The Philadelphia Phillies farm system may be where top prospects’ careers go to die.
The team’s .500-or-under record every year since 2011 has ensured that they get solid draft picks every year, including the first overall pick in 2016, Mickey Moniak.
Yet their farm continues to be ranked at the bottom of the MLB barrel and they’ve had little fruit to show for their labor. At the trade deadline, former top pitching prospect Spencer Howard was dealt to the Texas Rangers after the Phillies were apparently unable to solve his persistent issues on the mound.