4 Phillies Players Make MLB’s Updated Top 100 Prospects List
The Phillies entered the season with just two prospects in MLB’s Top 100 list. A couple of months into it, Justin Crawford was added to it. But now, with the…

Justin Crawford #13 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park on July 08, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)The Phillies entered the season with just two prospects in MLB's Top 100 list. A couple of months into it, Justin Crawford was added to it. But now, with the addition of recently drafted Aidan Miller, they are up to 4 prospects on the list. Not included are Johan Rojas, who we have already seen play at a high level in the MLB, and Griff McGarry, who had a 3.13 ERA in 13 AA starts.
Here is where each of them fell in the rankings:
- 29) SP-Andrew Painter (down from 6 before the season)
- 49) SP-Mick Abel (down from 36)
- 83) OF- Justin Crawford (unranked)
- 97) 3B) Aidan Miller (unranked)
Painter came into the season as the highest-rated pitching prospect in the league. But after not playing all year, and recently undergoing Tommy John surgery, he understandably has dropped 23 spots. But he posted a sub-2.0 ERA last season between A and AA.
Mick Abel however has pitched this season, and he even made it to the futures game. And while by watching him, it is clear to see the talent, the production is still not quite there. All of his stuff speaks to a guy who can pitch at the next level. But a 4.35 ERA ERA through 17 starts leaves something to be desired. Still, his talent is enough to have him among the top 50 prospects in the MLB. His 96 strikeouts through 80 innings speaks to his upside.
Justin Crawford on the other hand has looked fantastic this season. The 19-year-old is hitting .344/.399/.480/.879, with 40 steals across 68 games. And like his fellow Outfield prospect Johan Rojas, he may have done some of his most impressive work with the glove. He has just 3 Hrs, but he has shown gap power. Crawford already has 16 doubles, and 6 triples, to go with 60 RBIs. So he is not a slap hitter. As he grows into his body more, and bulks up, that gap power could turn into home run power. Maybe not a 30 HR type guy. But he should be bale to have some pop at least.
As more Miller, there has not been much of a sample size yet. He has played in just 7 games since joining the Phillies farm system. But in those games he does have a slash line of .381/.519/.476/.995. And scouts see him as a guy with plus raw power, evident from him winning his High School leagues HR Derby. He fell to the Phillies at 26 because of a hamate bone injury keeping him out much of his senior season. But scouts think he could be one of the best hitters in the draft. So far so good.
There was a time Phillies players were a rare sight on the Top 100 Prospects list. Now they have an abundance of good prospects, and guys like Rojas you could argue deserve to be there.
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History of Philadelphia Phillies No-Hitters
The euphoria created by 14 Philadelphia Phillies no-hitters in franchise history has given the fan base something to cherish forever.
A long history of over 11,000 losses and only two World Series has forced Philadelphia fans to take some punches. However, they’ve gotten their fair share of opportunities to watch the seminal moment when a starting pitcher completes one of the best single-game, individual achievements in professional sports.
A Special Baseball Novelty
The MLB season is a 162-game marathon. Fans need special circumstances to celebrate, and a no-hitter or perfect game fits the bill as the exhilarating novelty that ignites the passion of baseball fandom.
The long list of no-hitters in MLB history make up just over .1% of the league’s games. The perfect game is even less common. Only 24 pitchers in MLB history have faced and retired 27 batters in order. It's happened about once in every 10,000 games.
Philadelphia Phillies No-Hitters
Everyone remembers Roy Halladay throwing a no-hitter in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds in 2010. It was one of only three no-hitters in postseason history and one of two completed by only one pitcher.
However, it was Halladay’s perfect game four months earlier that’s arguably his most dominant performance. He matched the work of baseball legend Jim Bunning, who retired 27 in order for the Phillies in 1964.
Halladay also became one of six pitchers in MLB history to throw more than one no-hitter in the same season.
Michael Lorenzen pitched possibly the most surprising no-hitter in 2023 just two weeks after the Phillies acquired him in a trade with the Detroit Tigers.
There was even the perfect sendoff for Cole Hamels, one of two Phillies ever to win a World Series MVP.
No matter how old you are or how long you’ve watched the Phillies, you undoubtedly remember a no-hitter as one of the highlights of a particular season. Revisit all 14 in franchise history.
Michael Lorenzen: August 9, 2023 Vs. Washington Nationals
It was an emotional night for Lorenzen in only his second start with the Phillies and his first at Citizens Bank Park. The embattled former reliever had scratched and clawed to earn a position as an MLB starting pitcher, and he got his reward. He had family in attendance for an incredibly well-timed achievement.
The crowd in South Philadelphia experienced a night filled with incredible anomalies. 28-year-old Weston Wilson became the first Phillies hitter in 25 years to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat, and his family (also in attendance) poured with emotion. Nick Castellanos also hit his 199th and 200th career home runs.
Lorenzen threw a career-high 124 pitches in the no-hitter. Phillies manager Rob Thomson considered pulling his starter, but a six-man rotation and a light upcoming schedule gave him the luxury of pushing Lorenzen to the limit. His four walks made the manager sweat, but he shut down the Nationals flawlessly.
"That was the coolest moment of my baseball career," Lorenzen said in a moment that made fans remember what the game of baseball is all about.
Cole Hamels: July 25, 2015 vs. Chicago Cubs
Professional athletes don’t usually know what game will be their last in a particular uniform, but Hamels left Philadelphia fans with a lasting memory that is as good as it gets with a dominant performance at Wrigley Field.
Phillies fans didn't always glorify Hamels as much as Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee, but they came to appreciate his longevity by 2015 when it came time to move on from their long-time ace ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline.
As Odubel Herrera stumbled on the warning track chasing Kris Bryant's fly ball before recording the 27th and final out, the hearts of Phillies fans everywhere sank. Seconds later, they celebrated the perfect sendoff for the 2008 World Series MVP.
Combined No-Hitter: September 1, 2014 vs. Atlanta Braves
Combined no-hitters sometimes feel like they cheapen the accomplishment. The significance of the individual, single-game achievement creates the beauty of this baseball novelty.
Celebrate Cole Hamels for his first REAL no-hitter in 2015 instead of remembering a game when Jonathan Papelbon recorded the final out.
Roy Halladay: October 6, 2010 vs. Cincinnati Reds
Roy Halladay's first playoff start was bound to create some adrenaline for one of the most determined athletes in Philadelphia sports history. However, Phillies fans might not have expected only the second no-hitter in MLB postseason history.
Halladay dominated the Reds. He walked Jay Bruce in the 5th inning because of a borderline pitch, and he mowed down the other 27 hitters he faced. You wouldn't have known from his outrageously competitive demeanor that he was pitching one of the best games of his life.
He later called his time in Philadelphia and his opportunity to pitch in the postseason the "icing on the cake" for his MLB career after 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Roy Halladay: May 29, 2010 vs. Florida Marlins
Philadelphia sports fans were consumed by Game 1 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final between the Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks. They didn't realize that this particular one of 162 Phillies games in 2010 would be the most memorable.
Josh Johnson controlled the Phillies offense with just one unearned run in seven innings. However, Roy Halladay outdueled him with the second perfect game in Phillies history. The signature performance less than two months into his Phillies career. It helped him earn the 2010 NL Cy Young Award and even a sixth-place finish for the NL MVP.
Fans still remember the exhilarating call of Tom McCarthy.
Kevin Millwood: April 27, 2003 vs. San Francisco Giants
Millwood entered his sixth career start with the Phillies on the Phantic's birthday at Veterans Stadium. The promotion drew plenty of children in a rising generation of Phillies fans, and they saw a lasting memory that sucked them in for life.
The former Atlanta Braves starter struck out 10 Giants hitters, including Barry Bonds in the 7th inning. Millwood's tenure soured by the end of his second and final season in Philadelphia, but his career in red pinstripes certainly wasn't just a footnote for people who remember Harry Kalas delivering the call as Ricky Ledee squeezed the ball in his glove for the final out.
Tommy Greene: May 23, 1991 vs. Expos
Michael Lorenzen blanked the Nationals in 2023, and Greene took care of the Expos before their move to the nation's capital.
Greene started only his second game of the season after a stint in the bullpen, but his dominant performance got his season going. He pitched a three-hit shutout five days later, and he finished the 1991 season with an ERA lower than in his famed 1993 season.
Terry Mulholland: August 15, 1990 vs. San Francisco Giants
The Phillies fell on hard times after the 1983 World Series. As Mike Schmidt approached the twilight of his career, the team faded from playoff contention. The diehards who hung through the hard times got one reward from Terry Mulholland in 1990.
The journeyman played for 11 teams in 20 MLB seasons in stints as a starter and a reliever. For one day, he was all the Phillies needed. He struck out 10 Giants hitters in the seventh no-hitter in franchise history.
Rick Wise: June 23, 1971 vs. Cincinnati Reds
A no-hitter is an outstanding accomplishment, but National League pitchers used to have even more responsibility. Rick Wise had possibly the best all-around performance in Phillies history with two home runs and three RBI.
It's tough to single-handedly defeat a baseball team, but Wise came about as close as you can.
Jim Bunning: June 21, 1964 vs. New York Mets
As impressive as a no-hitter is, the idea of a perfect game blows it out of the water.
Bunning pitched the first perfect game in franchise history and the first in the National League since 1880. The American League hadn't had one in 42 years. Don Larsen's World Series perfect game had, however, set the stage in 1956.
The nine-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer mowed down 27 Mets at Shea Stadium, drawing a standing ovation seen in the black and white video below but not in modern times in the Mets-Phillies rivalry.
Bunning is now on the Phillies Wall of Fame at Citizens Bank Park. He also started the first game at Veterans Stadium in 1971 during his second stint with the Phillies.
John Lush: May 1, 1906 vs. Brooklyn Superbas
Did you know the Los Angeles Dodgers used to be named the Superbas?
John Lush no-hit them in 1906 at the ripe age of 20.
Chick Fraser: September 18, 1903 vs. Chicago Cubs
The 1903 Phillies finished 49-86, but they had one game to remember. Chick Fraser wound down a forgettable season with a 10-strikeout no-hitter in September in a game that took only one hour and 40 minutes.
Red Donahue: July 8, 1898 vs. Boston Beaneaters
The Boston Beaneaters went down a winding road before ultimately becoming the Atlanta Braves. It was a great name, but it didn't help them hit Red Donahue in 1898.
Charlie Ferguson: August 18, 1889 vs. Providence Grays
Ferguson pitched the first no-hitter in franchise history before the Phillies name ever came into existence. The Philadelphia Quakers name lasted from the inception in 1883 until 1889. They had some tough seasons, but they had at least one highlight to remember.