Franchise-Altering Decision Centers Around Position Change of Phillies Star Prospect

A positional change could be coming for the Philadelphia Phillies star prospect, and it will have major ramifications for the future of this franchise.

Jul 13, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; American League Future outfielder Spencer Jones (93) steals second base ahead of the tag by National League Future infielder Aidan Miller (10) during the fourth inning during the Major league All-Star Futures game at Globe Life Field. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies look like they will be one of the best teams in baseball again during the 2025 season.

Virtually their entire core that won the National League East title with 95 victories in 2024 will be back to make another run at the World Series. The only expected change in their lineup will be Max Kepler taking over in left field; every other starter from 2024 is projected to assume the same role.

With one of the most prolific offenses in baseball last year, it should come as no surprise the team will be bringing back so many players.

However, some difficult decisions are going to have to be made in the near future as several of their key contributors are on the wrong side of 30 years old.

Who will the team turn to as an infusion of youth into the lineup?

One player to keep an eye on is their top-rated prospect, shortstop Aidan Miller.

Ranked No. 13 overall by Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, the Phillies took full advantage of a draft day slide in 2023, landing him with the 27th pick after some concerns about what position he would play and an injury that arose during the spring which resulted in him missing a good portion of his senior season of high school.

Alas, teams are going to regret passing on him.

Miller has put to rest a lot of those concerns in the early going of his professional career.

He more than held his own defensively at shortstop and surprised people with his athleticism on the basepaths. Improvements were made at the plate as well, producing at a better clip than even his biggest fans in the scouting community believed he would out of the gate.

Now viewed as one of the best young players in the minor leagues, Philadelphia has a future left side of the infield contributor waiting in the wings.

It will be interesting to see if he can stick at shortstop long term, providing even more value. The fact it is up for debate after how he was viewed heading into the draft shows the kind of talent and work ethic he possesses.

Ultimately, McDaniel believes he will move to the hot corner.

“He's now on the third-base/shortstop spectrum and I'm leaning toward third base due to his range,” he wrote.

An expected move shouldn’t be too surprising given the player comps that he received. Since his high school days, Miller has been compared to Josh Donaldson, the 2015 American League MVP.

Being compared to a player of that caliber will create some lofty expectations for the Phillies star prospect. But, the raw power that separated Donaldson from his peers for so many years is something that Miller possesses as well, raising his potential ceiling.

His development and the decision of where to play him long term will be a franchise-altering move.

If he is able to stick at shortstop, it makes the wild prediction of Trea Turner becoming the full-time right fielder in the future more feasible since Miller would be taking over the infield spot.

Many evaluators, as McDaniel noted, believed Miller was ticketed for third base as a professional. If that happens, Alec Bohm trade rumors could pick up again once he is ready for a Major League promotion.

The same could happen with Bryson Stott, the current starter at second base who is under some pressure to up his production in 2025 to remain there going forward.

If the outfield at 33 going on 34 years old isn't in the cards for Turner, he could move to the keystone with Miller at shortstop, Bohm at third base and Stott being the odd man out.

Turner would seemingly be in the team's long-term plans regardless of what happens.

The futures of Bohm and Stott could very much be up in the air, determined by how they perform in 2025 and the club control that is ending for both after the 2026 and 2027 campaigns respectively.

Their production could play a major role in determining what happens with Miller, who possesses the ability to play either spot on the left side.

The star prospect's development and ultimately where he settles in the infield will have a lasting impact on the franchise for years to come.

A major shuffling of the deck could ensue depending on what management and the coaching staff determines is the best course of action for him.

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