Prospect Lists - Phillies and Overall - 2022-2026

[ahb]

Law is practically begging for the Phils to rework Crawford’s swing and I’m with him.

They’re not likely to do it now since they handed him the CF job but it seems like a real waste. If the guy didn’t hit everything into the ground he’d have real star potential,

Would have rather they kept him in the minors another year to work on that (and, say, signed Bader).

[phillychuck]

They have tried to rework his swing since he was drafted. I don’t think fans appreciate how hard it is for a successful player to buy into a change.

[fish]

They have tried to rework his swing since he was drafted. I don’t think fans appreciate how hard it is for a successful player to buy into a change.

I guess the first step will be to see if he’s talented enough to keep his head above water, then with comfort (and a desire to hit more than 20 doubles) he gradually adjust. Honestly, seeing a guy who can bunt and make contact will be a treat…at least for a little while.

[allentown]

I suspect it's even harder for an unsuccessful hitter to change his hitting approach and become a good hitter.

[Philsmania]

That Rollins-Burrell-Utley-Howard-Hamels core (plus Chooch) has never been replicated since.

And the Schmidt-Bowa-Luzinski-Boone-Carlton* core was never duplicated until the guys you mention came along.

*Carlton wasn't homegrown but he was acquired for a homegrown guy who was a remainder from the '64 core.

[zambonir]

Of course there was no such thing as free agency when that first core was built, until there was (i.e. Pete Rose). Now that- and having the money, if not quite enough of it - is the new Phillies Way.

[andyb]

Crawford did cut his ground ball rate the last 2 months of the season so change is possible. Maybe there is not quite as much power in him as his Dad had,, but if he can hit close to .300 with a 350 OBP and 12-15 HRs it is not a bad package if his CF defense is at least average. If he can keep his average up he'll get more confident over time being aggressive and that should help his power numbers.

Baby steps is all we need. He is very likely to be better than Rojas offensively already and has lots of room to grow and learn.

[andyb]

ESPN Top 100.

-Miller 10
-Painter 27
-Crawford 69

Top 100 MLB prospects for 2026: Griffin, McGonigle, more

[phillychuck]

From a John Brodzowski tweet: (every single thing on this should make us smile...!)

[Austinfan]

Adjusting Crawford's swing has been an ongoing process, given his high contact rate, you want to make incremental changes. He did become far more selective, walked a lot more despite power (and given his speed, pitchers don't want to walk him). Just turning 10% of his GBs into line drives would make a big difference at the ML level.

He's 22 this coming season, so there's no reason to rework his swing and maybe screw up his head. Just maybe some little changes that will slightly modify his swing path without losing his high contact ability. If you're developing him for the long run, you have 2-3 years to make those modifications as he fills out his body and gradually develops more power.

[andyb]

MLB List. Same top 3. Miller 23, Painter 28, Crawford 53. Gage Wood just missed.

https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/top100/

https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/players-who-just-missed-top-100-prospects-list-2026?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/phillies-future-top-100-prospects?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

[Squire]

I am really looking forward to seeing all of the 2025 Draft Class pitching we added.

[andyb]

Definitely a byproduct of our top 5 picks//bonuses all going to pitching and only one of those guys (Wood) pitching only a couple of innings. I really have no idea how good the trio of Obermueller, Bowker, and Youngerman will be. None of them scream top prospect but all have starting potential at least now. Fisher is also a complete unknown though his development will likely be slow (2-3 inning outings at Clearwater for a while).

[phillychuck]

I suspect it's even harder for an unsuccessful hitter to change his hitting approach and become a good hitter.

On the contrary, guys who are not doing well are constantly searching for changes in their approach and are pretty much willing to try anything. Now, you’re right that those tweaks don’t usually result in enough improvement to get guys to the big leagues, but they are very open to making adjustments.

[andyb]

What does not work is when changes are some sort of top down philosophy when a coach decides all players need to hit a certain way. Players change and evolve all the time but the best advice for any individual player is rarely the best advice for other players.

Crawford has a whole lot of plusses in his hitting approach. Lots of contact. Speed. Improving strike zone judgement. Bunting skill. Ability to hit lefties and righties. Good exit velocities.

I suspect tweaking his swing path is a minor adjustment that hopefully he will be able to make over time without sacrificing anything else. But what he already has is decent even if it is a bit of a unique mix.

[phillychuck]

100% agree with paragraph 1.

I want them to go really cautiously with Crawford...too likely to mess him up making big changes.

[Squire]

For what its worth, BA updated the Phillies Top 30 with the current international signings, the dropped Renteria in at #6 (after Gage Wood but before Dante Nori).

[allentown]

On the contrary, guys who are not doing well are constantly searching for changes in their approach and are pretty much willing to try anything.

I don't doubt their willlingness to try something new. I doubt their ability turn themselves from poor hitters to good hitters by making the change. A guy who has succeeded at multiple leves -- consistently succeeded as Crawford has, is far likelier to succeed in MLB, with tweaks to his approach. He has obersevable, skills, which have led to good numbers and has adjusted to better pitching as he has moved up from league to league. A guy who hasn't shown success has a chance, if makes reasoned changes to his approach, but I think a significantly lower chance than a guy like Crawford has. He has yet to hit successfully against MLB pitching, but he has shown developed skills.

I think we agree, then!

[Philsmania]

Didn't they mess up Kingery by overhauling his swing?

[zambonir]

Supposedly Kingery's private swing coach did that.

It was also a constant debate about Moniak. I don't think it's wrong to try and change a guy's swing if you think they are not going to make it with the swing they have. Maybe they fail more spectacularly if the change doesn't take. But clearly the Crawford doubters think he is no more than an average major league regular with his current ground ball rate and not-elite defense. The goal is for him to be an All-Star.