Over the years, the Phillies have made some questionable deals at best. Whether it was dealing Cliff Lee in 2009 or trading for and then trading Hunter Pence, fans have had no issues calling out front office executives, specifically Ruben Amaro Jr., about the fall of the team from 2011 to where we are now. It's time to put that in the past for good as the Phils minor league talent has grown nicely and has added some really exciting new names over the past year.
By parting ways with Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd, Jonathan Papelbon, Cole Hamels, Ben Revere and Jake Diekman, the Phillies have added premium talent in top prospects Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson, Zach Eflin, Ben Lively and Tom Windle along with mid-level arms Jerad Eickhoff, Jimmy Cordero, Alberto Tirado and Alec Asher. These additions to the minor league system have caught the attention of MLB.com, who now ranks the Phillies farm as the seventh best in baseball.
7. Philadelphia Phillies
Preseason Top 10: Not ranked
Prospects on Top 100 list: 6
The most improved system on this list, the Phils have risen from the bottom third in baseball thanks in large part to adding four Top 100 Prospects since June: right-hander Jake Thompson (No. 59), outfielder Nick Williams (No. 63) and catcher Jorge Alfaro (No. 68) from the Rangers in the Cole Hamels trade, plus outfielder Cornelius Randolph (No. 97) in the first round of the Draft. Having their past two first-rounders, shortstop J.P. Crawford (No. 6) and righty Aaron Nola (No. 22), continue to look better and better has helped, too.
Since joining the Phillies organization, Jake Thompson is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts with Double-A Reading while his teammate and fellow top prospect Nick Williams is hitting .415 (17-for-41) with three doubles, a triple, three homers, seven RBI's and 12 runs scored. In his 41 at bats, he's only struck out seven times. Meanwhile, the other two arms that came to Philadelphia in the Cole Hamels trade, Jerad Eickhoff and Alec Asher, are pitching well in Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Eickhoff, 25, was named IL Pitcher of the week for his performance during last week's action. In two starts for the Ironpigs, he's 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA. Alec Asher is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA after his last start in which he allowed just three hits over seven shutout innings.
The Phillies also added relievers Jimmy Cordero and Alberto Tirado from the Blue Jays in the Ben Revere trade. Cordero, 23, has hit triple digits on his fastball a handful of times already since joining Double-A Reading. In five innings, he's allowed three runs and struck out five. 20-year-old Alberto Tirado is with the Phillies Advanced 'A' affiliate in Clearwater. In three games spanning four innings, he has allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts.
Rounding out the Phillies trades from the past year are prospects Zach Eflin, Tom Windle and Ben Lively. Eflin, 21, was the big return in the Jimmy Rollins deal with the Dodgers. With Double-A Reading this season, he's 6-6 with a 3.67 ERA. Windle, 23, has been moved to the bullpen after going 2-5 with a 5.35 ERA in 14 starts. Since converting to a relief role, Windle has posted a 2-0 record to go along with a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings of work. Ben Lively, currently on the disabled list in Double-A, has shown some promise, but has mostly struggled this season for the Fightin' Phils. He's 8-7 with a 4.17 ERA over 22 starts.
There's no doubting that the Phillies minor league system has some great potential that could lead to an exciting future with the big league club. As for who exactly pans out over the next few years, though? Your guess is as good as ours.
