Former Fightin Phils Featured on Initial Phillies Spring Breakout Roster

Major League Baseball officially announced the rosters for the Spring Breakout showcase – a four-day event displaying some of baseball’s future stars. There will be 16 exhibition games, with the teams being formed of each organization’s best prospects.

The Phillies’ breakout squad will square off twice, first against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, March 19, at 1:05 p.m. in Ft. Myers, FL. Then, they’ll play host to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, March 21, at 1:05 p.m. at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, FL.

The Phillies' 40-man roster for the showcase includes 15 R-Phils. Headlining the group is the trio of top prospects within the Philadelphia pipeline: Aidan Miller (No. 1 prospect), Andrew Painter (No. 2 prospect), and Justin Crawford (No. 3 prospect).

Miller spent the end of 2024 and the majority of 2025 with Reading. The 21-year-old infielder turned in an impressive line at the Double-A level, collecting 109 hits in 113 games and posting a .376 on-base percentage. Miller opened a ton of eyes around minor league circles as he also swiped 52 bases, which led the Eastern League in 2025. He was rewarded with a Triple-A promotion to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in September, as well as the official title of the Phillies' top prospect heading into 2026.

Painter has had his name nailed to the prospect list since he debuted at the No. 3 spot in 2022, his first season at the professional level. The 22-year-old made just five starts in Reading after stints with both the Clearwater Threshers (Single-A) and Jersey Shore BlueClaws (High-A). Across all three levels, Painter posted a 1.54 ERA in 22 starts, striking out nearly 40 percent of the hitters he faced. He did undergo Tommy John surgery in 2023 to treat a UCL sprain to his throwing elbow. He made his return to the mound in 2025, making 26 starts with the IronPigs. Painter is currently in spring training, competing for a spot in the Phillies' starting rotation for the 2026 campaign.

Crawford was certainly knocking on the doors of Citizens Bank Park last season in Triple-A but ultimately didn’t receive the big league call in 2025. His career stats in the minors show he’s beyond worthy of his future promotion. In just under 1,500 plate appearances across rookie ball to Triple-A, he’s posted a .322 batting average and an OPS north of .830, to go along with 145 stolen bases. This included a short 40-game stint in Double-A with Reading towards the end of 2024, which culminated in a selection to participate in the All-Star Futures Game. Crawford’s collective skillset suggests that he could be a multi-tool weapon in the majors, and it’s safe to say the Phillies are looking forward to giving him the opportunity to display those talents.

The trio will not participate in the spring showcase, as Miller is dealing with an injury, while Painter and Crawford continue their roster battles. Although, there are quite a few names R-Phils fans should find to be very familiar.

Gabriel Rincones Jr. (No. 8 prospect) has been a player the Phillies front office has spoken extremely highly of within the last calendar year as he saw a huge jump in production from 2024 to 2025. After putting up an 11 homer-29 RBI season in 2024 with Reading, he clubbed a career-high 18 homers along with 73 RBI in 2025 for Lehigh Valley. He has shown a strong ability to crush right-handed pitching from the left side of the plate. The 25-year-old outfielder is currently dealing with left knee soreness and hasn’t yet participated in any baseball activities during spring training.

Jean Cabrera (No. 15 prospect) finds himself ranked as the eighth-best pitching prospect in the Phillies system. The 24-year-old was signed as a free agent out of Venezuela back in 2019. He’s coming off a 2025 campaign that saw him make 26 starts while tossing career highs of 137 innings and 127 strikeouts in Reading. He pitched well in the two starts he made for the Phillies in spring training. Cabrera was optioned to Triple-A on Saturday and will begin 2026 with the IronPigs.

Moisés Chace (No. 10 prospect) was acquired by the Phillies along with Seth Johnson in the trade that sent Gregory Soto to the Baltimore Orioles in 2024. Upon joining Philadelphia's pipeline, the 22-year-old immediately debuted on the organization's prospect list at number 5. He reached Reading in August of 2024 and tossed a combined 36.1 innings between then and May 2025. Chace underwent Tommy John surgery in late May and has not been cleared to resume baseball activities.

Aroon Escobar (No. 6 prospect) was signed as a 17-year-old international free agent out of Venezuela in 2022. More than three years later, he’s now ranked as the seventh-best second base prospect in MLB. The 21-year-old was able to raise his stock after a season that saw him travel three levels to reach Double-A and post 15 homers and 24 stolen bases in 2025. He appeared in just five games with Reading and could likely receive a more-extended run there in 2026.

Keaton Anthony (No. 30 prospect) just cracked the Phillies' top prospect list, securing the final spot after what was an incredible year for him in 2025. The former Iowa Hawkeye has shown a pure ability to hit the baseball, as he holds a career .324 batting average and a .402 on-base percentage across all minor league levels. This includes 2025 when he posted an .862 OPS and recorded 102 hits in 82 games between Reading and Lehigh Valley. Anthony also won a Gold Glove award at first base in 2024. The Phillies have reportedly begun working him out in the outfield during spring training as well for some positional flexibility.

Carson DeMartini (No. 18 prospect) currently sits as the organization’s top third-base prospect. He was selected by Philadelphia in the 2024 draft out of Virginia Tech. The 23-year-old has climbed through to the system to reach Double-A just a calendar year after hearing his name called. In 66 games with Reading in 2025, DeMartini hit two homers to pair with 22 RBI and 27 stolen bases. He’s currently participating in the Phillies' big league camp as a non-roster invite.

Felix Reyes was signed by the Phillies as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2020. From 2021 to 2024, he showed below-average numbers in the batter’s box at various levels. Ahead of the 2025 season, he was assigned to Reading and completely broke out. Reyes posted a league-leading .335 batting average to pair along with 53 extra-base hits, 65 RBI, and an OPS north of .900. That would earn him both the batting title and the Eastern League MVP Award, as well as a promotion to Triple-A in September. With the IronPigs, he collected six hits, including a home run in six games.

Dylan Campbell was traded to the Phillies from the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations just before the 2025 season. When he entered Philadelphia's pipeline, he initially debuted as the organization’s 10th best outfield prospect. He went on to split time with Jersey Shore and Reading and posted 14 long balls in 122 games, totaling a sub-700 OPS. His defense and high baseball IQ still keep him as an interesting prospect. He also did manage to swipe 33 bases by season’s end. Campbell, 23, is just three years removed from his college days at Texas.

Dante Nori (No. 7 prospect) was the Phillies’ first-round selection with the 27th pick of the 2024 draft. The 21-year-old outfielder completed his first professional season in 2025, playing 120 combined games with Clearwater and Jersey Shore before earning his promotion to Reading. In five games with the Fightin' Phils, he went 4-21 with a triple and two stolen bases. Nori most recently was chosen to play in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .308 and posting an OPS north of .800 in 12 games. He looks to be a very intriguing prospect to watch going forward with his speed and defensive prowess, while also showing the ability to display strong plate discipline.

Caleb Ricketts was selected by Philadelphia in the 4th round of the 2022 draft as a catcher following four years at the University of San Diego. He spent all of 2023 in the lower levels of the Phillies system before debuting with Reading to begin 2024. He would only play in 75 games as the 25-year-old dealt with various injuries. He returned to hit .256 and have 20 extra-base hits in 58 games with the R-Phils in 2025. Though he hasn’t played a full season since his senior year of college, he still holds a ton of upside as a left-handed backstop in an organization that is extremely thin in catching depth.

Kehden Hettiger (No. 28 prospect) currently ranks as the second-best catching prospect in Philadelphia’s system. The 21-year-old was taken in the 11th round out of high school in 2023. He struggled mightily in his first season of pro ball with Single-A Clearwater, posting an average that sat below .200 in 80 games with the Threshers. He was promoted to Jersey Shore in 2025 and made it up to Reading by season’s end. In seven games with the R-Phils, he went 4-22 with a homer and 4 RBI. Hettiger has shown quite an impressive approach at the plate for his age, as he holds a career walk rate north of 16 percent along with some valuable defensive tools behind the dish.

Alex McFarlane (No. 19 prospect) was selected by the Phillies in the 4th round in the 2022 draft and debuted on their top prospect list as the eighth-best overall prospect in the system. He made 19 total starts for Clearwater between 2022 and 2023 before being shut down to undergo Tommy John surgery, leading him to miss all of 2024. He returned in 2025 with Jersey Shore, posting underwhelming numbers through 18 starts before being shifted to the bullpen. McFarlane would turn a corner in his new role, making six scoreless appearances with the BlueClaws, before receiving his promotion to Double-A. With Reading, he made four appearances by season’s end. He will begin the season back with the R-Phils.

Excluding this group of R-Phils, the Phillies Spring Breakout roster is loaded with young talent within the organization and names that could make stops in Reading within the next handful of seasons. Of the 40-player pool that was selected, 28 names sit on Philadelphia's top-30 prospect rankings. Below is the full roster:

Pitchers (20): Tyler Bowen, Cody Bowker (No. 16), Jean Cabrera (No. 15), Moisés Chace (No. 10), Gabe Craig (No. 24), Matthew Fisher (No. 12), Luke Gabrysh, Mavis Graves (No. 27), Titan Kennedy-Hayes, Ramon Marquez (No. 11), Alex McFarlane (No. 19), Anderson Navas, Cade Obermueller (No. 9), Brad Pacheco, Andrew Painter (No. 2), Wen-Hui Pan (No. 14), James Tallon (No. 20), Brian Walters, Gage Wood (No. 4), and Sean Youngerman (No. 17)

Catchers (4): Anderson Araujo, Alirio Ferrebus (No. 22), Kehden Hettiger (No. 28), and Caleb Ricketts

Infielders (8): Keaton Anthony (No. 30), Carson DeMartini (No. 18), Aroon Escobar (No. 6), Romeli Espinosa (No. 25), Matthew Ferrara (No. 26), Aidan Miller (No. 1), Felix Reyes, and Bryan Rincon (No. 29)

Outfielders (8): Griffin Burkholder (No. 13), Dylan Campbell, Justin Crawford (No. 3), Raylin Heredia, Dante Nori (No. 7), Gabriel Rincones Jr. (No. 8), Devin Saltiban (No. 21), and John Spikerman