The division reports debuted last year. The goal of this article series is to provide a quick overview of all dynasty-relevant information from each division. Each team has multiple minor league levels, each containing plenty of impactful prospects which can feel impossible to keep up with. This article series, which will be updated once per month, will help dynasty managers stay up-to-date on performances, injuries, promotions, and more. New this season is the inclusion of tiers in the rankings. Next to their rank, each prospect is assigned a tier. The tier range is 1-5.
- Tier 1: A potential difference-making dynasty prospect. Somebody who would rank in the top-20ish prospects for dynasty baseball
- Tier 2: A still very good dynasty prospect who holds plenty of value. This prospect would typically rank in the 21-75 range
- Tier 3: A mid-tier prospect who could be valuable but has questions and concerns present in his profile ranking in the 76-150 range
- Tier 4: A prospect who is worth knowing, but is reserved for deeper leagues. This prospect would rank 151-250
- Tier 5: The rest of the prospects fall into Tier 5
Sure, there might be some bias in my love for the Phillies’ farm system. However, this group of prospects truly seems to be one that is on the rise. Headlined by rehabbing pitching prospect Andrew Painter, the team has multiple impact bats nearing the Major Leagues. There is also depth from up-and-coming prospects like Eduardo Tait. This article will provide dynasty managers with the latest news and notes from the Phillies’ farm system.
NL East
Notable Prospect Performances
- Aroon Escobar is moving up prospect lists incredibly quickly. For dynasty managers, the window to acquire him in your leagues is closing quickly. After a strong 2024, Escobar is dominating Low-A. He has already hit four homers, is showing off strong contact skills, and good plate discipline. Escobar has the raw tools to turn into a dynamic fantasy asset. His ceiling is 25-30 homers, good batting average, and 10 stolen bases. Escobar moves up to fourth on this prospect list based on his upside and early performance. Grab him now before it is too late.
- Mick Abel rejoins the Phillies’ top prospect list. Abel’s struggles pushed him off the list to start the season, but he has looked like a different pitcher over his previous four starts. Following a rough first start, Abel owns a 2.31 ERA with a 28% strikeout rate and a 9.7% walk rate. His velocity is up about one mph on each of his pitches. In addition to more velocity, Abel is just throwing more strikes. He is far from the top prospect he once was, but Abel deserves some attention once again in deeper dynasty leagues.
- The decision to keep Otto Kemp at seventh has nothing to do with his performance on the field. Kemp has been an everything man for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. He has nine homers, an average exit velocity of 93 mph, a line drive rate north of 20%, and a batting average of over .300. The reason for not moving Kemp up is simply the performance of those above him. There are also some concerns over his chase rate (32.4%) and swinging strike rate (17.3%). This could cause issues for Kemp against Major League pitching.
Notable Promotions and News:
- Former top prospect Griff McGarry was off to a great start prior to landing on the IL with an unspecified injury. Big stuff helped fuel McGarry’s prospect hype a few seasons ago, but control issues have prevented him from ever reaching his ceiling. After spending last season as a reliever in Triple-A, McGarry moved back into a starter’s role in Double-A this year. He did not allow a run through 12 innings across three starts. There has not been any news as to what this injury is, but hopefully McGarry can return to the mound soon.
- Andrew Painter has looked electric through his first three rehab appearances. For dynasty managers who own Painter, it comes as a relief to see his stuff looking just as strong as it did the last time we saw him on the mound back in 2023. Painter has not pitched more than three innings in any of his rehab appearances, but has struck out 33.3% of the batters he has faced. The plan is to ease Painter back into action while limiting his innings. He is expected to join the Phillies at some point after this year’s trade deadline.
- Griffin Burkholder joined Low-A Clearwater last week. The Phillies opted to keep Burkholder in extended Spring Training to start the year, but have now moved him to full-season ball. Despite being the team’s second-round pick last season, Burkholder holds more fantasy potential than any other pick from last year’s class. He has the speed and physical projection to turn into an upper-tier prospect if everything clicks.
