Philadelphia Phillies: Top 10 Rookie-eligible prospects for 2018

We have reached the point of the offseason where prospect lists abound. We continue our top 10 prospects for every team with the Philadelphia Phillies!

Our team top 10 prospect lists at Call to the Pen are spearheaded by Benjamin Chase. Today, he gives us the top ten prospects for the Philadelphia Phillies.

This season, we will be going through teams by division, in order of 2017 record. The AL East will be first, followed by the AL Central and AL West. Then the focus will shift to the National League in the same order.

The format will be as it was last season for the same lists, with a system review, which will include last season’s list. The top 10 will follow in reverse order, two players per page in order to give adequate space to each player. Major trades or international signings will lead to an updated top 10!

Finally, don’t go away after #1 is revealed as each list will also contain a player either signed in the 2017 international free agent class or drafted in 2017 that isn’t part of the top 10 and should be tracked. Last season’s mentions in that area made over half of the top 10s this season, so this is a great way to get to know a player who could be making a big splash in the organization.

System overview

Last year’s list

After one of the better home-grown runs from 2007-2011, which took them to three NLCS, two World Series, and one championship win, the Phillies attempted to hold steady with that group and found they grew old in a hurry, leading to a tear down and rebuild.

The Phillies are at the end of their rebuild phase, with competitiveness in the very near future. In fact, this offseason, the team signed some pieces in Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana that should figure into the leadership of the next winning Phillies ballclub.

While the Phillies system seemed to have a middling year as a whole, some of the guys really stepped up to separate themselves from the pack of a fairly deep group of viable prospects within the system.

Let’s take a look at that system….

Next: #9 and #10

8. Adam Haseley, OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 4/12/1996 (21)
2017 teams/levels played for: Gulf Coast League Phillies, short-season A-ball Williamsport Crosscutters, low-A Lakewood BlueClaws
2017 Stats: .284/.357/.405, 246 PA, 3 HR, 6 SB, 22/44 BB/K

Info: Haseley had attention out of high school as a hitter and a pitcher such that pro clubs couldn’t decide where they liked him best. After time at Virginia where he was able to both but finally broke out as a center fielder in his draft year, he finally distinguished his pitching from his hitting.

The Philadelphia Phillies picked Haseley with the 8th overall pick in June, following Virginia teammate Pavin Smith as the first two college position players selected. Haseley then went on to show very tired in his first couple weeks of pro ball, but that’s very likely due to the combination of pitching and hitting wear on his body over a long collegiate season.

Haseley isn’t a guy who does anything particularly elite, but he has a stable of average to above-average tools across the board. In spite of his career on the mound, his arm is above-average in the field, but his baseball instincts do allow him to really play up all his raw tools.

While Haseley won’t likely be a guy to ever win a home run title or batting title or a stolen base title, he could be a guy who plays above-average defense in center field with quality numbers across the board once he works his way up the Philadelphia Phillies farm system, likely starting at high-A this season.

7. Franklyn Kilome, RHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/25/1995 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Clearwater Threshers, AA Reading Fightin Phils
2017 Stats: 24 GS, 127 IP, 2.83 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 9.8% BB, 19.4% K

Info: A lanky Latin arm with a loose arm seems to be a Philadelphia Phillies cheap buy method, especially in the Dominican, and Kilome is possibly the first of the recent batch, signing for $40,000 in 2013 as a 17 year-old.

Kilome has filled out enough into his 6’6″ frame that he has seen his top-end velocity rub against triple digits

He’s still plenty skinny, but Kilome has filled out enough into his 6’6″ frame that he has seen his top-end velocity rub against triple digits, sitting in the mid-90s with his four-seam and adding a two-seam fastball in 2017 that sat just a tick below in velocity but had incredible late movement low in the zone and benefitted from the plane of his lone limbs and 6’6″ height.

Kilome works with three offspeed pitches that can all be quality when he can control them well. His curve is definitely his best, showing above-average often and flashing plus at times. His slider can get slurvy, but when sharp, he has a tight, late break on the pitch. His change pairs better with the two-seam, but it’s a work in progress still.

Like many at 6’6″ and taller, Kilome struggles with his long limbs in being consistent in his delivery. This has kept Kilome from consistently controlling his elite raw stuff. If he could build that consistency, he has the type of raw stuff to be a frontline starter. He will move up to the upper minors for all of 2018 with the chance to get that delivery correct.

Next: #5 and #6

6. Jorge Alfaro, C

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 6/11/1993 (24)
2017 teams/levels played for: AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs, MLB Philadelphia Phillies
2017 Stats: Minors: .241/.291/.358, 350 PA, 7 HR, 1 SB, 16/113 BB/K; Majors: .318/.360/.514, 114 PA, 5 HR, 3/33 BB/K

Info: A player long followed in the prospect-hound community due to his adoration by one of the pioneers of the online prospecting world, Jason Parks (now with the Chicago Cubs), Alfaro has been on the radar of many around the game for nearly a decade now since signing out of Colombia in 2010.

Alfaro has always tantalized due to his rare blend of power, arm, and unique athleticism for a catcher. However, he’s never been able to harness all of the raw gifts into serviceable baseball skills. He has very below average pitch recognition skills that have held up his abilities at the plate throughout his minor league journey.

Alfaro moves well behind the plate, but for all the instruction he’s received there, he still struggles with consistency in his blocking and his framing skills are below-average. His arm is still elite, though he can get lazy with his footwork.

The Philadelphia Phillies will give him every chance to win the starting job out of spring training in 2018 and hope he can translate those raw tools finally into baseball skills.

5. Adonis Medina, RHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 12/18/1996 (21)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Lakewood BlueClaws
2017 Stats: 22 GS, 119 2/3 IP, 3.01 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 7.7% BB, 26.3% K

Info: An easy-throwing 17 year-old when the Philadelphia Phillies signed him to a “cheap” $70,000 bonus out of the Dominican Republic in 2014. He has developed slowly but surely in the Phillies system, and he has seen his stuff take a huge step forward as a result.

(Medina’s) secondary stuff taking a big step forward in 2017 led to his step forward as a prospect as well

Medina works with a fastball that works 93-95 and can touch 97-98, and his extension in his delivery gives his fastball the appearance of coming even faster. He combines that velocity with plus control on the pitch and quality late life.

His secondary stuff taking a big step forward in 2017 led to his step forward as a prospect as well, with his well-controlled change ticking up to a plus pitch and his slider showing sharp, late break, though he’s still working to develop consistency in its velocity and location.

The positive showing in 2017 gives Medina a positive path forward as a #2/3 type of starter. The Philadelphia Phillies will most likely open Medina at high-A, and he could really step forward in a hurry if he shows more advancement in his breaking stuff.

Next: #3 and #4

4. Jhailyn Ortiz, OF

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 11/18/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: short-season A-ball Williamsport Crosscutters
2017 Stats: .302/.401/.560, 187 PA, 8 HR, 5 SB, 18/47 BB/K

Info: A giant of a human being, even at 16, Ortiz drew a $4M+ bonus from the Philadelphia Phillies when they signed him from the Dominican in 2015.

In spite of a frame in the 6’3-6’4 range with a solid 220+ pounds of chiseled muscle, Ortiz is more than just a behemoth as he’s been one of the better athletes on the field on each team he’s been on thus far in his pro career, which is incredible at his size.

Ortiz is never going to be a guy who steals a bunch of bases as he does take a few steps to get up to his above-average speed, but he should be a solid right fielder with his plus arm and underway speed to track down balls.

The booming bat from the right side of the plate will always be Ortiz’s calling card. He has legit double-plus raw power, at least a 65 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, and plenty of scouts dropping a pure 80 on his power, one of 2-3 guys in all of the minor leagues who get that grade on their power.

His ability to control the strike zone and make consistent contact will determine whether he’s just a swing-and-miss miss slugger or a dominating middle-of-the-order force for years to come for the Philadelphia Phillies. His first taste of full-season ball will come in 2018.

3. Scott Kingery, 2B

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 4/29/1994 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: AA Reading Fightin Phils, AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs
2017 Stats: .304/.359/.530, 603 PA, 26 HR, 29 SB, 41/109 BB/K

Info: Kingery got big-time baseball exposure at a young age, playing up the middle with his twin brother on a team that went to the Little League World Series in 2006. He then had the experience of walking on at the University of Arizona to play college baseball, working hard enough to become the conference player of the year his draft season before being selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2nd round of the 2015 draft.

Kingery continued his hard work in building himself into more than others would expect in 2017, as he hit 5 times as many home runs in 2017 as he had in his first two pro seasons combined. He also put in a significant amount of work on his defense, turning himself into a fringe defender when he came into pro ball to a guy that some scouts consider a plus defender in spite of a below-average arm.

Kingery didn’t have quite the same home run power in AAA, and it’d be a farce to expect him to be a 25 home run guy in the major leagues, but he certainly could be a guy who pounded the gaps with 30 doubles, 10-15 home runs, and 20+ steals along with plus defense at second.

While many fans see the big minor league numbers in 2017 and want to see Kingery up in 2018 immediately, he will likely open the season in AAA, but he should factor into the Philadelphia Phillies lineup by the end of the season.

Next: #1 and #2

2. J.P. Crawford, SS

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 1/11/1995 (23)
2017 teams/levels played for: AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs, MLB Philadelphia Phillies
2017 Stats: Minors: .243/.351/.405, 556 PA, 15 HR, 5 SB, 79/97 BB/K; Majors: .214/.356/.300, 87 PA, 1 SB, 16/22 BB/K

Info: For some a bit of prospect fatigue has worn in on Crawford, who was a first round selection out of high school in 2013 by the Philadelphia Phillies and has shown well enough to rank highly throughout his pro career in national rankings, listing as the top Phillies prospect for many years in a row.

Whether that pressure got to Crawford or he was disinterested or what the issue was, he was not in the right head space early in the 2017 season, and his on-field performance reflected it. He took some time off in early June to rest a groin injury and reset himself mentally, and he came back looking like he was having a lot more fun playing the game again, with a spring in his step and in his bat.

The results were evident, as he hit .280/.381/.522 with 13 home runs over his final 71 games in the minors. Crawford’s defense had even become stale and “going through the motions” for him, and he was back to one of the top defenders at shortstop in the entire minor leagues with natural shortstop instincts, plus range, and an above-average arm that should allow him to be a plus defender at the major league level.

With the stick, Crawford has always been lauded for his eye at the plate, but had never really shown home run power or stolen base ability before 2017, when he showed quite a bit more loft into his swing, but even then, it’s likely to be 15-20 home run power. He does have good bat control typically, so he could be a good average, good OBP guy with an elite glove.

Crawford will be given every chance to win the starting shortstop job for the Philadelphia Phillies this spring.

1. Sixto Sanchez, RHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 7/29/1998 (19)
2017 teams/levels played for: low-A Lakewood BlueClaws, high-A Clearwater Threshers
2017 Stats: 18 GS, 95 IP, 3.03 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 4.8% BB, 22.4% K

Info: Signed for a mere “pittance” of $35,000 in 2015 when he impressed them as the pitcher in a tryout for another player, the Philadelphia Phillies have seen Sixto Sanchez quickly grow into one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.

Often, pitchers with big velocity at 6′ or shorter without a big frame are assumed to have future injury issue, but Sanchez does it with such ease

Often, pitchers with big velocity at 6′ or shorter without a big frame are assumed to have future injury issue, but Sanchez does it with such ease, firing out a mid-90s fastball the way most toss a ball in the backyard. He can top 100 with his fastball, which he commands extremely well even with incredible life on the pitch.

With big velocity, many assume that Sanchez should have more strikeouts, and while he’s making a conscious effort to improve his swing and miss on his secondary stuff, the fact that he can control and command his stuff so well that he’s striking out 5 times as many as he walks and he’s not appearing dominant shows how much the raw strikeout number can cloud the view of how a pitcher is getting the job done at times.

Sanchez throws a plus changeup that has excellent sink and late movement low in the zone, and he has really improved his arm deception on that pitch in the last year, making it an effective pitch against both sides of the plate. His breaker is a slider that is average as he uses it more for location than for power, but he’s worked with coaches on either spinning a hard curve or adding a hard slider to pair with his above-average current slider.

His control and command alone with his velocity gives Sanchez the chance to be among the best pitchers in all of baseball, with the comps to Pedro Martinez very easy. He should work his way into the upper minors this season, whether it’s at the very beginning or 2018 or after a quick opening in the Florida State League. Either way, the Philadelphia Phillies will want to give him another jump in his inning load to build up his ability to become a future ace.

Next: Newcomers to watch

2017 Acquisition: Spencer Howard, RHP

Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 7/28/1996 (21)
2017 teams/levels played for: short-season A-ball Williamsport Crosscutters
2017 Stats: 9 GS, 28 1/3 IP, 4.45 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 14.6% BB, 32.5% K

Info: Howard was a former walk-on who ended up the Philadelphia Phillies’ 2nd round selection in the 2017 draft. He’s filled out his lean 6’3″ frame to a more sturdy 200-210 pounds, and his stuff has benefitted.

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While not a major velocity guy, Howard works at 91-93 with his fastball and can tough 95-96 with late movement and excellent location from his easy delivery.

He had two offspeed pitches as an amateur, but he took the “lazy” morphing of one into the other by sharpening up both ends of the morph. He shows a slider, cutter, and change.

The distinction of his slider and cutter really allowed him to attack hitters from both sides of the plate with a late-breaking pitch that strongly mimicked his heater. That allowed Howard to have a monster strikeout rate in his pro debut, in spite of that not likely being his long-term role.

Howard projects as an inning-eater mid-rotation guy that could move quickly with his four-pitch mix now. He’ll open in a full-season league, whether that’s low-A or high-A in 2018.

Next: Arrieta to do more than just pitch

So that is the Philadelphia Phillies top 10 prospects for 2018. Who is too high? Too low? Missing entirely from the list? Comment below!!