There’s a new set of prospect rankings within the Phillies’ minor league system. MLB Pipeline recently released its updated lists of top 30 prospects for all 30 organizations.
The Fightins have eight players on their roster that are included in the late summer update.
Gage Wood (No. 1), Bryan Rincon (No. 5), Aroon Escobar (No. 6), Dante Nori (No. 7), Moises Chace (No. 14), Cody Bowker (No. 15), Wen-Hui Pan (No. 21), Carson DeMartini (No. 24), Mavis Graves (No. 27)
Gage Wood:
Wood is the newest name atop the pipeline in Philadelphia, rising from the number two spot in the latest set of rankings. The former Arkansas stud who famously threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the College World Series was selected in the first round by the Phillies just over a year ago. The right-hander made his pro debut to toss just two innings for Single-A Clearwater at the very end of 2025. Heading into 2026, Wood had only thrown a combined 110 innings between his three seasons at Arkansas and a brief taste of pro ball, so it was fairly common to believe the Phillies would take their time with their first-rounder. He began this season back with Clearwater and impressed in eight starts out of the gate, posting a 3.42 ERA in 26.1 innings with the Threshers.
The Phillies liked what they saw from Wood and aggressively promoted him up to Reading. It’s not very typical of an organization to have their most recent draft pick skip a full level to reach Double-A, not even a full year following their draft day. With an electric low-release fastball that sits in the range of 94-96 mph, occasionally touching 98, it’s an extremely arguable case that Wood could get big league hitters today with his heater. But the Phillies tasked Wood with the jump of levels to test the repertoire of his secondary pitches. He possesses a power curveball as his primary offspeed weapon, with a velocity of 82-85 mph that continues to look better with time and usage. He’s continuously developing his upper-80s slider as another pitch with movement that can be thrown for strikes. Additionally, he’s flashed a split-finger offering as a fourth pitch that plays as his changeup.
Since arriving in Reading back at the end of May, Wood has totaled just under 60 innings (3.9 IP per start), as the Phillies are being careful with the 22-year-old’s workload. Despite that, he’s been extremely effective at Double-A, posting a strikeout rate 33 percent while walking only six percent of hitters. He’s also compiled impressive rates in both the chase (34.9%) and whiff (36.1%) departments. His constant ability to throw strikes while generating a ton of swing-and-misses has elevated him to the forefront of prospects within his draft class. Wood now sits as the 33rd overall prospect in all of baseball.
Bryan Rincon:
Of all the prospects within the Phillies’ top 30, it’s arguable that Rincon has taken the biggest leap within the past calendar year, climbing a total of 22 spots to crack the top 5 in the latest set of rankings. The Venezuelan Rincon was discovered by the Phillies’ scouting department after departing his native country to relocate to Pittsburgh for high school. Even as an 18-year-old senior, his defensive skills and upside at the shortstop position, while also being able to switch-hit, made him worthy enough of a 14th-round selection by Philadelphia. Rincon played solidly in 99 games between Clearwater and Jersey Shore during his first pro season in 2023. He managed to play 35 games in 2024, as he was struck with multiple hamstring injuries. He returned to the field for 2025 to play in 88 games with Jersey Shore, swiping 40 bases but posting a .602 OPS before once again being sidelined, this time with a broken hamate bone that would end his season.
Heading into 2026, all that Rincon had shown during his minor league career was a strong ability to catch the baseball, which is extremely crucial at the shortstop position. But his offensive development and health were certainly being called into question. He debuted at Double-A to start the year and was hitting just .222 at the end of April but was contributing as he compiled 15 walks and 11 stolen bases. He then exploded to hit .301 with six homers in May and has since continued his steady progression. He’s currently sporting career highs in several categories, including home runs (22), doubles (23), triples (2), walks (86), runs (83), RBIs (58), batting average (.266), on-base percentage (.404), slugging (.503), and OPS (.907).
A huge improvement in Rincon’s game has been his plate discipline in the box. Before this year, he held a career strikeout rate of 24 percent paired with a 15 percent walk rate. Thus far in 2026, he’s slightly decreased his K-rate to 20 percent while increasing his walks up to 17 percent, while hovering over a 30-stolen base season. He’s also shown some more pop this year than any of his previous seasons, nearly tripling his career total in homers (8) and increasing his ISO (isolated power) more than 100 points (career: .123—2026: .239). Rincon has long possessed the tools to make him one of the better defenders on most infield diamonds he steps on, with his quick hands, smooth footwork, and above-average throwing arm. His combination of athleticism and pure instincts allows him to make some rangy plays up the middle. The success he’s had so far this year doesn’t suggest just a hot first half but more of a potential breakout for a 22-year-old who’s continuing to mature in both his physical and mental approach.
Aroon Escobar:
Escobar slides in right behind Rincon as the second top infield prospect in Philadelphia's minor league system after they signed him as an international free agent during the offseason of 2022. The Venezuelan Escobar, cousin of the Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., inked his deal for $450,000 as a 17-year-old. He debuted to play on the Phillies’ Dominican Summer League team for two seasons, turning in a subpar .694 OPS in just over 300 plate appearances. He rebounded nicely in the Florida Complex League, posting a .338/.495/.481 slash line in 24 games before a case of shin splits put him on the shelf for the year. He returned for a healthy 2025 campaign, where he raked 15 homers and stole 24 bases in 120 games across three levels, from Single-A Clearwater to Reading by season’s end.
Escobar entered the 2026 season as a 21-year-old for his first legitimate taste of Double-A after participating in just five games at the conclusion of the year prior. It’s safe to say his production has regressed a bit, currently sporting a career-low .630 OPS in an 100-plus game sample size, which wasn’t helped by going 12-for-73 (.164 AVG) during the month of July. However, his numbers under the hood aren’t terrible at all, possibly suggesting he’s been better than what his statistics read. Both his walk (11.9%) and strikeout (16.8%) rates are decent when compared to his average (.214) and on-base percentage (.317). He’s also been very solid with his decision-making in the box, holding above-average in-zone rates. He just hasn’t found the same success with driving the ball for power, as he’s only pulling balls in the air about 13 percent of the time.
It’s fairly common that young hitters, even the good ones, will go through a period of struggles as they progress through the upper levels. It seems Escobar is currently in that exact spot right now, where he's figuring things out and trying to adjust. The positive is he’s still making smart swing decisions despite the lack of power production this year. He’s a strong right-handed hitter who can tap into raw power if he can consistently barrel the baseball, specifically to his pull side. This, paired with the fact that he can continue to gradually improve his already solid plate approach as he matures with age, could be potential for a plus bat down the road. He’s got average speed but has an aggressive mindset on the basepaths, racking up 82 stolen bases in five pro seasons, 25 of which are from this season. He’s played the majority of his innings at second base, which is where he’s likely best suited, as he’s never going to turn heads defensively. He profiles as a bat-first prospect with high offensive upside that will be entering the upcoming year at the ripe age of 22.
Dante Nori:
Philadelphia chose to take Nori as their first-rounder back in 2024. The Michigan native was a 19-year-old undersized outfielder with a slick array of tools that the Phillies found intriguing when they selected him at the end of the first round. He spent the majority of his first full season with Single-A Clearwater before a pair of brief promotions to both High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading. In 125 games, he posted a .261 average with 34 extra-base hits. Two of Nori’s primary skills were put on full display: his speed and hit tool. He swiped a total of 52 bases across the three levels and legged out 13 triples on the year. He also held an impressive walk rate of 13 percent while limiting the strikeouts to just under 15 percent. The Phillies sent Nori to participate in the Arizona Fall League, and he showed well, posting a .822 OPS in 12 games.
Nori was invited to big league spring training but departed early as he was selected to play for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He went 8-20 in six contests, clubbing a pair of homers with six RBIs, en route to earning a spot on the all-tournament team. He continued his hot start into the season with Reading, slashing .297/.354/.484 during April, including eight multi-hit games. He did go through a rough stretch when he hit under .200 during May before landing on the injured list with a stress fracture in his left hip in early June, which was later revealed he’d been playing through for some time. He recently just made his return to Reading last week, blasting a game-winning, go-ahead homer to complete a comeback win for the Fightins.
It should be very exciting to watch Nori compete again fully healthy and hopefully continue upward on the trajectory he began to climb during his 2025 season. His plus speed alone gives him a higher floor than most prospects with what he can do on the basepaths and in the outfield, as he has the tools to become an elite center fielder. Though standing just 5-foot-9 in stature, Nori does possess some true raw strength and pop, paired with the ability to barrel the baseball. If he can continue developing his heavy contact and high on-base approach as he matures through the upper levels of the minors, he should find himself atop lineup cards for years to come.
Moises Chace:
Chace signed with the Baltimore Orioles for $225,000 back in July 2019, but his pro debut was delayed until 2021 due to the pandemic in 2020. Chace pitched for Single-A Delmarva in both 2022 and 2023, totaling a 4.72 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in just over 127 innings. In 2024, he was performing better in a swingman role in High-A Aberdeen when he was sent to Philadelphia along with Seth Johnson in a Trade Deadline deal for Gregory Soto. Following the trade, he impressed to make six starts to the tune of a 3.86 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 28 innings, which included a promotion to Double-A by season’s end.
It was looking upward for Chace heading into 2025 with the momentum he created at the conclusion of the year prior. However, he saw a steep decline in his stuff and command. In just 16.2 innings, the right-hander issued 12 walks and had his fastball velocity drop to as low as 91 mph. It was then discovered that Chace would need to undergo Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his season immediately.
It’s quite unfortunate that Chace went down when he did, coming off the strong results he saw after joining the Phillies’ organization post-trade. He sat 94-96 mph on his fastball, even peaking at 98 before the injury, so it’ll be interesting to see if his heater can return to missing bats within the zone. Following that, he relies on a low-80s sweeper as his main out-pitch, along with a changeup and a cutter that can be effective as well when his command is on. Chace’s experience as a part-time reliever should do him well as he rehabs his way back to the mound. Although the idea of him developing into a full-time starter shouldn’t be closed off at this point, he will need to improve on his ability to consistently throw strikes to do so. If there’s something positive to take from the last time we saw Chace briefly in 2025, he was managing to get hitters out despite not having his A+ stuff or being fully healthy.
Cody Bowker:
Bowker was the Phillies’ third-round selection in last year’s draft, following his fellow collegiate draftees Gage Wood (1st Rd.) and Cade Obermueller (2nd Rd.). He previously spent two years at Georgetown before transferring to Vanderbilt for his junior season. There, he racked up 99 strikeouts in just 72 frames, totaling 12.4 strikeouts per 9. He made his pro debut this season with Single-A Clearwater, posting an ERA just below six in 12 appearances. His numbers under the hood, however, supported that he was performing much better than what was showing at the surface. His 5.90 ERA looks much better when paired next to a 2.73 FIP, while his strikeout rate sat at a dazzling 38 percent.
A promotion to High-A shortly followed in June, where he turned in a 3.28 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in eight starts. He also improved his walk rate from 11.8 percent with Clearwater all the way down to just 4.8 percent. The Phillies recently promoted the 22-year-old up to Double-A, tossing 15 innings in a trio of starts with a total of 15 punchouts to just a pair of walks. Bowker has totaled 85.1 innings, which already surpasses his previous career-high of 72 at Vandy, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him and the starting staff slide into a six-man rotation down the stretch. He arrives right on time as the first place Fightins are in pursuit of a postseason berth.
Bowker is a heavy user of his fastball, throwing it almost 60 percent of the time. He’ll typically sit 92-93 mph, touching 95 mph, but the velocity plays up well against hitters. He pairs a drop-and-drive delivery with a low arm slot for a lower-released heater that rises through the zone for a ton of swing-and-miss. His slider (20.5% usage) spins at an average rate but really plays well off of his fastball, as the pitch generates a whiff rate well north of 40 percent. He rounds out his repertoire with a decently hard cutter and a changeup that he doesn’t tend to feature very often. While Bowker’s heater is a hard one to barrel up consistently, the command of his secondary offerings will be key, though he’s been very successful with his out-of-zone chase rates. He’s gotten off to a solid start to his pro career, but the development of his full arsenal will project him as a starter long-term.
Wen-Hui Pan:
Pan finds himself as one of the more unknown names on Philly’s top 30 list, and it’s mainly because people haven’t seen much of him on the mound the last couple of seasons. The Taiwanese right-hander signed with the Phillies in January of 2023 and debuted with Single-A Clearwater. He was extremely effective in 27 relief appearances with the Threshers, posting a sub-3 ERA and sub-1 WHIP. Pan was a strikeout machine, totaling 81 punchouts (36% K-rate) in just over 57 innings, compared to issuing just 19 free passes (7% BB-rate). This was in huge part due to his ability to miss bats as he held a whiff rate north of 32 percent. He was rewarded with a promotion to High-A Jersey Shore by season’s end.
Pan began 2024 on the injured list with a broken pinky and missed the first three months. He returned later that summer with Jersey Shore to continue his success from the year prior, striking out 31 percent of hitters with a 1.29 ERA in 21 innings. The Phillies were set to send Pan to the Arizona Fall League following the season before learning of a right elbow issue that would require Tommy John surgery, knocking him out for all of 2025. He’s since made his return to the mound and was promoted to Double-A in June. Though it’s extremely common coming off major elbow surgery, Pan has struggled with his ability to miss bats since arriving in Reading. In 19 appearances, he’s given up 24 hits to just 17 punchouts, as opponents are hitting .304 against him. His whiff rate has plummeted to a career-low 21.3 percent, but again, this isn’t extremely concerning following the lost year to injury.
Now that he’s back, it will be very intriguing to see when Pan starts to consistently find success again. He sports a 65-grade fastball that sits 95-97 mph, formerly touching 99 before surgery, being delivered from an upper-elevated arm slot. His secondary pitch is an above-average splitter with solid depth and generates a ton of swing-and-miss. His slider did a ton of damage back during his 2023 run and has slightly ticked upward to 84-85 mph but is simply used as a third offering. Pan still has all of the upside to develop into a major league arm that can get big outs at the back of a bullpen in the future. It’ll just be a matter of time to see if and when he knocks off the TJ rust and returns to his peak effectiveness.
Carson DeMartini:
DeMartini slides into the 24th slot among Philadelphia’s top 30 list. The Virginia native attended Virginia Tech for three years, posting a .311 average and 1.077 OPS with 46 career home runs. This was good enough for the Phillies to select the 21-year-old infielder in the fourth round of the 2024 Draft. He debuted for Clearwater later that summer and impressed in 24 games, hitting .315 with nine extra-base hits. DeMartini began 2025 with Jersey Shore and hit to a .875 OPS in 53 games before receiving a midseason promotion to Double-A in June. He struggled upon arriving at Reading, posting an OPS below .600 through the rest of the year. Though his slash line of .237/.340/.367 was a bit underwhelming, he concluded his first full season with decent counting stats of 10 homers, 20 doubles, and 45 stolen bases.
DeMartini returned to Reading for the start of 2026 and immediately got off to a slow start, going 2 for his first 21 at-bats (.095 AVG). He then broke out of his slump, hitting .324 with a .932 OPS for three weeks, clubbing four long balls and ringing off an eight-game hit streak before landing on the injured list with a hand injury in early May. He recently returned to the Fightins’ lineup, and is sporting an OPS north of 1.000 with 20 walks and nine extra-base hits in 20 games.
People tend to forget DeMartini hit .332 during his first two seasons at VT before undergoing surgery for a labrum injury, which led to him selling out for a more powerful approach to smack 21 bombs during his junior year, so there’s potential for even another level of thump somewhere in there. He’s shown a constant ability to drive the baseball for extra-base hits with some high exit velocities. The left-handed-hitting infielder has held decent walk and strikeout rates but could improve on his numbers against southpaws. Defensively, he’s spent most of his time at third base and even played a bit of shortstop last year but profiles much better over at the hot corner. He most recently played some second base with Reading, which could also be a potential home for him, as he looked very comfortable in his brief time there before injury. DeMartini is no burner by any means, as he possesses slightly below-average speed, but he really turned heads when he managed to still swipe 45 stolen bases last season out of almost nowhere, after a previous career high of just nine back in college.
Mavis Graves:
Sometimes it takes a while to see results when drafting pitchers as high school teenagers, and the Phillies are hoping that theory is true with Mavis Graves. Philadelphia selected Graves as a raw pitching prospect out of South Carolina in the sixth round back in 2022. He didn’t make his pro debut until the following year, in which he struggled to post an ERA north of 7 and a WHIP approaching 2 in just 11 starts in the Florida Complex League. He bounced back in 2024 to post a 31.8 percent strikeout rate in 84 innings with Single-A Clearwater. His 2025 season was a tale of two halves with High-A Jersey Shore. He struggled up the gate with a 6.50 ERA, .270 BAA, and 1.83 WHIP through June but improved to a 1.93 ERA, .189 BAA, and 1.18 WHIP from July through the end of the year.
Graves began 2026 in Jersey Shore, making 16 starts to the tune of a 4.78 ERA and striking out 34 percent of the hitters he faced before receiving a promotion to Double-A. Since arriving in Reading, he’s transitioned into a bullpen role in which he’s found success, currently holding a 1.42 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP with a 36 percent K-rate and ridiculous 46 whiff rate in ten appearances. It seems he’ll continue to remain a reliever, at least through the end of this season.
The 6-foot-6 southpaw has the ability to attack hitters with a five-pitch arsenal. His fastball sits 90-93 mph and tops out at 94-95 mph, with the potential to still gain a bit more tick on the heater. He’ll throw his four-seamer up in the zone, while his heavy-sinking two-seamer can induce a ton on ground balls. Where Graves really opens eyes is in his ability to spin the baseball with his breaking stuff. He’s registered spin rates that are north of 3000 rpm on his cutter-like slider and also incorporates an upper-70s sweeper, both of which are huge pieces to his above 40 percent whiff rate. Though he includes a low-80s changeup as a fifth offering, specifically to right-handed hitters, the Phillies are encouraging him to use the slider more consistently on both sides of the plate. He’ll need to continue developing his command to throw more strikes in the zone in order to continue a path as a starter, but regardless of his positional status long-term, there’s definitely a role for his arm on a big league staff down the road.