Philadelphia Phillies Top 20 2016 PRE-SEASON prospects in review

Pushing forward with our pre-season prospect list reviews, we turn our gaze towards the Philadelphia Phillies.

Remember, this is the PRE-SEASON list.

This is not a new list.

These are pre-season grades.

Discuss current Phillies events in the comments section.

This list was originally published February 6th, 2016

1) J.P. Crawford, SS, Grade A/A-: Split season between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting combined .256/.360/.342 with 12 steals, 72 walks, 72 strikeouts in 442 at-bats; defense and strike zone judgment best attributes along with overall tools, youth; hasn't shown much power this year but more should come in time. Remains an elite prospect.

2) Nick Williams, OF, Grade B+: Hitting .265/.294/.434, 31 doubles, 12 homers, 19 walks, 126 strikeouts in 468 at-bats in Triple-A; significant slippage in strike zone judgment compared to last season but still just 22 years old, has time to adapt.

3) Cornelius Randolph, OF, Grade B: Missed time with injuries but hitting .284/.357/.365 in 222 at-bats in Low-A at age 19; would like to see more power as he advances and I think that can and will come, pure hitting skills look solid.

4) Jake Thompson, RHP, Grade B: Strong season in Triple-A, 21 starts with 11-5, 2.50 ERA, 87/37 in 130 innings; has been hit hard in the majors so far with 9.78 ERA in four starts; not much left to prove in the minors, just needs experience at age 22; still has workhorse projection.

5) Andrew Knapp, C, Grade B: 102 games in Triple-A, hitting .262/.325/.379; 34 walks, 101 strikeouts in 385 at-bats; defense still needs work particularly with receiving; loss of power in Triple-A is somewhat discouraging at age 24 but too soon to give up.

6) Roman Quinn, OF, Grade B/B-: Went on disabled list with a concussion yesterday; was hitting .282/.359/.432 in Double-A with 29 steals, 30 walks, 67 strikeouts in 280 at-bats; now has two strong half-seasons in Double-A on his resume; health has been the biggest problem.

7) Mark Appel, RHP, Grade B/B-: Went on disabled list initially with reported shoulder trouble, but then had surgery to deal with elbow bone spur, out for season. 

8) Jorge Alfaro, C, Grade B-: Hitting .279/.330/.420 in Double-A with dramatically improved defense; has always had the defensive tools but skills to use them have taken huge leap forward; power bat still held back a bit by shaky plate discipline, still just 23.

9) Darnell Sweeney, INF-OF, Grade B-: Hitting .230/.297/.342 in Triple-A with 12 steals, 37/94 BB/K in 383 at-bats; still has really interesting physical tools but skills seem stagnant and he's 25 now; if I were running a team I would see him as a buy-low candidate; I have no objective evidence that he'll figure things out but subjectively I think it is possible.

10) Franklyn Kilome, RHP, Grade B-: 22 starts in Low-A with 4.06 ERA, 120/50 K/BB in 109 innings; fastball can be electric in upper-90s but still learning to pitch at age 21, relief may be ultimate destination.

11) Rhys Hoskins, 1B, Grade B-: Power blossoming in Double-A; hitting .277/.369/.566, 37 homers, 112 RBI, 64 walks, 122 strikeouts in 470 at-bats at age 23; a better version of Darin Ruf?

12) Zach Eflin, RHP, Grade B-/C+: 11 starts in the majors with 5.54 ERA, 31/17 K/BB in 63 innings; out for season with knee surgery; have to like the strike-throwing ability but may not show enough dominance to be more than a fifth starter.

13) Ben Lively, RHP, Grade B-/C+: Very good year in high minors, combined 2.79 ERA, 129/42 K/BB in 165 innings, 118 hits between Double-A and Triple-A, rebounding after erratic 2015; throws four pitches for strikes, ready for major league trial.

14) Thomas Eshelman, RHP, Grade B-/C+:  23 starts between High-A and Double-A, 4.32 ERA with 115/28 K/BB in 115 innings, 131 hits; another strike-thrower who must be fine to succeed but often is; four/five starter potential.

15) Tyler Goeddel, OF, Grade C+: Rule 5 pick from Rays, has spent season on MLB roster, hitting .193/.252/.299 with four homers, 15 walks, 47 strikeouts in 197 at-bats as part-timer; probably heading to Triple-A next year for regular play unless he mashes in spring training; has the tools to be much better than this.

16) Ricardo Pinto, RHP, Grade C+: 146 innings in Double-A, 4.20 ERA with 98/47 K/BB, 143 hits; still working on breaking ball to go with low/mid-90s fastball; probably ends up in the bullpen long-term. 

17) Adonis Medina, RHP, Grade C+: 12 starts with Williamsport on New York-Penn League, posting 2.91 ERA with 27/22 K/BB in 59 innings, 42 hits, 1.62 GO/AO; another guy with a lively fastball without many strikeouts, generally an indicator of weak secondaries; just 19 years old.

18) Carlos Tocci, OF, Grade C+: 480 at-bats in High-A hitting .279/.329/.352 with 13 steals, 34 walks, 72 strikeouts; strong defender and looks smooth in the field but lack of power/strength continue to hold him back, still just 21 years old.

19) Dylan Cozens, OF, Grade C+: Monster power season in Double-A, hitting .275/.352/.589 with 37 homers, 60 walks, 170 strikeouts in 487 at-bats, has also stolen 21 bases in 22 attempts; just 22; power/speed combination is impossible to ignore but contact issues could limit OBP/average; very intriguing but difficult to project.

20) Alberto Tirado, RHP, Grade C+: 55 innings in Low-A with 86/35 K/BB, 3.58 ERA, 47 hits allowed; tremendous strikeout rate and can hit 98 but control issues remain obvious; currently starting but is that his long-term role?

OTHER GRADE C+: Aaron Brown, OF; Malquin Canelo, SS; Jimmy Cordero, RHP; Scott Kingery, 2B; Jhailyn Ortiz, OF; John Richy, RHP; Lucas Williams, 3B

OTHERS OF NOTE: Alec Asher, RHP; Matt Imhof, LHP; Kyle Martin, 1B; Jose Pujols, OF; Nick Pivetta, RHP; Edubray Ramos, RHP; Daniel Stumpf, LHP; Josh Tobias, 2B; Tom Windle, LHP

Discuss 2016 breakouts and disappointments for the Phillies in the comments section.