When Alex McFarlane threw a 100 mph fastball to Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night, it marked the fifth time a Phillies farmhand has debuted in the majors this season. That is the club’s most debuts since 2022. But in a year that was supposed to culminate in several high-profile prospect graduations, the returns have been underwhelming.Justin Crawford is surviving in the majors while now being platooned. Andrew Painter is back at Triple A after a disappointing stint. Aidan Miller has not played a game all season. Some homegrown role players have not contributed as much as the Phillies envisioned.It’s dulled the outlook on a farm system that will once again be used, over the next week and a half, to supply the big-league team with trade acquisitions. The Phillies have some talent at the top, but the consensus among rival evaluators is the drop is steep after that.“Most of the guys that are supposed to perform have performed,” said Luke Murton, the club’s director of player development. “That’s where I struggle with it.”The Phillies tend to think their farm system is closer to the middle of the pack. Six rival clubs surveyed for this story have the Phillies ranking somewhere among the bottom 10 systems in baseball, with some teams rating the system worse than that.Still, the Phillies have prospects to trade, and they will trade them.“There is plenty of interest in players in our system,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal this week. “That’s not a concern at all.”But if teams want big-league-ready talent in return, the Phillies will have trouble supplying that.“In the trade talks we’ve already had, people are hitting on a ton of our guys,” Murton said. “Like, that’s the part to me that’s confusing. ‘Well, what about this guy? What about that guy?’ We have a lot more depth than I think people realize.”That said, Murton understands the criticism.“The way I look at it: We have to get better,” he said. “In the draft, we have to get better. In player development, we have to get better. Every step of the way, we have to get better.”As the Phillies near what could be another active trade deadline, here is a snapshot of where their farm system stands.The Phillies signed Venezuelan outfielder Francisco Renteria to a franchise-record $4 million bonus in January. (Philadelphia Phillies)The risersRHP Ramon Marquez, RHP Gage Wood, OF Francisco Renteria, SS Juan ParraNo one in the system has improved their stock more this season than Marquez, a 20-year-old righty who was born in Arizona but grew up in Mexico. He has a 2.02 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 17 walks in 49 innings. He was promoted last month to High-A Jersey Shore, and he features an exceptional changeup that has become even more effective with a fastball velocity bump to 95-96 mph. He’s touched 97 mph.Marquez is still learning how to spin the ball, and his ability to develop something beyond the hard slider he throws now will be key to how teams project him.“Very, very composed on the mound,” Murton said. “He’s the type of guy when you watch him pitch, you’re just comfortable watching him pitch. Because he doesn’t speed up and he’s got three pitches. Definitely excited and pleased with where he’s at.”Marquez has graded well with scouts and models. He will be a popular ask in trade talks.Wood is the known commodity, although some teams have Marquez ranked near or above him. The Phillies will continue to start Wood, who has continued to throw strikes and pass tests every week at Double-A Reading. Those plans haven’t changed.Renteria, 17, is probably the closest thing to an untouchable prospect in the entire system. The center fielder signed for $4 million as a teenager in Venezuela. He hit .366/.455/.603 in his first 35 games of pro ball in the Dominican Summer League. He will come to the United States in 2027.“He has, no disrespect to any other player we have, probably the most ability of any of the players,” Murton said. “And his makeup’s (top of the scale). And he’s still growing.”What makes him so impressive?“He’s a team leader,” Murton said. “He’s humble. He knows he’s good. He’s one of the smartest players we have in the organization already. His aptitude is unreal. It’s one of the more impressive 17-year-old kids I’ve ever been around.”Parra, 17, signed for $550,000 in the same international class as Renteria. He’s hit .331/.497/.500 in his first 37 games.“He’s like a second-round pick in the draft,” Murton said. “He makes contact, he’s going to have pop. He’s a very good player who is strong. I couldn’t be more excited about those two players.”The injuredSS Aidan Miller, OF Dante Nori, RHP Moises Chace, INF Carson DeMartini, OF John SpikermanIt’s been seven weeks since Miller, who was diagnosed with discogenic pain and facet inflammation in the lumbar spine, underwent a radiofrequency ablation of the facet joints. The Phillies, at the time of the procedure, set a “goal to return to game activity in six to eight weeks.” He will not meet that timeline, although team officials are not yet ready to rule him out from playing in minor-league games before the season ends. Miller continues to do baseball activities, but he has not swung a bat.Until he returns to the field, the top prospect’s future is shrouded in doubt. It’s a major blow to the overall health of this farm system.Dante Nori impressed during the WBC but has struggled to hit this season and has been sidelined with a hip injury since early June. (Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)Nori, who gained attention with Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic in March, has not played a game since June 6. He suffered a stress fracture in his hip. He could return sometime in August, Murton said. Nori, a first-round pick in the 2024 draft, hit only .245/.306/.361 in 52 games with Double-A Reading before being sidelined.“It’s something that he’s honestly been dealing with for a long time,” Murton said. “I don’t want to give him an excuse. He doesn’t want an excuse. But it affected his performance so far this year. He was trying to play through it. We didn’t realize how bad it was because he’s a grinder. He wants to play.”Nori has resumed hitting, Murton said.Chace, who was a revelation in 2024, underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2025. He continues to rehab at the Phillies’ complex in Florida. DeMartini underwent wrist surgery in the offseason, then needed the same procedure on the other wrist this season, Murton said. He has not played since May 6, but Murton said he is progressing and could return in August.Spikerman, a third-round pick from 2024, intrigued other teams because of his strong defense in center field and some offensive improvements this season. But he’s been sidelined since May 20 with a left ankle injury and missed time in 2025 with injuries.The Reading middle infield2B/3B Aroon Escobar, SS Bryan RinconThe best test of how someone views the Phillies’ system might be here. Escobar, considered one of the better prospects in the system, has had a disappointing season at Reading. The 21-year-old infielder is hitting .224/.331/.307. Known for his plate discipline, he’s improved his walk rate and strikeout rate.But Escobar’s approach has suffered, in the eyes of some rival evaluators. He has not driven the ball, especially in advantage counts like 3-1 and 2-0, because he’s chasing far more than before.Murton does not see it this way.“Honestly, he’s the best .625 OPS hitter I think I’ve ever seen,” Murton said. “The plate discipline has not gone away. He’s just not getting hits right now. He’s hit a lot of balls to right-center, middle of the field. He’s hit a lot of balls well that have been caught. He’s the guy where it’s like, ‘Let’s be patient. We don’t need to panic or make any big adjustments. He’s fine.’“One thing I really do believe in is: When you have players that can control the zone and do different things, I’d rather them play two years in Double A than play in High A and then Double A. Aroon Escobar could have easily been at High A this year from a development standpoint. But when I think they can handle Double A from a mental standpoint, from an at-bat quality standpoint, let’s challenge them right away. Because I do think they come out better on the other side.”Escobar has split his time between second and third base. He’s inexperienced at third and evaluators question whether he’ll work there, but his second base is close to average.Bryan Rincon has posted a career-high .846 OPS this season at Double A. (Dan Squicciarini / NurPhoto via Associated Press)Rincon, a 22-year-old former 14th-round pick, is having his best offensive season in the minors. He is hitting .246/.381/.453 with improvements to his walk and strikeout rates. He hit 18 homers in his first four seasons in the system and has 13 this season, a nice Reading bump.Murton is convinced that merits more attention given Rincon’s age, position and offensive output. Rincon is not considered a top prospect; some teams’ models are much higher than the public consensus. Some evaluators question whether Rincon projects as an everyday player.“He’s always kind of controlled the zone,” Murton said. “He never really performed how any of us thought he would. … You are patient with guys like Rincon, and they come out the other side. I’m anticipating Escobar doing the same type of thing.”Rincon might not be moving as well as he once did; he had surgery on his right hamstring in 2024 and injured his left hamstring earlier this year. He has plus instincts, but several evaluators have noted defensive regression.The chin-strokersRHP Brad Pacheco, C/DH Alirio FerrebusPacheco has been a favorite target of clubs watching the Phillies; he’s struck out 78 and walked only 15 in 73 1/3 innings at Low-A Clearwater while throwing two different types of fastballs that average 95 mph. His strikeout (and most-used) pitch is a cutter that sits 86 mph.He has a deep arsenal for a 21-year-old righty. He will draw trade interest, rival evaluators said.“He can do a lot of things with the baseball,” Murton said. “He’s got a really good arm. He throws hard. But he’s a sum-of-the-parts guy. He can do a little bit of everything. He’s been an exciting guy to watch this year. Just keeps getting better and better as the year goes.”Ferrebus is a bat-first, 20-year-old catcher without much experience despite it being his fourth year in the Phillies’ system. He has crushed Low-A Florida State League pitching to a .328/.379/.530 slash line.He is difficult to project.“He’s performed very well,” Murton said. “He hits the ball very hard. He’s done a much better job of hitting the ball in the air.”Some question whether Ferrebus can stick behind the plate. One National League scout described him, kindly, as “a work in progress.” Ferrebus has served as the designated hitter more than he’s caught in 2026.“He’s a young catcher that I think long-term can stay behind the plate,” Murton said. “But he definitely needs more work. It’s trending in the right direction.”The other college armsRHP Cade Obermueller, RHP Cody Bowker, RHP Sean Youngerman, RHP Luke GabryshThe Phillies exhausted more draft capital in 2025 than they had in many previous years combined on college pitching. The returns have not been stellar, although no one has regressed. Rival evaluators have general questions about how many of the college arms actually project as big-league starters. The Phillies have tried to balance their predilection toward riskier, high-ceiling players with the college pitchers.Bowker, who sits 93 mph, has big strikeout numbers. Obermueller, a second-round pick, has done well, albeit in truncated time after missing more than a month with an illness.Wen-Hui Pan has a 3.58 ERA in 25 appearances across Low A, High A and Double A this season. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)The relieversRHP Alex McFarlane, RHP Marty Gair, RHP Wen-Hui PanIf McFarlane doesn’t stick as a low-leverage arm in the majors, he could return to Triple-A Lehigh Valley instead of Double-A Reading, where he’s dominated despite a few too many walks. McFarlane projects as a seventh-inning guy with potential for more if his command improves.Gair is 23 and still at Low-A Clearwater despite one of the most powerful fastballs in the minor leagues. It averages 98 mph and has reached 102 mph. He has struck out 42 percent of the batters he’s faced. The 6-foot-6 Gair could be promoted soon.“You’re that big,” Murton said, “and throw that hard with that good of a shape, it’s going to play.”Pan appeared in MLB’s Futures Game earlier this month. He can throw in the high 90s, although his stuff has been up and down in this, his first full year back from Tommy John surgery.All three of these prospects could be trade chips.The middleSS Romeli Espinosa, SS Matthew Ferrara, RHP Matthew Fisher, OF Raylin Heredia, LHP Mavis Graves, SS Juan VillavicencioThese are prospects who garner mixed opinions from rival evaluators, but enough interest to draw attention.Fisher, who signed for a huge bonus as a seventh-round pick last summer, needs time. Evaluators like his feel for pitching, but his fastball averages only 91 mph.Heredia has one of the lowest walk rates (3.3 percent) in the Eastern League and he’s struck out 101 times in 391 plate appearances, but he has hit for power and average at Double A. He doesn’t turn 23 until November. He’s shown an ability to apply adjustments. He projects as a platoon corner outfielder.“To see how much he’s grown, personally and professionally, has been impressive to see,” Murton said. “He’s just gotten better and better every year.”Villavicencio is a pop-up prospect in 2026 who has some of the best exit velocities in the Florida State League. He has good bat speed. He’s hit .293/.375/.527 with 12 homers and 20 steals in 67 games at Low-A Clearwater.He’s tougher to evaluate because of time missed in previous seasons due to injuries and because he’s still at Low A. He could stick at shortstop, which makes him intriguing.The drafteesSS Tyler Spangler, OF Caden Bogenpohl, RHP Ruger Riojas, OF Will GasparinoThe Phillies are expected to formalize an agreement with Spangler, their 2026 first-round pick, on Friday. The prep shortstop will sign for above the slotted $2.76 million bonus, league sources said, and has been medically cleared to play after missing his entire season with an undisclosed back injury.As in years past, the Phillies will slow-play all of their draftees. Some of the position players will play for Low-A Clearwater at some point in August. But none of the drafted pitchers will pitch in pro ball this year.