This is a companion piece to Phillies drafts: boom, bust, and Bohm, which reviewed the roller coaster ride that has been the team’s drafting and development: from best in MLB in the mid-’90s to mid-’00s, to worst in MLB for the next decade, and finally showing signs of improvement again over the last seven or so drafts.
As noted there, any discussion of player selection and development is incomplete without also reviewing international signings, which don’t go through the draft. About a quarter of all current production (by WAR) is generated by players who were signed as international free agents (IFAs) — either as teenagers who then rose through farm systems, or established pros ready to step directly onto major league rosters.