3 Phillies on the Baseball America Top 25

Top Prospect Lists

BA always does an updated midseason Top 25, and this year 3 Phillies made the list; Dominic Brown (17th), Michael Taylor (23rd), and Kyle Drabek (24th). This also got me thinking about how the Phillies Top 10 would look now, and how our best prospects would be lined up if you were dividing them into tiers. For me, our Top 20 or so would look like this…

Tier 1: Drabek, Taylor, Brown
Tier 2: Knapp, Carrasco, Marson
Tier 3: Donald, D’Arnaud, Worley, Savery, May, Gose, Collier, Dugan, Santana
Tier 4: Pettibone, Sampson, Shreve, Stutes, De Fratus, Correa, Cisco, Mattair, Flande

Does that seem accurate? Am I missing anyone?

57 thoughts on “3 Phillies on the Baseball America Top 25”

  1. Is Bastardo no longer considered a prospect? I certainly don’t think he’s a full time MLBer at this point.

    Edgar Garcia is MIA but I think he’s still a top twenty guy.

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  2. This is encouraging stuff

    Taking out Mayberry, Happ, Bastardo I assume?

    You are missing Flade and Cloyd in Tier 3 IMO. They have both had really nice years

    I also think guys like Julio Rodriguez, BJ Rosenberg and Domingo Santana belong in Tier 3, but you had to cut it off somewhere I suppose. Cosart when he pitches should be up there too, but he has yet to

    Also although I am not high on Carpenter he definitely has to be mentioned with his AAA performance

    Overall, when it becomes hard to fit all our interesting guys into the top 20, you know things are looking up?

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  6. I left Bastardo off because I don’t know if he’ll exhaust his eligibility when he comes back. I guess I’d put him in the 3rd tier if he remains eligible. Marson may also exhaust his eligibility because of time spent on the big league roster if he comes back up in September

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  8. Flanders should be considered also…he’s doing good in reading but defensive mishaps have hurt him

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  9. I am curious to see whether Knapp will break top 50 once the rest come out. I think there is a strong case that he should….between the strikeout rate, age, frame, and holding his velocity deep into games

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  12. I agree for the most part. But if Dugan is tier 3, then I would think that Cosart is at least tier 4. I’d add Carpenter to tier 4.

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  14. What a statement that we have 3 in the top 25, even if two barely made it.

    PP, I like your list and the idea of putting them into tiers. Freddy Galvis as tier 3? 19 and in the FSL, even though results haven’t been there and he’s been injured.

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  15. I think Correa is quietly working his way back after a years absence and is worthy of consideration.

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  18. I think you’re missing Sebastian Valle. Maybe not, but I’d have him in my personal list somewhere.

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  21. i dont know that cosart can be in any tier at least until he actually throws a pitch for a phillies minor league team. anyone have any idea when that might happen?

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  22. I got no problem with the list. Some of the guys who are left off like Cloyd are borderline, but that can be reevaluated at the Season’s end. Personally, I might have Cisco at the third tier, but I think we’re (meaning the guys at this site + the Phillies organization) still aren’t entirely sure what to make of him yet – a 36th rounder who blew away everyone last year, and has been quite solid this year.

    – Jeff

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  23. smokey, agreed – Correa seems to be way under-the-radar with the year he’s having as a 19 yr old international coming off a year layoff. Based on how he finishes this season, he’s someone who I think could move quickly up our rankings.

    As a refresher, here’s his ’08 BA scouting report:
    Correa features a 90-93 mph fastball, a hard 73-77 mph curveball and good feel for his changeup. His fastball has outstanding late life and finish with sink that produces a lot of grounders. He’s a strike thrower who pounds all quadrants of the strike zone. He sometimes gets around on his curve, and while his changeup has above-average potential, he needs to refine his command to make it an effective third pictch. Likened by many in the organization to a young Carlos Carrasco, he might even show more maturity than Carrasco did at the same level. Correa speaks three languages and the Phillies rave about his makeup. He’s wiry strong and repeats his delivery well.

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  24. smokey Says:

    I think Correa is quietly working his way back after a years absence and is worthy of consideration.
    Last night he pitched a lot better than it seems at first glance. Nonrelief and a long work out.

    Any word on Santana. Is he Ok?

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  26. why is brown ahead of taylor and drabek, im surprised drabek isnt higher than the other two just b/c hes a pitcher

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  27. speaking of Santana he got hit by a pitch yesterday and was taken out immediately and didn’t play today. I hope he isn’t seriously hurt.

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  28. “just b/c hes a pitcher”

    That arguably cuts the other way, as pitchers are problably at least twice as likely as non-pitchers to have their career derailed by injury before they make it.

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  29. John, the midseason All-Star team is based purely on performance. The prospect list is based both on performance and projection.

    Mike, as I’ve noted before, Brown is/was in the top five in OPS in the Florida State League. His raw numbers are not as impressive because Clearwater is a much tougher place to hit than Reading.

    My top ten.

    1. Brown, of
    2. Taylor, of
    3. Drabek, sp
    4. Knapp, sp
    5. Carrasco, sp
    6. Marson, c
    7. D’Arnaud, c
    8. Bastardo, sp
    9. Gose, of
    10. Donald, ss/if

    I imagine some of the new names like Santana may creep in there, but I’m not confident in my knowledge of them to make that distinction.

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  30. Though I’m mindful and appreciative of Kevin Goldstein’s cautionary comments about him, I think Gose is worth getting excited about. Great speed, good contact rate with some extra-base pop, okay walk rate for a “raw” guy, 18 years old and playing full-season. That smells like a good prospect to me, maybe a Tier 2 guy.

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  31. Completely missing is Carpenter.

    This guy seem to get no respect (The Phils’ Rodney Dangerfield) from anybody here. No love.

    But he is pitching the lights out at LV…!! IMO, he should be/have been called up by now….UNLESS he is being dangled as trade bait.

    His era is around 2.50…a far cry from Carrasco’s in the same league. And he has consistently been going 6-7 innings per start.

    What gives?

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  32. I can only speak for myself, but I don’t care for his delivery (he throws across his body, which hurts command and is bad for his arm) and his stuff is just fringy. Again, that’s only my opinion.

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  34. Rank Player
    1 Kyle Drabek
    2 Dominic Brown
    3 Michael Taylor
    4 Jason Knapp
    5 Carlos Carasco
    6 Antonio Bastardo
    7 Vance Worley
    8 Lou Marson
    9 Jason Donald
    10 Anthony Gose
    11 Joe Savery
    12 Travis d’Arnaud
    13 Andrew Carpenter
    14 Yohan Flande
    15 Trevor May
    16 Justin De Fratus
    17 Heitor Correa
    18 Sebastian Valle
    19 Jonathan Pettibone
    20 Jarred Cosart
    21 Colby Shreve
    23 Michael Stutes
    24 Zachary Collier
    25 Michael Cisco
    26 Kelly Dugan
    27 Drew Naylor
    28 Domingo Santana
    29 Freddy Galvis
    30 Anthony Hewitt
    31 Matthew Way

    It’s WAY to early in the season for a top 30, but it was fun, and besides half of these guys might not be around soon if you believe the trade rumors…anyway, what’s strange is how many names aren’t even on my top 30. This system probably has 50 quality guys.

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  35. BA had this to say about Brown:

    Philadelphia Phillies, RF Dominic Brown: What more could you ask for from a right fielder? Brown can hit for average, has the patience to draw walks, is tapping into his power potential from his 6-foot-5, 204-pound frame and plays above-average defense with his speed and 70 arm. As a 21-year-old, Brown is hitting .299/.379/.540 in 51 games in the high Class A Florida State League, though a broken finger has kept him out the last month.

    Didn’t know his arm was a 70.

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  36. Could anyone post the reports on Drabek, Taylor, and Knapp if there is one or would that be inappropriate because they are subscriber only content?

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  37. It’s obviously only coincidental but isn’t it interesting that this is published right after all of the talk about a Roy Halladay trade begins. On various boards people have been trying to downplay or even bash the Phillies farm system and it is nice to have the numbers to back up what all of us already believed to be true. It’s very easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees when you dedicate yourself to following all of these guys. In context, none of the other teams after Halladay (Yankees, Sox, Texas, SF etc.) can boast 4 guys in the top 50. That is something to be proud of…and something to keep intact in my mind.

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  38. Freddy Galvis sighting in the GCL…led off and went 3-4 with 2 runs and 1 SB. Hopefully he’ll be back to the Threshers lineup soon (along with one Dom Brown).

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  39. Some other lists may put Carrasco in the top 50 as well based on his stuff. Donald, Marson, Bastardo, Gose, D’Arnaud maybe a few others will be in the top 150. We don’t have any top 10 guys, but we’re really deep.

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  41. Jeff, From what I understand Cosart is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Monday. Lot’s of hype surrounding him as he apparently hit 97 and was dominant before hitting the DL.

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  42. btw alan thanks , do you know what site i saw that on i lost it. and do they make a 2nd and 3rd team? it was pretty cool.

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  43. I think a bunch of people are missing the big picture. We have THREE top 25 minor league players. This is a big turnaround we’ve seen in a relatively short period of time. Granted, a good major league team means that you can keep a Marson, Donald, Carrasco type around longer and they creep up into the 2nd tier. But this is still great progress here.

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  45. Valle definitely needs to fit on there somewhere.

    I’d also put Galvis/Kennelly on there somewhere

    Kennelly is having a great year .310/.393/.452/.846

    At the top of the FSL in most offensive categories as a 22 year old. I’d say at this point he’s a legit prospect.

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  46. B Says:

    Valle definitely needs to fit on there somewhere.

    Got to agree with you there B. And given the Aussie factor
    he should get a couple months in AA but that leaves Clearwater a little naked.
    I quess he will be playing at home in the winter. That might help.

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  48. I think the best thing about this list is that guys like Schreve, May, Pettibone, Cosart, Gose, and Collier could be tier 1 guys within 2 years. Man, that draft was crazy.

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  49. sorry B I was thinking Kennelly, T C. I wish I were a drinker so I could stop.

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  51. pp, do you think you could list the top 25 or 50 of baseball america,s top midseason prospects. it would help in knowing what orgs. have for halliday.

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  52. pp i found the list at baseball america top 25 midseason prospects. it looks like the yankees and braves of anyone who could deal for halliday are the only competition. but once again the jays would not want to deal with the yankees and i dont think the braves have the money. btw knapp is in the top 50. thanks.

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  53. All three with production and upside; ranked around the quality of LaPorta at this time. Great to see for the Phils organization!

    Knapp seems very difficult to project, but with a great arm, early success, and hype he has ‘high ceiling’. It is nice to see Marson climb back into Tier2 with his recent success after injury. I personally like Donald but to be considered a stud prospect he needs to show something better after injury.

    I think Bastardo is a fringe Tier2 guy. With an MLB quality fastball, he just needs consistency on what are supposedly good off-speed pitches. The rest of Tier3 and Tier4 is exciting but like all mid-prospects we have to wait and see.

    I like Savery more than most but maybe “Happ-like” is the best to be expected in his future.
    Not on bandwagon for Gose yet. However, with awesome speed and defense/arm I would almost make a case for a September call-up as pinch runner and defensive replacement (though not this year since he needs some serious education on baserunning techniques).

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  54. PhxPhilly
    Savery is a unusual pitcher. It seems with men on he will not give in. Sort of trades walks for non hits. Breaking balls I guess. Hey 12 wins not bad. I have learned over the years
    “what ever works”

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  56. No love for Savery, he is 12-1 and is pitcher of the month in the eastern league. Everyone keeps saying he is not going to be starter at the bigs, but he keeps proving everyone wrong and is gaining his velocity.

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  57. I will take Savery as a Happ type remember Happ is 5-0 and has been dominant at the bigs

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