8/24/26 : Spotlight - Shortstop Bryan Rincon
It’s been a breakout offensive year for 22 year old shortstop Bryan Rincon at Reading as he’s posted 23 doubles, 20 home runs and 25 stolen bases becoming one of only eleven 2026 minor leaguers to date to join the “Three Twenty” club this season and only one of six Phillies minor leaguers to do so in the last twenty-seven years (see https://www.philliesbaseballfan.com/post/8-23-26-the-triple-twenty-club).
It’s by far the best year with the bat in his five year career. Bryan was drafted by the Phillies in the 14th round of the 2022 draft from Shaler Area High School in Pittsburgh, PA. He was born in New York but his family moved to Venezuela when he was just three months old. Baseball became a way of life for him there, he was playing organized ball at five years of age! At the age of thirteen he knew he wanted to be a pro baseball player and was part of an elite academy where he played the game seven hours a day six days a week. However, he did not get offered a pro contract at age 16 which is the initial international signing age so his family decided that he should come stateside to live and play high school ball. He moved to Pittsburgh along with his cousin (Miguel Hugas) to live with an uncle. Both young men made the Shaler High School team and played there two seasons. Bryan was then drafted by the Phillies and Hugas earned an opportunity to play college baseball at Mercer University - he was drafted this year by the Baltimore Orioles as a pitcher in the 14th round.
One thing that was immediately evident about Bryan when I first watched him in his workouts and games on the Carpenter Complex backfields in Clearwater was his desire to succeed and work ethic - even to this day he’s always one of the first players out on the field whether it be practice or games.
I saw his first pro home run in 2022 against the FCL Yankees, he’s a switch hitter but has always shown more pop from the left side. Defensively he’s always been smooth, we’ve seen him in multiple practices and games, is well schooled - has shown all the tools to be a regular at shortstop - a stand out. Bryan was assigned to Clearwater out of 2023 spring camp - his patience at the plate became evident as he posted a .369 OBP but also drove 13 doubles and 8 home runs earning an in season promotion to Jersey Shore on August 15th where he hit .258 in 18 games with a .364 OBP in 77 plate appearances to finish the season.
The 2024 season was an injury riddled one for him as hamstring issues sidelined him for most of the season - he appeared in just 35 games and just never found a rhythm - was assigned to the Arizona Fall League and played in nineteen games out west yet continued to struggle. In 2025 he broke spring camp with Jersey Shore but once again battled an injury as a broken hamate bone sidelined him on August 7th for the balance of the regular season - it was an offensive struggle for the summer before that as he battled to find consistent contact. After working with the rehab team at the Complex he was assigned once more to the Arizona Fall League where offensive struggles continued.
Consistent throughout though was his defense at shortstop and every scout or coach I spoke with about him felt there was ability to play that side of the game in the show. I just remembered the spark in his bat from that first summer in the FCL and felt there was something there that could also develop - others in the game believed that as well and given the continued work ethic and desire the young man displayed it was a lingering evaluation.
Bryan was invited to major league spring training this year. He turned heads as he hit two doubles, a triple and a home run in 14 Grapefruit League games and continued to produce when assigned to minor league camp. What changed? Bryan told me “It started from years past, all the work that I’ve done all these years came together but last off season I also worked with my high school coach, my hitting coach in Miami and during spring training I was able to work with Kevin Long. I feel like all the work joined together. And just learning from the past too, I used all of the experiences.”
The Phillies Player Development leadership noticed as well and assigned Bryan to Reading out of spring camp installing him as the primary shortstop. He hasn’t disappointed - in fact, has blossomed and is presently posting the third highest OBP in the Eastern League at .402 and is 6th in slugging (.501) and OPS (.903). He leads the league in walks (78) and is second in runs scored. Bryan said in a recent text exchange with me “I feel like knowing that my swing is in a good spot and feeling relaxed at the plate has helped me to be more aggressive which allows me to hit the ball harder and more consistently than before. I’m able to create better approaches with every pitcher and am just better at sticking to my plan.”
He’s been a scolding hot hitter this month as Reading’s lead off man - a .329/.478/.557 slash line with a 1.035 OPS in 19 games (90 PA’s) with 23 hits (7 doubles, 3 HR’s) and 7 RBIs, 20 walks, 22 K’s, 18 runs scored and 39 total bases. It’s a pace of outstanding production in the heart of a team playoff push, the sign of a clutch performer. Showing out at the right time of the season!
Kudos to Bryan for never losing faith in his abilities despite the injury setbacks and struggles he’s previously encountered. He’s also never lost faith in his belief “ All of these accomplishments I couldn’t have done without God because I know he’s been with me guiding me through it all”. I truly wish the young man continued success, he’s certainly put himself squarely on the prospect radar. That’s good stuff!
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