Philadelphia Phillies Promote Slew of Top Prospects

The Philadelphia Phillies promoted a heap of their top talents for the tail-end of the minor league season.

Author:
Alex Carr
Aug 26, 2022 12:00 PM EDT

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Bryce Harper isn't the only big-name minor leaguer debuting for a different team this week.

With the minor league season set to come to a close in just a few weeks, the Philadelphia Phillies promoted a slew of their top prospects on Thursday.

Whether the promotions were earned through strong performances, or merely used to provide an extra confidence boost, 12 prospects took the next steps in their developmental journeys.

Hao-Yu Lee, now a consensus top seven-or-so prospect in the Phillies system, was promoted to High-A Jersey Shore. Lee has had the most helium of any talent within the Phillies system this season, and was more than deserving of a promotion after he slashed .283/.384/.415 with Clearwater this season.

Justin Crawford, the Phillies' first round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, was promoted to Clearwater from the Florida Complex League, which saw its season end three days ago. Crawford was solid with the FCL Phillies, hitting .300 with a .391 on-base percentage across 12 games in rookie ball. He walked five times, struck out eight, and swiped eight bags in his first dozen professional games.

Crawford's teammate Jordan Viars, who was the Phillies' third round pick in 2021, was also promoted to Clearwater from the FCL. Viars made a strong initial first impression in his first 22 games in 2021, slashing .255/.406/.468 while walking 11 times and striking out 12. The big-bodied outfielder took a step back in 2022 however, striking out 40 times in 44 games, and hitting just two home runs in that same span. He posted a .661 OPS at rookie ball this season.

Perhaps the most surprising of the transactions, both Ethan Wilson and Luis García were promoted from Jersey Shore to Double-A Reading. Both posted tepid seasons at High-A: Wilson managed a .635 OPS in 112 games with the BlueClaws. He has been terribly underwhelming in his time with the Phillies, who drafted him 49th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft.

García on the other hand gets a bit of a pass, as his season was derailed by injuries. Still, a .584 OPS with 47 strikeouts in 45 appearances doesn't exactly scream that a player is ready for the biggest jump in all of minor league baseball. Regardless, García's glove, which is as good as they come, will surely play well at the Double-A level.

Among the Phillies other promotions:

INF Otto Kemp, RHP Nicoly Pina, and LHP Andrew Walling were promoted to Clearwater.

INF Leandro Pineda, RHP Sam Jacobsak and RHP Victor Vargas were promoted to Jersey Shore.

RHP Mike Adams was promoted to Reading.

It will be fascinating to see what kinds of results these last-minute promotions yield, but they certainly can't hurt. In these final few weeks, top talents like Lee, Crawford, and even Wilson will know what kind of competition to expect next season, as they continue to climb the ranks of the Phillies' system.