11 Phillies Prospects To Watch Beyond The Top 30

The Phillies Top 30 prospects rankings are up now for Baseball America subscribers, with full scouting reports, BA grades and tools grade projections for all 30 players.

Through the process of narrowing the list down to a Top 30, there are other intriguing names who didn’t make the cut but are worth monitoring, with the potential to jump into the Top 30 in the future. Some of those are players who might be in the upper levels and could see big league time this year, though likely in a limited role, while others are lower-level players still in the complex leagues with more upside but plenty of risk.

Beyond the Top 30, these are 11 prospects to watch in Philadelphia’s farm system.

Erubiel Armenta, LHP. Armenta showed swing-and-miss stuff in 2022 at High-A Jersey Shore, striking out 54 in 40 innings. He pairs an above-average, high-spin 93-95 mph fastball with an upper-70s changeup that flashes plus and a low-70s slider. Armenta is a converted position player who struggles to throw consistent strikes, but his pitch mix fits well out of the bullpen.

McKinley Moore, RHP. Moore has a standout slider, an upper-80s plus offering with above-average spin, and pairs it with an upper-90s fastball that tops out in the triple digits. Despite his overwhelming two-pitch mix, Moore struggles to throw strikes, averaging 5.1 walks per nine innings in 112.2 minor league innings.

Alexeis Azuaje, 2B. The light-hitting middle infielder has strong bat-to-ball skills and plus-plus speed, but lacks much impact in his bat and is a below-average defender. He was left unprotected for the 2022 MLB Rule 5 Draft, although he went unpicked.

Caleb Ricketts, C. The 2022 seventh-rounder had a productive four-year collegiate career with San Diego, and he could move quickly as an offensive-first backstop with some feel to hit from the left side and solid power.

Nikau Pouaka-Grego, SS. Pouaka-Grego had an impressive debut in the Florida Complex League in 2022, hitting .301/.424/.466 with as many walks (16) as strikeouts in 35 games. The 18-year-old has an advanced feel for hitting and good bat-to-ball skills, but he’s a below-average defender at shortstop and will likely need to move to second base.

Cristian Hernandez, RHP. After showing promise as a starter in 2021, Hernandez posted a 6.10 ERA in nine starts for High-A Jersey Shore in 2022, and looked much better after a move to the bullpen (3.22 ERA, 36 strikeouts in 36.1 innings). He pairs a fastball that sits in the mid 90s and topped out at 97.5 mph in 2022 with a low-80s slider.

Estibenzon Jimenez, RHP. Jimenez throws quality strikes and has a solid three-pitch mix, with a fastball that sits in the 91-95 mph range, a low-80s slider he shows feel for and a mid-80s changeup.

Noah Skirrow, RHP. Skirrow predominantly relies on his four-seam fastball, a rising low-90s pitch with above-average spin, but mixes in a high-spin, upper-70s curveball, a mid-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup. He has solid-average command and should find a role as a middle reliever in the big leagues.

Dalton Guthrie, OF. Guthrie’s 2022 breakout campaign at Triple-A Lehigh Valley led to a major league cameo, and he collected seven hits in 21 at-bats for the Phillies. He’s a solid defender in the outfield with a strong throwing arm to go with solid bat-to-ball skills.

Baron Radcliff, OF. Radcliff has massive plus-plus raw power, as evidenced by his 92.5 mph average exit velocity in 2022, but needs to cut down on his swing and miss to tap into it more frequently.

Cade Fergus, OF. The 2022 13th-rounder is one of the best athletes in the system, with plus-plus speed and elite defense in center field. He’s shown some pop offensively, but it’s come with a large amount of swing and miss.