January chugs along and that can mean only one thing around these parts: it’s time to rank minor-league prospects. Every team across the majors is selling hope to their fans: some are selling it in a more immediate fashion, in the form of active offseasons full of free-agent signings and trade acquisitions. Others, meanwhile, are selling it in the personage of prospects who could make the difference over the coming years.
CBS Sports is underway examining the top three prospects in each organization. Our definition of “prospect” is simple: does that player have rookie eligibility remaining for the 2025 season? If so, they’re a prospect; if not, that’s probably why your favorite young player is absent from the proceedings.
As always, these lists are formed following conversations with scouts, analysts, player development specialists, and other talent evaluators around the industry. There’s a fair amount of firsthand evaluation, statistical analysis, and historical research mixed in, too. Plus a heaping of personal bias — we all have certain traits and profiles that we prefer over others, there’s no sense pretending otherwise.
Keep in mind that there’s no one right answer with these sorts of things. Besides, these are merely our opinions, meaning they have no actual bearing on the future. We already published our ranking of the top 25 prospects in all of the minors.
With all that out of the way, let’s get to ranking the top three prospects in the Philadelpia Phillies system.
Top 25 rank: No. 14
The short hook: Prolonged absence hasn’t diminished upside
Painter returned to the mound during the Arizona Fall League after being sidelined for the past two seasons by Tommy John surgery. He demonstrated his health, touching 99 mph while generating plenty of swinging strikes with both his curveball and slider. Painter seemed certain to make his debut in 2023. Now, the Phillies may choose to take things a little slower with him on account of his presumed workload limitations. Either way, a healthy Painter continues to profile as a top prospect. MLB ETA: Summer 2025
The short hook: Left-side infielder with power, patience
Miller slipped to the late stages of the first round in the 2023 draft because of two concerns: one about his age (he was already 19) and the other about his long-term defensive home (he was expected to outgrow shortstop). The Phillies have reason to be happy with how things have played out. His first full professional season saw him continue to man the six while hitting .261/.366/.446, even reaching Double-A for a five-game cameo. Miller’s ball-tracking measures at High-A included above-average strength and zone control, albeit with some swing-and-miss issues within the zone and against breaking balls. He’s likely to begin the season in Double-A with an outside chance at debuting late in the year if he continues to produce. MLB ETA: Spring 2027
The short hook: Powerful lefty bat who might catch
Tait didn’t celebrate his 18th birthday until late August, but that didn’t stop the Phillies from giving him his first taste of life outside of the complex league. In 28 games in the Florida State League, where the opposition was nearly four years his senior on average, he hit .269/.316/.462 with 10 extra-base hits and a maximum exit velocity of 106.5 mph. Predictably, Tait’s most marketable trait is his strength. His game does contain some glowing question marks, however, including his approach (we’ll give him some benefit of the doubt for now given his youth) and his ability to stick behind the dish. Should everything click — and there are no assurances in life — he could grow into a very, very interesting prospect who ranks higher than this in the future. MLB ETA: Summer 2028
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