The Phillies lost many of their exciting prospects in the last few years via graduation to the majors or trades. On top of that, they are usually hesitant to call them up to the majors when rosters expand in September unless their prospects are already on the 40-man roster.
Since few top prospects are on 40-man rosters, Philadelphia rarely calls up any exciting names when September rolls around. However, this year may be the time to make an exception with pitching prospect Spencer Howard.
As anyone following the Phillies this year knows, the pitching staff is a disaster.