Philadelphia Phillies hamstrung by development woes

The Philadelphia Phillies’ ability to build a sustainable contender has been hamstrung by their complete inability to draft hitters.

The last few years have been a complete disappointment for the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite their forays into free agency, and bringing in the likes of Bryce Harper and Zack Wheeler, and trading for J.T. Realmuto, the Phillies have hovered in mediocrity. They have been six games under .500 in that span, leading to changes on the bench and in the front office.

But the Phillies issues go far beyond the last three years. They have consistently struggled in the draft over the past decade, unable to find pieces that can make an impact in their lineup.

Dating back to the 2010 MLB Draft, the Phillies have selected just eight hitters that have had a positive bWAR. Rhys Hoskins leads the pack with a 5.4 bWAR in that span. The second, third, and fourth ranked players are not a part of the Phillies organization, with Cavan Biggio (4.6 bWAR) and J.P. Crawford (3.5 bWAR) playing for other teams. Ironically, both players were selected in the 2013 MLB Draft.

At least Cameron Rupp earned his 2.9 bWAR with the Phillies. However, he has not played in the majors since 2017, bouncing around AAA since. Adam Haseley and Alec Bohm currently rank as the second and third best hitters the Phillies have drafted that are still in the organization.

The Phillies’ struggles in the draft were not just on offense. Four of their first round picks between 2010 and 2018 did not reach the majors. Outfielder Larry Greene topped out at A ball and spent just three years in the organization. The Phillies’ two first round picks in 2012, Shane Watson and Mitch Gueller, did not get past AA and A ball respectively. 2015 first rounder, Cornelius Randolph, spent 2018 and 2019 in AA, but has struggled.

The 2015 draft class was a disaster in its own right. While Randolph is still young and could hypothetically become a piece for the future, only one player selected in that draft reached the majors. Scott Kingery is also the seventh best player they drafted with a 0.5 bWAR.

Every team will miss in the draft. Those ‘can’t miss’ prospects will miss. But there are also those players later in the draft that will surprise and emerge, maybe not as stars, but as useful parts of the roster. The Phillies simply have not found those pieces for the lineup.

Those consistent misses have hamstrung the Phillies’ efforts to build a winning ballclub. While they have thrown money at the lineup, they have been unable to fortify other areas. A weak back of the rotation, and a bullpen that is closer to a dumpster fire than a collection of major league pitchers, have stymied their efforts to return to the postseason.

Drafting and developing hitters has been a problem for the Philadelphia Phillies over the past decade. If they are truly going to turn their fortunes around, it needs to begin at the minor league level.