Baseball America Releases Phillies’ Top Ten Prospects List

By Brian Hamilton, PhilaPhans Phillies Minor League Editor

Last week, Baseball America published its annual list of the Phillies’ top ten minor league prospects. The current list, which Baseball America says is based on projections of a player’s long-term worth after discussions with big league scouting and player-development staff, features five players from the magazine’s edition of the list from last year, along with five newcomers. The July 2011 trade with the Houston Astros that brought outfielder Hunter Pence to Philadelphia resulted in a good bit of the attrition, as 1B/OF Jonathan Singleton (#2), RHP Jarred Cosart (#4), and OF Domingo Santana (#9) all were sent to Houston along with RHP Josh Zeid. OF Domonic Brown is no longer eligible for the list because he has exceeded the number of major league at-bats required to maintain rookie status. He held the top spot on this list in each of the past three offseasons. OF Aaron Altherr (#10) remains with the organization, but fell out of the top ten based on performance.

Here is the newest list, with capsules of each player’s performance from 2011 and a projection for the future. Listed ages are as of April 1, 2012.

1. RHP Trevor May (age: 22)

(Image-Tom Priddy/MiLB)

Ranked #5 on this list last year, May put together a breakout 2011 season and is now a clear-cut choice for the top spot. While his overall statistics with high-A Clearwater were good (10-8, 3.63 ERA in 27 starts), it was his peripheral numbers that were eye-popping. May limited hitters to a .221 batting average and whiffed 208 batters in just 151 1/3 innings, good for an average of 12.4 k’s per 9 innings. For his efforts, he earned the Paul Owens Award as the organization’s top minor league pitcher. May features a mid-90’s fastball and gets many of his strikeouts with a put-away curveball. He also showed improved command last year, walking 67 batters for a passable strikeout-to-walk ratio of better than 3-to-1. May will take the next step forward and top the rotation of the double-A Reading Phillies to begin 2012. He projects as a potential #2 starter.

2. LHP Jesse Biddle (age: 20)

(Image-Tony Farlow-MiLB)

The Phils’ top pick (27th overall) in the 2010 draft enjoyed a successful season after a slow start and elevated himself from the #8 spot on last year’s list to his current rank at #2. After an April with a 0-3 record and 7.16 ERA, Biddle never posted an ERA higher than 2.65 in any subsequent month and finished with an overall 7-8 mark and 2.98 ERA in 25 appearances (24 starts) for the Lakewood BlueClaws. Biddle’s fastball typically peaked in the low 90’s, but his sturdy frame suggests there may be some projectability in his velocity. He also flashed a sweeping curveball that is becoming a go-to strikeout pitch. While still a work in progress, his change-up improved over the course of the year as well. Biddle earns universal praise for his character and work ethic, and the Phils seem excited about his development to this point. Look for Biddle to spend 2012 at high-A Clearwater.

3. C- Sebastian Valle (age: 21)

Ranked #6 on this list last year, the right-handed hitting native of Mexico became the Phils’ top catching prospect with the December 2009 trade of Travis d’Arnaud to Toronto in the Roy Halladay deal. This year, he becomes the Phils’ top position-player prospect as he moves to the #3 spot here. Valle was given the assignment of catching the Phils’ highly-touted starting staff at high-A Clearwater, and he made progress defensively and in calling games this season. At the plate, it was a tale of two halves—a hot start followed by a cold finish (.357 in 39 pre-All Star Break games, .225 in 52 post-All Star Break games). Valle endured some nagging injuries, a minor concussion being one, and is certainly not the first player to tire in the summer Florida heat. An aggressive hitter with power, Valle needs to improve his walk rate (13 walks in 348 at-bats) in order to hit successfully at higher levels. Valle played for the World Team in the 2011 Futures Game, held in Arizona on the Sunday prior to the MLB All-Star Game. He will start 2012 in Reading and projects as the heir apparent to Carlos Ruiz behind the plate.

4. RHP Jonathan Pettibone (age: 21)

(Image-Mark LoMoglio)

Ranked #18 among Phils’ prospects coming into this season behind numerous more highly-touted names, Pettibone ascended to this ranking by becoming perhaps the most polished of all Phils’ minor league starters. In 27 starts at Clearwater, Pettibone compiled a 10-11 record with a 2.96 ERA. With good but not overpowering stuff, Pettibone needs to be fine in order to be successful, and he was able to do just that almost every time out. He flashed both excellent control (34 walks in 161 innings, an average of just 1.9 per 9 innings) and good command of the strike zone, as he surrendered just 5 home runs in all of 2011. Phillies brass were said to have considered a mid-season promotion for Pettibone, but elected to keep him in Clearwater for the entire campaign. He will make the jump to a more hitter-friendly environment in Reading next year, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the challenge. If he stays on his current projection path, Pettibone projects as a mid-rotation starter.

5. RHP Philippe Aumont (age: 23)

Acquired in the December 2009 trade that sent Cliff Lee to Seattle, Aumont has now stepped forward as the prospect most likely to salvage something for the Phils from this much-maligned deal. After a disastrous 2010 season as a starter first at Reading and then after a demotion to Clearwater, Aumont was re-invigorated by a return to the bullpen in 2011. He allowed opposing hitters to hit a combined .216 between Reading and triple-A Lehigh Valley, and struck out 78 batters while walking 25 in 53 2/3 innings. In the pen, Aumont shows power stuff that translates into a likely role as a setup man or a closer at the major league level. Depending on the offseason moves the Phillies make, Aumont could get a shot to make the big club out of spring training. A bit more development time at the AAA level, however, seems the most likely scenario at this point in time for the big Canadian righty.

6. SS Freddy Galvis (age: 22)

(Image-Al Messerschmidt/Getty)

With longtime incumbent shortstop Jimmy Rollins now on the free agent market, Galvis is receiving a great deal of attention as the possible successor to Rollins at the position either now or in the not-too-distant future. While he has been regarded as a defensive stalwart ever since signing with the Phillies as an amateur free agent, only this past season did Galvis show major-league caliber potential with the bat. Listed at 5’10” and weighing 170 pounds, Galvis embarked on a workout regimen last offseason that allowed him to get stronger at the plate, and the results showed as he set career highs in doubles (28), triples (5), and home runs (8) while hitting a combined .278 between Reading and Lehigh Valley. He was named the organization’s winner of the Paul Owens Award as the top position player prospect in the organization. After only 33 games at AAA last year, look for Galvis to get one more full season of minor league ball under his belt. From there, Galvis’ fate in Philly seems tied to the club’s decision on Rollins.

7. RHP Justin De Fratus (age: 24)

(Image-Jeff Crupper)

De Fratus is one of several young relievers whom the Phillies are expected to rely upon in building their bullpen of the future. In 2011, this California native spent time at Reading and Lehigh Valley and put together a combined 6-3 record and 2.99 ERA, with 15 saves. De Fratus also made 5 appearances after a September call-up to the Phillies. He struck out 99 and walked 25 in 75 1/3 minor league innings, holding hitters to a combined .227 average. He relies mostly on a mid-90’s fastball, and needs to develop more consistency with his slider and change-up. A candidate for a full-time bullpen spot in Philly in 2012, De Fratus projects as a setup man down the road.

8. RHP Brody Colvin (age: 21)

The 2011 season will go down as a disappointing one for this right-hander, and that is reflected by his drop from #3 in last year’s rankings to his current spot at #8. Colvin left his first start of the season in Clearwater last April with back trouble, missed several weeks, and was never able to consistently regain his form. He finished the season with a 3-8 record and 4.71 ERA in 22 appearances (21 starts) with the Threshers. The 2012 season will be a big one for Colvin, as those who have questioned his make-up in the past will now see how he handles the adversity of a poor season. Based on the way the Phillies typically handle prospects, Colvin may have to start 2011 in Clearwater and find success at that level first before earning a possible mid-season promotion.

9. OF Jiwan James (age: 22)

(Image-Tom Priddy/MiLB.com)

A multi-sport star in a Florida high school, James was signed by the same Phillies scout who signed Domonic Brown. James has drawn additional comparisons to Brown due to his similar long, lean frame; he was named by Baseball America as the system’s best athlete. It continues to be a work in progress for James’ baseball skills to match his athletic potential. A hard worker who receives high marks for his character and leadership skills, James plays a top-notch center field. He combines outstanding range with good instincts and an excellent throwing arm. At the plate, James had an up-and-down season at Clearwater in 2011. After a somewhat slow start, he hit .330 in July, but seemed to wear down toward the end of the season. Overall, he batted .268 with a .690 OPS for the Threshers; those numbers are eerily similar to his 2010 stats at low-A Lakewood (.270 with a .686 OPS). James needs to hit more at higher levels, starting at Reading next year, in order to project as a big-league regular.

10. 3B Maikel Franco (age: 19)

(Image-MiLB)

Signed in January 2010 as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic, Franco spent most of last summer at short-season Williamsport. He hit .287 in 202 at-bats for the Crosscutters, including an amazing .412 with runners in scoring position. Sandwiched around his season with the Crosscutters, however, was a 17-game August stint at Lakewood during which Franco was overmatched. He batted just .123 with the BlueClaws (8 for 65) with one home run before being sent back to the Crosscutters for their club’s stretch drive. Franco is said to have the bat speed and the frame to hit with power as he grows older. But as with many young hitters, he will need to refine his understanding of the strike zone in order to succeed at higher levels. He walked just once while striking out 15 times at Lakewood. Look for Franco to start 2012 with the ‘Claws as their third baseman.

- BH

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Posted by brianhamilton on Nov 8 2011. Filed under Breaking News, The Pharm Report. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry