Philadelphia Phillies Have Two Outfield Prospects Who Will Be Tied at Hip

The Philadelphia Phillies are clearly in win-now mode as they look to capitalize on the window of contention that has been created by the current core.

They won 95 games in the regular season in 2024, which was the second most in baseball behind only the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. With most of that core coming back in 2025, expectations are high once again.

However, with so many players on the wrong side of 30, it is fair to wonder how much longer the core, as currently constructed, will stick together.

Catcher J.T. Realmuto is set to be a free agent after this year, as well as Kyle Schwarber. They could be two of the first pieces moved on from next winter should the team not look to shake things up ahead of the deadline.

Normally the eventual downfall of key players is something that would have a franchise worried. Sustaining success at the Major League level comes at a cost; sometimes it is money spent on contracts, which the Phillies have no qualms about doing.

Other times, it is prospects being unloaded in trades to bring in established players to keep the team as competitive as possible.

It is a delicate balancing act to pull off but Philadelphia has done it successfully.

Despite clearly being contenders, their farm system is far from bare.

They currently have three top 100 prospects based on the rankings shared by Kiley McDaniel of ESPN; shortstop Aidan Miller and right-handed pitchers Andrew Painter and Moises Chace at Nos. 13, 21 and 90.

Outfielder Justin Crawford and catcher Eduardo Tait are highly regarded as well, landing in his next 100 prospects ranked at Nos. 114 and 185.

This level of success can be sustained for years to come, beyond the current group of regulars the team has, because of how well they have done keeping their minor league system stocked with high-end talent.

A little further down the list, the Phillies have two very intriguing center field prospects who could eventually join Crawford in the Big Leagues; Griffin Burkholder and Dante Nori, two selections from the 2024 draft.

“Nori was a big surprise last summer when he was selected with the No. 27 overall pick after he was generally expected to go in the second round, then the Phillies took Burkholder, a comparable prospect, with their second pick (63rd overall), paying both the same $2.5 million bonus. Nori is a year older than most of his peers but has every-day center fielder tools, and Burkholder was tracking like a first-round pick before injuries limited how much teams could see him last spring. Both could be top-100 prospects by this time next year with loud 2025 seasons,” wrote McDaniel.

This is an exciting time for the Phillies and their fan base as they are one of the few legitimate championship contenders in baseball. But, unlike some of their competition, they have long-term staying power with players such as Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh already contributing at the top level.

On the mound, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo and Orion Kerkering could be the foundation once their more veteran teammates are ready to take on lesser roles.

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