Phillies 2026 Top Prospects – The Actual Middle of the List (#11-#21)

If you want a microcosm of the Phillies system, this part of the list is probably it. It is pitching heavy, but that pitching comes in the form of future back end starters, relievers with command issues, and just drafted arms. Some of this is good, since it has been a while since the Phillies have developed a volume of relief arms, and they have really  struggled outside of Orion Kerkering rocketing to the majors. In McFarlane and Kerkering you also see some of the value of drafting pitchers with actual upside, and those types of arms now dot the list. On the other side, you have three bats in this range that have all fallen at least 5 spots from where they were ranked coming into 2025, due to both injury and hit tool risks. The Phillies have struggled to draft and develop the right type of hitters, and even when it looks like they have, there are struggles along the way. One of the consequences previously talked about when it comes to a shallow system is that the prospects aren’t bad, there are just fewer at each level, and really you would want this group to run from like 15 to 30 in a healthy system and not 11-21.

All ages are as of Opening Day – March 26, 2026

11. Alex McFarlane, RHP

Age: 24 (6/9/01)
Acquired: Drafted in the 4th Round of the 2022 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’3” 215lbs
2025 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
JS (A+)	24	18	2-9	74.1	4.72	7.3	0.5	12.5%	23.1%
REA (AA)	4	0	2-1	5.2	6.35	11.1	0.0	12.0%	32.0%
Total	28	18	4-9	80.0	4.84	7.5	0.5	12.4%	23.7%

Role: Late Inning Reliever
Risk: Medium – There isn’t a huge sample size of McFarlane as a full time reliever, but the stuff is there to get outs, you just need to make some leaps of faith about his command.
Summary: McFarlane’s 2023 season started off great, took a turn for the worse, and then ultimately ended up in Tommy John surgery. He missed all of 2024, but was throwing outside of games in Instructional League, and he hit the ground running in 2025. After an electric appearance in the Spring Breakout, the Phillies put him in the Jersey Shore rotation. He struggled at first, then was electric for 4 weeks, and then had another down period followed by success. In mid-August they put him in the bullpen to end the year to help limit his overall workload and get a view on him in the role. McFarlane was an odd fit as a starting pitcher, his fastball sat more 92-96, starting on the high end and then fading. Against A-ball hitters, that and his slider was often enough, especially vs RHBs. In relief, he was immediately back to 95-99, touching 100. He throws both a 4-seamer and a sinker, but the sinker is his real go-to fastball. His slider is more conventional in shape, almost a small power curveball with two plane movement. He can land it for strikes or for chases, and it projects as at least a plus pitch. He struggled vs left handed hitters and started working on a splitter during the season to help make himself less platoon susceptible. He still does not throw quite enough strikes, but it isn’t hard to see him one more year removed from Tommy John surgery coming out a bit sharper next year. He isn’t that far away from being a hard throwing middle reliever, and some real tweaks away from being a late inning arm.
2026 Outlook: The Phillies added McFarlane to the 40 man roster this offseason, but he isn’t a real threat to make the opening day roster. He likely goes to Reading, and if he has success he likely gets pushed to Lehigh Valley to wait his turn for a major league call.
ETA: 2026
Previous Rank: 17

12. Yoniel Curet, RHP

Age: 23 (11/3/02)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Rays in 2019. Traded to the Phillies for Tommy McCollum.
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’2” 250lbs
2025 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
Rays (Rk)	3	2	1-0	5.1	0.00	3.4	0.0	0.0%	38.1%
MONT (AA)	5	5	1-0	18.2	1.45	5.8	0.0	6.8%	26.0%
DUR (AAA)	8	7	1-3	31.1	6.03	9.8	0.6	17.4%	23.5%
Total	16	14	3-3	55.1	3.90	7.8	0.3	12.8%	25.5%

Role: Late Inning Reliever
Risk: Medium – Curet is moving to a new role so there is some risk to how his pitches may play up or not out of the bullpen. He has the velocity and flashes the secondary pitches to have success in short bursts.
Overview: Curet was a well regarded starting pitching prospect in the Rays system, but command issues and an injury made him a 40 man roster casualty this offseason. The Phillies plan to move him full time to the bullpen, where they think his stuff will play better, and he will be able to impact their major league roster sooner. As a starter, Curet’s fastball sat about 96 and reached up to 99. Hitters swung and missed at it due to the velocity, but it doesn’t have great shape, with some sinker run, but not enough sink, ride, or flat angle, which caused hitters to hit it hard when they made contact. His slider is a cutter that doesn’t really have vertical bite or the velocity to support that movement, and while it suppressed some contact quality, it didn’t induce chases or whiffs at a high rate. He also did not throw it in the zone enough for it to be a real alternative to the fastball. His changeup is weird and intriguing. It has very little vertical or spin separation from his fastball, but he threw it 10 mph slower, and the unexpected movement led to high chase rates and a poor contact quality. It is purely a chase pitch right now, but given the results on it, he probably should throw it more than 8 percent of the time. The Phillies are going to need to make some arsenal and pitch usage changes to make everything work for Curet, but he has the arm strength that in a short burst he could be very interesting. 
2026 Outlook: Given this is his last option year, Curet will almost certainly begin the year in Lehigh Valley working on getting accustomed to his new role and any development the Phillies want to do with his pitches. Once he adapts to the role, he will be part of the competition for the last few spots in the bullpen as the season progresses.
ETA: 2026
Previous Rank: N/A

13. Jean Cabrera RHP

Age: 24 (10/20/01)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent by the Phillies in 2019.
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’0” 145
2025 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
REA (AA)	26	26	6-9	137.0	3.81	7.0	0.7	10.6%	22.2%

Role: #4 Starting Pitcher
Risk: Medium – Cabrera has the pitch mix and command of a starting pitcher. However, his fastballs play down below their velocity due to shape, and his secondary pitches are only average to plus. There is a chance that he just will not get enough chases and misses to get major league hitters out, or he may need to move to the bullpen to find the extra juice needed to make his fastball work.
Overview: The Phillies added Cabrera to the 40 man roster before the 2025 season, and he went down to AA Reading and toiled away on a solid season. The spindly righty put up an org leading 137 innings, pitching at least 4 innings in all of his starts and at least 5 in 22 of 26. Despite his frame, he quietly has been a minor league workhorse now for 3 seasons. He was much better away from Reading, where his home run and hit rates were substantially higher. He gradually improved his results month over month until hitting an August wall. This year he added a mid 80s cutter to his arsenal, but it has made infrequent appearances into his game. Outside of that, he is still mostly the same pitcher with a 4-seamer and sinker that will sit 91-96 and mostly 93-94 with below average shape. He continues to improve command of his sweeper, using it out of the zone for chases and locating it armside for called strikes. It is an average pitch that stands out more for his ability to locate it than its movement. His changeup is still his best pitch, a high 80s offering he hides well, that runs armside. He did some interesting criss-cross things with his sweeper and changeup to both righties and lefties that allowed him to attack the edges of the zone more. He already has begun to deemphasize his fastballs, but his secondary pitches are just not good enough to carry him on their own. His command is good, with many of his walks coming from not eliciting chases more than missing his spots. Overall, despite his appearance, Cabrera probably profiles best as a backend starting pitcher who can limit damage, but not dominate a lineup. He may end up in the bullpen at some point, where he will just emphasize his offspeed pitches, and maybe pick up a little extra velocity.
2026 Outlook: The trade of Mick Abel and Zack Wheeler’s injury puts Cabrera in the position to be a major league call up if there are starting pitching injuries. He will likely go to Lehigh Valley, where he will work on polishing his arsenal and wait for what major league need arises.
ETA: 2026
Previous Rank: 12

14. Ramon Marquez, RHP

Age: 20 (9/19/05)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent in 2025 by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’2” 182lbs
2025 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
PHI (Rk)	10	8	1-3	38.0	4.50	8.5	0.9	7.1%	29.8%
CLW (A-)	4	4	2-0	17.0	4.24	8.5	0.0	7.1%	31.4%
Total	14	12	3-3	55.0	4.42	8.5	0.7	7.1%	30.3%

Role: #3/4 Starter
Risk: High – Marquez has 4 starts of full season ball in his career, so he will need to prove that he can sell his changeup against higher level hitters. He has a mature arsenal for his age and experience level.
Overview: The Phillies signed Marquez as an overage, low bonus 19 year old when the 2025 international signing period opened. He stood out, particularly for his changeup, as Dominican Spring Training went on, and the Phillies moved him to the FCL for his pro debut. He had some struggles, but flashed dominance. After the end of the FCL season he made 4 appearances with the Threshers, ending with two great appearances. Marquez’s fastball is his worst pitch, sitting 92 to 96 with movement that is sinker-ish, but not fully committed to the armside movement. He split his usage of his two secondary pitches pretty equally late in the year, especially as he worked on his slider. His slider is a near perfect 0” IVB 0” HB gyro that averages about 86 mph. It wasn’t a particularly good bat misser in the zone, but he can throw it for strikes and chases without getting killed in the zone. The monster pitch for Marquez is his changeup. He throws it with the same arm speed and spin rate as his fastball, but has a nearly 13mph velocity separation from his fastball with 9 inches less induced vertical break. In his 4 Florida State League appearances, opposing hitters had a 53% zone contact rate on it with a 51% chase rate. It is not a surprise that he completely neutralized left handed batters all season. Marquez is a bit on the older side, but he has a frame that could add a little more muscle and possibly velocity. He will need to improve his command because his fastball will get hit. How much he can improve around that weakness will determine if he is just a fun back end starter or if he has more ceiling.
2026 Outlook: After his brief appearance with the Threshers in 2025, Marquez will likely start in the Threshers rotation in 2026. If his changeup overwhelms low minors hitters, the Phillies may be forced to promote him quickly.
ETA: 2029
Previous Rank: N/A

15. Cody Bowker, RHP

Age: 22 (12/18/03)
Acquired: Drafted in the 3rd Round of the 2025 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’1” 212lbs
2025 Stats: Did not pitch professionally in 2025
Role: #3/#4 Starter
Risk: High – Bowker has a decent amount of reliever risk because of the lack of secondary pitches, and he is a bit of a development project overall. His fastball shape gives him something to work with in both a starting or relief role.
Overview: The Phillies have been late to the “spending decent draft picks on pitchers with interesting traits to then develop” party. Bowker’s best pitch is a low 90s fastball that has great plane and ride due to a low release point. Up in the zone it is a bat missing pitch, but given his lower velocity, he can be home run prone if he leaves it lower. He has the makings of the rest of a starter’s arsenal, including a sweeping slider, cutter, and changeup. The Phillies will need to improve those pitches, and in particular his command of them, so he can use some of them to grab strikes and still use the 4-seam fastball to get chases out of the zone. It could be a place where they work in a sinker for contact control and strikes against right handed batters. Bowker is the type of arm that good development organizations have been able to tease out a bit more velocity and secondary pitches from to produce a good major leaguer.
2026 Outlook: There is a bit of a cluster of starting pitching arms between Jersey Shore and Clearwater. It would not be surprising if Bowker started in Clearwater but was up north by the middle of the season. He pitched over 70 innings the past two years, so he should be able to handle a fairly standard minor league workload in 2026.
ETA: 2028
Previous Rank: N/A

16. Devin Saltiban CF

Age: 21 (2/14/05)
Acquired: Drafted in the 3rd Round of the 2023 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 5’9” 180lbs
2025 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	PA	HR	SB	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG
PHI (Rk)	10	41	1	0	4.9%	24.4%	.054	.146	.162
CLW (A-)	1	5	1	0	0.0%	0.0%	.600	.600	1.200
JS (A+)	66	295	5	19	7.1%	31.2%	.190	.269	.308
Total	77	341	7	19	6.7%	29.9%	.180	.259	.305

Role: Average Regular
Risk: High – Saltiban has moved to center field, but he is not a complete lock to stay there, however it does make his path clearer. He still struggles with offspeed pitches enough to worry about his future hit tool.
Overview: Saltiban’s first pro season in 2024 hinted at a real chance for a breakout, but instead his 2025 season went horribly wrong. He struggled to open the year, and then just when it seemed like he was putting things together, he suffered a very unfortunate injury. He moved off of the infield and back to center field after his return, and flashed some of his previous promise, but overall looked overmatched at the plate. Saltiban showed concerning swing and miss in 2024, but still a decent approach, but 2025 saw him both more aggressively swinging the bat and more prone to whiffs. His strikeout rate jumped from 24.8% to 29.9%, while his walk rate was cut nearly in half. There is still a lot to like about the raw skills of Saltiban. He has the speed and athleticism to play center field or be a good corner defender, and given his struggles on the infield dirt, it is probably a better defensive fit. He has good pull side power and a swing that visually can look very good. He is going to need to solve offspeed pitches to have any chance, and so far through two seasons that has not been a place of optimism. He is still being overly aggressive at the plate this winter with Adelaide, but he has also been one of the better hitters in the ABL.
2026 Outlook: Given how he has performed in winter ball, Saltiban could open the season with Reading. It would not be surprising though if the Phillies want him to fully conquer Jersey Shore first. Either way, AA feels like the right level for him to work through his major issues.
ETA: 2028
Previous Rank: 9

17. Sean Youngerman, RHP

Age: 21 (7/9/04)
Acquired: Drafted in the 4th Round of the 2025 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’3” 230lbs
2025 Stats: Did not pitch professionally in 2025
Role: Backend Starter or Reliever
Risk: High – Youngerman was a reliever for much of 2025, and while he looks like a good starting candidate, he currently lacks the secondary pitches to make it a sure thing. The same thing is a problem in the bullpen where he needs a second pitch.
Overview: Youngerman was a starting pitcher at Westmont, but made 6 starts and 14 appearances in the bullpen for Oklahoma State after transferring for the 2025 season. He has good size with a riding fastball in the mid 90s. He walked just 8 batters in 52 innings thanks to good command. Most of his success came from his fastball, and he will need to improve his slider and changeup in any role he is in. What makes him interesting as a 4th round pick is that he has the base to be a starting pitcher if the Phillies can find the secondary pitch shapes that work for him. If starting doesn’t work, he has had success in a relief role, but he will need at least one good secondary pitch as a pro in that role.
2026 Outlook: The Phillies should give Youngerman a chance to start for the Threshers, but his limited innings in 2025 might limit how deep into games he gets to pitch.
ETA: 2028
Previous Rank: N/A

18. Carson DeMartini, 3B

Age: 23 (12/27/02)
Acquired: Drafted in the 4th Round of the 2024 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: L/R
H/W: 6’0” 197lbs
2025 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	PA	HR	SB	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG
JS (A+)	53	229	8	18	13.5%	27.9%	.284	.402	.474
REA (AA)	66	292	2	27	9.6%	25.7%	.202	.291	.288
Total	119	521	10	45	11.3%	26.7%	.237	.340	.367

Role: Everyday Regular
Risk: High – DeMartini had concerning contact rates at multiple levels in 2025 and did not hit for power once he reached AA. However, he looks like a pretty good glove at the hot corner.
Overview: It took a month for DeMartini to start hitting for power with the BlueClaws, but he went on a hot streak to end May and to begin June that got him promoted to Reading. Unfortunately, he only hit 2 home runs in Reading thanks to a miniscule 2.4% HR/FB rate and a large number of pop ups, despite the park being favorable to home run power. After not striking out much in his pro-debut, DeMartini swung and missed at a high rate at both levels in 2025, though notably he improved slightly with Reading. He also struggled against left handed pitching, which could possibly lead him towards more of a platoon role. Outside of the hitting, it was a good year for DeMartini, who stole 45 bases on solid efficiency and played 25 games at shortstop. The show of athleticism, when coupled with a return to pre-injury arm strength, points to a decent defensive floor at third base. He did suffer an injury at the end of the year that caused him to miss the Arizona Fall League. Much like after the draft, it comes down to whether DeMartini can make enough contact, and 2025 was a worrying step backwards in that aspect. If he can at least get back to hitting for power, he has the ceiling of a 3 true outcomes, solid defensive third baseman, which is probably on the fringes of everyday starter.
2026 Outlook: DeMartini should return to Reading, and he likely spends most of the year in AA. Making enough contact will be a priority, but actually hitting the ball out of the ballpark might be the thing to watch early.
ETA: 2027
Previous Rank: 13

19. Wen-Hui Pan, RHP

Age: 23 (9/19/02)
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent in 2023 by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’3” 220lbs
2025 Stats: Did not pitch professionally in 2025
Role: 7th Inning Reliever
Risk: High – Pan missed the 2025 season to Tommy John surgery and missed much of 2024 with other injuries. He has never pitched above A-ball.
Overview: Pan has missed most of the last two seasons due to injury, but he should be good to go this spring. The injuries have likely ended any chance that Pan will be a starting pitcher, but he has shown good results out of the bullpen already. His fastball has good peak velocity (up to 100), but he has had appearance to appearance variations from mid to high 90s. He gets a bit of ride on the pitch, but it plays down due to release point and angle and only average extension. In 2024, he began to shelve his slow curveball in favor of a high-80s gyro slider that had better success. His best pitch however has been his splitter, which showed much more consistency prior to his injury. Long term he will need to ramp up his usage of the pitch to both righties and lefties. As a converted starter, Pan pitched in single and multi inning roles, but it remains to be seen what his role will be when he returns. If Pan can come back from surgery with the peak of his stuff from before his injury, he could be a quick moving late inning reliever. However, it is likely the combination of existing inconsistencies and return from surgery is likely to make for a more uneven return.
2026 Outlook: Pan ended the 2024 season with Jersey Shore. Assuming he comes into spring healthy and has success, he could break camp with Reading. He will be Rule 5 eligible after the season, so if he comes back successfully he could be in line for a late season rise to the majors and 40 man roster.
ETA: 2027
Previous Rank: 22

20. Griffin Burkholder, OF

Age: 20 (8/30/05)
Acquired: Drafted in the 2nd Round of the 2024 Draft by the Phillies
B/T: R/R
H/W: 6’1” 195lbs
2025 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	PA	HR	SB	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG
PHI (Rk)	15	64	2	1	7.8%	26.6%	.190	.266	.362
CLW (A-)	19	81	2	0	8.6%	30.9%	.203	.309	.406
Total	34	145	4	1	8.3%	29.0%	.197	.290	.386

Role: Average Regular
Risk: Extreme – Any projection is entirely a tools bet when it comes to Burkholder. He has played 35 games and shown some pretty stark red flags in those games, but also he has never really played consistently everyday to build up any sort of rhythm.
Summary: Burkholder was supposed to be the upside and risk to Nori’s safety in the 2024 draft, and so far only the risk has really shown up. He has had multiple hamstring injuries and a recurrence of a pre-draft issue. In this brief time with the Threshers he had a whiff rate against secondary pitches near 60%, and while his chase rates weren’t bad, he had a 71% zone contact %. Those are some of the worst numbers at the level and hint at an inability to make contact. However, it was 19 games, and he was playing every other day for most of it while he worked back from injury. He still flashes plus raw power and the ability to elevate the baseball. It is hard to judge how the injuries have affected his athleticism and speed, because he has been clearly limited in what the Phillies asked him to do as he worked his way back. There is a chance this is all just a bunch of missed time, and he is a solid major leaguer in 5 years, but the trend is looking like a player who can’t stay on the field and has serious hit tool concerns if he ever can play.
2026 Outlook: Given his lack of game experience, the Phillies almost have to start him in Clearwater again. If he has success, it would make sense for them to give him a midseason promotion to Jersey Shore just to get him back on track developmentally.
ETA: 2029
Previous Rank: 6

21. Mavis Graves, LHP

Age: 22 (11/20/03)
Acquired: Drafted in the 6th Round of the 2022 Draft by the Phillies 
B/T: L/L
H/W: 6’6” 205lbs
2025 Stats:

Team (LVL)	G	GS	W-L	IP	ERA	H/9	HR/9	BB%	K%
JS (A+)	21	21	6-7	81.2	4.41	8.2	0.7	13.7%	27.7%

Role: Back of the Rotation Starter
Risk: High – Graves has struggled to get strikes with offspeed pitches against hitters who chase less. His fastballs have been poor enough that he can’t rely on them in the zone.
Overview: Where 2024 looked like a prelude to a leap, 2025 was more of a small improvement that might as well have been stagnation for Mavis Graves. The big lefty struggled with strike throwing early in the year before putting together a solid back half of the season. His fastball velocity and shape hasn’t improved, but he threw it less and with better command. And while his peak and overall velocity didn’t change, he sat more in the low 90s without as much loss of velocity over the course of his starts. His two breaking balls, a sweeping slider and more of a cutter, continue to be about 4 mph slower than would be ideal. He is very reliant on hitters expanding the zone vs those two pitches, and higher level batters are going to make him come in the zone. Given how slow those pitches can be, it is worrying that better hitters will time them up. They did combine to make him devastating to left handed batters this year. His changeup has really developed into a nice pitch, but it can suffer from the fastball deficiencies and the cutter not setting it up well. Graves will be 22 next season and still has the physical size to possibly add a little more zip, but the runway to do so, given how much dev time he has already had, is shortening. He is currently trending towards a secondary pitch forward backend starter, but if he continues to not show steps forward, he might get a shot as a funky lefty reliever.
2026 Outlook: Graves should open in the Reading rotation, which will be a larger challenge. He will be Rule 5 eligible after the season which could make him a trade chip.
ETA: 2028
Previous Rank: 14