Here’s the Phillies' new Top 30 Prospects list
Todd Zolecki
@ToddZoleckiPhillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski loves the organization’s top pitching prospects so much that he told teams before the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline that he would not trade them.
He said everybody asked, too.
Asked last month if he would consider trading some of his top prospects for a generational talent (i.e., Juan Soto), he again told reporters no.
Dombrowski believes one or more of the Phillies’ pitching prospects could be in next season’s rotation.
MLB Pipeline has released a new Top 100 Prospects list and updated the Top 30 Prospects within every organization. Those three pitching prospects -- Andrew Painter, Mick Abel and Griff McGarry -- are three of the Phillies’ top four prospects. Painter and Abel were just promoted from High-A Jersey Shore to Double-A Reading, where they will join McGarry for the rest of the season.
Here’s a look at the Phillies top prospects:
1. Andrew Painter, RHP (MLB No. 25)
2. Mick Abel, RHP (MLB No. 57)
3. Justin Crawford, OF
4. Griff McGarry, RHP
5. Johan Rojas, OF
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:
Jump: Hao Yu Lee, 2B (Preseason: 20 | Midseason: 6) -- There might not have been a more hyped position-player prospect during the team’s prospect camp in February. Everybody loved Lee because of the way he barreled the baseball. He has lived up to the hype this season with Single-A Clearwater, slashing .294/.390/.442 with seven homers and 48 RBIs in 61 games.
Fall: Casey Martin, SS (Preseason: 15 | Midseason: 27) -- Kendall Simmons (ranked 17th preseason) fell out of the Phillies’ Top 30, but Martin is arguably the most significant drop because folks within the organization were really excited about his potential entering the season. Martin, however, has struggled with Single-A Jersey Shore, slashing just .189/.242/.295 in 100 games.
New to the list
Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:
No. 3, Justin Crawford, OF (Draft)
No. 9, Gabriel Rincones Jr., OF (Draft)
No. 10, Alex McFarlane, RHP (Draft)
No. 20, Emaarion Boyd, OF (Draft)
No. 26, Orion Kerkering, RHP (Draft)
No. 29, Jaydenn Estanista, RHP (amateur free agent)
No. 30, Enrique Segura, RHP (amateur free agent)
Impact callup
Griff McGarry, RHP (No. 4)
McGarry has dazzled this season as a starter with Jersey Shore and Reading. The Phillies said he was not considered for a callup when Corey Knebel landed on the injured list on Aug. 15 with a strained right lat, but it is not a stretch to think that McGarry could join the Phillies as a bullpen piece in September when rosters expand. He has the type of stuff that could play well in short-stint situations, giving Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson another high-powered weapon when his more seasoned relievers are not available.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 55 -- Justin Crawford (Simon Muzziotti)
Power: 55 -- Jhailyn Ortiz (Jordan Viars)
Run: 75 -- Emaarion Boyd (Casey Martin)
Arm: 60 -- Luis J. Garcia (Jhailyn Ortiz)
Defense: 60 -- Johan Rojas (Justin Crawford, Yhoswar Garcia, Simon Muzziotti)
Fastball: 70 -- Griff McGarry
Curveball: 55 -- Andrew Painter (Griff McGarry)
Slider: 65 -- Hans Crouse (Francisco Morales)
Changeup: 55 -- Griff McGarry (Andrew Painter, Mick Abel, Erik Miller, Jean Cabrera)
Control: 55 -- Andrew Painter