A tough loss to the Atlanta Braves on the second half of a back-to-back is not enough to kill the vibes around the first-place Philadelphia Phillies. This team has figured something out at the plate and the pitching staff remains otherwordly. And now, fans can rest comfortably knowing the future is bright, too.
Philadelphia's farm system has been a weak point in the past. This front office has been all-in on winning since Bryce Harper's arrival in 2019. John Middleton wields deep pockets and Dave Dombrowski has a history of aggressive moves in charge of the front office. After Harper, it was Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner. The Phillies are an expensive, veteran roster focused on the present.
That said, the farm system has slowly but surely crept toward elite territory. For an aging roster with much uncertainty surrounding the future of key pieces, that is an awfully important development. The Athletic's updated rankings of the top 50 prospects in MLB will have Phillies fans floating on air.
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Phillies have two top-10 prospects in new farm system rankings
The Athletic's Keith Law updated his MLB prospect rankings this week. While there weren't any major surprises — Boston's Roman Anthony sits comfortably at No. 1, to the surprise of no one — Philadelphia's strong showing was a welcomed development in the City of Brotherly Love.
Two Phils up-and-comers — RHP Andrew Painter (No. 5) and SS Aidan Miller (No. 9) — cracked the top 10, while two others, 2B Aroon Escobar (No. 40) and OF Justin Crawford (No. 42), also made the list. They are one of two teams with four prospects in the top 50, joining the Seattle Mariners with five.
While this does not mean Philadelphia collectively has the second-best farm system in baseball, that means there are four standout prospects with a chance to make the big-league leap in the next few years. That does not even include Mick Abel, who threw six scoreless innings in his MLB debut a couple weeks ago, or Otto Kemp, who has 12 home runs, 10 stolen bases and a 1.017 OPS through 51 Triple-A games this season.
The only issue for Philadelphia will be finding opportunities for all this young talent. Painter is expected to join the big-league rotation after the All-Star break as he continues to ramp up post-Tommy John surgery. Philadelphia has five proven, veteran starters, however, not to mention a potential breakthrough in the aforementioned Mick Abel and an unexpectedly productive Taijuan Walker, who's banking $18 million per season through 2026.
As for Miller, he plays the same position as $300 million man Trea Turner, which presents a natural obstacle. He could take over for Bryson Stott at second base or Alec Bohm at third base, or even push Turner off of short eventually. The idea of moving Turner to centerfield to clear space for Miller and address a weak outfield depth chart has been popular in Phillies circles for a while. Whether it's actually realistic when Turner inked a $300 million contract to play shortstop is another matter entirely.
These are good problems to have, though. Too much quality pitching? Too much infield depth? At worst, that opens up a major trade chip for the Phillies. At best, it means the Phillies can seamlessly transition from this core to the next generation without so much as a hiccup.