Phillies Star Prospect Heading in Wrong Direction of Rankings

May 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Phillies Star Prospect Heading in Wrong Direction of Rankings

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated May 29, 2026 7:00 AM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

The Philadelphia Phillies’ prospect rankings have undergone some major changes during the 2026 season.

Most of that is because two of their best youngsters, right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter and outfielder Justin Crawford, have spent the entire year with the Major League team, graduating from prospects.

Taking their place near the top of the rankings is Gage Wood, a right-handed pitcher from the Arkansas Razorbacks who was selected in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft. He was named the Phillies’ minor league pitcher of the month in April and earned a promotion to Double-A Reading.

That has helped catapult Wood up the rankings, but there is still one player ahead of him: shortstop Aidan Miller. Unfortunately, Philadelphia’s No. 1-ranked prospect is heading in the wrong direction in the overall rankings.

Aidan Miller moving in wrong direction of prospect rankings

Over at The Athletic (subscription required), Keith Law released his updated top 50 list. With so many graduations over the first two months of the Big League season, players are making a move up.

Disappointingly, Miller is not one of them. In the preseason, he was ranked No. 6 overall. In the update, he has dropped to No. 14. The biggest reason for that is his inability to get on the field, as he has yet to suit up in 2026.

“Miller remains out with what seems to be a serious lower back injury, and he has not progressed to swinging a bat yet as of last week, so he gets an incomplete for this season to date and I’m not moving him in the rankings until we see if this injury has a long-term effect,” Law wrote.

Last season, in 116 games and 526 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Miller was incredibly productive. He had a .264/.392/.433 slash line with 14 home runs, 27 doubles, two triples and 42 RBI. His athleticism was on full display, stealing 59 bases.

Had Miller been healthy this year, there is certainly a chance that he would have made his Major League debut. The Phillies’ infield has struggled to produce at points in the early going, with third baseman Alec Bohm, shortstop Trea Turner and second baseman Bryson Stott all having ups and downs.

Law also believed that Miller would be up with Philadelphia at some point this summer because of his dynamic skill set. But those plans have almost assuredly changed because of the injury.

“When healthy, he’s an advanced hitter with power and a plus defender at shortstop who I thought could end up in the Phillies infield — preferably at short — by the All-Star break. Now, I’m just hoping he plays this year,” added Law.

It will be something to keep an eye on over the next few months. Miller certainly has the skill set to make a difference in the Big Leagues, but the development time that he has missed in Triple-A could certainly be a setback.

Sign up for our free newsletter to receive the latest news and updates!

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: