Phillies' Future, Flyers' Present, Union's Past

There’s a lot of talent in the Phillies’ minor league system. The club may use some of it as ammo for trades, but today we’ll see how the future roster could shape up if they keep it all.

The future is now, of course, for Matvei Michkov. We’ll review Monday’s roller coaster Flyers win.

Union fans, meanwhile, may find themselves reminiscing about the past for a while.

Off we go.

In the email today:

• 🔮 2028 Phillies Preview

• 🥅 Flyers Blow 3-0 Lead, Post Shootout Win as Michkov Has Full Night in Return to Action

• ⚽️ Union Owner, Sporting Director Throw Fired Jim Curtin Under Bus at Post-Firing Presser

  • 📆 This Day in Philly Sports History

  • 📊 Poll

  • 🔗 Links

  • 📺 Coming Up

Baseball America recently unveiled their top ten ($) Phillies prospects for 2025. They also projected a 2028 Phillies lineup and rotation, which is a fun way to see how the youngsters may fit the roster.

Here's the position by position breakdown, with some BA analysis found elsewhere on their site. Ages listed are for 2028. You can find an expanded version of this breakdown on the On Pattison website HERE.

Catcher: Eduardo Tait (21)

BA names Tait the Phils' No. 4 prospect overall for 2025, up from No. 9 last year.

“Tait is a strong-bodied catcher with a smooth, powerful swing from the left side geared to annihilate fastballs with impressive ease. His thump rates as the best in the organization, an assertion backed up by strong analytical numbers, including 90th percentile and maximum exit velocities of roughly 103 and 112 mph."

First Base: Bryce Harper (35)

Hopefully Harper has a ring before 2028. But if not, he should be plenty motivated at age 35.

Second Base: Trea Turner (35)

The Phillies currently have no interest in moving Turner to second base, despite his defensive struggles at shortstop. After all, he signed with the club with the expectation that he'd play his preferred position. But at age 35, 2028 Turner might get squeezed out of SS by a talented youngster.

Third Base: Aidan Miller (24)

Miller, the Phillies' No. 2 prospect, was ranked No. 4 last season.

"After an excellent season which saw him reach Double-A and cement himself as a Top 100 Prospect, Miller will likely open 2025 back at Reading. He has a future as a slugging infielder with a chance to stick at shortstop. If he has to move to third base, his bat should be plenty to profile at the position."

Shortstop: Starlyn Caba (22)

With Trea Turner on the team and Aidan Miller possibly reaching the majors at shortstop, it's a bit surprising to see Caba listed in this spot. But BA believes he can develop a shiny 80 fielding tool (on the 20-80 scout grading scale).

Caba jumps from No. 5 to No. 3 among Phillies prospects in this year's rankings.

"[H]is contact skills were the real story. Caba’s overall and zone-miss rates over the course of 164 plate appearances were 9.5% and 4.2%--exemplary for any level, but especially so for someone his age . . . Defensively, Caba shows elite instincts and actions at shortstop as one of the quickest infield defenders in the Phillies’ system . . . Caba is also praised for his outstanding makeup, which internal evaluators say helps him act like another coach on the field."

Left Field: Justin Crawford (24)

Crawford dropped from the No.2 prospect in the organization last year to No. 5 this year, but expectations are still high.

"Crawford [will try to] get the ball in the air more often and become a more efficient outfield defender. If he can do so, he’ll inch closer to his ceiling of a classic leadoff hitter who racks up hits and stolen bases. If not, he might settle in as more of a second-division regular."

Center Field: Johan Rojas (27)

Rojas won't be much older in 2028 than many of the players still toiling in the minors. We all know what he can do defensively. And if he can continue to improve his bat, he has a chance to stick around with the Phillies to patrol CF (and just about the rest of the outfield) for years.

Right Field: Griffin Burkholder (22)

The Phils selected Burkholder in the second round of the 2024 draft, 63rd overall. He's ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the organization.

"Burkholder’s loudest tool is his speed, which currently grades as a double-plus and aids both in the outfield and on the basepaths . . . If he reaches his ceiling, he could be an above-average big leaguer with the speed and power to make himself a threat in all facets of the game."

Designated Hitter: Alec Bohm (31)

By age 31, Bohm may finally graduate from "The Daycare." Many are writing Bohm off the Phils long before 2028, but if he sticks around he could DH (and spell Harper at 1B if/when Harper needs to DH).

Bohm was BA's top-ranked Phillies prospect in 2019.

Number 1 Starter: Aaron Nola (35)

The 2028 season would be Nola's 14th in the majors. He would own a lot of Phillies franchise records at that point.

Number 2 Starter: Andrew Painter (25)

Painter, unsurprisingly, is BA's top-ranked Phillies prospect for 2025.

"[H]is first start at Citizens Bank Park will [likely come] sometime in the 2025 season. If he arrives showing the same combination of stuff, control and poise he displayed in 2022, he has a chance to pitch at the front of Philadelphia’s rotation for years to come."

Number 3 Starter: Cristopher Sanchez (31)

Sanchez should be a productive Phillies lefty for a long time.

Number 4 Starter: Ranger Suarez (32)

Suarez may not be here in 2028, if some of the speculation around him is true. But he'd be just 32 in '28, has shown flashes of brilliance, and has been terrific in the postseason. The Phillies could certainly do worse for a number four starter.

Number 5 Starter: Moises Chace (25)

The Phillies acquired Chace as part of the Gregory Soto deal with the Orioles last season. He didn't bolster the team for its (brief) 2024 postseason run, but he could pay dividends down the line. BA ranks him as the Phils' No. 6 prospect for 2025.

"Chace’s fastball is one of the signatures of the righthander’s mix. The pitch averages 95 mph and peaks at 98, but under the hood is where it really stands out. Chace’s lower slot, unusual carry and an average of roughly 18.5 inches of induced vertical break combine to produce a fastball that reminds some of the offering that has made Astros righthander Cristian Javier famous. The pitch garnered a miss rate north of 40%, and Chace backs it with a deep and varied pitch mix that has been tweaked as he’s matured.”

Closer: Orion Kerkering (27)

In 2028, Kerkering will be just 27, but should have a ton of experience in high-leverage situations (including the postseason). This projection is entirely realistic.

Phillies fans may find these projections hilarious a few years from now. Guys get traded, guys get injured, guys surprise, guys disappoint. But if even a few of their most exciting prospects pan out before players like Harper, Turner, and Nola decline, the franchise will be in good shape.

The story entering Monday night’s game against the San Jose Sharks was whether Matvei Michkov would return to the lineup after being benched in consecutive games.

That situation was resolved early in the day, and the Flyers had jump from the drop of the puck. The Flyers led 2-0 after the first period on goals from Erik Johnson and Travis Konecny. Great start.

Flyers fans celebrate every goal, but you can imagine how the Wells Fargo Center erupted when this happened five minutes into the second period.

So the Flyers were cruising 3-0, Michkov scored a goal…what could go wrong? Well, we are still talking about the Flyers.

The Sharks scored twice in three minutes near the end of the second period and tied the game at 3-3 with 2:24 left in the third period. Overtime suits the Flyers at home, especially with Michkov having so much open ice! Right? Right?

Welp.

Oh brother. Michkov sat for two games because, among other things, his five-on-five play was deemed a bit lax. Now he takes a roughing penalty at the 20:00 mark of the third to put his team down a man in OT? Woof.

Michkov probably owes Flyers goaltender Sam Ersson a drink, but since Michkov is only 19 it’ll have to be a soft drink. Ersson was great in the overtime, especially during the four-on-three while Michkov was in the box.

And in the end, it was Konecny — who had missed an empty net earlier in the game — who scored the shootout winner.

Just another Monday night in Philadelphia for your Flyers, eh? Now we’ll see whether Michkov is in the lineup Thursday night in Ottawa….

Union Owner Jay Sugarman and Sporting Director Ernst Tanner appeared at a press conference to discuss the firing of Jim Curtin, i.e., the most successful coach in club history, and the reasoning behind it. Any Union supporter who has been paying even passing attention the past two seasons knew what was going to happen.

No one expected Sugarman or Tanner to actually be accountable, and therefore no one was disappointed by what followed.

If you’re a masochist or have way too much time on your hands, it’s fine with us if you want to spend half an hour watching Sugarman and Tanner praise Curtin while burying him.

But if you don’t want to waste that time, here’s the crux of what Sugarman and Tanner said (in Tanner’s words) and what they were trying to convey.

Tanner: “We (management and Curtin) had pretty much discussion about what we are expecting before we prolonged his contract last year. Unfortunately, things did not turn out like what we talked about…we have a lot of depth in our youth…I’m always hearing ‘the young ones aren’t ready to play’…that is one of the reasons that we are not aligned.”

Basically, our reading is that Sugarman and Tanner are laying the blame for last season’s collapse on Curtin’s unwillingness to develop homegrown players by blooding them in MLS matches and alleging that Curtin refused to do so after saying he would.

The primary problem with that tactic is that of the three men, Curtin is the most credible and transparent actor. Ask any Union supporter whether they trust Sugarman and Tanner. Go ahead, we dare you. It’ll probably look a lot like this:

And spending, you ask? What spending?

Sugarman all but came out and said the checkbook is the last resource and the last element to the “sporting strategy.”

There’s nothing the fans of a team that just finished 12th in the conference want to hear more than “we’re staying the course” and “we’re not bringing expensive talent in here.”

Good seats are going to be available at Subaru Park next season. Whether anyone decides to fill them is anyone’s guess.

📆 This Day in Philly Sports History

On November 12, Buddy Ryan coached the Eagles in the “Body Bag Game.”

📊 Poll

Results from Monday:

🔗 Links

• 🏀Starting at center for the Sixers tonight…Joel Embiid.

• 💋 The 49ers kissed and made up after Sunday’s sideline brouhaha.

• 🦅 Jordan Mailata is on the mend, none too soon.

• ⚖️ Wander Franco’s future in Major League Baseball grows more uncertain by the day.

📺 Coming Up

Games before our next send.

November 12, 2024

• Sixers vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)

Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.

Be sure to follow On Pattison on social media:

• Follow on X

• Follow on Instagram

• Follow on Facebook