By: Matthew Shinkle, Staff Writer 
The Phillies minor league system was replenished with plenty of young talent around a year ago when Cole Hamels was traded to the Texas Rangers for a number of high profile players. Just released today, four Phillies were featured on the Baseball Prospectus' Top 50 mid-season prospect countdown, three of which were acquired in the deal with the Rangers.
- No. 1 on the list is J.P. Crawford, shortstop for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Crawford was drafted by the Phillies in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft, and has been highly regarded around baseball as to be a great player in the Major Leagues in the future. Starting this year at Double A Reading, he was promoted to Triple A after averaging a hit per game and having an OBP around .400 in Reading. Now with Triple A, he is hitting well over .300 in his past 10 games. He did have a rough start with Lehigh Valley, however he hit his first home run at Triple A earlier this week. Known for his eye at the play, Crawford has walked as many times as he has struck out this season. Baseball Prospectus noted he may succeed due to the fact that "he has the broadest base of skills" out of anyone in the minors. They noted him as a potential "perennial all-star at shortstop."
- Coming in at No. 23, Nick Williams has established himself as an outstanding outfielder at every level he's played at. He's currently hitting .289 with eight home runs for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in 75 games this season. Baseball Prospectus says in their assessment that he "has become a more refined hitter in the upper minors," and that he has "prestigious plate coverage." While he has been benched on two separate occasions for a lack of hustle, Williams' talent seems to suggest he'll be a successful outfielder for the Phillies for a long time to come.
- RHP Jake Thompson came in at No. 36, with some suggesting he may not be far from a promotion to the big league level. Having started 17 games at Triple A, Thompson is 7-5 with a 2.58 ERA and a WHIP just above 1.00 for 2016. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies Futures team before the beginning of the season, and features a strong arsenal of pitches. Baseball Prospectus notes that "a plus slider leads a solid four-pitch mix with the two-seamer generating plenty of groundballs." Opposing batters are hitting .232 against him this season.
- Last on the list for the Phillies is catcher Jorge Alfaro at No. 46. Alfaro is considered one of the best catching prospects in baseball, and is the only catcher featured on the mid-season report. He carries a big bat and strong arm, having thrown out nearly half the runners attempting to steal a base on his watch. In just 57 games, he is batting .289 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs for a team that has the highest winning percentage in all of professional baseball. Interestingly enough, he is on the 40-man roster for the Phillies, creating an interesting situation if Carlos Ruiz is traded before the trade deadline. Baseball Prospectus describes his future in baseball as a "rare middle-of-the-order catcher," with high-end athleticism that "allows him to stick behind the player where his arm is a true weapon."
This season for the Philadelphia Phillies organization was never about the record the team put forth. While a 24-17 start was surprising and showed that some of the players on the current team may be part of the next great Phillies team, most important was the continued development of prospects in the minors. While players on this list offer to help rebuild a team that won back-to-back pennants less than a decade ago, players not on the list from the Phillies organization like RF Dylan Cozens, 1B Rhys Hoskins, and RHP's Mark Appel and Ben Lively also figure to be part of the team's future.
