Categories: Minor Leagues

MLB Draft Grades: Phillies receive strong marks for Aidan Miller pick

The three-day MLB Draft concluded Tuesday, with the Philadelphia Phillies ultimately selecting 18 players. For specific analysis of each day’s haul, you can read Phillies Nation‘s in-depth coverage from Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Sunday: Phillies Select High School Infielder Aidan Miller In First Round Of MLB Draft

Monday: Phillies Take Electric Arm With Poor Collegiate Stats Among 7 Picks On Day 2

Tuesday: Phillies Draft A Slew Of Relievers, Interesting Catching Prospect On Day 3 Of MLB Draft

Of course, the most attention will be given to first-round pick Aidan Miller. Though he was listed as a shortstop, the belief from most experts seems to be that Miller will be a third baseman in the long run. And given that Miller was MLB Pipeline‘s No. 13 overall prospect in this year’s class, scouting director Brian Barber and the Phillies seem to have done well to get the Mitchell High School (Florida) graduate with the 27th overall pick.

Here’s a sampling of what some of the top outlets thought of the Phillies landing Miller with their first-round selection.

Edward Sutelan, Sporting News: A

While Sutelan noted that Miller has to improve against inside pitches, he still says that the Phillies drafted “one of the best power-hitting prep bats in the class.” In 2022, Miller played for the 18U Team USA National Team, hitting .478 with two home runs and eight RBIs in nine games.

Keith Law, The Athletic: “Great Value”

Considered by many to be the preeminent prospect expert, Law didn’t give the Phillies a specific grade for the selection of Miller, but was very high on the pick nonetheless. Law notes that broken hamate bone in Miller’s left hand “ruined” his final high school season, though it’s fair to wonder from his analysis if the third baseman would have been there for the taking for the Phillies if he had a clean bill of health during his senior season. Law estimated that a healthy version of Miller has “55-60 power” on the 20-80 scouting scale. Seemingly, there’s room for even more growth since Miller is only 19.

R.J. Anderson, CBS Sports: B

Anderson is equally bullish on the potential that Miller’s ability at the plate, saying that he “has at least above-average power potential.” CBS also categorized Anderson as a third baseman, rather than a shortstop. To that end, Anderson says that his outlet believes Miller was “the best prep corner-infield bat.”

Eric Longenhagen, FanGraphs: “Good Value”

While the Phillies do seem to have a plethorea of intriguing outfielders in their system — Justin Crawford, Johan Rojas and Simón Muzziotti, to name a few — Longenhagen opined that Miller “might already be their best hitting prospect.” The last big-time hitting prospect that the Phillies graduated to the majors was Alec Bohm in 2020. It will be interesting to see if Miller and Bohm one day co-exist for the Phillies.