Three Philadelphia Phillies Prospects Made Massive Drops in Latest Top-30

Three Philadelphia Phillies prospects made significant drops in Baseball America’s Top 30 organizational prospects, released as a re-rank in early June.

The re-rank was based on a variety of criteria, as Phillies prospects moved up and moved down the board. These are prospects who were ranked in the preseason Top 30 and moved up in the re-rank.

Here are the three Phillies prospects that made the biggest drops in the Top 30 and what factored into their new rankings.

Jordan Viars, OF (-11)

Viars went from No. 15 to No. 26 in the rankings and his offensive numbers at Clearwater tell the story. He’s slashing .191/.277/.326/.603 in his first 39 games, with three home runs and 12 RBI. He has struck out 40 times and walked just 11 times. The third-round pick from 2021 has seen his batting average drop from 2021 (.255 in Florida Complex League) to 2022 (.236 with FCL and Clearwater) to this season. He’s still figuring things out at the plate.

Rickardo Perez, C (-8)

There’s a good reason Perez is no longer the organization’s top-ranked catcher — he’s suspended, though it’s not clear why. So his drop from No. 17 to No. 25 is more a function of the fact that he hasn’t played yet this season. But there’s a body of work to suggest that once he does hit the field he can work his way back up the list. In 2022 in the Florida Complex League he slashed .349/.387/.398/.785 with one home run and 14 RBI.

Andrew Baker, RHP (-4)

Baker fell from No. 11 to No. 15 in the latest rankings but is still well-thought of in the organization. The right-handed is definitely taking a bit of a step back in 2023 with Double-A Reading, as he has an 0-3 record with a 6.30 ERA, 28 strikeouts and 11 walks. Last season with two minor-league teams he went 4-1 with a 3.98 ERA in 46 games (all in relief) and had 72 strikeouts with 29 walks. Chances are Baker needs more of a tune-up than an overhaul.

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