Phillies' Prospect Considered 'Biggest Steal'

There has been a clear goal by the Philadelphia Phillies to rebuild their farm system after it drifted into the bottom third the past few years.

Before the new rankings are released by MLB Pipeline, the Phillies now have four players within their Top-100, something that has not been the case for multiple years.

With their first round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Philadelphia rolled the dice on high schooler Aidan Miller with their 27th overall pick.

He missed the majority of his senior year in high school with a broken left hamate. This caused him to drop in the draft despite previously winning All-American Game MVP honors.

The 19-year-old only played in 20 games total this year after an even split between Rookie ball and Single-A.

He struggled in his 37 at-bats at the Single-A level, slashing .216/.341/.297 with no home runs or RBI and 10 strikeouts, but that has not put a damper on how Jim Callis of MLB.com views this talented prospect.

"The Phillies getting Miller with the 27th overall pick was the biggest steal of the first round of the 2023 Draft ... He's going to hit for power and average, and he'll settle in at third base after spending his pro debut at shortstop," he writes.

Miller spent 18 of his 20 games at shortstop defensively, while getting two games in the designated hitter role.

The Phillies' prospect is current ranked as No. 90 on MLB Pipeline's Top-100 list and is No. 4 in their own farm system.

Callis says that will change soon and he will make a major leap heading into his second year of professional baseball.

With Andrew Painter missing all of 2024 because of Tommy John surgery, there should be some movement within Philadelphia's farm system ratings that push Miller to a top three player, with him potentially being considered their second-best prospect.

One thing is for certain.

Miller is a star in the making and could be the Phillies' next great player sooner rather than later.