2023 Phuture Phillies Readers’ Vote: #20 Prospect

2023 Reader Top 30

This will be the Readers’ Poll for the #20 prospect.

Simon Muzziotti was your selection as the #19 prospect.  He received 13 of the 71 votes cast.  Here are the complete final results –

Simon Muzziotti: 15 votes, 20.55%
Yhoswar Garcia: 13 votes, 17.81%
Jordan Viars: 8 votes, 10.96%
Christian McGowan: 8 votes, 10.96%
Jhailyn Ortiz: 4 votes, 5.48%
Tommy McCollum: 4 votes, 5.48%
Donny Sands: 3 votes, 4.11%
Ethan Lindow: 3 votes, 4.11%
Taylor Lehman: 2 votes, 2.74%
Marcus Lee Sang: 2 votes, 2.74%
Estibenzon Jimenez: 2 votes, 2.74%
Ethan Wilson: 1 vote, 1.37%
Kendall Simmons: 1 vote, 1.37%
Micah Ottenbreit: 1 vote, 1.37%
Dakota Kotowski: 1 vote, 1.37%
Orion Kerkering: 1 vote, 1.37%
Tristan Garnett: 1 vote, 1.37%
Jaydenn Estanista: 1 vote, 1.37%
Hans Crouse: 1 vote, 1.37%
Carlos Betancourt: 1 vote, 1.37%

Muzziotti’s spot in the poll will not be filled.

Here are the 2022 stats for the guys in the poll:

Pitchers (listed by WHIP, those already selected have been struck through)

Name Age Lev ERA G GS GF SV IP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9
Tommy McCollum 23 A 1.45 23 0 12 5 31.0 .871 3.2 0.9 4.6 15.1
Andrew Painter 19 A,A+,AA 1.56 22 22 0 0 103.2 .887 5.8 0.4 2.2 13.5
Taylor Lehman* 26 AA,Rk,A+,A 2.93 21 6 0 0 27.2 .940 5.9 0.3 2.6 10.1
Tristan Garnett* 24 A,A+,Rk 1.80 23 0 10 2 35.0 .943 6.9 0.5 1.5 12.6
Jaydenn Estanista 20 Rk 2.01 12 5 0 0 31.1 .957 4.0 0.9 4.6 10.1
Estibenzon Jimenez 20 Rk,A 2.44 14 5 3 1 44.1 1.038 6.9 0.4 2.4 9.9
Michael Plassmeyer* 25 AAA 2.41 16 16 0 0 82.0 1.049 6.9 1.3 2.5 9.0
Jordan Fowler* 23 A,A+ 2.56 20 6 0 0 56.1 1.118 8.1 1.3 1.9 8.5
Brett Schulze 24 A+,AA,Rk,A 3.16 22 0 3 1 25.2 1.130 6.3 0.7 3.9 11.9
Orion Kerkering 21 A,Rk 3.86 6 0 1 0 7.0 1.143 9.0 0.0 1.3 9.0
Ethan Lindow* 23 AA,A+ 3.70 27 19 0 0 116.2 1.174 8.3 0.9 2.3 7.6
Griff McGarry 23 A+,AA,AAA 3.71 27 19 2 0 87.1 1.214 5.5 0.9 5.5 13.4
Carlos Betancourt 21 A 2.78 26 1 7 2 45.1 1.235 7.9 0.4 3.2 10.1
Mick Abel 20 A+,AA 3.90 23 23 0 0 108.1 1.329 7.8 0.9 4.2 10.8
Andrew Baker 22 A+,AA 3.98 46 0 7 0 54.1 1.344 7.3 0.8 4.8 11.9
Enrique Segura 17 FRk 2.32 13 8 1 0 42.2 1.359 7.6 0.2 4.6 8.2
Christian McGowan 22 A+ 4.91 2 2 0 0 7.1 1.364 9.8 1.2 2.5 8.6
Erik Miller* 24 AA,AAA 3.54 32 7 1 0 48.1 1.448 7.3 0.7 5.8 11.5
Francisco Morales 22 AA,AAA 4.76 45 0 10 3 51.0 1.529 5.8 0.2 7.9 12.4
McKinley Moore 23 AA 4.35 39 1 8 0 49.2 1.530 9.1 0.5 4.7 12.9
Jean Cabrera 20 A 5.24 12 12 0 0 46.1 1.770 10.5 1.6 5.4 9.9
Alex McFarlane 21 A 9.00 3 3 0 0 8.0 1.875 13.5 1.1 3.4 13.5
Micah Ottenbreit 19 A 7.94 2 2 0 0 5.2 1.941 9.5 1.6 7.9 6.4
Hans Crouse 23 AAA 13.14 5 5 0 0 12.1 2.189 15.3 1.5 4.4 9.5

Position Players (listed by OPS, those already selected have been struck through)

Name Age Lev PA HR SB BB% SO% BA OBP SLG OPS Primary Positions
William Bergolla* 17 FRk 83 0 2 13.3% 3.6% .380 .470 .423 .892 SS-14,2B-8
Nikau Pouaka-Grego* 17 Rk 125 3 2 12.8% 12.8% .301 .424 .466 .890 2B-17,3B-15
Dakota Kotowski 22 Rk,A 69 2 1 8.7% 33.3% .307 .377 .500 .877 RF-11
Emaarion Boyd 18 Rk,A 44 0 8 11.4% 11.4% .361 .477 .389 .866 RF-5,LF-5
Donny Sands 26 AAA,A 253 6 1 15.4% 18.2% .308 .411 .441 .852 C-38
Dalton Guthrie 26 AAA 374 10 21 6.4% 19.5% .302 .363 .476 .839 CF-59,RF-37
Hao Yu Lee 19 A,A+,Rk 350 9 14 12.3% 19.1% .284 .386 .438 .824 SS-28,2B-21,3B-20
Carlos De La Cruz 22 A+,AA 403 17 6 6.7% 29.8% .271 .333 .482 .815 LF-33,1B-26,RF-20
Rickardo Perez* 18 Rk 93 1 0 7.5% 14.0% .349 .387 .398 .785 C-13
Símon Muzziotti* 23 AA,AAA,A,Rk 194 5 8 11.3% 19.6% .249 .330 .414 .744 CF-36,LF-11
Marcus Lee Sang* 21 A,A+ 413 11 19 9.2% 29.3% .258 .337 .398 .736 LF-60,CF-27
Jhailyn Ortiz 23 AA 505 17 9 8.5% 32.7% .237 .319 .415 .734 RF-88,,CF-11
Alexeis Azuaje 20 A,Rk 171 1 16 3.5% 28.1% .273 .337 .364 .701 2B-36
Kendall Simmons 22 A,A+ 379 12 11 8.4% 25.9% .219 .303 .380 .683 2B-41,3B-40
Johan Rojas 21 A+,AA 556 7 62 7.6% 17.8% .244 .309 .354 .663 CF-114
Jordan Viars* 18 Rk,A 207 2 5 9.2% 23.7% .236 .324 .315 .638 LF-32,RF-6
Ethan Wilson* 22 A+,AA 536 8 26 6.2% 21.3% .235 .290 .336 .626 RF-89
Yhoswar Garcia 20 A,Rk 153 1 32 9.8% 23.5% .212 .309 .311 .620 CF-29
Justin Crawford* 18 Rk,A 66 0 10 10.6% 22.7% .241 .333 .276 .609 CF-15
Casey Martin 23 A+ 431 5 17 5.1% 23.4% .181 .235 .281 .516 SS-89,2B-17
Gabriel Rincones 21 Did Not
Play

 

And, finally, the poll –

Results, So Far

  1. Andrew Painter
  2. Mick Abel
  3. Grif McGarry
  4. Johan Rojas
  5. Justin Crawford
  6. Lee Hao Yu
  7. Andrew Baker
  8. Carlos De La Cruz
  9. William Bergolla
  10. Francisco Morales
  11. Erik Miller
  12. Alex McFarlane
  13. Emaarion Boyd
  14. Nikau Pouaka-Grego
  15. Rickardo Perez
  16. Gabriel Ricones
  17. Dalton Guthrie
  18. Michael Plassmeyer
  19. Simon Muzziotti
  20.            ?

18 thoughts on “2023 Phuture Phillies Readers’ Vote: #20 Prospect”

  2. Noah Song really should be in the poll. The 2019 version of him would probably rank 7th on our list. No idea where he is today of course, but this ranking is based on potential so he should be ranked as if he was going to play this year.

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  3. No, he shouldn’t.

    It’s 2023, as far as baseball is concerned, and Song hasn’t pitched in 3 years. He’s currently in the navy and may still owe as many as 2 more years of service time. A new DoD policy allowing graduates to delay service time that was enacted after Song graduated did not apply to him or others in his or earlier graduating classes. A second request for a waiver of service is currently before the Secretary of the Navy and has been since May 2022.

    If Song doesn’t get his waiver, the Phillies will have to spend a 40-man roster spot on him or risk losing him during the next Rule 5 Draft.

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      1. I think Jim is saying the Phillies will have to add Song to the 40 man next offseason before the rule 5 draft. Jim can correct me if I’m wrong.

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        1. That’s right, Hinkie. That’s my understanding from the previous CBA. The current CBA hasn’t been made available. The Phillies were able to select Song because the Red Sox neglected to protect him when he became Rule 5 eligible.

          Here is the wording from the old CBA (reserve=40-man roster):
          A Club may also reserve, under separate headings on a Reserve List, Players who properly have been placed on the Voluntarily Retired List, the Military List, the Suspended List, the Restricted List, the Disqualified List, or the Ineligible List. See Attachments 10, 11, and 12.

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    2. None of that impacts his prospect status (and presumed ability) though. Ideal scenario would be to get his waiver late in the season, spend October in Arizona, and compete for a roster spot in 2024. That scenario is actually viable. No idea if he is one of our top 10 prospects, but he should at least be in the conversation.

      I am not sure you are correct in your last sentence. If he DOES get a waiver he needs to be put on the 40. If he doesn’t, he is already technically exempt from counting. He is on the 40 currently. The Red Sox avoided doing this because I think it impacts his options and service time in some way. That was potentially a clerical mistake they made.

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      1. If Song becomes eligible to pitch this year I would imagine they will be able to assign him to a rehab assignment for a limited time before being forced to activate him. Likely as a reliever. Then if he could pitch in AFL and/or a winter league to help him catch up he could be on the radar for a full 2024.

        At season’s end he would have to be put on the 40 man to protect him from Rule 5 draft (what Boston did not do)

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        1. In order to send a player on a rehab assignment, the player would have to have been on an Injury List. A rehab assignment used to carry with it a limitation on the number of days before the player had to be activated. I think it used to be 30 days. I don’t know the current number of days or if a limitation is still in force.

          In any case, I believe Song has to be on the 40-man roster from the get-go. The question is whether he counts toward the 40 now while on the military list.

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      2. “He is on the 40 currently.”…does not look like it
        https://www.mlb.com/phillies/roster/40-man
        If he does not get the waiver from the Sect of the Navy….come first day the season starts, he probably is placed on the 40….. with the annotation he is on the Military Reserve List.
        According to the old CBA….if gets his waiver release from the military. I believe the Phillies have 10 days to either put him on their 40 with the new contract that comes with a 40 ascension….or they can release him asa fre agent….Attch.11, page 190 of the 2017-2021CBA

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          1. For a moment there I got excited and thought this was a link to the current CBA.

            You know, I would swear that I saw Song on the 40-man roster after he was selected in the Rule 5 Draft. I wouldn’t bet my house or even a hundred bucks on it, though. Maybe he was and with the draft behind them, the Phillies put him back on the military list until next winter’s meetings.

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            1. I do think this portion of the older CBA remains intact with the new CBA….I researched the differences on another website , and though there were changes to the latest CBA, this area of the older CBA did not seem to be changed.

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        2. He was initially placed on the 40 and listed on the mlb site. Then moved off it to the military list. The Phillies had to have a 40-man spot to select him. Those are the Rule 5 rules. Then they moved him to the military list. He’ll have to go back on the 40 if he gets the waiver (perhaps as quickly as 10 days after).

          If this happens midseason the Phillies would need to make a spot for him. Guessing they can get MLB to give him a short minor league rehab stint but that is it and he would have to be on the major league roster immediately. Which is why the Phillies would prefer the waiver to be in the offseason or late enough in the regular season to not have to force his way on the major league roster of a playoff contending team (in which case they likely send him back).

          Timing is really important on his waiver, and given they changed the rule, the waiver seems pretty likely.

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  4. Song signed a UPC in 2019 after being drafted out of the Naval Academy. That started his Rule 5 clock. Since he was older than 19 when he signed his first contract, he was Rule 5 eligible for the fourth Rule 5 Draft after he signed. His first season was 2019, the second was 2020, the third was 2021, and the fourth was 2022. He had to be protected by the Red Sox before the most recent Rule 5 Draft and wasn’t. The Phillies were aware of this and selected him.

    Whether or not Song gets a waiver, he needs to be protected from the next Rule 5 Draft. Not having a waiver AND not being protected was how he was available to the Phillies. His presence on a military list didn’t protect him from the Phillies selecting him.

    And, yes, not pitching for three years does have an impact on his ability. You can’t seriously think that should Song get a waiver in 2023 that he would be able to pick up where he left off in 2019.

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    1. We actually don’t know at all what Song would do. That is the fun of discussing prospects. Physically he could be ahead of where he was 4 years ago as he might have added strength the past 4 years. His command will likely take awhile, but I am guessing he has continued to work out as much as he could. There is also a benefit of less wear and tear on his arm at younger ages.

      He is Phillies property and a real prospect though. He certainly would be top 20 for me and possibly top 10 (really look at the rest of our pitchers and outside the big 3 there is really nobody clearly better). Baker, Morales, and Miller are relievers all with command and/or control issues. McFarlane too and he has barely pitched. Song had 4 pitches and decent stuff when drafted. His likelihood of sticking when eligible is very real, especially because he is a mature kid. He might be the last man in the bullpen in long relief, but I wouldn’t put it past him.

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      1. I really don’t care about speculation – could, might, likely, guessing. Song is a pitcher who hasn’t faced a professional hitter in 3 years. He hasn’t had professional coaching in 3 years. He hasn’t worked out under professional trainers in 3 years.

        He and the Phillies are waiting for a decision on a waiver by a military organization that has invested in aviator training in the man. If Song does receive a waiver, the timing of such will determine how much difficulty the Phillies will have with their rosters.

        I find your opinion of organizational pitching to be lacking. You don’t measure the depth of pitching in an organization by the results of a poll by people who aren’t familiar with the organization’s players past the few prospects who have name recognition.

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