New players will be arriving at Carpenter Complex as soon as this weekend for physicals and formal signing of contracts. There is a mini camp on the schedule for next week as minor league coordinators and signing scouts will also convene here in Clearwater for knowledge transfer in regards to the new fellas.
The 2022 draftees/amateur signings don’t count against the 180 player stateside limit until they are activated on a roster, with mini camp being later this year due to the draft now being held in July there aren’t many league games on the schedule left - the FCL ends on August 23rd and single A level play wraps up on September 11th. Fall Instructs generally occur in late September into October - that’s when the new fellas will get more focused instruction on each of their paths forward.
Organizations have till August 1st at 5 PM to get drafted players under contract, the majority will sign deals but it’s also unlikely that all 19 selections come to terms. Here’s a breakdown by defensive position of the 31 young men that I know of to date who’ve either been drafted or will come to the complex as un-drafted free agents.
I’ve included notes put out by the Phillies in their press release for the draftees and notes I’ve found on the Un-Drafted free agent signings.
Outfielders : ( 8 )
Round 1 ( No. 17 ) - Justin Crawford, Bishop Gorman High School ( NV )
Phillies Press Release Notes :
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Crawford batted .503 (77-153) with 17 doubles, eight triples, five home runs, 52 RBI, 20 steals, 60 runs scored, 19 walks, seven strikeouts and a 1.379 OPS in 42 games during his senior season. Heading into state tournament play in late May, he led all of Nevada with a .553 on-base percentage.
Crawford, who is the son of four-time All-Star and 15-year major league veteran Carl Crawford, was named the 2022 Las Vegas Sun “Male Athlete of the Year” and was a participant in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. The Phoenix, Ariz., native bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
“We are incredibly excited to add a dynamic athlete and defensive whiz in center field in Justin Crawford,” Brian Barber said. “We believe in the bat, the defense and the speed, and couldn’t be more excited to bring this type of talent into the organization.”
Crawford is the 11th outfielder selected by the Phillies in the first round since the first amateur draft was held in 1965 and the eighth from high school.
Round 3 (No. 93) - Gabriel Rincones Jr., Florida Atlantic University (FL)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
Rincones, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound left-handed hitter, slashed .346/.451/.658 with 17 doubles, 19 home runs, 69 RBI and 61 runs scored in 58 games during his sophomore season, playing all three outfield positions. He was named Conference USA Newcomer of the Year and C-USA First-Team All-Conference, ranking fourth in the C-USA in homers and tied for fourth in RBI. The 21-year-old was born in Florida and also lived in Venezuela and Scotland before returning to the U.S. to attend H.B. Plant High School in Tampa and St. Petersburg College before transferring to FAU. He was originally selected by the San Diego Padres in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, but did not sign. Rincones played for Great Britain in the 2021 European Championships.
Round 9 (No. 272) - Chad Castillo, California Baptist University (CA)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
The left-handed hitting Castillo slashed .386/.442./.685 with 23 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs, 69 RBI, 13 steals, 19 walks and 54 runs scored in 56 games as a junior at California Baptist. He had 30 multi-hit games, logging 90 total hits. Castillo, 21, was voted All-Western Athletic Conference First Team and NCAA Division I All-West Region Second Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association. A native of Santa Ana, Calif., Castillo stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 225 pounds.
Round 11 (No. 332) - OF Emaarion Boyd, South Panola High School (MS)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
The 18-year-old hit .425 overall in Perfect Game tournaments he played in, and he also attended the 2022 MLB Draft combine. In 2021, as a junior, the right-handed hitter played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. This year, he was named a Perfect Game Second-Team Senior Preseason All-American. Boyd, who stands at 6-foot-1, is from Batesville, Miss.
Round 13 (No. 392) - OF Cade Fergus, George Washington University (DC)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
Fergus, 21, was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team this year after slashing .315/.405/.601 with 20 doubles, one triple, 13 homers, 37 RBI, 55 runs and 11 stolen bases in 52 games. In four seasons at GW, the 6-foot-3 Fergus posted a .280/.389/.466 slash line in 165 games while also notching 13 outfield assists. The Florida native, who bats from the right side, hit .296 in 22 games with Wareham in the Cape Cod Baseball League last summer.
Round 15 (No. 452) - OF Troy Schreffler, University of Maryland (MD)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
The Harrisburg, Pa., native was named Third-Team All-Big Ten this year. In 2022, his third season at Maryland, he batted .340 (86-253) with 23 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 57 RBI, 67 runs, 14 steals, a .421 on-base percentage and a .557 slugging percentage in 62 games. The 6-foot-1, right-handed hitter was a 2019 graduate of Central Dauphin High School (PA). He will turn 22 this October.
Un-Drafted Free Agent - Dakota Kotowski, Missouri State ( MO )
Springfield News Leader :
Kotowski has one of the more powerful bats of any draft-eligible players in this season's draft. He's a 6-foot-5, 245-pound monster in the batter's box and is a threat to hit a bomb any time he connects.
The senior enjoyed his best season as a Bear after bouncing back from a down year. He batted .242 which was up from .199 a year ago. He hit 24 home runs which ranked among the best in college baseball.
The 2022 season saw his game turn around drastically as the potential all knew he had was finally tapped into. He was one of the key bats over the final two weeks of the season which included a championship run through the MVC Tournament and a three-game appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Providence Catholic (Illinois) prospect had one season remaining of eligibility but Missouri State had felt toward the end of the 2022 season and offseason that his potential at the plate would be too hard for Major League teams to ignore.
Un-Drafted Free Agent - Ezra Farmer, San Jacinto High School ( CA )
Infielders : ( 6 )
Round 14 (No. 422) - SS Bryan Rincon, Shaler Area High School (PA)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
The switch-hitter batted .455 this season and was named the 2022 Class 5A Player of the Year. As noted in multiple publications, the 18-year-old chose to use a wood bat to hit during his senior season. The 5-foot-11 Rincon is originally from Venezuela.
Round 18 (No. 542) - 2B Braylen Wimmer, University of South Carolina (SC)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
Wimmer, 21, posted a .312/.361/.466 slash line with 13 doubles, seven home runs, 35 RBI, 38 runs and 13 stolen bases in 55 games this season. The 6-foot-4 infielder hit .286 in 125 games over three seasons at South Carolina. Last summer, he had a .282 batting average in 23 games with Bourne in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The right-handed hitter is from Oklahoma and his father, Chris, was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic baseball team.
Un-Drafted Free Agent - 3B Matt Alifano, Adelphi ( NY )
AmazonAws :
Alifano (Center Moriches, N.Y.) led the Panthers to a 30-13-2 record, a third-straight division title in the NE10 Southwest, and the number three seed in the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament. He was named the Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division Player of the Year. His .401 batting average led the Northeast-10 Conference.
Un-Drafted Free Agent - IF Ty Penner, University of British Columbia ( Canada )
Canadian Baseball Network :
He hit .337 with 18 doubles, two triples, 11 homers and 46 RBIs. To open the season, he had six hits, including a triple, and six RBIs in four games against Park-Gilbert and Arizona Christian. Had five hits, including two doubles and a triple plus four RBIs against Benedictine Mesa ... Went 3-for-10 with two RBIs ... Facing William Jessup he went 5-for-15 with two doubles, a homer and two RBIs ... Went 6-for-9 in two game set against Bushnell which included five RBIs, thanks to a double and a homer ... Was 3-for-4 knocking in two in a loss to Seattle ... Against Oregon Tech, he was 7-for-15 and eight RBIs with a double and three homers ... Going against Idaho, he was 4-for-15 with an RBI ... Facing Lewis-Clark State, he was 8-for-13, with a homer and six RBIs ... Going against Eastern Oregon he was 3-for-12, including two doubles and five RBIs ...In the second meeting with Bushnell he was 3-for-10 with a pair of RBIs ... He doubled and homered in a win over Vanguard ... In another meeting with Lewis-Clark State he was 2-for-7 with two RBIs.
Un-Drafted Free Agent - 1B Cole Moore , Dallas Baptist University ( TX )
Named Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference in his first season at DBU in 2021 … Finished in the top 10 in five offensive categories in the MVC … played in the Alaskan Baseball League during the summer of 2021. One of the elite defensive first baseman in the nation - hit .352 during the 2022 season at DBU with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs
Un-Drafted Free Agent - 3B Otto Kemp, Point Loma Nazarene University ( CA )
Hit .364 with an OBP of .492 with 17 home runs and 62 RBIs in his senior season. 33 home runs and 101 RBIs in his four year career - .356 average in 297 plate appearances with a .480 OBP. The 22 year old plays 3B, 2B and OF.
Catchers : ( 4 )
Round 7 (No. 212) - C Caleb Ricketts, University of San Diego (CA)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
Ricketts, 22, batted .373 (85-228) with 13 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 55 RBI, 46 runs, a .423 on-base percentage and .658 slugging percentage in 56 games during his junior season. Behind the plate, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Ricketts threw out 16 of 35 potential base stealers (45.7%) and recorded a .995 fielding percentage. He was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year, All-WCC First Team and, among numerous other accolades, was a semifinalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award. Ricketts, a left-handed hitter, is from Newport Beach, Calif.
Round 10 (No. 302) - C Gustavo Sosa, South Mountain Community College (AZ)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
Sosa, 21, batted .337 (63-187) with 13 doubles, a triple, nine home runs, 37 RBI, 24 walks, seven steals, a .415 on-base percentage and .561 slugging percentage in 54 games for South Mountain CC in 2022. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound Brooklyn, N.Y., native also slashed .339/.356/.589 with eight extra-base hits for Trenton in the MLB Draft League. Sosa, a right-handed hitter, was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 19th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, but did not sign.
Round 12 (No. 362) - C Jordan Dissin, Saddleback College (CA)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
The 6-foot-3 backstop posted a .393/.505/.577 slash line with 14 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 47 RBI, 53 runs and 33 walks in 45 games with Saddleback College this season, his first with the school. Last year, the right-handed hitter appeared in three games with the University of Richmond (VA). The 20-year-old was a 2020 graduate of Malvern Prep (PA). In 2019, he was selected as an Under Armour Preseason All-American.
Un-drafted Free Agent - Ryan Leitch, Marshall University
“A native of Whitby, Ontario, Canada, he concluded the 2022 season with a team-high 17 doubles. Leitch's .307 batting average, 66 hits and 43 RBI were on second on the squad as he blasted 12 home runs in 53 games, all starts, during the campaign. Leitch smashed 10 long balls in 2021.” - Herdzome
Pitchers : ( 13 )
Round 4 (No. 122) - RHP Alex McFarlane, University of Miami (FL)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
McFarlane, 21, appeared in 27 games (23 relief appearances, 4 starts), during his junior season, striking out 68 batters in 45.0 innings (13.60 SO/9.0 IP) while holding opponents to a .238 batting average with three home runs. A native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound McFarlane was originally selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 25th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, but did not sign.
Round 5 (No. 152) - RHP Orion Kerkering, University of South Florida (FL)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
The 21-year-old Kerkering, who split his 2022 season between a starting and relief role (10 starts, 9 relief appearances), led all American Athletic Conference pitchers in strikeouts looking with 32, and his 91 total strikeouts ranked third in the AAC. The 6-foot-2, 204-pound was born in Huntington Beach, Calif., tossed 67.2 innings in 2022, walking only 19 batters.
Round 6 (No. 182) - LHP Mavis Graves, Eastside High School (SC)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
Graves, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound southpaw, had a 2.01 ERA and 81 strikeouts for Eastside High School during his senior season. The 18-year-old is from Greer, S.C.
Round 8 (No. 242) - RHP Alex Rao, University of Notre Dame (IN)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Rao appeared in 25 games in relief during his senior season, posting a 3.83 ERA, striking out 57 batters and allowing only 32 hits in 47.0 innings pitched. He also recorded three saves for the Fighting Irish. Rao, 22, is from Hobe Sound, Fla.
Round 16 (No. 482) - RHP Josh Bortka, University of Central Missouri (MO)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
Bortka, who is 6-foot-5, posted a 2.96 ERA (8 ER, 24.1 IP) with 41 strikeouts and 16 hits allowed in 17 relief appearances this season. Following the collegiate schedule, the 23-year-old made six appearances with State College in the 2022 MLB Draft League, striking out 16 in 9.2 innings pitched.
Round 17 (No. 512) - RHP Daniel Harper, University of Kentucky (KY)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
The 6-foot-4 righty struck out 33 and posted a 2.72 ERA (11 ER, 36.1 IP) over 26 relief appearances in 2022. During his five-year collegiate career at Kentucky, he posted a 4.46 ERA in 100 games (11 starts). Harper, 23, made eight scoreless relief appearances (9.2 IP) with seven games finished, three saves and 11 strikeouts for State College in this year’s MLB Draft League.
Round 19 (No. 572) - RHP Drew Garrett, University of Missouri (MO)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
The 22-year-old made four appearances (1 start) this season after making eight appearances in 2021. Prior to pitching for Missouri, he spent two seasons with Johnson County Community College (KS), striking out 65 in 28.1 innings pitched overall. Last summer, the 6-foot-6 righty fanned 46 batters in 26.2 innings pitched with State College in the MLB Draft League.
Round 20 (No. 602) - RHP Nathan Karaffa, Ohio State University (OH)
Phillies Press Release Notes :
Karaffa, who spent his first two seasons at Ohio State as a position player, was converted to a pitcher this season and made 25 relief appearances while recording 36 strikeouts in 28.1 innings pitched. Karaffa, 21, was a 2019 graduate of Toronto High School (OH). He is listed at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds.
Un-Drafted Free Agent - Mason Ronan - LHP - College of Central Florida ( FL )
Baseball America
A 6-foot-2, 190-pound athletic lefthander, Ronan has an easy delivery and has pitched in the 88-92 mph range at times with a sharp, 1-to-7 mid 70s curveball with plus depth. He gets good plane on his fastball and has shown a changeup at times, but the pitch needs work. He has some present control issues and walked a number of batters at East Coast Pro and the Area Code Games last summer, and a stabbing action in the back of his delivery could be part of that. Ronan has intriguing elements with a potential plus breaking ball and average fastball, but his stuff has been in the mid 80s this spring rather than the 90 mph range over the summer in shorter outings.
Un-Drafted Free Agent - Eric Garcia - RHP - Eastern Florida State College ( FL )
Eric is listed at 6’5” 215 and pitched in 28 games during his two years at Eastern Florida. He struck out 43 batters in 32 IP while walking seventeen.
Un-Drafted Free Agent - Jack Dallas - RHP - Lamar University
Is the all time saves leader for Lamar. He saved 28 games over his career appearing in 97 games ( 166 2/3 IP ) with 171 K’s and 69 BB.
Un-Drafted Free Agent - Braedon Fausnaught - LHP - West Chester University
Pitched for the Trenton Thunder in the MLB Development League posting a 2-1 record and 3.38 ERA. Fausnaught went 9-3 with a 3.29 ERA in 104 innings this past season at West Chester, and helped the Golden Rams reach the Division II World Series. Fausnaught’s 130 strikeouts set a single-season program record.
Un-drafted Free Agent - Andrew Walling - LHP - Mississippi State
Pitched in 11 games for Williamsport in the MLB Development League. Began his collegiate career at Oregon State before transferring to Eastern Oklahoma State for his junior season and Mississippi State for his senior year. He’s been clocked as high as 97 mph with his fastball.
