The Phillies may still be pushing to clinch a postseason spot, but 22-year-old Bryan Rincon is already thriving under the playoff lights.
Leading off and playing shortstop, the switch-hitting Rincon went 2-for-5 with 5 RBIs for Double-A Reading in Game 1 of the Eastern League semifinals on Tuesday night, leading the Fightin Phils to a 21-4 blowout victory over the Hartford Yard Goats. Rincon put Reading ahead with an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning, bringing home one of the team’s 12 runs scored in the frame. He struck again the next inning, ripping a bases-clearing double with two outs and two strikes as the Fightin Phils went up 16-3.
A 14th-round pick in 2022, Rincon has broken out to the tune of a .927 OPS with 26 homers – tying the farm system lead – and 30 stolen bases this season after battling injuries over the previous two years. From July 25 through the end of the regular season, he hit .301 with 10 doubles, 13 homers, 27 RBIs and 39 walks over 40 games, posting a sensational 1.092 OPS.
The shortstop’s speed and glove were never in doubt (he stole 40 bases in 84 games with High-A Jersey Shore last season), but his offensive surge has helped him rise to the No. 4 spot on Philadelphia’s top prospects list. Last week, he was added as the No. 100 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s overall ranking. He instantly made good on that title by delivering two homers in the regular-season finale on Sunday.
The Fightin Phils continue their series against the Yard Goats in Hartford with Game 2 scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET and Game 3 (if necessary) scheduled for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Rincon, along with seven other members of the Phillies’ Top 30 prospects list, will look to secure Reading’s first trip to the Eastern League finals since 2015.