Categories: Minor LeaguesProspectingProspects

Phillies have just two top 100 prospects in Baseball America’s midseason update

Sixto Sanchez is the Phillies No. 1 overall prospect. (Brandon Apter/SportsTalkPhilly)

The Philadelphia Phillies have two top 50 prospects in Baseball America‘s midseason prospect rankings, which is a pretty good place to be at. The problem? Between 50 and 100, there isn’t a single Phillies prospect, meaning the Phillies have just two top 100 prospects.

Sixto Sanchez, viewed as untouchable in Manny Machado trade talks, is the No. 15 overall prospect in baseball, per this update. The 19-year-old moved up nine spots from Baseball America’s preseason rankings, and may have moved up even higher if it weren’t for the elbow inflammation that he’s dealt with since early June. The Dominican-born righty was 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA in eight starts before his current disabled list stint. Baseball America‘s Ben Badler reported last week that Sanchez could return in August.

Alec Bohm, who the Phillies selected with the No. 3 overall pick in June’s MLB Draft, is the other Phillies prospect on this countdown, making his debut at the No. 42 spot. Like Sanchez, Bohm is currently on the disabled list. Prior to going down with a shin contusion, Bohm was hitting just .192 in 52 at-bats for short-season Williamsport. That came after a 12 at-bat stint for the GCL Phillies where he hit .500.

The Phillies went from having four top prospects on Baseball America’s preseason countdown, to just two on this update, with Bohm, who wasn’t in the organization a few months ago, serving as one of the two. So what happened?

J.P. Crawford, who was the No. 16 overall prospect on the preseason countdown, has spent the entire 2018 season at the major league level, so he’s no longer considered a prospect. Ditto for Scott Kingery, who was No. 31 overall on the preseason countdown. Neither have had ideal starts to their major league careers. Crawford, a 2013 first-round pick, is currently on the disabled list for the second time in 2018, this time with a broken hand. Kingery, despite some notable missteps, hasn’t graded out terribly in the field, primarily playing shortstop. However, he entered Sunday with a -10.4 offensive WAR, which is the 15th worst mark among qualified offensive players.

The other Phillies prospect who appeared on the preseason top 100 countdown was RHP Adonis Medina, who was No. 84 on the preseason countdown. Medina is no longer on the list, though that’s an easier pill to swallow considering he struck out 12 in a dominant performance Saturday. Medina, who currently has a 4.48 ERA at Single-A Clearwater, has had a strange season. He has allowed 39 earned runs in 16 starts this year, with 26 of those runs coming in four starts. That means he’s allowed just 13 earned runs in his other 12 starts.

Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported that the Phillies were willing to part with Medina in trade talks with the Baltimore Orioles for Machado. Eventually, the Los Angeles Dodgers put together the most enticing package for Machado, headlined by outfielder Yusniel Diaz, who homered twice in the Future’s Game last Sunday. For reference, while Medina didn’t check in on this countdown, Diaz cracked the top 50, coming in at No. 47.

It is worth noting that the Phillies have quite a few impact young players on their major league roster currently. Aaron Nola, the team’s lone All-Star, is just 25. The same goes for Rhys Hoskins. Zach Eflin, who has a 3.15 ERA and 3.04 FIP, is still only 24. Already an elite reliever, Seranthony Dominguez is only 23. Even Odubel Herrera, an All-Star all the way back in 2016, is only 26.

Still, with the amount of high draft picks that the Phillies have had in recent seasons, it feels like they should have more prospects in the top 100. Specifically, it feels like they should have some outfielders in the top 100.

Prior to selecting Bohm – who could end up being an outfielder, but is currently a third baseman – the Phillies spent three consecutive first-round picks on outfielders. Cornelius Randolph was the 10th overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft; Mickey Moniak was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft and Adam Haseley was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. None of the trio are on the top 100 prospects list.

Randolph is slashing just .224/.315/.288 with two home runs and 23 RBIs for Double-A Reading. Prior to 2018 season, MLB Pipeline ranked the 21-year-old as the No. 14 overall prospect in the Phillies system, behind four other outfielders: Haseley, Moniak, Jhailyn Ortiz and the ever talented, but usually injured Roman Quinn.

Moniak, now 20 years old, is currently slashing .247/.281/.344 for Single-A Clearwater, after a disappointing 2017 season at Lakewood. It’s difficult to write anyone off at age 20, but it doesn’t appear that the Phillies are likely to get a first-round impact from Moniak.

Haseley, of the three, still appears to have the most promising future. The former Virginia Cavalier hit .284 with 28 RBIs and 22 walks in 215 at-bats between three levels in 2017. He broke into some top 100 countdowns prior to the season. Haseley slashed .300/.343/.415 with five home runs, 38 RBIs and and 19 walks in 330 at-bats for Single-A Clearwater. Since being promoted to Double-A Reading earlier this month, the 22-year-old is slashing .321/.513/.714 with three home runs and five RBIs in just 28 at-bats.

It is also worth noting that the aforementioned Ortiz, JoJo Romero, Franklyn Kilome, Arquimedes Gamboa and Ranger Suarez are among the remaining prospects in the Phillies system that certainly will find their way to the major leagues in the coming years, with it possible that some find their way onto a list like this before making their major league debuts.

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