Phillies farm system among the worst according to ESPN
ESPN released their annual ‘Top 100 Prospects‘ and ‘Farm System Rankings‘ this week and not surprisingly the Phillies ranked near the bottom of MLB at #24.
This is what Kiley McDaniels had to say about the Phillies…
24. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies lost a lot of value in their system when Alec Bohm graduated with a stellar rookie campaign.
Taking out the past two first-round picks, the Phillies’ top seven of eight prospects are all on the 40-man roster, offering some short-term value being close to the big leagues. That also means there isn’t as much premium talent in the lower minors to fuel a move up the rankings, and plenty of potential graduations before next year’s list. This, combined with a team that’s trying to compete, means Philly will probably stay in the bottom third of the list for another couple of years.
The Phillies certainly deserve credit for graduating so many of their top prospects successfully to the show in recent seasons but it also would take a full length article to fully describe the past organizational failures of the Phillies developmental system. I have routinely been critical of the Phillies approach of focusing on high school prospects with raw ‘tools’, rather than ability or previous production.
Since the 2014 season when Ruben Amaro Jr. fired scouting director Marti Wolever and hired Johnny Almaraz and subsequently Brian Barber, the results have been much, much better. Andrew Knapp, Aron Nola, Rhys Hoskins, Scott Kingery, Spencer Howard, Adam Haseley, Alec Bohm, and Mickey Moniak all drafted since 2013, project to be on the 26 man roster on Opening Day 2021. The front office has shifted their strategy toward drafting successful college players and it is clearly working.
If this trend continues we could see 2019 1st-round pick Bryson Stott reach South Philly sometime during the 2022 season. The timing would be perfect as Didi Gregorius becomes a free agent in 2023. If the Phillies can continue to spend up to the salary cap limit and develop young talent like they have in recent seasons they should find themselves perennially contending for the playoffs.
So while many fans will be upset with a ranking in the bottom 1/3rd of the league, it does not fully represent the past and present quality of the Phillies developmental system under the direction of Brian Barber. With a full 2021 minor league season we could see the likes of Mick Abel and Casey Martin added to the top 100 mid-season.
Stay tuned for Red October: A Phillies Podcast debuting soon on The Liberty Line.
