Phillies land 3 prospects on the 2026 MLB Pipeline Top 100 list

The Phillies keep telling everyone they want more youth in the mix, and for once they actually have the prospect muscle to back it up. MLB Pipeline dropped its updated Top 100 Prospects list for 2026, and three Phillies made the cut.

Aidan Miller checks in at No. 23, Andrew Painter at No. 28, and Justin Crawford at No. 53. If you are looking for a reason to believe the roster is not doomed to be the same veteran treadmill forever, start there.

No surprise here, the Phillies are not leading baseball in Top 100 volume.

Plenty of teams have more names on the list. But what matters is readiness. The Phillies do not just have prospects. They have prospects who can actually show up this season and take jobs.

Justin Crawford is going to get every chance to win the everyday center field role in spring training. Andrew Painter has a real shot to break camp in the rotation. Aidan Miller might not have a clean path right now, but he is exactly the type of player who becomes relevant fast when injuries hit or when someone underperforms for two weeks.

Here’s where Phillies rank across all lists.

Where Phillies prospects ranked in 2026 Top 100 prospects lists:

SS Aidan Miller
#23 MLB Pipeline
#14 Baseball America
#6 The Athletic

SP Andrew Painter
#28 MLB Pipeline
#32 Baseball America
#22 The Athletic

OF Justin Crawford
#53 MLB Pipeline
#75 Baseball America
#48 The… pic.twitter.com/2FVhvhXYKy

— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) January 27, 2026

Justin Crawford is the one who could hit you in the face immediately.

He is 22, he is coming into camp as the favorite to start in center, and his Triple-A numbers last season were loud. He hit .334 with 23 doubles, four triples, seven homers, 47 RBIs, 46 steals, and an .863 OPS for Lehigh Valley.

He was probably getting a late-season call-up if the Phillies did not trade for Harrison Bader at the deadline. Dave Dombrowski basically admitted as much, saying he believed Crawford could have played for the big club last year. This spring, the training wheels come off. If he makes it, Rob Thomson has already hinted they are going to let him play.

Andrew Painter has no choice but to be good and ready to join the rotation

Painter is the other name that matters because he changes the ceiling of the pitching staff if he is right. He was the 13th overall pick in 2021, looked like a fast track guy, then Tommy John surgery wiped out 2023 and 2024.

He got back on the mound, made it through a full season in 2025, and even though the numbers were ugly, the organization kept focusing on the most important part. He stayed healthy, took the ball every five days, and got through more than 100 innings.

Not like his word means much to Phillies fans these days, but Dombrowski said the stuff was still good and the command was not quite there, which is exactly what you would expect from a guy returning from surgery and trying to find his feel again. Now he is further removed from the procedure and he is competing for a spot.

Aidan Miller: The “Best Prospect Since Mike Schmidt”

Miller is the highest-ranked Phillies prospect on the list at No. 23, and he is the one who feels like the “next up” infielder when something inevitably goes sideways.

There is not an obvious everyday spot for him right now, but seasons have a way of creating openings. If the Phillies need infield depth at any point, Miller is going to be one of the first names brought up.

This is the reality of the 2026 Phillies.

The core is still old. The pressure is still on. But the kids are coming, and they are close enough that it is not just a future conversation anymore. If the Phillies are serious about adding juice, this is how it starts. Let Crawford run. Let Painter compete. Keep Miller within arm’s reach. Stop talking about “youthful energy” and actually use it.

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