
Acquired: Drafted in the 6th round of the 2025 draft by the Phillies
B/T: L/L
H/W: 6’5” 195lbs
2025 Stats: Did not pitch professionally in 2025
Role: Middle Reliever
Risk: High – Tallon did not pitch after signing and had spotty control in college, and he will need to show much more consistency as a pro.
Overview: Tallon is a lanky lefty reliever who has a lower flat release angle on a low 90s fastball with good overall characteristics. He was fastball heavy in college, but has a cutter and sweeper that will likely be prioritized more in the pros. He has a long arm action that has led to control issues at times, which is not uncommon for taller pitchers. If he can throw more strikes and then maybe add on a little velocity, he has a good base to work with out of the bullpen. To be a late inning arm or high leverage arm, he will need to get his cutter and sweeper to be usable pitches in a similar vein to how Matt Strahm uses those pitches.
2026 Outlook: Tallon probably starts the year in the Clearwater bullpen, but there is a small chance the Phillies stretch him out, probably in a 3-4 inning role to start.
ETA: 2029
Previous Rank: N/A
41. Keaton Anthony, 1B
Age: 24 (6/24/01)
Acquired: Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023 by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’2” 211lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | PA | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REA (AA) | 49 | 200 | 4 | 0 | 7.0% | 20.0% | .330 | .380 | .522 |
| LHV (AAA) | 33 | 148 | 2 | 0 | 8.1% | 22.3% | .313 | .374 | .433 |
| Total | 82 | 348 | 6 | 0 | 7.5% | 21.0% | .323 | .378 | .484 |
Role: Second Division Regular
Risk: Medium – Anthony hit .313 in AAA, but he is first baseman only with below average raw power and just ok other skills outside an outlier line drive rate.
Overview: Anthony followed up a breakout 2024 season by having a .902 OPS in 49 AA games before going to AAA and hitting .313 until an injury prematurely ended his season. In those 82 games he hit 31 doubles, but just 6 home runs. He has always run very high BABIPs, but also his 33.5% line drive rate backs up the hit rate, it comes down to whether he can continue to hit line drives at that rate. Anthony’s game isn’t geared towards power, and in AAA his 102.9 mph 90th percentile exit velocity was 45th percent in the league and his max EV was much lower. He does not pull the ball in the air which limits the damage he can do. The lack of power requires that Anthony get on base and limit his outs not in the field of play, and he hasn’t walked at a high rate since low-A and his strikeout rate has increased at each level. The math just is not in his favor without him revamping his approach to chase less and maximize his balls in play, or selling out more for power. Anthony is a good defender at first, but any attempt to try him in an outfield corner has passed by.
2026 Outlook: Anthony likely returns to Lehigh Valley where he will need to show that he can show power more commensurate with his position, or can be an outlier level contact merchant.
ETA: 2027
Previous Rank: 25
42. Manolfi Jimenez, OF
Age: 21 (11/14/04)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies in 2022
B/T: L/L
H/W: 6’0” 190lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | PA | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI (Rk) | 46 | 171 | 4 | 3 | 3.5% | 15.2% | .306 | .339 | .529 |
| CLW (A-) | 25 | 94 | 0 | 2 | 8.5% | 21.3% | .235 | .323 | .272 |
| Total | 71 | 265 | 4 | 5 | 5.3% | 17.4% | .282 | .333 | .441 |
Role: Platoon Outfielder
Risk: High – Jimenez can’t hit lefties now and was free swinging at the complex, usually not great indicators for future success. He does show the ability to hit the ball hard.
Overview: After 3 years of sort of ordinary seasons in the Dominican and Florida complexes, Jimenez had a great start to the year in the FCL. While swinging an alarmingly high amount of the time, he scorched through June (.375/.393/.696 including 3 games with Clearwater). He eventually ended up with the Threshers full time. Jimenez can hit the ball hard, which wasn’t fully on display in high-A as his aggression led to a lot of balls on the ground. He chased at a high rate, with some large whiff rates against offspeed, and below average zone contact rates. He also struggled at both levels against left handed pitchers. He has played all three outfield positions but will be in a corner in the long run. It is a pretty damning profile, especially for a player that just turned 21, but if he can make enough contact there is always a use for strong side platoon bats that can hit the ball hard.
2026 Outlook: Jimenez should get a chance to make the opening day outfield for the Threshers. He will need to show that the contact and swing issues were an aberration.
ETA: 2029
Previous Rank: UR
43. Angel Liranzo, LHP
Age: 19 (8/5/06)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies in 2023
B/T: L/L
H/W: 6’1” 172lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI (Rk) | 12 | 10 | 0-5 | 55.0 | 3.60 | 9.7 | 1.0 | 7.5% | 19.2% |
| CLW (A-) | 5 | 4 | 0-1 | 19.1 | 4.66 | 9.3 | 1.4 | 11.1% | 14.4% |
| Total | 17 | 14 | 0-6 | 74.1 | 3.87 | 9.6 | 1.1 | 8.5% | 17.9% |
Role: Back End Starter
Risk: Extreme – Liranzo is still very much a project, like many young pitchers. You can see the feel for pitches, but his arsenal needs a lot of work and refining.
Overview: Liranzo looked like a precocious 16 year old in his 2023 debut season, and after missing most of 2024 to a back injury, his return in 2025 had much less shine. He does not have the control yet that he hinted at, and hitters stateside were more able to foul his pitches off. His fastball velocity has increased to being more 90-92 with some 93s. It is not a particularly good pitch movement wise, and he could really benefit from working a more distinct 4-seam and sinker version of it. He spent a lot of the season tinkering with his changeup, but it rarely felt like he had a good feel for it, and while it got chases with Clearwater, it rarely got misses. His slider has good gyro movement to it and worked the best of anything in his arsenal, but it could stand to be quite a few miles per hour harder. Nothing in his arsenal has big movement to change where a hitter is thinking vertically or horizontally, and he could benefit from a curveball or sweeper to attack hitters in more ways (possibly sweeper if he continues to struggle with lefties). There is a good base to work with and he threw 74.1 innings as mostly an 18 year old after only making one appearance the previous year.
2026 Outlook: Liranzo ended the year with the Threshers and pitched a full season in 2025, so he should be slated for the Threshers rotation. There are a decent number of other candidates though.
ETA: 2029
Previous Rank: 36
44. Bryan Rincon, SS
Age: 22 (2/8/04)
Acquired: Drafted in the 14th round of the 2022 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: S/R
H/W: 5’11” 185lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | PA | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JS (A+) | 84 | 359 | 6 | 40 | 13.9% | 28.7% | .181 | .304 | .298 |
| SUR (AFL) | 14 | 52 | 1 | 4 | 15.3% | 28.8% | .068 | .212 | .136 |
Role: Glove First Bench Infielder
Risk: High – With shorter benches, even glove forward infielders need to be able to hit some. Rincon also has a good glove, but not a great one.
Overview: Rincon popped up as an interesting prospect in 2023 after being drafted in the 14th round in 2022, but has failed, due to injury and ineffectiveness, to reach those heights again. He is a switch hitter who was disastrous from the right side in 2025. He has below average power, and is at his best when he is getting the ball in the air to his pull side, something that was exacerbated by a hamate injury this year. That does mean that he does not end up with doubles and triples when he misses balls out of the park, and generally he has run low BABIPs for a minor league prospect. Patience has always been a strong suit for Rincon, but it has grown into passivity. He rarely swings and misses while running high strikeout rates, because opposing pitchers are able to get strikes in the zone without much issue. Rincon was an active base runner this year, but he is not a burner. Defensively, he is a shortstop, but he does not project to be more than a plus defender if things work out. He really needs to just be a below average hitter to have a path forward, but it is not one his bat has been able to accomplish yet.
2026 Outlook: Rincon looks like he will get a 4th attempt at Jersey Shore, but if he fails to improve he could lose playing time as other prospects move up.
ETA: 2028
Previous Rank: 16
45. Dayber Cruceta, OF
Age: 18 (3/17/08)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies in 2025
B/T: L/L
H/W: 6’1” 147lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | PA | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHIW (DSL) | 42 | 169 | 1 | 12 | 17.8% | 18.9% | .291 | .438 | .373 |
Role: Average Regular
Risk: Extreme – Cruceta is a first year international player who needs a large amount of physical growth in addition to the normal hurdles in front of a player of his level.
Overview: Cruceta was one of a handful of medium money signings by the Phillies in January 2025. He is a skinny and whippy athlete who has the frame to add a lot of good muscle. Right now, he has the bat speed and twitchiness to deploy added strength well, but currently does not impact the ball enough. He has a good approach at the plate, but that will be tested as he faces better offspeed pitches. He played center field a decent bit in 2025, but if he actually fills out his frame he is probably headed to right field. At this point, he is mostly just an intriguing project.
2026 Outlook: There is roster room for outfielders on the 2026 FCL Phillies, but the Phillies will need to believe that Cruceta will be able to physically hold up to the higher level.
ETA: 2030
Previous Rank: N/A
46. Danyony Pulido, RHP
Age: 23 (10/19/02)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies in 2021
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’1” 165lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI (Rk) | 6 | 2 | 1-0 | 10.0 | 0.90 | 6.3 | 0.0 | 4.9% | 34.1% |
| CLW (A-) | 22 | 0 | 5-1 | 30.2 | 1.17 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 15.6% | 28.7% |
| SUR (AFL) | 2 | 0 | 0-0 | 1.2 | 0.00 | 10.8 | 0.0 | 25.0% | 25.0% |
| Total | 28 | 2 | 6-1 | 40.2 | 1.11 | 4.2 | 0 | 12.0% | 37.1% |
Role: Middle Reliever
Risk: High – Pulido is an older, low minors, relief only prospect. He has arm strength, but has never had the consistency to be a major prospect.
Overview: Pulido spent 3 of his first 4 seasons in the rotation, including time with Clearwater in 2024, but moved to the bullpen full time in year 5. He was dominant across the Florida Complex League and Clearwater seasons. His fastball velocity has increased to average 94, but that has been mostly due to inconsistency as he will sit 95 to 98 in some appearances. He tightened up his slider, and it has been his primary bat missing pitch. He started throwing a true splitter in the Arizona Fall League. Pulido’s fastball has some ride, but he does not consistently show good shape on it. He also has struggled to throw strikes, and better hitters will chase less. He has intriguing arm strength and if he can find consistency, he has enough to grow into a major league reliever.
2026 Outlook: Coming off time in the Australian Baseball League and his good 2025 season the Phillies likely push Pulido to Jersey Shore. He will be Rule 5 eligible this year again so if things do click, they will be incentivized to push him up as the year goes on.
ETA: 2028
Previous Rank: UR
47. Raylin Heredia, OF
Age: 22 (11/10/03)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies in 2021
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’0” 174lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | HR | SB | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI (Rk) | 10 | 37 | 1 | 2 | 2.7% | 16.2% | .343 | .351 | .486 |
| JS (A+) | 50 | 184 | 7 | 5 | 6.5% | 25.0% | .285 | .343 | .467 |
| Total | 60 | 221 | 8 | 7 | 5.9% | 23.5% | .295 | .344 | .470 |
Role: Bench Outfielder
Risk: High – Despite showing improvements in contact abilities, there is still plenty of risk that Heredia will not hit the ball enough to make it through the high minors.
Overview: Heredia has hovered on the periphery of prospect conversation for a few years now. After a mediocre 2024 season, he had a solid 2025 campaign with Jersey Shore. Heredia did miss a month and a half to injury and was not fully an everyday player for much of the year, but he had a blistering end of the season to make things interesting. He has above average raw power and is a solid defender in right field with a strong throwing arm. He hit righties as well as lefties on a macro level this year. His one glaring problem has been his approach. He has been a free swinger at each level, and this season he didn’t really cut down on that problem, but he did swing and miss less, and swung in the zone more. He can be susceptible to offspeed pitches, and there is a decent chance that when he hits AA or AAA he just gets a procession of breaking balls off the plate and won’t be able to handle them. If he can reign in those tendencies a bit, he has the underlying tools to be a bench outfielder on the fringes of a roster.
2026 Outlook: There are outfield spots available in Reading and more of a backlog in Jersey Shore. If he finishes off the ABL season well, it could do well for his ability to start in AA.
ETA: 2028
Previous Rank: 45
48. Estibenzon Jimenez, RHP
Age: 24 (1/25/02)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies in 2019
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’1” 172lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JS (A+) | 14 | 6 | 5-2 | 53.0 | 5.09 | 8.8 | 1.5 | 6.6% | 24.6% |
| REA (AA) | 13 | 13 | 3-4 | 70.0 | 4.63 | 9.0 | 1.4 | 6.4% | 20.3% |
| Total | 27 | 19 | 8-6 | 123.0 | 4.83 | 8.9 | 1.5 | 6.5% | 22.2% |
Role: #6 Starter/Middle Reliever
Risk: High – Jimenez lacks a pitch to lean on as a high leverage reliever or definitive starting pitcher, but has a good base that could work if he can find that pitch.
Overview: After a down 2024 season, Jimenez leveraged a good ABL season into a bounceback 2025 season. He started in the bullpen, but moved into the rotation in late May and made it to Reading in June. As a starter, his fastball sat 92-96, but he has shown as a reliever he can sit more in the top end of that range. He throws a solid slider and changeup, both of which he can throw in the zone. Jimenez fills the zone with good control and solid command, but none of his pitches elicit plus whiff rates either in or out of the zone. He could use a bigger breaking ball or other change to get hitters to expand the zone more. Currently, Jimenez is fly ball prone, which has led to high home run rates. Without improvement, Jimenez could still reach the majors because he can pitch multiple innings both in or out of the rotation in the same sort of role that Alan Rangel provided the 2025 Phillies. However, he is unlikely to be a major league mainstay without finding a way to miss bats.
2026 Outlook: Jimenez likely returns to Reading in the rotation to start the year, but if there is an opening in Lehigh Valley his role could change to meet org needs. He is a minor league free agent after the year so he could be auditioning for other teams as well.
ETA: 2027
Previous Rank: UR
49. Zuher Yousuf, LHP
Age: 19 (5/24/06)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies in 2024
B/T: L/L
H/W: 5’10” 174lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHIW (DSL) | 3 | 3 | 1-0 | 12.1 | 0.73 | 5.8 | 0.0 | 6.5% | 39.1% |
| PHI (Rk) | 4 | 3 | 0-1 | 19.0 | 1.89 | 5.7 | 0.5 | 6.6% | 19.7% |
| CLW (A-) | 5 | 2 | 2-1 | 17.2 | 2.04 | 7.6 | 1.0 | 13.8% | 27.5% |
| Total | 12 | 8 | 3-2 | 49 | 1.65 | 6.4 | .6 | 9.4% | 27.2% |
Role: Middle Reliever
Risk: Extreme – There aren’t many 5’10” starting pitchers, and especially not many that throw around 90. None of Yousuf’s stuff is particularly special either, so there is no pitch to fall back on.
Overview: A season ago, Yousuf was just an overage, late signing putting up good numbers in middle relief in the DSL. This season he dominated both the Dominican and Florida complex leagues before getting a taste of A-ball at the end of the year. It is going to be years before light tossing lefty international pitchers for the Phillies stop getting tagged with Ranger Suarez vibes, but you get it with Yousuf. He throws a pair of fastballs 88-92 with middling movement profiles as he doesn’t really leverage his height in his approach angle. His slider has some sweep and drop to it, almost like a mini-curveball. His best pitch results wise has been his changeup that he sells well off of his fastball. He fills up the zone with his fastball and slider which sets up the changeup nicely and keeps hitters from sitting on his below average offerings. Currently, he does not have major league stuff, and his body does not portend major league stuff coming in the future. However, Yousuf pitches with a swagger and command that makes him fun to watch and gives him a slight opening to be more if the stuff does improve.
2026 Outlook: Despite finishing with the Threshers, it would not be surprising if he starts pitching in the complex and then joins the Threshers once the first set of players are promoted to Jersey Shore.
ETA: 2029
Previous Rank: UR
50. Deiry Gonzalez, RHP
Age: 17 (4/8/08)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies in 2025
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’1” 172lbs
2025 Stats:
| Team (LVL) | G | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHIR (DSL) | 10 | 10 | 2-0 | 40.0 | 1.13 | 6.8 | 0.0 | 5.3% | 22.5% |
Role: Starting Pitcher
Risk: Extreme – Gonzalez is a 17, soon to be 18 year old pitcher who averages about 90 mph with his fastball and a frame that is unlikely to grow into a large velocity jump. However, he shows good command and feel for pitching at a young age.
Overview: Gonzalez was the best statistical pitcher on the Phillies DSL teams. He has a skinny upper body, but a decently developed lower half, who repeats his low three quarters delivery well. His fastball sits 87 to 91 with sinker shape and he pairs it with a slider, changeup, and curveball. His delivery has some deception, and he was able to locate his pitches better than most pitchers at the level. If Gonzalez’s stuff does not improve with age he will likely top out in A-ball as better hitters are able to hit the pitches in the zone. However, occasionally for pitchers with this type of pitchability they are able to use this foundation to build into a workable back end of a rotation type arm as their body grows into average stuff.
2026 Outlook: Given his results in the DSL and feel for pitching, Gonzalez makes an ideal candidate to come over and pitch in the complex and FCL.
ETA: 2031
Previous Rank: N/A