USATSI_17810235 — Greg Lovett / USA TODAY NETWORK

Keep Your Eye on These Five Under-The-Radar Phillies Prospects

These five best-kept-secrets within the Philadelphia Phillies farm system won't be secrets for long.

Author:
Alex Carr
Apr 5, 2022 12:00 PM EDT

Happy Minor League Opening Day! In honor of the holiday, here are five Philadelphia Phillies prospects that, if you don't know them now, you certainly will soon.

Depending on which major outlet you ask, the following players typically rank outside of the organizational Top 20–but these five players are due for big futures within this organization.

(SYSTEM RANKINGS KEY: BA = Baseball America, BP = Baseball Prospectus, MLB = MLB Pipeline)

INF Hao-Yu Lee - BA - 27 / MLB - 20 / BP - Unranked (on the rise)

One of a trio of Clearwater-projected infielders to make this particular list, the 19-year-old was signed out of Taiwan for $600,000 last June.

Lee is often praised for his maturity at the plate, and his ability to amass quality contact. His advanced pitch selection and solid discipline landed him a .364/.440/.773 slash in a small sample of nine games of Rookie League ball–but many scouts liked what they saw, enough that he's likely headed stateside this year, which will prove an exciting challenge for him.

Positionally, it's hard to say just yet where Lee will end up. The glove is very average, and his arm is not overly-strong. The assumption is that he'll stick at second base, but he could very well get some chances all around the left side of the infield.

LHP Erubiel Armenta - BA - 31 / MLB - Unranked / BP - Unranked

One of, if not my favorite relief prospect in the entirety of the Phillies' system, Armenta put up some staggering numbers in 2021 that just didn't seem to get enough attention.

Across three levels, (A, A+, AA) Armenta tossed 23 innings. In those 23 innings, he struck out 49 batters. Yes, 49! That's good for a 19.2 K/9–those are numbers you'd have trouble recording with your MLB The Show Create-A-Player.

Armenta did, however, also manage to walk 16 batters in that same span–so there's work to be done here.

Lots of compliments are thrown around about Armenta's fastball/changeup combo. The fastball can touch 94-95, while the changeup features a nice downward drop that tunnels exceptionally well through Armenta's delivery.

There is a lot of potential here for a late-inning profile. In fact, should he perform well, I would not be surprised to see Armenta knocking on Philadelphia's doors sometime in 2022.

INF Jamari Baylor - BA - 37 / MLB - 26 / BP - Unranked (on the rise)

The second of our Clearwater-bound infield trio is the Phillies third-round selection from the 2018 MLB Draft.

At the time of said draft, Jamari Baylor was seen as an extremely raw talent, but was heralded for his quick twitch playstyle and fast hands.

Since then, Jamari has made significant improvements to his game, especially defensively.

The 21 year-old hit .269/.373/.448 between Rookie and A ball last year, and projects with a much higher floor than he did three years ago. If he can continue to improve on both sides of the ball, Baylor could end up being one of the more exciting and versatile prospects in the Phillies system.

RHP Oswald Medina - BA - Unranked / MLB - Unranked / BP - Unranked

The only two words one needs to describe this young man: horizontal movement.

Medina caught the eyes of many a scout last year with his impressive arsenal and mature command.

Across 58.1 innings of Rookie League ball last year, Medina struck out 65, and walked just six batters. That is a rate of 0.9 batters per nine. Ridiculous.

At 20 years-old, Medina's fastball was last tracked at sitting high-80's to low 90's, but there is certainly room for that to grow.

Obviously, no one expects this kind of pinpointing to continue, but the movement on his fastball is outstanding, and his slider and changeup are both rumored to have room to grow to plus pitches, alongside his already decent command.

It's highly likely we'll see him stateside this year, where we'll get a more consistent look, but the early reports are very, very promising.

INF Alexeis Azuaje - BA - 23 / MLB - 27 / BP - Unranked

Not a single soul on this list excites me more than Alexeis Azuaje. You want to talk about some loud contact? Azuaje is your guy.

It was a small sample size, but Azuaje absolutely torched Rookie League ball in 2021. Across 19 games, he hit .400/.509/.867, and showed otherworldly improvement in terms of discipline.

Back in 2019, Azuaje's first go 'round in Rookie ball, he posted a respectable .281/.313/.470 slash in Rookie ball, but struck out 41 times to a meager four walks.

In 2021, Azuaje pulled a complete 180, walking four times and striking out just five, alongside his otherworldly slash line.

His exit velocities were even more impressive, maxing out at 105.8 miles-per-hour. Yes, as a 19 year-old.

Defense is where Azuaje struggles. He is listed as a second baseman, but not a very good one. Chances are he lands in a corner outfield position, or plays a poor second or third base.

Still, the offensive tools are enough to get anyone excited.

Get to know these five players. They're sure to be popping up in many a 'Phillies Top Prospects' list quite soon.