Crawford, Abel lead Phillies' Organization All-Stars

Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each organization and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in each farm system. Next up in our 2023 Organization All-Stars series are the Philadelphia Phillies.

2023 organization summary:
Triple-A Lehigh Valley: 80-66
Double-A Reading: 31-37
High-A Jersey Shore: 73-58
Single-A Clearwater: 79-50
FCL Phillies: 30-25
DSL Phillies Red: 27-26
DSL Phillies White: 42-13
Overall record: 390-315 (2nd among MLB organizations)
Midseason Farm System Rankings: 23

Phillies 2023 Organization All-Stars

C: Caleb Ricketts (PHI No. 15)
ROK/A/A+: .270/.324/.387, 70 G, 4 HR, 50 RBI, 37 R, 20 BB, 6 SB
A wrist issue and a knee sprain kept the 23-year-old out of San Diego sidelined during his first full season for extended periods of time, but Ricketts still managed to get into 70 games and stood out over a month in Single-A Clearwater, where he slashed .368/.390/.547 with 13 extra-base hits and 23 RBIs in 23 contests. Phillies assistant GM for player development Preston Mattingly praised Ricketts' ability to "make a lot of contact and hit for power." His play behind the plate also showed improvement as he sported a .988 fielding percentage while throwing out 23 attempted basestealers in 50 starts behind the dish.

1B: Carlos De La Cruz (PHI No. 6)
AA: .259/.344/.454, 129 G, 24 HR, 67 RBI, 80 R, 54 BB, 3 SB
"This is a guy with top-of-the-scale power who can really impact the ball and can move around the outfield well," Mattingly said. Not bad for a 2017 undrafted free agent out of George Washington High School in New York who played his way to Double-A at the tail end of 2022 and stuck with Reading all season. At 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, De La Cruz is a hard guy to miss, and he proved to be valuable all over the field after mashing 50 extra-base hits and splitting time in all three outfield positions in addition to making 49 starts at first base.

2B: Oliver Dunn
AA: .271/.396/.506, 119 G, 21 HR, 78 RBI, 65 R, 82 BB, 16 SB
The 26-year-old was traded to Milwaukee for outfielder Henry Mendez and shortstop Robert Moore on Nov. 14, but provided stability in the lineup and in the field for Reading in his lone season in the Phillies organization. Dunn really found his power switch, connecting on 21 home runs after never hitting more than seven in a single season. He also set career highs in hits (113), total bases (211), doubles (27), RBIs (78), runs (65), walks (82) and stolen bases (16).

3B: Matt Kroon
A+/AA/AAA: .326/.399/.526, 97 G, 11 HR, 58 RBI, 66 R, 46 BB, 26 SB
Kroon appeared in just two games last season after suffering an ACL tear, but returned better than ever with a clean bill of health. The 27-year-old not only played his way to the Minors' highest level, but appeared to improve after each promotion. In 15 games with Lehigh Valley, Kroon slashed .381/.467/.698 with three dingers, a pair of triples, seven doubles, 13 RBIs and 12 runs scored. His 26 swipes also eclipsed the previous career high of 18 from 2019. "He's an extremely athletic kid with great power who we're excited about heading into next year," Mattingly said.

SS: Weston Wilson
AAA: .259/.363/.515, 125 G, 31 HR, 86 RBI, 90 R, 75 BB, 32 SB
Signed as a free agent to a Minor League deal in January, the 29-year-old provided veteran presence and a power bat at Lehigh Valley all season. Wilson led the entire organization with 31 long balls, 90 runs scored and 86 RBIs. His previous high-water mark in homers was 19 with Double-A Biloxi in 2019. "He really put himself on the map with a monster year in Triple-A and showcased an elite power-speed combo," Mattingly said.

OF: Justin Crawford (PHI No. 3/MLB No. 77)
A/A+: .332/.392/.467, 87 G, 3 HR, 64 RBI, 71 R, 32 BB, 47 SB
The Phillies’ 2022 first-rounder (No. 17 overall) hit the ground running in his first full pro season -- slashing .344/.399/.478 over 69 games at Single-A Clearwater. That effort earned him a promotion to High-A, where he completed the season swiping 47 total bases and finishing with a combined 134 wRC+. "Elite defense, speed, contact rate, just a tremendous athlete who impacts the game in a lot of different ways," Mattingly said.

OF: Símon Muzziotti (PHI No. 8)
AAA: .296/.358/.404, 124 G, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 67 R, 45 BB, 26 SB
Having played in just 20 games in 2021 because of visa issues and 46 games last year with a knee injury, Muzziotti put all of that behind him this season and simply balled out. Despite that missed time, the 24-year-old showed he is just about ready to contribute to the big league lineup. His 140 total hits paced all Phillies' Minor Leaguers and he proved to be a plus defender while patrolling all three outfield spots. "He's an instinctual defender with good speed and makes a ton of contact," Mattingly said.

OF: Emaarion Boyd (PHI No. 12)
A: .262/.366/.324, 91 G, 1 HR, 36 RBI, 68 R, 35 BB, 56 SB
After a brief pro debut in 2022, the 20-year-old continued to show gains in his first full season -- connecting on his first career home run for Clearwater. But power isn't what caught the Phillies' attention. Boyd possesses elite speed and bat-to-ball skills -- pacing the organization with 56 swipes. He has a short and quick right-handed swing geared to put the ball in play, rarely striking out while also showing a feel for the strike zone. Still, at 5-foot-11 and 177 pounds, the organization believes a bit more muscle mass and his ability to make contact could translate into power.

RHP: Mick Abel (PHI No. 2/MLB No. 45)
AA/AAA: 5-6, 4.13 ERA, 113 1/3 IP, 132 K, 65 BB, .192 BAA, 1.26 WHIP
Philadelphia's 2020 first-round Draft selection (No. 15 overall) has been on the fast track to the City of Brotherly Love since recovering from a shoulder issue in 2021. Abel powered his way to Double-A last season -- striking out 130 over 108 1/3 innings -- and continued to dominate the opposition at the upper levels of the Minors this year, whiffing 132 while holding opponents to a .192 average over 113 1/3 frames. "He continues to progress year after year and you can't say enough about 100-plus innings two years in a row. His stuff continues to trend up," Mattingly said.

LHP: Matt Osterberg
A+/AA: 9-6, 3.52 ERA, 122 2/3 IP, 106 K, 25 BB, .240 BAA, 1.11 WHIP
After logging a combined 85 2/3 frames over his first two pro seasons, the 24-year-old broke out in a big way this year to finish the season at Reading. Osterberg made 24 combined starts without allowing more than two runs in 14 of them -- including five scoreless outings. His 4.24 K-BB ratio led all qualified hurlers in the organization. "He throws a ton of strikes, has elite command and mixes speeds really well," Mattingly said. "He makes for an uncomfortable at-bat with his cutter that is tough on both sides of the plate."

RP: Orion Kerkering (PHI No. 7)
A/A+/AA/AAA: 4-1, 1.51 ERA, 53 2/3 IP, 79 K, 12 BB, .186 BAA, 0.89 WHIP
It's tough to imagine a more extraordinary year than the one that the 22-year-old just had. In his first full pro season, Kerkering not only played his way through four levels of the Minors, he was also a pivotal member of the Phillies' bullpen in the postseason. While such progress is unusual, the organization was not surprised by the 22-year-old's ascension. "He's got an odd combination but is an elite strike-thrower with elite stuff. We saw his stuff make a big jump in the offseason, and once we saw where the stuff went in the spring, no one was surprised by how quickly he moved," Mattingly said.