Philadelphia Phillies: Which prospects could stick through the rebuild
With several trades over the last few years to stock up the farm system, the Phillies have options on who can be a key piece in the future. Some prospects may not pan out, some may be trade chips, and others could become stars, but that will take time to sort itself out.
Many of the players on this Phillies roster may not be with the team in upcoming seasons. With so many young pieces coming up the team could soon be flooded with young talent. But a team with all young players can’t succeed, they need a players with experience.
Whether the team makes moves at the trade deadline for veteran leadership for the future has yet to be seen. Odds are if this does happen, several prospects could be traded. It is the job of the Phillies to see who they believe should or shouldn’t be traded, but these players are ones that I think should be considered “trade bait” or “untouchables”
Trade Bait
Sixto Sanchez: Pitcher-
Sanchez has arguably the highest upside of any prospect in the Phillies organization. Only 18-years old and can touch 100 miles per hour on his fastball, he has drawn rave reviews as a possible ace. While his age can be seen as a good thing, some see it as a detriment as he is still considered a raw talent who doesn’t have enough seasoning, still years away from the majors. The Phillies would be wise to cash in on Sanchez’s natural talent in order to get a proven star.
Cornelius Randolph: Outfield-
One spot the Phillies have drafted heavily in the past few seasons has been the outfield. Randolph was selected in the first round in 2015 because of his advanced hitting ability. Seen as a prospect who could come up in short order the Phillies have drafted outfielders the last two years in the first round. There just does’t seem to be enough room for Randolph in the majors, so the team might as well use him as a trade chip.
Roman Quinn: Outfield-
Like Randolph, Quinn also plays the outfield. But unlike Randolph, Quinn uses his speed to win games. Having already seen major league action could be a plus to teams around the league as Quinn had some success in his short stint in the majors. With so many other prized outfield prospects coming up packaging Quinn and a few other players could get the Phillies a star player at a position of need.
Untouchables
JP Crawford: Shortstop-
Crawford’s struggles so far in AAA have been well documented, but I don’t believe it’s time to give up just yet. When he does put it all together Crawford is the type of talent that can attract other free agents to come. An incredible range in the field combined with the ability to hit for average with bursts of power are what Crawford could bring to the top of the lineup. He is close to breaking through and it’s not hard to believe he could get major league at bats very soon
Mickey Moniak: Outfield-
Drafted with the first overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, Moniak is still a few years away from the majors. As he grows into his body he has shown the ability to be an absolute stud on the diamond for a long time, that isn’t the kind of player you trade away. Put him in the outfield with another young player like Nick Williams and someone the team trades for using other prospects and the Phillies could have one of the best outfields in baseball in a few years.
Franklyn Kilome: Pitcher-
The one spot the Phillies don’t have a ton in terms of prospects is the starting pitching. Kilome is the type of pitcher that could make a person overlook the weak group because of his ceiling. With the ability to mix in a high 90’s fastball with an above average curveball and rapidly improving changeup, Kilome could have 3 plus pitches by the time he reaches the majors. With building blocks in Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff already in the majors, Kilome could join them quickly. Only in Single A at the moment, Kilome is a pitcher that could move through the minors quickly.
Next: Philadelphia Phillies: Proactively buying is the right move
Predicting which prospects could pan out in the majors is a tough task. Any young player in the minor leagues isn’t a guarantee to a productive major leaguer, that’s why teams have to be careful of who they receive in a package for a star player. With so man young prospects in their farm system, the Phillies have a chance to flip some of them for a player that can instill a winning mindset both now and for the future.