Ever since the Philadelphia Phillies hired Preston Mattingly as their Director of Player Development in 2021, the club’s farm system has taken a huge leap forward. Despite most of their first-round picks falling later in the draft, the biggest successes have come in the form of advances in the lower minor leagues and pitching development.
Ahead of the trade deadline, when the Phillies will presumably make several moves to improve the big league club, the farm system will come under intense scrutiny. They have a well-known core of top prospects, including Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford, Mick Abel, Eduardo Tait, Moisés Chace, Aroon Escobar, and more. With them getting the bulk of the focus from other organizations, Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies brass will likely make additional smaller moves, dealing some players most fans have never heard of.
Before any of these players are shipped off or included in trade rumors, let’s take a look at some of the Phillies’ most valuable commodities who are flying under the radar in 2025.
Keaton Anthony
More has been written about Anthony than almost any other player on this list. He was the subject of an article by Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic in June as an undrafted prospect signed by the club in 2023 following his inclusion in a betting probe while at the University of Iowa.
Since being signed by the Phillies following the draft, he has put up excellent numbers throughout every level of the minor leagues. A 24-year-old first baseman, Anthony is slashing .323/.375/.482 across Double-A and Triple-A this year, but is blocked by Bryce Harper and Otto Kemp. He could be a valuable asset to any team looking for their first baseman of the future.
Felix Reyes
Reyes’ name had not popped up much in prospect circles until 2025. After a disappointing age-23 season at Jersey Shore in 2024, some had started to write off the young corner infielder/outfielder.
During the off-season, though, Reyes unlocked something playing winter ball in Colombia, where he hit .344 in 24 games. Now back stateside at Double-A, Felix is slashing .307/.341/.560 with eight home runs in just 179 plate appearances. Standing at 6-feet-4-inches, it seems like Reyes may have finally filled out his frame and tapped into some newfound power.
Hendry Mendez
Mendez entered the season as the Phillies No. 25 overall prospect. Acquired from Milwaukee during the 2023-24 offseason for Oliver Dunn, he impressed as a 20-year-old last year at High-A and has continued his growth at Double-A, slashing .285/.365/.430 with six homers this season. Since June 20, Mendez has hit .302 with an .863 OPS.
The Dominican Republic-native is tall and lanky, standing at 6-feett-3-inches and just 175lbs, but after posting some rough ground-ball numbers in 2024, his rate has improved to 52.0 percent in 2025. To keep advancing through the system, he will need to lift the ball more, but at such a young age, the thought is that Mendez will continue to develop.
Carson DeMartini
Drafted in the fourth round by the Phillies last year from Virginia Polytechnic, DeMartini has excelled in the minors following his college career. Playing third base and shortstop, he hit .315 last year in a 24-game preview at Clearwater, before continuing an onslaught of minor league pitching in 2025.
It took just 53 games in 2025 for the Phillies to promote the 22-year-old to Double-A in 2025. Since then, DeMartini has had his first slump, posting an OPS of just .697 since his promotion on June 9. Nevertheless, his OBP is still .352, and since the calendar has flipped to July, he is slashing .261/.370/.435 in seven games. Furthermore, the Phillies are confident that DeMartini has the upside of a plus-glove at third base, or perhaps even the tools to stick at shortstop long term.
Alex McFarlane
The Phillies number 18 prospect, according to MLB.com, McFarlane was drafted in the fourth round in 2022. He has never quite put it together for a full season as a pro, going through a UCL tear and Tommy John surgery in 2024, but as of late, perhaps the tables have turned for the 24-year-old.
McFarlane has had three straight five-inning shutout starts, the first two of which he allowed no hits. In those 15 innings, he struck out 19 and walked only three. It seems like a promotion might be coming soon for the intriguing righty.
Kehden Hettiger
After a rough 2024 that saw Hettiger struggle both defensively and offensively, he is rebounding in 2025. The 21-year-old catcher was not featured in any top prospect system lists coming into the year, but his value at the plate has started to emerge.
Slashing .251/.361/.421 at High-A Jersey Shore this year, he has begun to draw notice as one of the system’s more interesting catching prospects behind Eduardo Tait. Though like many minor league catchers, there are concerns about his defense behind the plate, the former 11th-round pick will at least draw some attention going forward.
Jose Pena
A former sixth-round pick by the Phillies in 2021 out of Tampa Preparatory School, Pena really struggled as his professional career kicked off. Through 2024, he never posted a season ERA below 5.47.
It seems, though, following last off-season, something changed for the tall righty. Coming out of the bullpen in 2025, Pena has a 0.64 ERA across 28.1 IP across two levels at Low-A and High-A. Though he has not flashed any big-time strikeout stuff (his K/9 is only 8.3), there is a lot of hope for Pena’s future in the org.
Titan Hayes
Hayes has the profile, body, and makeup to match his amazing baseball name. An 11th-round pick out of Austin Peay State University last year, Hayes has a 2.93 ERA at Clearwater this season with a 12.7 K/9 to boot.
Though there are certainly some concerns about his command, walking 20 batters in just 27.2 IP, Hayes throws hard – between 96-99 mph. With a four-seamer and a slider—the latter of the two is the better pitch—Hayes is someone who could advance quickly through the system should he put things together soon.
