The Phillies played their bonus pool pretty straightforward here, rarely going to far above or below slot value until the back of day two, where they saved a little money in rounds eight through ten to make a day three splash on Mississippi high schooler Emaarion Boyd. Boyd along with first rounder Justin Crawford gives the Phillies two of the fastest players in the class, with Crawford especially showing superstar upside. Between third rounder Gabriel Rincones and fourth rounder Alex McFarlane, they picked up a couple of guys with unique backgrounds while seventh rounder Caleb Ricketts looks like an interesting sleeper. On day three, they made the hometown crowd happy by picking three Pennsylvanians in a span of four picks, one each from the eastern, central, and western portions of the state.
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1-17: OF Justin Crawford, Bishop Gorman HS [NV]. My rank: #22.
Slot value: $3.79 million. Signing bonus: $3.89 million ($100,000 above slot value).
The son of four time All Star Carl Crawford, Justin Crawford has a chance to be one of the best players in this draft. He's had helium throughout the cycle, punctuated by a big spring that earned him interest as high as the top ten picks. The Phillies feel lucky to land him here, as the Mets were rumored to be very in on Crawford at picks #11 and #14. He is an exceptional athlete that is every bit as fast as his dad, who stole 480 bases in the majors, making the field look small with his long strides that get him from A to B in a flash. He's extremely projectable at 6'3", with plenty of present, lean strength already that helps him lash hard line drives around the field and then wreak havoc with his legs. As he fills out, he could grow into plus power if he learns to elevate the ball more, but for now he's happy with that line drive approach and it obviously works for him. Over the summer, he did have some trouble with breaking balls, but his hit tool looked more consistent this spring and there isn't too much swing and miss to speak of. Throw in the potential to win Gold Gloves for his defense in center field, and you have all the makings of a future superstar. The Las Vegas native does have a ways to go to reach that ceiling, including refining his approach a little bit and learning to elevate the ball with more authority, but he's just 18 years old and has plenty of time to figure it out. He had been committed to LSU but as he continued to rise this spring, that became a moot point.
3-93: OF Gabriel Rincones, Florida Atlantic. My rank: #154.
Slot value: $660,100. Signing bonus: $627,500 ($32,600 below slot value).
There are roundabout paths to baseball stardom, and then there is Gabriel Rincones. Originally from Venezuela, he moved with his family to Scotland as a child and lived there until he was twelve, then spent his high school years in Tampa, Florida. From there, after he fell so far behind as a baseball player due to not playing in Scotland, he wound up at St. Petersburg JC for two years before transferring to Florida Atlantic. Rincones took off at FAU, slashing .346/.451/.658 with 19 home runs and a 51/42 strikeout to walk ratio over 58 games, and now finds himself in the top one hundred picks. He's a power-over-hit bat that produces high exit velocities from a very strong 6'4" frame, with no issues tapping that power in games. The ball really jumps off his bat, and he's only trending upwards. Rincones is a patient hitter with an improving hit tool, though he does still swing and miss some, especially against offspeed stuff, and that will be a point of emphasis going forward. A well below average runner, he was drafted as an outfielder but may be confined to first base in the long run. He'll have to hit in order to play every day in Philadelphia.
4-122: RHP Alex McFarlane, Miami. My rank: #151.
Slot value: $493,000. Signing bonus: $575,000 ($88,000 above slot value).
Keeping with the theme, the Phillies selected a second consecutive Florida college player with a unique geographic background. Alex McFarlane, whose mother was an olympic taekwondo participant and whose father was a sprinter, grew up in the US Virgin Islands for most of his life. While Gabriel Rincones moved from Scotland to the baseball hotbed of Tampa to play at the powerhouse Plant High School program, McFarlane went a little more off the map and wound up at Habersham Central High School in rural northeastern Georgia. He earned significant draft interest out of high school but wound up on campus at Miami, where he still hasn't quite put it all together but has thrown well enough to keep scouts coming back. He began 2022 in the rotation but quickly moved back to the bullpen, finishing with a 4.00 ERA and a 68/20 strikeout to walk ratio over 45 innings. McFarlane sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball, but can reach back and touch the upper 90's in short stints. His slider flashes plus at its best and can miss a ton of bats, though it is inconsistent, and he also adds a decent changeup. Ultra athletic and still projectable at 6'4", he gets down the mound extremely well but his mechanics regularly get out of sync, leading to command questions. With his size, athleticism, and arsenal, he continues to look like a big league starter, but he's just never been able to hold down that role to this point in his career. He's still young, having only turned 21 in June, and getting into a pro development program could be all he needs to pull it together. If he can get more consistent with his offspeed stuff and mechanics, he can still start. If not, that fastball slider combination played well out of the bullpen at Miami and could step forward in the Phillies system.
5-152: RHP Orion Kerkering, South Florida. My rank: #182.
Slot value: $368,300. Signing bonus: $322,500 ($45,800 below slot value).
Going back to the Florida college ranks for a third consecutive pick, and Orion Kerkering may have one of the best names in the draft. A lights out reliever for South Florida in 2021, he moved into the rotation this spring and was inconsistent, posting a 5.72 ERA and a 91/19 strikeout to walk ratio over 67.2 innings, spending more time back in the bullpen as the season went on. Kerkering has a power arm, sitting in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and touching 97 in relief, though it has only average life and plays true. His best pitch by far is a nasty, plus slider with late bite, earning regular recognition from Pitching Ninja. He also adds a fringy changeup, but the slider is the bread and butter here. The Florida native goes right after hitters, pounding the strike zone and rarely hurting himself with walks. An average athlete, the 6'2" righty probably fits back in the bullpen in pro ball, where he can pitch more effectively off his slider and add some velocity to his fastball to make up for the lack of life. The command isn't pinpoint, but because he likes to challenge hitters, I don't imagine the walks will creep up in a bullpen role like they may in a starting role.
7-212: C Caleb Ricketts, San Diego. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: $220,600. Signing bonus: $218,800 ($1,800 below slot value).
The Phillies picked up an interesting sleeper in the seventh round. Caleb Ricketts was a breakout star at San Diego, slashing .373/.423/.658 with 16 home runs and a 29/14 strikeout to walk ratio over 56 games. He's an aggressive hitter and walked at just a 5.5% clip in 2022, a rate lower than any player on my draft rankings by a good margin (Daniel Susac was next closest at 7.4%), but he makes a ton of contact regardless and only struck out 11.5% of the time. So if you're watching Ricketts hit, expect a short at bat where he puts the first pitch he likes in play. He utilizes a nice, easy left handed swing to make all that contact, perfectly content knocking a ground ball through the hole or poking a line drive over an infielder's head, but there is pop in the bat. When he does turn on the ball, he produces impressive exit velocities that could make him a dangerous hitter moving up the ladder. It will be up to him and the Phillies where they want to land on his contact/power balance, but as the saying goes, "get you a guy who can do both." Behind the plate, he's unremarkable with the glove and doesn't have the strongest throwing arm, but his quick transfer helps make up for the lack of plus arm strength and he held runners very well in 2022. It's an interesting ball of clay for the Phillies to work with, especially for a senior sign that turned 22 in May, and he's already off to a red hot start for Low A Clearwater with a .500/.526/.667 slash line, including a home run, through four games.
11-332: OF Emaarion Boyd, South Panola HS [MS]. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $647,500 ($522,500 against bonus pool)
The Phillies' biggest over slot play of the draft came in the eleventh round, where they paid Emaarion Boyd nearly $650,000 to forego a commitment to Northwest Florida JC. Boyd stands out for his plus-plus speed, which he puts to good use beating out ground balls on the infield, stretching extra base hits in the gaps, and taking away hits in the outfield. He's ultra skinny right not at a listed 6'1", 175 pounds, with plenty of room to grow into that frame and put on strength. For now, he lashes line drives around the field, but he has the leverage in his right handed spring to turn that into usable game power as he gets stronger. The swing can get a bit rigid for now and he needs to refine his overall approach at the plate, but that's not unexpected for a kid from rural northwestern Mississippi. Boyd is more refined in the outfield, where he has a chance to be an above average center fielder, albeit with ordinary arm strength.
12-362: C Jordan Dissin, Saddleback JC. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $125,000.
The Phillies went with a hometown pick in the twelfth round, grabbing catcher Jordan Dissin out of Saddleback Junior College. Although Saddleback is in California, Dissin is a Philadelphia-area product, having grown up in the far northwestern exurb of Pottstown and attending Malvern Prep for high school and growing up a Phillies fan. He began his college career at Richmond in Virginia, but transferred out after barely seeing the field as a freshman. Once at Saddleback in Southern California, he broke out and slashed .393/.505/.577 with four home runs and a 35/33 strikeout to walk ratio over 45 games, raising his profile significantly. Having just turned 20 in May, he's a very disciplined hitter for his age with a patient approach, though to this point he has much more doubles power than home run power. At 6'3", he has an ideal frame to grow into more. Behind the plate, he shows the strong arm needed to stick back there. He picked up one hit in four at bats in his first game in the Florida Complex League, striking out the other three times.
14-422: SS Bryan Rincon, Shaler Area HS [PA]. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $125,000.
In the fourteenth round, the Phillies crossed the state to grab Bryan Rincon out of Pittsburgh. He grew up in Venezuela, but moved to Pittsburgh as a teenager and attended Shaler Area High School just across the Allegheny River to the north. He's only 5'11", but he packs a ton of strength into his smaller frame and uses it well. A switch hitter, he's still refining his swings but shows a direct bat path and the ability to drive the ball to all fields. Rincon is also an above average defender at shortstop with quick feet and smooth actions, though I haven't seen enough recent video to be convinced of his arm strength just yet. He may not be the quickest mover through the system but could eventually work his way up as a solid all-around hitter whose glove adds value. He had been committed to San Jacinto JC in Texas but the Phillies managed to keep him in the Keystone State.
15-452: OF Troy Schreffler, Maryland. My rank: unranked.
Slot value: up to $125,000. Signing bonus: $125,000.
Troy Schreffler gives the Phillies a third Pennsylvanian in a span of four picks. A Harrisburg native, he attended Central Dauphin High School on the northeastern edge of town in the Linglestown/Skyline View area. Heading south to Maryland for college, he played sparingly as an underclassman but broke out as a junior when he finally cracked the starting lineup, slashing .340/.421/.557 with ten home runs and a 64/30 strikeout to walk ratio over 62 games. He's a right handed hitter that uses the whole field effectively, with his power mostly playing to the pull side but showing the ability to extend his arms and drive it the other way as well. His strikeout rate is a bit elevated at 21.8%, but it has come down from his time as an underclassman and it was his first time playing full time. The Phillies will try to manage the swing and miss in pro ball so that he can continue to tap his solid gap and over the fence power. Schreffler stands out on defense with a knack for the dramatic play, showing great range in the outfield and looking very comfortable making plays up against the wall. The upside here is that of a fourth or fifth outfielder that can handle the bat and play all three outfield positions more than capably. So far with Low A Clearwater, he is slashing .167/.318/.278 with six strikeouts to two walks through five games.
