An inside look at the Phillies top prospects.
(MLBPipeline lists the top 30 prospects on each team’s website. While biding time waiting for baseball to resume, Steve Potter will provide his views of these young players. A Clearwater resident, his passion is seeing and following these prospects in person. Normally, Spectrum Field and Carpenter Complex are his second homes. His 4th Annual Phillies Minor League Digest is on sale at www.amazon.com.)
OF Johan Rojas
Phillies #16 prospect according to MLB.com … 19 years old … signed 6/18/2018 - from San Francisco de Marcoris , Dominican Republic
This young man got our attention the very first time we saw him play this summer in the GCL. He plays with a joy and passion that is contagious. I remember one day when he was on deck on Roberts Field along the first base side, I was standing next to him by the fence and he told me he read my blog on Facebook and that he was gonna give me more good stuff to write about. His smile sparkles and his personality is engulfing.
Johan has all the tools to succeed, speed as a runner, excellent field coverage and baseball smarts as a center fielder, outstanding bat speed, power and plus arm strength. He’s an aggressive hitter who swings early in the count ( ala Garry Maddox ) but his pitch recognition is impressive - doesn’t swing and miss often.
Projection : Johan led both the GCL and New York Penn League in triples in 2019 as a teenager ... he won’t turn 20 until August but I believe he was slated to begin the 2020 season at Lakewood. The young man can flat out play and loves to do so ... I’ve watched him in practices and instruction as well - is like a sponge and wants to excel. I like his game a lot and his makeup - can see a big leaguer for sure - one who could do very well for an extended career - keep his name in mind.
