The Phillies had a pair of players on their AA roster named to the Eastern League All-Star team on Tuesday.
It’s likely that they would have had at least two more in Johan Rojas and Orion Kerkering had either player spent more of the season in AA Reading.
The first to make the All-Star team is a player that many Phillies fans already have on their radar in Carlos De La Cruz.
De La Cruz was selected as a first baseman. He had an almost meteoric first half that lead many fans to decide he should be an untradeable prospect.
Spending the entire 2023 season in Reading, De La Cruz played both first base and the outfield (mostly right field and center) for the AA club. He ended the season with a .259/.344/.454 slash line with 67 RBIs and 24 home runs.
De La Cruz led the league in hits with 132.
He is currently ranked as the Phillies #6 prospect by MLB.com.
The second All-Star from the team was Oliver Dunn, who has a very different background from De La Cruz that’d make him less known among Phillies fans.
Originally an 11th-round pick of the Yankees, Dunn was claimed off waivers this offseason.
While he had split time over the past two seasons in AA and AAA for the Yankees, he was primarily a backup player and did not see action each day. That changed this season, when Dunn played over 100 games (119) for the first time in his career.
He proved to be the most consistent offensive player for Reading, slashing .271/.396/.506 over the course of the season while manning second base.
Dunn led the Eastern league in on-base percentage, OPS, walks and extra-base hits while also leading his team in most offensive catagories.
He recorded 78 RBIs, 21 home runs, 82 walks, 16 stolen bases and 65 runs for the Fightins this season on the way to his first All-Star nomination.
The Phillies should certainly look to keep him around next season, even if for no other reason than for organizational depth. With such a successful season in his first as a full-time player, they should certainly see if he can continue to develop with the reps.
