Crawford among 3 Phils prospects to crack Top 100 list

PHILADELPHIA -- Though the Phillies may once again be leaning heavily on a veteran core in 2026, they've also been open this offseason about their desire to infuse some youthful energy into the roster.

Well, a quick look at MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list for 2026 bodes well for the Phils.

The updated rankings, released on Friday, include three Phillies prospects: infielder Aidan Miller (No. 23), right-hander Andrew Painter (No. 28) and outfielder Justin Crawford (No. 53).

Though a number of teams had more players crack the Top 100 -- 14 teams had at least four prospects on the list (and Seattle led the way with seven) -- few clubs have as many Major League-ready prospects as Philadelphia.

Crawford is going to be given every chance to win the everyday center fielder job this spring. Painter has a legitimate chance to crack the Opening Day rotation. And Miller, though there isn't an obvious spot for him at the moment, could be one of the first names called upon if the Phillies need infield depth at any point this season.

“I think there will be some youthful enthusiasm with a guy like Crawford coming on board,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said recently. “ ... And not that there's not enthusiasm with the rest of the guys. But there's always -- with those young guys -- a different feeling with someone like Painter potentially coming on board, and Miller's not far behind. ... So we need to mesh those young players in.”

Crawford, 22, will arrive in camp next month as the favorite to be the Phillies' everyday center fielder. Last season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he hit .334 with 23 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 47 RBIs, 46 stolen bases and an .863 OPS.

He was likely going to earn a late-season promotion to the big leagues until the Phillies acquired center fielder Harrison Bader at the Trade Deadline.

“I really believe that he could have played for us last year at some point,” Dombrowski said of Crawford earlier this offseason.

Crawford will instead almost certainly make his big league debut in 2026, likely on Opening Day against the Rangers at Citizens Bank Park.

“From everybody I've talked to, the makeup is really good, and the intangibles are really good,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “So if he makes the club, we're going to let him go, and we're going to let him play. And, hopefully, he has some success -- and we think he's going to.”

Similarly, the Phillies have high hopes for the 22-year-old Painter.

Selected 13th overall in the 2021 Draft, Painter appeared poised to make a push for the big league roster as soon as 2023. He dazzled in his Spring Training debut that year, only to be sent for tests on his right elbow after feeling some discomfort the following day.

Painter ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for the entire 2023 and '24 seasons. He eased his way back in during the 2024 Arizona Fall League, during which he went 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA over six abbreviated starts.

While the hope was that Painter would then join the Phillies midseason in 2025, he struggled to find his groove in the Minors. He finished with a 5.40 ERA in 22 starts for Lehigh Valley, though the Phils insisted they were encouraged simply by Painter turning in a fully healthy season.

Now even further removed from his procedure, Painter will be competing for a rotation spot this spring. The Phillies' rotation currently consists of Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Taijuan Walker -- though Wheeler's status for the start of the season remains up in the air after undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery on Sept. 23.

“Andrew had a solid year,” Dombrowski said of Painter's 2025 season. “I mean, he went out there every five days, basically all year long, he pitched over 100 innings. Felt good at the end of the year. His stuff was still good, his command wasn't quite as good.

“But we thought it was a very solid season for him … and be in a position where we think he'll come to camp next year and be in a position where he can compete for a spot. So that's really an encouraging scenario for him.”

It’s safe to say the Phillies expect to get a much closer look at both Painter and Crawford -- and perhaps fellow Top 100-ranked prospect Miller -- in 2026.