The 2026 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft begins Saturday, July 11, and the Philadelphia Phillies, the host club for this year’s All-Star Week festivities, have a chance to add needed talent to a farm system that has thinned in recent years.
The Phillies have regularly picked toward the back end of the first round over the last half decade, the result of four consecutive postseason appearances. This year, they will have to wait even longer. Because of the 10-pick penalty they received for exceeding the second Competitive Balance Tax threshold, the Phillies will not make their first selection until No. 36 overall. It will be the latest they have made their first pick in a draft since 2012, when their first selection came at No. 40 overall.
Under assistant general manager of amateur scouting Brian Barber, the Phillies have traditionally leaned toward high school talent at the top of the draft. That has been especially true during the Dave Dombrowski era. From 2020 through 2024, the Phillies selected five straight high school players in the first round: Mick Abel in 2020, Andrew Painter in 2021, Justin Crawford in 2022, Aidan Miller in 2023, and Dante Nori in 2024. After taking high school position players in three straight drafts, the front office changed direction in 2025 by selecting Arkansas right-hander Gage Wood, the first of 14 college pitchers the Phillies drafted across 20 rounds.
The Phillies entered the 2026 season with the No. 20 farm system in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. But that ranking came before Painter and Crawford graduated from prospect status and before Miller’s back injury kept him off the field all season.
There is still star potential in the system. The Phillies have three prospects on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list: Miller at No. 26, Wood at No. 53, and 2026 international signee Francisco Renteria at No. 94. But the depth behind that group remains a concern. Among their Top 30 prospects, only 13 have reached Double-A, leaving the system short on upper-level options.
Major League clubs do not draft for immediate need the way teams often do in other sports. The priority is still the best player available. But the Phillies have enough organizational needs that several directions would make sense, with pitching, catcher, shortstop and right-handed power among the most notable areas to address.
If the Phillies use their first pick on a college arm or bat, the thinking could be tied to their current win-now window. Their major-league core is expensive, aging and built to contend immediately, so adding a player with a quicker path to Philadelphia would carry obvious appeal. If they go the high school route, the focus would shift more toward upside and long-term impact.
Predicting who will still be available at No. 36 is difficult. Players can fall because of signability or medical concerns, while others often climb higher than industry projections. But as the Phillies wait to make their first selection, here are a handful of names who could be in play, listed with their MLB Pipeline draft ranking.
Jack Radel — RHP, Notre Dame, No. 44-ranked prospect
If the Phillies decide to open their draft with a college pitcher, Radel is one of the names most often connected to that range. He was a battle-tested weekend starter during all three of his seasons at Notre Dame, pitching in a loaded ACC, and broke through in 2026 with the best season of his college career.
Radel was named a third-team All-American by D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game after going 8-3 with a 3.29 ERA over 87 2/3 innings. He struck out 116 batters, nearly doubling his total from 2025, while issuing only 22 walks. He also gave the Fighting Irish length, completing at least six innings in 10 of his 15 starts, including two complete games.
At 6-foot-5, Radel brings the type of starter’s frame teams look for, along with a five-pitch mix. His fastball sits 93-95 mph and touches 98, and he complements it with a cutter, slider, curveball and changeup. The Phillies value starters who can work deep into games, and a seasoned, high-floor college arm like Radel would enter the system with a chance to move quickly.
Taylor Rabe — RHP, Ole Miss, No. 40-ranked prospect
Rabe emerged as one of the country’s best pitchers during the second half of the 2026 season. The 6-foot-6 right-hander began the year in the Ole Miss bullpen, but finished it as the Rebels’ Sunday starter and one of the top arms on a College World Series team.
In 17 appearances, including 11 starts, Rabe posted a 3.55 ERA over 76 innings with 105 strikeouts and only 15 walks. His 7.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio led the SEC and ranked fourth nationally, the kind of strike-throwing profile that should appeal to the Phillies.
There is some injury history. Rabe missed his true freshman season in 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. But he also logged only 92 1/3 innings between 2025 and 2026, giving him less mileage than many Division I starters in this class.
His best pitch is his fastball, which averages 96 mph and reaches 100. Scouts have graded it as a 65 on the 20-80 scale, an excellent mark. He also features a 60-grade cutter, a 55-grade slider and a changeup. He throws strikes, repeats his delivery and enters the draft as one of its hotter names.
Cade Townsend — RHP, Ole Miss, No. 35-ranked prospect
Townsend is coming off a strong sophomore season at Ole Miss, where he served as the Rebels’ Saturday starter and became a Golden Spikes semifinalist for a College World Series club.
After posting a 6.35 ERA in 34 innings as a freshman in 2025, Townsend made a significant jump in 2026. He lowered his ERA to 3.94 while nearly doubling his innings total, striking out 88 batters and walking only 22 across 64 innings in 14 starts.
At 6-foot-1, Townsend does not have the prototypical frame of a major-league starter, but that has not kept him from missing bats. His five-pitch arsenal includes a fastball that sits 94-97 mph, along with a curveball, slider and cutter that all grade as 60 pitches. He also throws a changeup.
Like Rabe, Townsend logged fewer than 100 innings during his two seasons at Ole Miss. That makes him a fresher college arm than many pitchers who will be selected high in the draft, something that could make him attractive to the Phillies and other clubs.
Taj Marchand — SS, James Island HS (SC), No. 37-ranked prospect
Marchand, an Ole Miss commit, is one of the high school players who has been tied to the Phillies, and he fits the mold of several recent first-round selections: a prep bat with athleticism, projection and a chance to stay at a premium position.
A right-handed hitter, Marchand has an all-around skill set that scouts praise, with the potential to grow into a 25-homer hitter in the majors. He also touched the low 90s on the mound as a two-way player in high school, giving him the arm strength to remain at shortstop. If he eventually moves, second base or third base could also be options.
Outside of Miller, the Phillies do not have another shortstop ranked among their Top 20 prospects. That is not ideal for an organization that has to think about the future of the position. Trea Turner could eventually need to move off shortstop as he gets deeper into his contract, and Miller’s back injury has made his long-term timeline less certain. If the Phillies take Marchand, or another shortstop, with their first pick, it would not be surprising to see the position remain a focus throughout the draft.
Will Brick — C, Christian Brothers HS (TN), No. 46-ranked prospect
Brick, the 2026 Gatorade Tennessee High School Player of the Year and a Mississippi State commit, is the top high school catching prospect in the draft. He reclassified from the 2027 class to graduate early and turned 18 in early June, making him one of the younger players in this draft range.
This is not a deep catching class, especially on the high school side, but Brick stands out as the clear top prep option at the position. His arm strength is his best tool, earning 65 grades from scouts, and he has regularly shown elite pop times and the ability to control the running game.
His right-handed swing produces more line drives than game power right now, but there is raw power for him to tap into as he matures. Brick is also athletic enough to play shortstop, so there is a chance he eventually moves out from behind the plate. For now, though, he will begin his professional career as a catcher.
The Phillies do not have a clear catcher of the future. The only catcher among their Top 30 prospects is Alirio Ferrebus, a 20-year-old in Low-A, making the position one of the organization’s most obvious long-term needs.
Landon Thome — INF, Nazareth Academy HS (IL), No. 34-ranked prospect
One more name belongs in the conversation for obvious reasons.
Landon Thome is the son of Hall of Famer and Phillies favorite Jim Thome, which would make the connection impossible to ignore if he were still available when the Phillies pick. A left-handed hitter committed to Florida State, Thome played shortstop in high school but projects as a second baseman or third baseman in pro ball.
His offensive profile is built around bat-to-ball skills and advanced pitch recognition. Given his bloodlines, it is also no surprise that scouts praise his baseball IQ. The Phillies have consistently been tied to high school bats early in drafts under this front office, so it would not be out of character for them to take a swing on another Thome becoming a fan favorite at Citizens Bank Park.
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