Categories: Phillies Nuggets with Tim Kelly

This 2001 top 10 Phillies prospects list is a sight to behold

Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley are two of the best players in Phillies history. (Bennett Cohen/Icon Sportswire)

While digging through some old magazines this past weekend, I stumbled upon a program from the 2001 Reading Phillies, who, of course, are the Double-A affiliates of the Philadelphia Phillies.

On one of the final pages of the magazine was Baseball America‘s top 10 Phillies prospects ahead of the 2001 season:

Here are a few of the most interesting notes from the list:

Jimmy Rollins was No. 1, with the following insight — “He has pop from both sides and puts pressure on opposing defenses with his quickness. At shortstop, he’s a slick fielder with great range and the arm strength to make the plays.” If you wrote that scouting report after Rollins’ career, you would have been hard pressed to be more accurate. On Audacy Sports, I recently ranked Rollins as the seventh best player in Phillies history.
Chase Utley was No. 5, less than a year after the Phillies selected him in the first round of the MLB Draft out of UCLA. 21 years later, he checked in at No. 5 on my countdown of the nine greatest Phillies ever. Before he had even reached Double-A, Baseball America said this of Utley: “Many scouts compare him to the Giants’ Jeff Kent.”
Brett Myers — who Phillies Nation‘s Ryan Novozinsky recently caught up with — was the No. 2 prospect, although his first name was incorrectly spelled as “Bret.” In his scouting report, he was compared to one of the greatest right-handers in Phillies history, Curt Schilling. While that comparison proved to be a bit too lofty, Myers was a valuable piece for the Phillies in multiple roles over parts of eight seasons.
Reggie Taylor was No. 7, with the note that “some scouts believe Taylor would be among the best defensive center fielders in the majors right now.” Taylor — who the Phillies selected one pick ahead of Roy Halladay in the 1995 MLB Draft — would ultimately play in only 14 games for the Phillies. Taylor’s MLB career lasted just parts of five seasons.
6-foot-9 right-hander Brad Baisley was the No. 3 prospect, with his fastball that is said to sit between 89 and 93 mph described as “lively.” A second-round pick in the 1998 MLB Draft, Baisley never pitched above the Double-A level.

Ryan Madson checked in at No. 4, with Baseball America writing that “the Phillies hope that he can help their rotation in a few years.” While Madson didn’t work out as a starter, he became a key cog in the Phillies’ bullpen. Madson converted 32 of 34 save attempts in 2011, his final season with the Phillies.