It has to be rough to be a fan of Philadelphia sports right now. The 76ers are purposefully tanking to get higher draft picks, the Eagles just lost the division to the Redskins, the Flyers are only a mediocre team at best, and the Phillies are still mired in a very long rebuilding process. This past season saw them deal franchise players Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Cole Hamels (all necessary moves) and they still appear to be a few years away from reaching the ability to compete again.

The Minor Leagues however do provide a lot of hope for fans of the Phillies. Players like Aaron Altherr and Aaron Nola are already making themselves known in the majors and other talented prospects like Nick Williams, Jake Thompson, and JP Crawford are going to among the next wave of players to come and give the Phillies a boost. It’s always darkest before the dawn, and the dawn for the Phillies looks like it will be very bright.

If you are interested in more MLB prospects columns, head on over to our 2016 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. You can find the rest of my team prospect breakdowns, fantasy baseball prospect rankings, tiered positional rankings, keeper values articles, and more - all in one easy place.

Philadelphia Phillies Top 10 Dynasty Prospects

These are the top ten prospects for the Philadelphia Phillies in terms of fantasy production for fantasy owners in the next few seasons.

1. JP Crawford (SS, AA)
Stats: 405 PA, .265/.354/.407, 5 HR, 7 SB, 12.1% BB rate, 11.1% K rate
ETA: 2017
Rated the number five overall prospect by MLB.com, JP Crawford looks to be the next great franchise player for the Phillies. Crawford doesn’t have the power that other shortstop prospects like Carlos Correa and Corey Seager have, but scouts do believe that he will eventually grow into some more pop. He should be able to hit over .300 every season, steal 15+ bases per year, and he could possibly contribute 10 home runs per year. Crawford is an absolute must-own in all dynasty leagues and owners should be ready for him to have a major impact as early as next season.

2. Nick Williams (OF, AA)
Stats: 100 PA, .320/.340/.536, 4 HR, 3 SB, 3.0% BB rate, 20.0% K rate
ETA: 2017
The big piece in the return from the Rangers in the Cole Hamels deal, Nick Williams looks like he could be a major contributor for fantasy lineups in the near future. Williams has a very promising power/speed combo that should make him an easy 20/20 hitter almost every year. His plate discipline used to be quite bad, but he has made some major improvements over the past few seasons and now should be able to keep the strikeout rates relatively down. With the potential upside that Williams has as a future five category contributor, he should be owned in all keeper leagues.

3. Jake Thompson (SP, AA)
Stats: 45.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 6.80 K/9, 2.40 BB/9, 0.60 HR/9
ETA: 2017
Jake Thompson was among the many prospects involved in the Cole Hamels trade and could wind up being quite the return for the Phillies. Thompson has been described by many scouts as a ‘bulldog’ who will be able to eat up many innings for that young rotation. Thompson has the stuff to not only eat innings, but also rack up high strikeout totals. His mid-90s sinking fastball and upper-80s slider make up his one/two punch while he has continued to develop an above-average changeup and curveball. When he began his career, his control was much worse, but now it looks to be about as sharp as owners would want it to be in the majors. Thompson may not be an ace in the Phillies’ rotation, but he should be a very dependable two or three starter and is definitely worthy of owning in all dynasty leagues.

4. Cornelius Randolph (OF, R)
Stats: 212 PA, .302/.425/.442, 1 HR, 6 SB, 15.1% BB rate, 15.1% K rate
ETA: 2019
Taken with the tenth overall pick in the 2015 draft out of high school, Cornelius Randolph could eventually be an outstanding bat for the Phillies in the middle of their lineup. Though in his Rookie League debut he showed more speed than power, Randolph is believed to have below-average speed and above-average power with a well above-average bat overall. He looks poised to eventually be a left-fielder or first-baseman because his defensive ability and speed will not really allow him to play any position, but it will undoubtedly be his bat that gets him to the majors, not his glove. And if I had to guess, that is just fine with dynasty owners. He should be owned in all leagues.

5. Jorge Alfaro (C, AA)
Stats: (with TEX) 207 PA, .253/.314/.432, 5 HR, 2 SB, 4.3% BB rate, 29.5% K rate
ETA: 2017
Phillies’ fans knew as soon as the Cole Hamels deal went down that they had acquired Jorge Alfaro to be the heir to the catcher position when Carlos Ruiz leaves. Alfaro is one of the most developed bats at the position of catcher in the minors and he has enough power to be able to hit 20+ home runs per season. Though he has dealt with injuries throughout most of his career, Alfaro still seems likely to stay at catcher for the Phillies. A position would really hurt his value, but for now a potent bat like his at the position of catcher is absolutely worth owning in all leagues.

6. Roman Quinn (OF, AA)
Stats: 257 PA, .306/.356/.435, 4 HR, 29 SB, 7.0% BB rate, 16.3% K rate
ETA: 2017
Roman Quinn profiles very similarly to Billy Hamilton: a small, switch-hitting centerfielder whose biggest asset is his blazing speed. Where they part is that a concern with Hamilton was always whether or not he would hit enough to reach base while many scouts see Quinn as someone who should be able to reach base more than enough to put his speed to good use. He is still a bit of a slap hitter, but he puts the ball on the ground enough to force infielders to make plays (a skill Hamilton has yet to fully utilize). Quinn should be owned in all leagues as he is easily the fastest player in the minors right now and will certainly be expected to always rank among the top of the stolen base leaderboards.

7. Scott Kingery (2B, A)
Stats: 282 PA, .250/.314/.337, 3 HR, 11 SB, 6.4% BB rate, 15.2% K rate
ETA: 2018
Taken in the second round of the 2015 draft out of Arizona, Scott Kingery could be the future at second base for the Philadelphia Phillies. Many view him as a leadoff hitting, speedy second baseman who could have quite the impact for dynasty owners. Unlike many speedy middle infielders, Kingery is not much of a slap hitter and instead makes consistent solid contact. He will never hit for any power, but his stolen base totals should more than make up for that. Middle infielders with his skillset can be very valuable and I recommend owning him in all dynasty leagues.

8. Mark Appel (SP, AAA)
Stats: 68.1 IP, 4.48 ERA, 4.36 FIP, 8.03 K/9, 3.69 BB/9, 0.79 HR/9
ETA: 2017
The development of Mark Appel was a trying process for the Houston Astros and they eventually decided to pass the burden of developing him to the Philadelphia Phillies in the Ken Giles deal. If Appel could ever reach his potential, he could easily be a front of the rotation starter. He has the mid-upper 90s fastball, a wipeout slider that many see as a well above average outpitch, and a changeup that could be a third well above average outpitch. Appel’s biggest issue is his lack of command that sees him walking too many batters and missing inside the strike zone to hitters. At his best, he is a future ace. At his worst, he could make it to the majors as a relief pitcher. I believe that Appel’s upside is worth the risk of owning him, but at 24-years-old he is going to need to have a big year in 2016 to continue to justify owning him.

9. Darnell Sweeney (2B/OF, MLB)
Stats: 98 PA, .176/.286/.353, 3 HR, 0 SB, 13.3% BB rate, 27.6% K rate
ETA: 2016
The headline prospect in the Chase Utley deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Darnell Sweeney has at time flashed 20/20 potential. Scouts believe that the speed is for real and that he could probably steal 25-35 bases per season at the big league level, though they are more skeptical on his power. Most scouts see him as hitting 10-15 home runs most in the majors. He possesses a solid knowledge of the strike zone and is a sharp enough bat to be able to hit .270+ in the majors. Sweeney will serve primarily as a utility player for the Phillies next season with Freddy Galvis at shortstop and Cesar Hernandez at second, but he does have some fantasy upside. He is by no means a ‘must-own’ player, but he certainly has the potential to be a solid everyday contributor at the big league level and could easily justify owning him in dynasty leagues.

10. Franklyn Kilome (SP, A-)
Stats: 49.1 IP, 3.28 ERA, 4.02 FIP, 6.57 K/9, 3.83 BB/9, 0.18 HR/9
ETA: 2019
Franklyn Kilome has the potential to be a solid middle of the rotation starter, but he needs to make a lot of progress on his secondary pitches first. Kilome has an excellent mid-90s fastball, but both his curveball and his changeup are considered below-average at this stage of his development. As it stands right now, he projects best as a relief pitcher, but if he can refine his pitches he could be a starter in the big leagues. He could be stashed right now for dynasty owners looking at his upside, but he is far from being considered a must-own.

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