1/31/14

Fangraphs - Philadelphia Phillies Top Prospects




AgePAH2BHRBBSOSBAVGOBPSLGwOBA
20581173363130701.320.356.569.411
The Year in Review: Franco enjoyed a breakout season at the plate in 2013 while splitting the year between High-A and Double-A. In total, he slugged 70 extra base hits — including 31 homers — and hit more than .300, which helped pull up his on-base percentage despite a low walk rate. Franco did a nice job of making hard contact and struck out about 12% of the time.
The Scouting Report: Offensively, Franco’s key tool is his plus power, which comes from his above-average bat speed. For a power hitter, he makes unusually-high contact but he’s too aggressive at times and struggles with his pitch recognition. He can also be quite streaky at times. Franco will look to increase his versatility in 2014 while reportedly splitting his time between the hot corner and first base. He has a strong arm, which would be wasted at first base, but his range is just average at the hot corner and will likely head in the wrong direction once he starts to fill out more and slow down.
The Year Ahead: Franco murdered Double-A pitchers in 69 games last year so a strong spring could push him to Triple-A. If he keeps hitting like he did in 2013, the Dominican third baseman could displace MLB sophomore Cody Asche during the second half of the season.
The Career Outlook: The corner infielder reminds me of a young Edwin Encarnacion and he could eventually develop into a middle-of-the-order threat for the Phillies.
 
AgeGGSIPHHRK/9BB/9ERAFIP
212727138.11041010.025.333.643.76
The Year in Review: It was an up and down year for the southpaw. Biddle struck out 154 batters (the third highest total in the Eastern League) in 138.1 innings and was hard to hit (104 base knocks) but he struggled with both his command and control, as witnessed by his 82 walks — which led the league.
The Scouting Report: Like with many young, talented pitchers, Biddle will live and die by his command and control. The good news is that there are no major red flags surrounding his delivery so they will hopefully sort themselves out with addition innings and experience. Biddle has an average fastball in the low 90s, and he backs that up with a promising curveball and a good changeup. He has a strong frame that suggests he could eventually develop into a workhorse capable of providing 200+ innings a year.
The Year Ahead: Biddle should move up to Triple-A in 2014 if the Phillies feel his issues with finding the plate are improving.
The Career Outlook: Biddle has a high ceiling but he’ll have to become more consistent to realize his full potential.
 
AgePAH2BHRBBSOSBAVGOBPSLGwOBA
182286091323514.308.405.400.390
The Year in Review: The 16th overall selection from the 2013 amateur draft, Crawford hit better than expected during his pro debut. He posted a .908 OPS in 39 Rookie ball games to earn a promotion to Low-A ball. He struggled in 14 games after the promotion but still did a nice job of controlling the strike zone. He played solid defense all season long.
The Scouting Report: A premium athlete, Crawford has a chance to develop into the Phillies’ shortstop of the future based solely on his defensive acumen. He has a strong arm with smooth actions and solid range at shortstop. He has enough speed to steal 15+ bases in a season and beat out a few infield singles. His offensive game needs the most work. Crawford, 19, needs to become stronger at the plate and quicker to the ball but he has solid bat speed and makes decent contact.
The Year Ahead: Crawford should return to Low-A ball in 2014 and will likely spend most, if not all, of the year at that level.
The Career Outlook: Carl Crawford’s cousin could be a four-tool star but he’ll have to continue to develop his bat as he moves up through the minors.

For the rest of the list...   http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2014-top-10-prospects-philadelphia-phillies/ 
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