Phillies Promising Prospect Turning Heads at Arizona Fall League

The Philadelphia Phillies have started to put a lot more of their attention and resources into building a strong pipeline.

This was done at the behest of Bryce Harper, who told ownership and the front office that this would be a key for future success going forward.

It's paid off the past two seasons as Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Johan Rojas and Orion Kerkering have all come through the minor league ranks to become impact players during one or both of their deep postseason runs.

The Arizona Fall League has become an event where prospects are able to gather and compete against other elite players to showcase their skills.

One of the Phillies' promising relievers is doing just that and is turning heads during this competition.

After a tough 2023 season, Andrew Baker has arguably been one of the best relievers at the AFL.

In six outings, he has a 0.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and has allowed only one hit. He's struck out the side twice and including this past Saturday.

That lowers opponent's batting averages to .053 when facing him.

Baker is not ranked in the Top-30 of Philadelphia's prospects according to MLB Pipeline.

Until this performance at the AFL, he really hadn't shown that he could become a top prospect.

The 11th round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft spent his entire 2023 season at the Double-A level where he struggled mightily.

In 41 appearances, he had an 0-6 record with an ERA of 8.12. He blew four out of five save opportunities and had major command issues.

Across 41 innings pitched, he walked 48 batters, pushing his WHIP to a ridiculously high 2.02.

Baker has electric stuff however, striking out 64 batters this past season.

His performances at the AFL are great sign for him moving forward.

Facing elite competition, he is easily having his best stretch as a professional and is starting to flash his potential.

This event is an opportunity for prospects to make a name for themselves within their organization and across baseball.

Baker is doing that and is emerging as a promising reliever option within the Phillies' pipeline.