Last year’s unsigned 14th round pick lhp Jared Spencer at Texas seems to have improved his stuff to get him into to 3-4th round. Bummer.
Hey they can always take him again. He had shoulder surgery at the end of April.
Well in that case, seems like that pushes him below the 5th round- he was a high effort 95 mph and shoddy command but a lefty slider that was as nasty as they come.
Law’s latest mock has Phils selecting U. of Alabama RHP Riley Quick at 26, speculating that he could be someone the Phils look to fast-track to the major league pen. He also does not rule out the high school position players generally mocked in that area such as Gamble and Hammond.
He seems to be maybe a good candidate to be a closer?
Kind of scary that his pitches might be hard to handle from a control standpoint.
I have a hard time seeing him getting picked before the supplemental. He’s a big bodied guy with a tj and doesn’t have a clean motion. Short of being a physical athletic freak (which he isn’t) his command isn’t great and looks like a guy who is going to have more arm problems.
Odd suggestion from Law in that I do not think the Phillies and/or Dave Dombrowski have EVER used a first round pick on a "rush to the majors bullpen guy"
Latest BA Mock Draft:
Phillies — Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oak HS, Temecula, Calif.If Fien doesn’t go to Boston or another of the analytically-oriented teams in the back of the teens, he fits more in the back of the first or comp round range. His hit/power combination is one of the more exciting in the class, and he would represent another year of the Phillies jumping on a player with upside who fell a bit during the spring.
Other players that were available at 26:
Luke Stevenson, C, UNCEthan Conrad, OF, Wake ForestJosh Hammond, SS/3B, Wesleyan Christian Academy, NCSean Gamble, OF/2B, IMG Academy, FLRiley Quick, RHP, UAlabama
At some point the phillies are going to need to draft their closer of the future but this seems like a stretch...
This seems more like a logical pick for them...
They did rush Kerkering--drafted in 2022, in ML pretty much to stay by the end of 2023 after going through all four levels of the system that season. He was a fifth round pick, not a first round pick though. Phillies literally brought him in the last week of the season to use him in the Postseason.
Interesting nugget on this year's draft.
Day 1 (Sunday 7/13) is Rounds 1-3Day 2 (Monday 7/14) is Rounds 4-20
So you do not have the overnight to line up an overslot deal in Round 11, you need to do it on the fly.
I think in this case we are talking someone who would be on the major league roster this season. Which is rare in all of MLB history, if not never [Brandon Finnegan is who comes to mind].
Law's actual note:
they might go for a fast-moving arm to try to bolster their contending roster (or provide some trade value)
Though since high school players are not signing in the $500K range any more maybe it does not matter as much except to the handful of teams with millions left in their pool (like the Nats if they go underslot since there is not an obvious top pick this year).
I think the number of high school players drafted and signed after the 2nd round will continue to drop. That number was zero for the Phillies in 2024 and would not be shocked if it is zero again.
JD Drew debuted the year he was drafted (1998 with the Cardinals after he held out against the Phillies) but, yes, that is very rare.
I was only thinking of pitchers. And JD played part of two seasons in the minors! Just not affiliated ball.
I know most Orioles fans are thoroughly angry about a neverending rebuild in Baltimore but man would it be fun to go into a draft picking:
19, 30, 31, 37, 58, 69. 85, 93
Just a comparison of picks for teams in our division in the Top 4 rounds
PHILLIES: 26, 63, 100, 131
METS: 38, 102, 133
BRAVES: 22, 60, 96, 127, 136
MARLINS: 7, 43, 46, 78, 108
NATIONALS: 1, 49, 80, 111
NATIONALS: 1,
Article on that Orioles trade with updated pool amounts. O's over $19 million now. Phillies are 26th with $7.8 million.
My realistic targets for the Phillies
College Pitcher (1): Tyler BremmerCollege Hitter (3): Luke Stevenson, Caden Bodine, Ethan ConradHigh School Pitcher (1): Kruz SchoolcraftHigh School Hitter (3): Xavier Neyens, Gavin Fien, Sean Gamble, Josh Hammond
The risks are inherent; the rewards could be great. And the Phillies trust their scouts to find the player that “if he goes to college, in four years, he’s going to become a guy that becomes a top-five pick, a top-10 pick,” general manager Preston Mattingly said.[snip] The Phillies have recently picked later in the first round: 26th (2025), 27th (2023-24), 17th (2022), 13th (2021) and 15th (2020). Many top college players are off the board by then. The organization feels picking late is conducive to selecting high school players with high upside, Mattingly said. To the Phillies, high upside means: “Find the guys that can get there the fastest and stay there the longest,” Luke Murton, director of player development, said. “A player that has the potential to impact a major-league roster, so once he gets there, not only is he a player on the team, but he’s a productive, impactful player on the team,” Barber said. “Somebody that’s athletic, somebody that is toolsy, somebody that has skills, instincts,” Phillies crosschecker Bryce Harman said. “They have aptitude, they have work ethic and (they’re) a guy that loves the game.”
The risks are inherent; the rewards could be great. And the Phillies trust their scouts to find the player that “if he goes to college, in four years, he’s going to become a guy that becomes a top-five pick, a top-10 pick,” general manager Preston Mattingly said.[snip]
The Phillies have recently picked later in the first round: 26th (2025), 27th (2023-24), 17th (2022), 13th (2021) and 15th (2020). Many top college players are off the board by then. The organization feels picking late is conducive to selecting high school players with high upside, Mattingly said.
To the Phillies, high upside means:
“Find the guys that can get there the fastest and stay there the longest,” Luke Murton, director of player development, said.
“A player that has the potential to impact a major-league roster, so once he gets there, not only is he a player on the team, but he’s a productive, impactful player on the team,” Barber said.
“Somebody that’s athletic, somebody that is toolsy, somebody that has skills, instincts,” Phillies crosschecker Bryce Harman said. “They have aptitude, they have work ethic and (they’re) a guy that loves the game.”
