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A few days ago, Baseball Prospectus released their Top 101 prospects for 2016, and six Phillies were present on that list.
That's pretty damn impressive. I mean, it was just last year the Phils were lucky to have three guys in most teams top 100s.
Of course, these lists are primarily just for our amusement, but these rankings of prospects are what the public sees, and so they go a long way in influencing public perception.
On Friday night, MLB.com Pipeline released their Top 100 for 2016, and wouldn't you know, the Phillies did even better.
Phillies have 7 prospects in @MLBPipeline Top 100, more than any team in baseball. https://t.co/8kBFFDwfzu pic.twitter.com/xTEUuSFoMW
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) January 30, 2016
You know most of the names by now, but just for the sake of fun, here is the rundown.
#5 - J.P. Crawford (SS)
#55 - Jake Thompson (SP)
#64 - Nick Williams (OF)
#70 - Mark Appel (SP)
#84 - Cornelius Randolph (OF)
#96 - Jorge Alfaro (C)
#99 - Roman Quinn (OF)
Three of these prospects, Thompson, Williams and Alfaro, came to the Phillies in the Cole Hamels trade, while one of the others, former No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel, came over in the trade of Ken Giles.
The Phils' top prospect, Crawford, was the team's first pick (16th overall) in the 2013 draft. He's expected to be on the big league club at some point later this year.
Perhaps the most surprising player on the list is center fielder Roman Quinn. He had a terrific season for Reading last year, batting .305/.356/.435 with a .791 OPS. He had six doubles, six triples and 29 stolen bases in just 58 games before missing the rest of the season with a torn left hip flexor.
Missing from this list is pitching prospect Franklin Kilome, who was featured in Baseball Prospectus' Top 101. Quinn was not on the BP list, nor was Cornelius Randolph. And MLB is also lower on many of the Phils' prospects than BP was.
| Player | BP Rank | MLB Rank |
| J.P. Crawford | 4 | 5 |
| Nick Williams | 25 | 64 |
| Jake Thompson | 34 | 55 |
| Mark Appel | 64 | 70 |
| Cornelius Randolph | N/A | 84 |
| Jorge Alfaro | 70 | 96 |
| Franklin Kilome | 95 | N/A |
| Roman Quinn | N/A | 99 |
I see him more in 2017; Crawford could be up this year, tho no need to rush either #Top100Prospects https://t.co/25Zsw0y0ku
— Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) January 30, 2016
Totally agree. Williams really shouldn't be up much before September, in my opinion. Crawford, maybe August.
On Kilome...
Like him a lot. Want to see what he does in full season... could jump on this list in a year for sure https://t.co/WbN2m0Uc18
— Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) January 30, 2016
On Mark Appel's ceiling... can he be an ace?
Still has ceiling, but will he reach it? Needs to trust his stuff and pitch. No. 2 tops, No. 3 #Top100Prospects https://t.co/Rtf5qQQxAG
— Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) January 30, 2016
On whether J.P. Crawford can be a potential MVP?
I think he has that kind of upside, yes #Top100Prospects https://t.co/NQgVpgYcZG
— Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) January 30, 2016
And why the low ranking for Alfaro and Williams?
Alfaro hasn't consistently used his tools on the field. Williams took big step fwd for sure #Top100Prospects https://t.co/bB8bcOBq2h
— Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) January 30, 2016
In short, Mayo and the folks at MLB pipeline are taking a wait and see approach with guys like Alfaro and Kilome, and for some reason, they are not as optimistic on Williams as most other folks seem to be.
We will still get to see Baseball America's and ESPN Keith Law's Top 100s at some point in the next few weeks, which will give everyone a better sense where the Phils' prospects stand across the industry.
But know this. This farm system is a Top-5 system in Major League Baseball, which is exactly what you want when you're rebuilding.