FanGraphs Releases Phillies Top 15 Prospect List

If Jesse Biddle was a movie, he would be Argo because he is winning all of the accolades. Biddle, unsurprisingly, was named the Phillies top prospect by FanGraphs’ Marc Hulet. Hulet believes Biddle will reach Triple-A by the end of 2013 with an outside shot of reaching the big club, believing Biddle has the ceiling of a number two or three starter capable of giving 200+ innings.

Continued Praise for Quinn

Shortstop Roman Quinn, ranked eighth in our Jay Floyd’s Prospect Nation, continued his own string of high rankings, taking home the number three spot in the organization. Last week, Quinn was named the #100 prospect in baseball by Baseball America while Keith Law named him one of the biggest sleepers in baseball, ranking him third in the Phillies organization.

Third Base – A Bright Spot?

Hulet believes Cody Asche, ranked fifth, has a chance to be the Phillies third baseman in 2014, not unlike comments from Law and others. Hulet says Asche has a good arm, average range, and a good contact rate. The surprise of the piece may be Hulet’s assessment of Maikel Franco, who he ranked sixth. Hulet believes that Franco has the potential to “blow past Asche as the third baseman of the future” but cites a questionable physical make-up and footwork as reasons he wouldn’t stick at third.

Differing Opinions on Martin

While Hulet’s opinions on Adam Morgan (#2) and Jonathan Pettibone (#4) match the consensus on those two players (great control, #3 starter ceiling and Major League-ready workhorse, respectively), Hulet has a rather honest assessment of Ethan Martin. While Martin has a plus-fastball and a nice slider, Hulet believes Martin’s best Major League role will be that of a dominant eighth inning man. Interesting.

Pitching Heavy Top 15

Hulet’s list was not really a surprise that it had seven pitchers, but it speaks to the Phillies depth in this area. A name that may not be familiar to Phillies fans who you should put on your radar immediately is Kenneth Giles. Giles reaches near 100 MPH and Hulet believes that he has the “make-up and intensity” to be a high-leverage reliever.

Notable Additions

Some of the earlier prospect lists omitted three names probably well known to Phillies fans by now: Darin Ruf, Larry Greene, and Sebastian Valle. Hulet ranked Ruf ninth, Greene 14th, and Valle 15.