Philadelphia Phillies
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PrintBaseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2008.
Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects
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| TOP TEN PROSPECTS |
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| PROJECTED 2011 LINEUP |
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| TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE |
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| LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY |
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Jimmy Rollins predicted it in spring training, but the Phillies' chances of overtaking the Mets and winning the National League East seemed bleak on Sept. 12. Philadelphia stood seven games back with 17 to play and looked destined for its fifth straight season with a winning record yet no playoff berth.
But as New York stumbled down the stretch, the Phillies went on a 13-4 run to lock up their first division title since 1993. The impetus behind the playoff push was a trio of homegrown infielders, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. Howard won the 2006 NL MVP award and Rollins is a favorite to take home the same hardware this year. Utley was a leading contender in the MVP race until he missed a month after an errant pitch broke his right hand.
Howard, Rollins and Utley have formed the heart of the franchise since mid-2005. The farm system made more contributions in 2007, most notably with Kyle Kendrick. Signed away from a Washington State football scholarship as a seventh-round pick in 2003, Kendrick stepped into an injury-riddled rotation in mid-June and won 10 games with a 3.87 ERA that ranked second among Philadelphia starters.
Carlos Ruiz, who signed for a mere $8,000 out of Panama in 1998, took over at catcher and provided steady offense and defense. Michael Bourn provided defense and speed off the bench, and he could take over in center field in 2008 if Aaron Rowand leaves as a free agent. Philadelphia also used lefthander Matt Maloney, a third-round pick in 2005, to plug a rotation hole by trading him to the Reds for Kyle Lohse.
The Phillies led the NL with 892 runs in 2007 and have all of their key hitters with the exception of Rowand locked up for the near future. On the other hand, their 4.76 ERA was the fourth-worst in the league and their rotation is full of long-term questions behind Cole Hamels and Kendrick. So their player-development focus is going to be on pitching.
In the next two years, Carlos Carrasco and Josh Outman should be able to help the rotation. Both finished last season in Double-A and figure to return there to open 2008. Carrasco ranks as the system's No. 1 prospect for the second straight year, while Outman is more advanced and could beat him to Citizen's Bank Park. Shoulder issues were the only reason that Joe Savery fell to the 19th pick of the 2007 draft, and if he's healthy he should rush through the minors.
Philadelphia took home one championship in the minors, as high Class A Clearwater won the Florida State League behind the continued emergence of catcher Lou Marson and the strong pitching of Drew Carpenter. The Rookie-level Dominican Summer League club also put together an impressive run, winning an unprecedented 22 consecutive games.
The 2008 season figures to be the last for general manager Pat Gillick, who now has reached the playoffs with each of the four franchises he has run. Gillick, who won two World Series titles with the Blue Jays, signed a three-year contract to become GM of the Phillies in November 2005. When it expires, his likely successor will be assistant GM Ruben Amaro, who interview for the Astros GM opening that went to former Philadelphia GM Ed Wade.
| Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects
(How to subscribe) |
| Pre-Order the 2008 Prospect Handbook 30 scouting reports on every team |
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