2017 TGP Midseason Prospect Rankings

Following the pharm the last few years has been fun as a Phillies fan! The prospect-heads here at TGP (Victor Floromo, Cormican, Jared Pallo and myself) have come together at midseason and ranked out our favorites. The process was simple as we put together our Top 20 and made a composite ranking. As you'll see below, there are definitely some differences of opinion!

Feel free to give us your own opinions and personal rankings in the comment section below.

1. Sixto Sanchez, RHP

(Jason – 1, Cormican – 3, Victor – 1, Jared – 1)

Surprised, shocked...still in awe at this placement? Well, you shouldn't be. There is a very good chance Sixto ends up on most national publications as the top ranking pitching prospect in the minors at the end of the season. I'm not sure we can over-hype him at this point. The kid can touch triple digits on his fastball and sits easy in the mid to upper 90's range. Sixto has potential plus offerings with his curveball, slider and a developing changeup as well. The next question you are probably asking yourself is, "when?" Assuming he can handle a heavier workload next season, it isn't out of the realm of possibility of a 2019 debut. However, let's stick with 2020 for now and dream. (Jason)

2. J.P. Crawford, SS

(Jason – 2, Cormican – 2, Victor – 2, Jared – 2)

Well, what else is there to really say about J.P. Crawford? He was the consensus top prospect in the Phillies system for the past few years only to be quickly kicked aside as his struggles in triple-A continued. Crawford was recently ranked 92^nd in the Baseball America midseason prospect re-rank. He’s really turned it around in the past month and a half, though, as he’s finally showing the extra-base power that he was projected to possess by the time he reached Lehigh Valley. He returned from a groin injury on June 20 and has since looked like a top prospect. We’ll have to continue to keep an eye on Crawford to see if this recent stretch is for real. And as J.P. said himself, “All it is is motivation.” (Jared)

3. Mickey Moniak, OF

(Jason – 3, Cormican – 1, Victor – 3, Jared – 3)

Last year’s #1 overall pick started out the season with a couple of decent months on the ledger, but numbers-wise, his season has taken a bit of a nosedive in July. He’s not walking enough (6.2% BB rate), and he’s striking out a bit too much (20.2% K rate), but there is still a long way to go in terms of Moniak’s development, and he’s just 19 years old. His body is still adjusting to the muscle he put on in the off-season, and he’s in the throes of the dog days of summer right now in his first full season in pro ball. That being said, a guy with this type of barrel control, plate recognition and natural athletic ability deserves to remain in the discussion for top prospect status in the organization. (Victor)

4. Scott Kingery, 2B

(Jason – 4, Cormican – 4, Victor – 5, Jared – 4)

As perhaps the biggest riser in the system, Scott Kingery has put up some unexpected numbers in both AA and AAA. He is currently the only player across all levels of professional baseball to have at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. After hitting 18 home runs in double-A, some thought the power numbers were heavily aided by the Reading effect. He’s flashed similar pop since being promoted to Lehigh Valley, so it’s possible the power numbers for Kingery could be somewhat legitimate. His defense, approach, and speed are all still great tools as well, so it makes a ton of sense as to why Kingery is having such a breakout season. (Jared)

5. Rhys Hoskins, 1B

(Jason – 5, Cormican – 5, Victor – 9, Jared – 5)

Rhys Hoskins shot up prospect lists last year with his incredible 38 homers season in Reading. Many began to doubt the game power and season line of .281/.377/.566 because of the noted ballpark factors in Reading. Fast forward to nearly 100 games into the 2017 season and Hoskins has silenced those critics with smashing 22 longballs and replicating his line from last year with a .282/.377/.556 slash. Perhaps even more encouraging is he has cut down his K-rate from 21% down to 16% all the while holding a modest 12% walk-rate. Hoskins is as finished of a product as he is going to get and will get his chance to prove himself in Philly once the organization decides what to do with incumbent first baseman Tommy Joseph. (Jason)

6. Nick Williams, OF

(Jason – 6, Cormican – 7, Victor – 6, Jared – 6)

While Nick Williams remains on this list for now, he likely will graduate before the season's end. Nick Williams got the call-up to Philadelphia in late-June and hasn't looked back. Through 19 major league games, Williams has a sterling OPS+ of 145 and has shown the power that certain prospect folks weren't sure he'd be capable of in the majors. Granted, we are only roughly 70 at-bats into his major league career, but it's hard to argue with the results at this point. The key to William's success for the rest of the season will rely on whether he adjusts to pitchers as they become more familiar with his approach. Let's face it; I'm not sure he will be able to survive with a 0.5% walk rate going forward. (Jason)

7. Jorge Alfaro, C

(Jason – 8, Cormican – 9, Victor – 4, Jared – 7)

With the way the 40-man roster is going to shake down this off-season and Alfaro’s contract status, he’ll be on the Phillies’ 25-man roster come April 2018, probably paired with Andrew Knapp at the catcher position. He’ll probably be up before the end of this season, too. He still isn’t walking all that much, and there are plenty of questions as to whether or not he’ll stick behind the plate, but the raw tools and plus arm are there. However, we probably should expect better than a .246/.300/.362 line at this point. Alfaro’s another guy who is striking out a lot and not walking enough. Is a switch going to flip overnight in the Majors? Probably not. There will be adjustments he has to make. There are plenty of concerns right now, but with his tools, he can’t be written off just yet. (Victor)

8. Adam Haseley, OF

(Jason – 10, Cormican – 6, Victor – 7, Jared – 9)

Adam Haseley was the Phillies’ first round selection in the MLB Draft back in June. Ever since playing in his first professional game in the GCL on June 27, Haseley has been pretty impressive. Haseley’s hit tool is fairly advanced and is aided by a really good approach at the plate. His speed and defense are also good which will probably allow him to stick in center field for the foreseeable future. He quickly earned a promotion to Williamsport just three games into his career, and there is serious speculation as to when Haseley will be bumped up to Lakewood or even straight to Clearwater. (Jared)

9. Franklyn Kilome, RHP

(Jason – 7, Cormican – 10, Victor – 8, Jared – 11)

On paper Kilome is the more exciting Pitching prospect between him and Sixto because he has a larger frame and a nearly equal Fastball with a really easy delivery. The problem is Sixto presently has much better, though not perfect, control, more promising secondary offerings and he's 4 years younger. Kilome can get his Fastball into the upper-90's (typically sitting 92-95, as high as 97). That's a 60 grade pitch. He also has a pretty nasty Curve that flashes potential to be a 60 grade pitch as well. His Changeup is borderline useless and doesn't look like it will likely progress too far beyond an occasional "show-me" pitch. The bigger issue is that his control is thoroughly inconsistent thanks to inconsistent mechanics. Last year the ceiling was projected as #2 Starter, now it's more likely #3 Starter, with a very real risk of a high leverage reliever. (Cormican)

10, Dylan Cozens, OF

(Jason – 9, Cormican – 8, Victor – 13, Jared – 8)

Cozens is going to be a boom or bust player at the MLB level. There's a lot of swing and miss, but when he doesn't miss he hits the ball as hard as anyone in baseball. In a Home Run Derby I don't think he'd beat Judge or Stanton, but he wouldn't embarrass himself certainly. One of the more common comps for Cozens in Adam Dunn and that's pretty fair. Cozens is athletic enough to play the Outfield for a few years, but First Base is almost certainly in his future somewhere in the next 5 years. Cozens probably doesn't draw the walks Dunn did, so the offensive profile may end up more in Mark Reynolds territory, which, with Cozens likely better D is probably a 1.5-2.0 WAR player. (Cormican)

11. Roman Quinn, OF

(Jason – 12, Cormican – 11, Victor – 11, Jared – 10)

Roman would probably be top 5 on this list and possibly on a lot of top 100 national lists if he could stay off the DL. His injuries are mostly unrelated to each other, but they're still frequent enough to risk derailing his career. I would estimate from times I've gotten on Quinn that the only player in Baseball faster than him is Billy Hamilton and Quinn has shown better skills as a hitter. His Defense is Plus and his speed allows him to compensate for the few mistakes he does make. His arm is his weakest tool, but he's not Ben Revere or Ben Francisco out there. If Quinn can avoid the DL, there's an All Star ceiling within reach. (Cormican)

12. Cornelius Randolph, OF

(Jason – 11, Cormican – 15, Victor – 12, Jared – 12)

Randolph has put together an incredibly spicy month of July after a bit of a slow start out of the gate in April and May. He’s getting on base, he’s hitting more line drives than he was earlier in the year, and he’s even stealing some bases, too. He’s manning left field for the Threshers, and he’ll likely finish the 2017 campaign there. He just turned 20 in early June and yet he’s somehow already the forgotten Phillies prospect. But a repeat of those July numbers in August and he’ll at least be in the discussion to start 2018 in Reading. Questions about Randolph’s power will continue to follow him, and if he doesn’t develop it, it’s hard to see him playing out as an everyday above-average Major League regular. But, time is on his side. (Victor)

13. Adonis Medina, RHP

(Jason – 15, Cormican – 13, Victor – 10, Jared – 15)

Medina has had a fairly successful campaign in his first year of full-season baseball. He has spent the entire 2017 season with Lakewood and has posted his best strikeout numbers of his career thus far -- he has three games with 10+ Ks and an overall 10.4 K/9. These numbers come after a 2016 season with Williamsport in which he just didn’t strike many guys out. It’s somewhat weird that Medina didn’t get many strikeouts, however, because he possesses a good fastball and above-average to plus secondary pitches. Those pitches have presumably taken a step forward, hence the improved strikeout numbers. Medina is still just 20 years old and has time for pitch improvement, so he will be a prospect to watch in the coming years. (Jared)

14. Jhailyn Ortiz, OF

(Jason – 18, Cormican – 12, Victor – 15, Jared – 14)

Jhailyn Ortiz is a big, big kid. He's listed at 6'3, 215 lbs which looks a little optimistic, but don't be fooled, he's surprisingly athletic for that build. No one is going to confuse him with Roman Quinn, but he moves well in an NFL Offensive Guard kind of way. For now that allows him to work in Right Field where his Plus arm is a weapon. He may eventually end up at First, but his bat profiles well anywhere. He has a bit of swing and miss, but overall shows a solid approach and is probably second to Dylan Cozens in system in terms of raw power potential. (Cormican)

15. Tom Eshelman, RHP

(Jason – 13, Cormican – 18, Victor – 14, Jared – NR)

Injuries may have forced Eshelman to Lehigh Valley sooner than the Phillies would have liked, but he has more than held his own at AAA. Of course, not all stories have a happy ending. Eshelman just went on the disabled list with a right flexor strain, so he could be on the shelf for a while. But the 23-year-old has displayed plus control and he’s walked just 15 batters in 113 innings across AA and AAA. He’ll rely on his fastball, change-up and curveball when he does eventually make it to the Majors. He’s not going to be a dominating strikeout pitcher, but if he continues to display this type of control, he’s a solid back-of-the-rotation option for a Major League team. (Victor)

Honorable Mention

Seranthony Dominguez, RHP – Perhaps without the fanfare of Sanchez, Kilome and Medina, but Dominguez is beginning to warrant more attention with his mid to upper 90's fastball. He's dealt with some shoulder issues this year that has cost him time, but in his 39 innings in Clearwater, Dominguez has given up only 25 hits with a 49:17 K/BB. (Jason)

Daniel Brito, 2B – The Brito hype-train started early this season when he hit .333/.379/.454 in his first 26 games. The 19 year old shows a lot of above average tools which optimistically has a lot of scouts turning their heads. There were even reports early on that Brito looked like the more impressive prospect between he and Mickey Moniak. Take that however you'd like. (Jason)

JoJo Romero, LHP – The 20 year old 2016 4^th round pick has been quite the story in 2017. Across two levels Romero has compiled a 2.30 ERA with 103 strikeouts (to 29 walks) in 98 innings this season. His fastball has been reported mostly in the low 90's, touching 95. (Jason)

Carlos Tocci, OF – Remember the years of Tocci populating a Top 10 prospect list? Well those days are likely over, but not because he has regressed. The top of this list is just that good. So much so that despite playing above average defense in centerfield and slashing .317/.373/.418 in Reading, the 21 year old is quietly flying under the radar. (Jason)

Also receiving votes: Cole Stobbe, Francisco Morales, Elniery Garcia, Jonathan Guzman