With the 27th pick in the draft the Phillies went back to the high school well again with Florida HS third baseman Aidan Miller.
Public rankings all agreed he was better than the 27th pick, but were largely divided on him. MLB Pipeline rated him 13th, Perfect Game 13th as well, Keith Law had him 19th, Fangraphs at 15, ESPN at 24, and Baseball America at 20 (he did not appear on Baseball Prospectus’s Top 25). One of the major problems is his injury, a broken hamate, earlier this spring. He is back hitting, but it affected his power and while most players return to power in a year, not all have. For analytics heavy teams, the fact that he is already 19 probably scared some of them away. The swing itself comes with some red flags too. It is noisy to start with a lot of movement. He is listed as a third baseman on most draft boards, though he played shortstop in high school, and that move down the defensive spectrum would have given some organizations pause with high school shortstops still on the board.
That is a lot of reason why Miller fell to 27, but there are many reasons why he was ranked highly. He has a long track record of hitting in showcases and for the US national team. His swing motions work because he has great bat speed, and a good approach. The bat speed and projectable frame means that most outlets have him with at least plus raw power and the chance for more. He has the arm to play third, and currently has the range as well, but corner outfield could end up being his position if he slows more as he fills out.
Overall, there is some risk in the swing and the injury. He comes with more upside than many late first round picks, but the Phillies are going to need to help clean some things up. He is an Arkansas recruit and as a high schooler sliding down the draft there is definitely some worry (without knowing his actual number) not about whether the Phillies will sign him, but what else do they need to do in the draft to sign.