The Phillies picked up plenty of intriguing prospects through the draft and international signings in the past few years thanks to their poor record at the major-league level. They landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft as well as making several other strong selections. Baseball America said that this year’s draft class was the fourth-best among all major-league teams.
All the prospects acquired through the draft and international signings made their way either to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Phillies and short-season Williamsport CrossCutters. After strong seasons there, many of those prospects will get their first crack at full-season action with Low-A Lakewood in 2017.