Philadelphia Phillies 2019 MLB Draft Report Card
Image credit: Bryson Stott (Photo by Mike Janes/Four Seam)
Every year at the conclusion of the regular season, Baseball America revisits each teams’ most recent draft class. Each class has its no-doubt, high-profile names to keep an eye on, but our annual draft report cards highlight the best tools, best debuts, late-round steals and more. Here are the names you need to know from every organization’s 2019 draft.
You can see the full Philadelphia Phillies 2019 draft class here. Find all of our 2019 draft report cards here.
Best Pure Hitter: SS Bryson Stott (1) hit .356/.486/.599 for Nevada-Las Vegas last spring after posting similar numbers as a sophomore. He followed that up by hitting .295/.391/.494 in his pro debut. Stott knows how to attack pitchers early in counts, but he also has a solid two-strike approach to generate contact and avoid strikeouts.
Best Power: C Herbert Iser (23) has plus-plus raw power. Iser never really hit in college, but the Phillies found that he has a vision issue that could be corrected with contact lenses which may help him at the plate. OF Marcus Lee Sang (11) has solid power potential as well, as does Stott.
Fastest Runner: OF Hunter Markwardt (13) is a top-of-the-scale runner. His pro debut ended early because he crashed into the wall and broke his nose trying to catch a George Valera fly ball, which ultimately turned into an inside-the-park home run.
Best Defensive Player: The Phillies believe that Stott will be able to stay at shortstop on his climb to the big leagues. He’s sure-handed and reliable with solid athleticism. Iser is a solid catch-and-throw backstop.
Best Athlete: SS Jamari Baylor (2) has strength, athleticism, plus speed and an above-average arm. His pro debut was ruined by a hamstring injury that limited him to four games. RHP Dylan Castaneda (30) was an excellent wide receiver/defensive back for his high school football team.
Best Fastball: RHP Andrew Schultz (6) works in short stints with an unconventional arm action, but he runs his fastball into the upper 90s and has touched 100-101 mph.
Best Secondary Pitch: LHP Erik Miller (4) has a plus slider that he has an advanced feel for when considering his age. Schultz’s slider is just as good when everything comes together, but the consistency of the pitch isn’t there yet.
Best Pro Debut: Stott hit very well in the New York-Penn League. Miller posted a 1.50 ERA with 52 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 32 innings between stops in the Gulf Coast, New York-Penn and South Atlantic League.
Most Intriguing Background: C Micah Yonamine (29) is the nephew of Wally Yonamine. Yonamine played football for the San Francisco 49ers right after World War II before heading to Japan to play baseball. He became the first American-born player inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.
Closest To The Majors: Stott and Miller are both polished college players who could move relatively quickly. As a hard-throwing reliever with two pitches, Schultz could catch or pass them on the way to Philadelphia if he can develop more consistent control.
Best Late Round Pick: Castaneda has a 91-94 mph fastball and an intriguing breaking ball to go with solid athleticism. Sang has a chance to be a prototypical corner outfielder.
The One Who Got Away: The Phillies signed every player they drafted in the top 30 rounds. LHP Michael Prosecky (35) is a promising pitcher with an 89-93 mph fastball, but his Louisville commitment was quite strong.
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