Philadelphia Phillies: Can any of these draft prospects speed up the rebuild?
As the Philadelphia Phillies look at a lengthy rebuild they hope that focusing on the MLB Draft will solve their problems.
With the eighth overall pick, the Phillies should be looking for a player that can help sooner rather than later to speed up their rebuild.
Over the past few years, the Phillies haven’t been the powerhouse that we had seen in years prior. Seeing young prospects make their debut has become something of a norm for the rebuilding team. With youth all through the lineup in the form of Maikel Franco, Aaron Altherr, Andrew Knapp, and most of the pitching rotation, the team still hasn’t found its groove. Many of the teams best prospects are almost ready to make their debuts in the major league but it is still important to find a player in this draft ready to contribute quickly.
It is no secret that the Phillies starting rotation has failed to produce this season. Yes, there are some quick fixes in the minor leagues at the moment but none of them are true options to carry the team into the future.
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There are some good pieces already in the majors such as Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff but the team is missing a true complement to Nola in the rotation. The easiest fix to this problem is to look past all of the top tier prep arms and look at college pitchers.
Two of the highest rated college pitching prospects are North Carolina righty J.B. Bukauskas and Florida right-hander Alex Faedo. I tend to lean more towards selecting Faedo as he has a strong fastball and a plus slider that could help him reach the majors quickly. Bukauskas has arguably the best pure stuff in the draft but his size and delivery could scare off teams. If the Phillies want a player who can make a difference soon, a college arm in Alex Faedo may be the best route to go.
Drafting a position player may not be out of the question either, but with so many top tier position prospects already in the farm system, it doesn’t seem like a great fit. Players like Virginia first basemen Pavin Smith and Vanderbilt outfielder Jeren Kendall have been linked to the team, but the youth already on the roster makes selecting a position player this early rather unlikely.
Next: Jerad Eickhoff’s issues are fixable
With no true answer on who is going first overall, there are going to be several options for the Phillies with the eighth pick. In the next few years we will see an even greater influx of young prospects coming up, and if the Philadelphia Phillies choose the right prospect in this year’s draft he might be one of the forces leading the Phillies back into contention soon.