/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45135496/usa-today-8095739.0.jpg)
If you didn't get a chance to read my primer on the series, click here to get the recipe to my "secret sauce" and how I go about ranking prospects. Here is a quick review on how the grading system works.
The Grading System
My grading system will be familiar to those who keep up with college football recruiting or played the MLB2K video game series as I use a star rating system from one to five stars with half grades in between. An outline of what each level would represent looks like this, but remember these are examples and not definite.
Anything below 2.5 stars is someone who doesn't project to be a major league player, therefore they are not mentioned.
Without further adieu, the Top 20 Prospects in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, sorted by star rating. All ages are for the upcoming 2015 season and the affiliates mentioned are where I expect them to begin the upcoming season.
Philadelphia Phillies
1. SS JP Crawford - 20 years old, AA Reading
Photo courtesy of Bryan Green
2014 A stats -
G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS |
60 | 267 | 227 | 37 | 67 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 14 | 7 |
BB | SO | XBH | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | wRC+ | wOBA | ISO | BABIP |
37 | 37 | 19 | 0.295 | 0.398 | 0.405 | 0.804 | 132 | 0.378 | 0.110 | 0.342 |
2014 A+ stats -
G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS |
63 | 271 | 236 | 32 | 65 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 29 | 10 | 7 |
BB | SO | XBH | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | wRC+ | wOBA | ISO | BABIP |
28 | 37 | 15 | 0.275 | 0.352 | 0.407 | 0.759 | 119 | 0.352 | 0.131 | 0.292 |
The Phillies received a huge year out of Crawford when they needed it the most. Moving into rebuild mode, Ruben Amaro and company were impressed enough by JP to deal away their stalwart at short, Jimmy Rollins. The 6'2, 180 pound left handed hitting, right handed throwing short stop used his premium athleticism to reach A+ by the age of 19. He showed a great approach at the plate with a line drive stroke, plus wheels, and surprising pop, especially once he reached the Florida State League in the second half. While not in the upper echelon of defenders, Crawford does still have soft hands, great range to either side, and an excellent arm. There has been word that he sometimes lets the game speed up on him, but experience and more reps in the field can fix that.
2015 Outlook -
All signs point to Crawford becoming the long term solution at short stop for the Phillies. In the short term though, look for him to kick off the 2015 season at AA Reading as he takes his first shot at the upper minors. Depending on how well he adjusts, he could get a promotion to AAA by the All-Star break, similar to the timetable when he was promoted last year. That could leave him with an outside shot at a cup of coffee in September to get his feet wet. If the transition isn't as smooth, he could spend the whole year with Reading as Philly doesn't have any reason to try and rush him through the system.
2. 3B Maikel Franco - 22 years old, AAA Lehigh Valley
3. RHSP Aaron Nola - 22 years old, AA Reading
4. CF Roman Quinn - 22 years old, AA Reading
5. RHSP Zach Eflin - 21 years old, AA Reading
6. RHSP Ben Lively - 23 years old, AAA Lehigh Valley
7. LHSP Jesse Biddle - 23 years old, AAA Lehigh Valley
8. LHSP Tom Windle - 23 years old, AA Reading
9. C Deivi Grullon - 19 years old, Low A Lakewood
10. LHSP Yoel Mecias - 21 years old, A+ Clearwater
11. 2B Jesmuel Valentin - 20 years old, A+ Clearwater
12. RHSP Franklyn Kilome - 20 years old, Low A Lakewood
13. RHSP Mark Leiter - 24 years old, AA Reading
14. CF Carlos Tocci - 19 years old, A+ Clearwater
15. LHSP Matt Imhof - 21 years old, Low A Lakewood
16. RF Dylan Cozens - 21 years old, A+ Clearwater
17. 2B/CF Odubel Herrera - 22 years old, MLB Philadelphia
18. RF Kelly Dugan - 24 years old, AAA Lehigh Valley
19. RHSP Severino Gonzalez - 22 years old, AAA Lehigh Valley
20. LHSP Brandon Leibrandt - 22 years old, Low A Lakewood
Honorable Mentions (other 3 star players) - RHSP Tyler Viza, LHSP Elniery Garcia, RHSP Victor Arano, RHSP Drew Anderson, LF Jiandido Tromp, RF Brandon Pointer, C Andrew Knapp
Philadelphia Phillies | Age | Pos | Team | Stars | |
1 | JP Crawford | 20 | SS | A+ | 4.5 |
2 | Maikel Franco | 22 | 3B | MLB | 4 |
3 | Aaron Nola | 22 | RHSP | AA | 4 |
4 | Roman Quinn | 22 | CF | A+ | 4 |
5 | Zach Eflin | 21 | RHSP | A+ | 4 |
6 | Ben Lively | 23 | RHSP | AA | 4 |
7 | Jesse Biddle | 23 | LHSP | AA | 4 |
8 | Tom Windle | 23 | LHSP | A+ | 4 |
9 | Deivi Grullon | 19 | C | A+ | 4 |
10 | Yoel Mecias | 21 | LHSP | A | 3.5 |
11 | Jesmuel Valentin | 20 | 2B | A+ | 3.5 |
12 | Franklyn Kilome | 20 | RHSP | R | 3.5 |
13 | Mark Leiter | 24 | RHSP | A+ | 3.5 |
14 | Carlos Tocci | 19 | CF | A | 3.5 |
15 | Matt Imhof | 21 | LHSP | A | 3.5 |
16 | Dylan Cozens | 21 | RF | A | 3.5 |
17 | Odubel Herrera | 22 | 2B/OF | AA | 3 |
18 | Kelly Dugan | 24 | OF | AA | 3 |
19 | Severino Gonzalez | 22 | RHSP | AA | 3 |
20 | Brandon Leibrandt | 22 | LHSP | A- | 3 |
Team codes: AAA - Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, AA - Reading Fightin Phils, A+ - Clearwater Threshers, A - Lakewood BlueClaws, A- - Williamsport Crosscutters, R - GCL Phillies, DSL - Dominican Summer League Phillies, VSL - Venezuelan Summer League Phillies
Loading comments...