2015 Phillies top prospects - 11-20

20. Jose Pujols, OF - I will admit a bias up front here. By the numbers so far, Pujols is not a Top 30 prospect. By most Scouting reports outside of Phillies-centric ones, he's not a Top 30 prospect right now. By my own stated rule of thumb to weigh 2 partial seasons of data more heavily than the single short season last year, he probably shouldn't be a Top 30 prospect. My hang up is that the power could be really, really special if he puts it together. His problem right now is hitting, pretty much every facet of hitting. Admittedly a 30%+ K rate is always a very bad sign. His walk rate is low, but manageable. He has a swing which had a big pile of red flags as an amateur and he's made improvements, but still has a ways to go. His Defense should end up average or better in Right Field and his speed should end up in the average range when he's fully developed. So, how did he end up in my Top 30, top 20 even? I'm a huge believer in how special Pujols' power could end up. If he could even end up a .250-.260-ish hitter with a 8-10% walk rate, he'd be a star with potentially elite power. At present Encarnacion has a touch more power, but he's fairly developed physically and unlikely to add much, Pujols still has some projection, so I put him a little higher. If the approach improves, Pujols could become a part you build a lineup around. That's why he's here. That said, if he puts up another  low Avg., high K season in full season ball or even XST-short season, I can't support keeping him on the list beyond this year.

19. Jesemuel Valentin, 2B - Roberto Hernandez could end up having been the best Free Agent signing the Phillies have made in years. Not so much for what he did, but for what he provided when Ruben Amaro clearly used the Jedi mind trick in trading him to the Dodgers for 2 rather good prospects. Valentin is technically a Second Baseman, but he has some experience around the diamond. That gets rid of some of the risk of being a Second Base prospect. He also has a solid hit tool with a good approach and an ability to hit for a solid average, though not much power. It's quite unlikely Valentin becomes a Star, but he has a good chance to become a regular and a floor as a super utility player.

18. Elniery Garcia, LHP - The Phillies have really taken to stockpiling diminutive (by Pitcher standards) Latin American pitching prospects with mid-rotation ceilings. Garcia is part of that group and my initial read on him was that he was Lefty Severino, with no outstanding pitches, but really good control. Then fairly early in my ranking process the first lists started coming out and Elniery was showing up quite high. I decided to revisit the scouting reports more thoroughly. And Garcia has some things in his favor. For one, he has outstanding command of a Fastball with movement (which is good, since it currently doesn't have much Fast to it), he has a Plus Curve that needs to get more consistent and a Changeup that needs some refining. I'm not ready to rank that guy Top 10 yet, but some refinement and a few MPH on the Fastabll and he becomes a pretty good candidate to be a mid-rotation Starter.

17. Odubel Herrera, 2B/OF - I might be ranking Odubray a little high, but I like his hit tool. He had played Second in the Minors, but word is the Phillies will use him the OF. He has the speed for Center and he has the skills to become a solid leadoff hitter down the line. He won't hit for much power, but I do think that there is the potential for a very good player here and probably the best rule 5 pick the Phillies have made in close to a decade (low bar and all). Of course, he could also end up being a bad Outfielder, struggle hitting MLB pitching and end up back in the Rangers system before Memorial Day, but I'm a big believer in Odubray.

16. Zach Green, 3B - Green reminds me a little of Franco in that he's slow, but plays a solid 3rd Base, he has plus power and he has questions about his ability to hit for a good enough average to make it in the Majors. Of course, Franco generates his power from bat speed, while Green basically muscles the ball out and Franco has excellent contact ability. Green had a down year for Power, but I'll write that off to his hip injury and expect it to return next year. If it does come back, his improved patience combined with that Power could be fairly special. If, however, he needs to move to First because of the hip, he becomes a bit more borderline. I'm banking with this rating that it doesn't happen.

15. Franklyn Kilome, RHP - Kilome was kind of old for an IFA signing, only 5 months from his 18th birthday. He was a very under the radar signing and was fairly unknown even to most prospect watchers until this year. He got some buzz in the Spring and it's easy to see why. Kilome has the size scouts drool over 6'6" and a frame that can carry more muscle can leave you projecting a guy with an upper-90's Fastball and strong ground ball tendencies. It's a very long way off, but there is top of the rotation potential here. Needs to add muscle and refine some pitches, keep an eye on him.

14. Tom Windle, LHP - I'm still learning a bit about Windle following the Rollins trade. I had glanced at him last year in draft review prep, but nothing in depth. In reviewing him since, he has an average Fastball, a changeup that needs work, a Slider than needs work on consistency and inconsistent command and control. One thing he does have, which the Phillies seem to be stressing, is a delivery that has a lot of deception. He's a few years off as a Starter. If the changeup doesn't develop and his weird mechanics prove problematic for health reasons he could move fairly quickly as a reliever. Ultimately I think he'll end up a 5th Starter/bullpen arm, but there is potential for a #3/4 Starter if his pitches develop a little.

13. Dylan Cozens, OF - I think Cozens is poised for a breakout year. He was so much better away from Lakewood (.196/.255/.343 at home; .298/.349/.487 on the road) that I think once he gets to the more Offense friendly Cleawater, he'll see a big bump in his numbers. Maybe not quite 100 points per slash, but even getting to a 30 point bump across the board  would give him a slash of .279/.334/.448, which is pretty damned good. I don't think most give Cozens quite enough credit for his athleticism and arm. I think he could probably play a passable Right Field, but even in Left, he's a decent Defender and for a guy his size, staying in the 25% K range is quite respectable.

12. Matt Imhof, LHP - Imhof's biggest positive is a deceptive delivery, which when combined with the movement on his pitches can allow him to perform better than his stuff suggests he should. Imhof is not going to be an Ace, his Fastball is low-90's and most of his pitches project as average or above average and even the greatest deception and Command can't dominate Major Leaguers. That said, the deception could probably fool them once or twice through the lineup, his command may get him through the second time and the third time through the order on occasion. He's a big guy, so he can project to be a durable, inning eater who gives you a chance to win. Even better Imhof can probably move pretty quickly, that makes him pretty valuable.

11. Carlos Tocci, OF - Tocci has a lot working in his favor, he has plus speed, he's a good defender, he has some natural feel for hitting and when I saw him he hit the ball much more solidly than I expected. What he doesn't have going for him is strength and youth anymore. The Phillies are reportedly working to rectify the first part of that (and I'm sure they'd love to rectify the second one too on their recent rosters), as Tocci went on an official lifting program after the season ended. I'm not suggesting he's on his way to being a power hitter by any means, but he may be on his way to being able to muscle balls into the gaps for doubles and building some acceleration to unlock his speed. On the youth front everyone has kind of given him a pass for the last few years for playing at very advanced levels for his age, and while he'll still be young for his level in 2015, it won't be as big a mitigating factor as it was for him the last few years and he'll really need to start translating all that potential into production. This is a big drop down my list for Tocci, but I actually like him more this year than I did last. Some additions to the Org through trades and drafts and the proximity of other talent pushed him down my list. If he performs in Clearwater this year, he'll be right back up the list.