How The Phillies Top 4 Prospects Looked In Spring Training

Spring Training is not just the first look at players who will make the pro team this year, it also offers a glimpse into some of the team's top prospects. The Phillies had a handful of guys on their top prospect list in camp this year. Names Like Justin Crawford, Aidan Millar, and Andrew Painter were with the team this spring.

Crawford and Miller were already sent down. Painter remains with the team for now but is not expected to make the Pros until June or July as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery. There was also the emergency of a smaller prospect, Gabriel Rincones Jr. How did each of them look?

Miller is the prize of the Phillies hitting prospects. he is rated their 2nd best prospect behind only Andrew Painter, and is 27th in the MLB. Scouts love the pop in his bat. We have only had glimpses of it so far, with 11 HRs in 122 games, but the raw power is there waiting to be unlocked, and he is still only 20 years old.

This spring was his first taste of playing with the Phillies, and while he did not get a hit, he did impress people with his poise, his ability to play Short, and his approach at the plate. Including Jayson Stark who talked about his 1st impressions of Miller with Ricky Bo on our Hot Stove special.

He was recently sent down and is likely still a year or 2 away. But he is already at AA, and could easily fast-track his path to the majors if he starts showing off that pop every scout thinks he is capable of.

The son of former All-Star Carl Crawford, Justin was also sent down along with Aidan Miller recently. But unlike Miller, Crawford did produce some numbers while at Phillies camp.

Crawford went 3 for 10, drew a walk, and stole 2 bags on the way to scoring 4 runs. The guy can run, that much is clear from his 99 steals in just over 200 games down in the minors since 2022. And like many people assumed he eventually would, he bulked up a bit to look more chiseled at Spring Training than people are used to seeing him.

He left quite an impression on Rob Thompson in his 7 games played in the Spring.

Jayson Stark also weighed in on what he saw out of Crawfrod this Spring.

His glove in CF, thanks in large part to his elite speed, has also been great down in the minors. But what will really excite Phillies fans is his tendency to put the ball in play. The team wants him to get the ball elevated more, just because he grounds out a bit too much. But a guy with his speed, who puts the ball in play, could cause a lot of trouble for teams.

We might see him this year if the Phillies need to bring up an Outfielder, and he continues to put up numbers down in AA. But if not this year, 2026 will be when Crawford makes his way to Citizens Bank Park.

Painter is the guy with the biggest chance to contribute this year. Dave Dombrowski straight-up told us we will see him in June or July.

But they are still taking it slow with him, hence why we have not seen him pitch in Spring. He is there, and he is drawing rave reviews for the work he is doing outside of the games, but fans have not gotten a real look at what he looks like post-Tommy John.

He did post a 2.3 ERA in the Arizona Fall League. But they will take it slow with him, and let him start down in the minors. Provided there are no setbacks, we will get a chance to see him in person closer to the All-Star Break.

For a reminder of how good he is, he had a 1.56 Era across 22 starts the last time he pitched in the Phillies organization back in 2022.

Rincones is the camp darling and the wildcard among the Phillies prospects. He was not a highly regarded prospect coming into camp. He is not top 100 on any list, and as for the Phillies list, the highest any outlet had him was 10.

But you can not deny the noise he has made in camp. There is a reason the other guys were sent down, and he is still there. He has 4 hits, 3 of which left the yard. His OPS in the Spring is 1.438. He is crushing balls.

Here is what Jayson Stark said about him.

"Rincones is having an eye-popping spring. He has hit five balls over 100mph, and it's the most on this team. So, you know, the bat speed is real. I would just caution people that he's not a great defender in the outfield. And the left-right splits tell us he might be just a platoon piece offensively."

The left-right splits are real. He is another lefty who struggles to hit lefties. His slash line vs them was .189/.250/.243/.493 last season. It was a very small sample size, but the small sample size shows the organization does not trust him vs lefties.

People expecting him to play his way into a starting spot might be getting ahead of themselves. But Stark does think he can be a contributor as a depth bat in case of injury.

"He's probably going to start in Triple-A. So just imagine they need an outfielder in a couple of months. Say Max Kepler gets hurt. Would you rather see them call up that guy or a retread like David Dahl, who was last year's insurance policy in the outfield, right? I mean, I think the fact that you got a guy like this to call up is just another sign of the progress they're making in their system."

He might be able to crack the roster. More likely it is what Stark suggests. He will hang out and AAA and wait for there to be a need. But it feels very likely we see him in Philadelphia at some point this season.

There was a point where this Phillies team could do no wrong. Even after losing to the Astros in the 2022 World Series, this team and the fans were like Newlyweds, it was puppy Love. We started to see some fractures last season, but the Mets series finally did it.

Where once this team had the full backing of the fanbase, Phillies fans now just want results. Not moral wins, they want a parade. There has been enough clumsy flirting.

The team enters Spring training with more pressure on them from the city than they have ever had. The Phillies chose to mostly run it back. The main guys are all still here, they just added a couple of new faces, with the Leffty Jesus Luzardo being the prize catch of the off-season. But it was not the rotation that had fans worried, it was the lineup. And the addition of Max Kepler has done nothing to make fans confident in those lineup issues turning around.

Related: 6 Things The Phillies Need To Do To Follow The Eagles Footsteps

There is nothing the team can do in Spring training to fix that. Honestly, there won't be much they can do in the regular season. if they come out on fire people will be excited, but the relationship can't be truly be mended until October. Think about the Eagles and how many fans weren't ready to get fully back on board until they were in the Super Bowl.

But there are things we can learn from Spring Training. Could we see the lineup shaken up? Will any young guys step into new roles? Can they avoid using multiple platoons? Are there any prospects to watch out for? Let's look into some of the things to watch this Spring.

Kyle Schwarber's leading-off has been a contentious debate for the past several years, even while Schwarber continued to prove he is one of the most productive leadoff hitters in the game. He just set a record for Leadoff HRs and has the highest OPS leading-off games in Phillies history.

But for the 1st time, Rob Thomson is entertaining the idea of a lineup change. Trea Turner is the obvious choice if it is not Schwarber. Harper would make a lot of sense too, but he doesn't like leading off. No one else is a realistic option.

Thomson has not made any promises, but he has shown he will experiment with the lineup. Expect to see a few different variations while they figure out what works. It will also be interesting to see who hits 4th and 5th.

Andrew Painter will make his debut at some point this season. Phillis have said to expect him in either June or July. They will take it easy with him as he continues his recovery from Tommy John, but barring another injury, he is going to pitch in the pros this season.

But before that, we will see him in Spring Training. We only got a brief glimpse of him 2 years ago when many thought he would make his debut at 19. He quickly suffered an injury, so we didn't really get to see what he has to offer. But he gets a second chance this spring. And how he looks vs pro hitters, even if it is just an exhibition game, will be one of the most exciting things in this Spring Training.

Stott and Marsh were both considered good prospects at one point. They have both had their moments in the pros. But neither have proven they are everyday players yet.

Marsh because his platoon splits are horrible, Stott more because his bat isn't consistent enough against lefties or righties. But neither of them are prospects anymore. Both have multiple seasons under their belts, and it is time for the kid gloves to come off. This season is very important for both of them to show they can be consistent hitters at this level capable of playing every day.

We can only learn so much from Spring Training. But we can at least see how much the team plans to use them. Do they give Marsh chances against lefties? Or will it be another platoon? Can Bryson Stott finally find a consistent bat?

Both those questions will be key in deciding if this Phillies team can accomplish what the Eagles just accomplished. We know both guys are capable of great things. They have both had moments of brilliance. But the team needs to consistently.

The Phillies rotation is great. But it could be better than great. We know who Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler are. Cristopher Sanchez is coming off a fantastic season. The question is can Suarez and Luzardo bounce back?

Both guys have been among the best Lefty starters in the league when healthy. But health has plagued both of them. They come into camp healthy, and on time. If they both return to form, the Phillies not only have two of the best righty pitchers, but 3 of the best lefty pitchers.

If those two look good, there will be real reason for excitement. With a rotation like that, they can be in any series with any team.