Is This Phillies Prospect a Five-Tool Talent in the Making?

The Philadelphia Phillies Minor League affiliates are in full swing. All four teams have played ten games now, and many individual players have seen positive results—but few prospects have seen a stronger start than Clearwater's Jadiel Sanchez, who the Phillies picked in the twelfth round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

Sanchez had flown under-the-radar thanks to the lost Minor League year, but he's resurfaced with a bang in the early goings of 2022, hitting an impressive .351 alongside a .926 OPS across his first 37 at-bats.

After the 2019 draft, it became apparent (once the numbers were public) that the Phillies aimed to sign first-rounder Bryson Stott under slot value in 2019, in part so that they could make over-slot offers to their eleventh and twelfth round picks: outfielder Marcus Lee Sang and Jadiel Sanchez, respectively.

It seems, way back then, they identified something they liked.

A switch hitter, Sanchez is listed at six-foot-two and 185 pounds, but certainly looks to have grown on both fronts. Scouts rave about his strong arm, and he seems to have a knack for quality contact. The young outfielder is averaging a 90.2 exit velocity on 28 balls-in-play this year, maxing out at 105.1 miles-per-hour on this rocket to right field:

Jadiel Sanchez with his second homer of the year, turns on a 93 mph fastball and hits it 384 feet with a 105.1 mph exit velocity to cut Clearwater’s deficit to 2-1 pic.twitter.com/T9AwgBFTtY
— Mitch Rupert (@Mitch_Rupert) April 17, 2022

What is perhaps most encouraging about the 20 year-old is that he's showing early signs of a keen eye at the plate. Jadiel has been retired on strikes just 33 times across his 183 Minor League plate appearances (18.0 K%), and has conversely walked 14 times. Couple that with his sweet swing, and you're looking at a guy who can create some value at the plate.

As things currently stand, his arm, contact tool, and eye (in that order) stand at the forefront of his profile, while his glove (for now) and speed are likely to grade out around average, if not a bit below.

With teammate Yhoswar Garcia taking most of the center field reps for Clearwater, Jadiel seems to be headed for a permanent corner outfield spot. He is certainly athletic enough to develop an above-average right field glove, and his aforementioned shoulder cannon should play well there.

🚨 TRIPLE PLAY 🚨#Phillies prospect Jadiel Sanchez starts it and, #Indians prospect Angel Lopez gets involved in the @LBPRC.pic.twitter.com/WZqa4hoVyX
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) December 18, 2020

With a strong year, it is entirely possible you'll begin to see Sanchez's name pop up on multiple national 'Phillies Top Prospects' lists, though he missed the pre-season Top 30's of both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America.

For now, it's just a hot start, but there are many indications that Sanchez could well supersede the expectations that were set for him when the Phillies snagged him in the late rounds of the 2019 draft.

He will certainly be a storyline to follow throughout the unfolding Minor League season.

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