Could Another Star Pitching Prospect Debut for Philadelphia Phillies This Year?

There's a chance Andrew Painter isn't the only star Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect who will make his Major League debut this season.

Feb 25, 2024; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) directs batting practice before a game against the New York Yankees at BayCare Ballpark | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are gearing up for another season where they are expected to compete for a World Series title based on the strength of their roster.

Despite fizzling out in the playoffs the past two years in frustrating fashion, there's no doubt the star power already in place is enough for them to beat every team in Major League Baseball, regardless if there are now doubts present or not.

One area that is a clear question mark coming into the season is the bullpen.

The Phillies let both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez walk in free agency, opting to bring in Jordan Romano and Joe Ross on short-term deals. Orion Kerkering will see an increased role during high-leverage situations, and they're hoping Jose Alvarado can get back to being a shutdown reliever.

Assuming everyone stays healthy, there are already concerns surrounding this group when it comes to them being good enough to win a championship.

However, another top prospect could help shore up that unit.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic thinks Moises Chace could debut at some point this season as a reliever despite projecting to become a starter for Philadelphia later in his career.

The 21-year-old was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles ahead of this past trade deadline in the deal that shipped Gregory Soto out of town.

Ranked No. 5 in the Phillies' pipeline coming into the season, the ceiling is high for the young right-hander and he "has a chance" to fly through the pipeline according to Gelb despite only making four appearances at the Double-A level thus far.

It will be interesting to see if the organization goes in this direction with Chace.

They are committed to him as a starting pitcher, so he would have to perform well enough in that role where he leaps from Double-A to start the year into a prominent spot with their Triple-A affiliate. He then would have to showcase he can get that level of hitter out at a rate that gives the front office and coaching staff confidence he can be used in the Majors.

At the age of 21, that's a tall task.

Kerkering was able to do that previously, but he was already a specialized reliever.

If there is a clear need in the bullpen for Philadelphia at some point, there's a chance Chace sees his role change.

Ideally, that won't happen and he can continue to refine his stuff as a starting pitcher, potentially becoming the next high-upside young arm to pair with Andrew Painter, who will debut during the summer this season.