- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Phils’ OD 2017 roster filled with potential
- Updated: October 31, 2016
PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies took a small step forward in 2016, winning eight more games than they did last year.
The organization expects the future to be better because of a strong farm system and the potential of players already on the big league roster. Of course, that does not mean the Phillies expect to contend in 2017, but they do expect to see continued progress from big leaguers like Maikel Franco, Odubel Herrera, Jerad Eickhoff, Vince Velasquez and Aaron Nola, and Minor Leaguers like J.P. Crawford, Nick Williams, Dylan Cozens and Rhys Hoskins.
“What I’m encouraged by is the volume of quality players that we have in the organization right now,” Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said at the end of the 2016 season. “I would tell you that most talent evaluators from around the league would agree that we have a very deep system.
“Some of the players in our system are going to turn out to be better than we thought. Some of them are going to turn out be worse than we thought. Some of them are going to get hurt. It just reinforces the notion that you need to have a lot of prospects. It’s why they’re prospects, but I’m confident that several of them are going to reach the big leagues and become impact contributors.
“Maybe next year, maybe a few years down the line, maybe some of our players will be used in trades to acquire the front-line bat or starting pitcher down the road. But I’m very pleased with the volume of talent that we have …
