Here are Philadelphia's 2022 Top 30 prospects
Jonathan Mayo
@JonathanMayoWhile the Phillies have just two players in the Top 100 in Bryson Stott and Mick Abel, there are things brewing in the farm system, even if most of it is far away from Philadelphia.
Stott is the obvious exception to the rule, coming off a strong 2021 season that saw him reach Triple-A and play very well in the Arizona Fall League. He has the chance to be the Opening Day shortstop in the big leagues this season and could stick there for a long time to come. Watch him for awhile Phillies fans -- he might not be the type whose tools scream at you, but after seeing him repeatedly, you’ll appreciate that he does everything really well. Need him to play other positions if another shortstop is required? No problem there: he has shown the ability to play second and third.
Beyond Stott, the most exciting players are going to require a few more years of development. There are the two big right-handed pitchers taken out of the high school ranks in the first round of the last two Drafts -- Abel and Andrew Painter -- who could easily pitch his way into the Top 100 soon. There’s center fielder Johan Rojas, who feels primed for a huge breakout season this year. And the Phillies have been very aggressive in the international market the past couple of years in particular, a big reason why they have so many signees (11) on the Top 30. It’s also why half of its list has ETAs of 2024 or later.
The Phillies hung around the playoff race for quite some time last year and finished over .500 for the first time since 2011. Their ability to be competitive again in 2022 should help folks stay patient for this large wave of talent at the bottom levels and gives president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski some options when looking for trading partners who don’t mind lower-level players who could become stars, albeit in the more distant future.
Here’s a look at the Phillies' top prospects:
1. Bryson Stott, SS (MLB No. 45)
2. Mick Abel, RHP (MLB No. 81)
3. Andrew Painter, RHP
4. Johan Rojas, OF
5. Logan O’Hoppe, C
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2021 preseason list to the 2022 preseason list.
Jump: Logan O’Hoppe (2021: 28 | 2022: 5)
O’Hoppe snuck on the list a year ago as an organizational favorite who was called to help catch at the alternate site despite being a late-round high school draftee out of Long Island in 2018 who had yet to play full-season ball. Fast-forward and O’Hoppe is coming off a year that saw him go from High-A to Triple-A, then cap it off with a very strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, making him look a lot like a future big-league regular.
Fall: Simon Muzziotti, OF (2021: 10 | 2022: 22)
Muzziotti’s drop came more from not being on the field than anything performance-related. He’s missed nearly two years of development now, first because of the shutdown in 2020 and then because of visa issues keeping him from getting from his home in Venezuela to the United States until close to the end of the 2021 season.
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 -- Bryson Stott (Simon Muzziotti)
Power: 55 -- Jhailyn Ortiz (Jordan Viars)
Run: 75 -- Casey Martin
Arm: 60 -- Luis J. Garcia (Jhailyn Ortiz)
Defense: 60 -- Johan Rojas (Yhoswar Garcia, Simon Muzziotti)
Fastball: 65 -- Mick Abel (Griff McGarry)
Curveball: 55 -- Andrew Painter (Griff McGarry)
Slider: 65 -- Hans Crouse (Francisco Morales)
Changeup: 55 -- Griff McGarry (Mick Abel, Andrew Painter, Erik Miller)
Control: 55 -- Andrew Painter (Mick Abel)
How they were built
Draft: 16 | International: 11 | Trade: 3
Breakdown by ETA
2022: 10 | 2023: 5 | 2024: 8 | 2025: 6 | 2026: 1
Breakdown by position
C: 3 | 2B: 2 | 3B: 1 | SS: 5 | OF: 8 | RHP: 8 | LHP: 3