Baseball Notebook: Players To Watch As The Season Winds Down

As the minor league season winds down, here are some thoughts on a few players that are on the radar for us.

Painter and Crawford

Painter and Crawford are now regular contributors for the Phillies.  But, the season didn’t go as smoothly as one might have hoped.  Before the season, we put up some thoughts on Painter and Crawford so that Phillies fans would know what we were expecting, having seen them all of last season.  I didn’t totally nail it, but many things are pretty close.  I took some heat when it got re-posted over on Reddit, but overall I think it was a good take.  Read it HERE if you want to.

Alex McFarlane

He’s the darling of the Phillies fans and media right now.  However, he’s been on our radar for a while around here–he even got a mention in the article linked above.  I was a guest on a podcast before the season and he was my player to watch.  And, to be clear, I wasn’t the only one–many close observers of the Phillies’ system had high expectations for McFarlane this season.  We always thought he’d be here in August and September helping the big club, but we didn’t see the route quite like it ended up playing out.  They wanted him throwing strikes, and there were things for him to work on in AA Reading.  Around here we still feel like it could have been better had he had the opportunity to pitch in Triple-A, with the MLB baseball, and versus batters with some more advanced approach.  Still, he’s doing great and we’ll be cheering him on as the Phillies drive towards the playoffs.

Otto Kemp

It hasn’t been a great season for Otto in 2026.  He was on the opening roster, but amid Phillies team struggles to start the season, both he and Dylan Moore were moved out as the Phillies flailed about with roster moves to correct some losing–which was more about needing a healthy Zack Wheeler than it was about the manager or the bench players.  Nevertheless, they both found their way to the Pigs.  But Otto just didn’t hit enough–at least not like the crazy mashing he’s done at AA and AAA the last couple seasons–to make it back to the big leagues.  He’s on the 40-man, still.  He played a passable left field for the IronPigs but the thing I’d like to highlight here is that I think his play at third base has been better than it had been the past two seasons at AA and AAA.  It could even be passable on the next level.  Of course, Bryson Stott is playing at the hot corner right now in Philadelphia and doing quite well.  But, Aidan Miller’s back still hurts and Arraez hasn’t been re-signed yet.  Some things are up in the air.  I think the glove has been good enough for Otto to be a depth piece for the Phillies next season.  If he remains on the 40-man, though, he’ll be locked out with the MLB guys if it comes to that.  Bottom line:  He’s playing well defensively and that’s important.

OF Kameron Misner

When the 6’3″ Misner came over as a player listed as “outfielder” we kind of assumed he’d be more of a corner piece.  However, what we’ve witnessed lately at Coca Cola Park is one of the best defensive center fielders we’ve ever seen on these grounds.  He gets excellent jumps and makes good reads and has a great feel for making catches on the warning track or against the wall.  There’s a lot of swing and miss in his bat, and he’s a lefty, so paths to the Majors might be somewhat limited in the Phillies organization.  But if you do see him in center field, expect some solid defensive play.  He’s also on the 40-man, so a path back the ‘Pigs next season could be limited.

OF Gabriel Rincones Jr

Somewhat similar to Kemp, but due to injury, Gabe’s season got off to a rough start.  When he arrived healthy in AAA this season, he was almost immediately called up to the Phillies.  Then the Phillies continued to churn their outfielders and Rincones got sent back down to the Ironpigs.  All the movement and inconsistent playing time after coming back from injury has resulted in some uneven play–especially at the plate.  But, what has emerged is a lefty who can hit lefty pitching!  He was even platooned at AAA last season to avoid lefty pitching; however, he’s come in this season having made some changes, it seems.  Even when he first got back, we noticed his approach and command of the strike zone was just so much better versus lefties than it had been in the past.  And, the results have been there!  It’s a small sample, but it’s notable.  He’s also on the 40-man, of course, so we’ll await CBA news in order to project his status for next season.  Bottom line:  He’s made some strides towards being an every-day corner outfielder.

INF Rob Moore

Moore came over from the Brewers organization when they took a liking to AA INF Oliver Dunn, who was with Reading.  Moore was more of a “Oliver Dunn Lite” or if you need another reference, like if someone left Kevin Frandsen in the dryer too long.  The glove in the middle of the infield was fine.  There were some hits.  But no power at all, really.  So, when he came to the Pigs this year and hit a couple dingers early, I started the “noted power hitter” moniker with tongue firmly in cheek.  Joke is on me.  Moore has been crushing it this season while playing some solid defense and I’d hope we get him back next year.

OF Felix Reyes

Reyes did everything that was asked of him this season, advancing from an MVP-level season at Double-A in 2025 to an All Start-level contributor at Triple-A in 2026.  He even got a 40-man spot and made his MLB debut.  Unfortunately, he got hit by a pitch two weeks ago, and broke his wrist, ending his season.  He’s in the 40-man vortex with a couple of the guys above, as we look towards next season.  Another thing to watch:  He’s going to need some runway to contribute on the next level, we think, so that might need to come on a team who can afford to run him out there regularly rather than a team like the Phillies bent on platoons and desperate for wins–or else the Phillies need to be that team giving him some runway.

SS Bryan Rincon

Some thought the promotion of Rincon to AA Reading to start the season was rather aggressive.  Some noted his glove-first profile, and made some comparison to Freddy Galvis who arrived with a glove and little else, too young for the level.  Rincon had some trouble staying healthy in past seasons after getting drafted out of high school from Shaler, near Pittsburgh.  But at AA in 2026 Rincon has really killed it.  He’s played a very solid shortstop on a nightly basis.  He’s slashed .270/.408/.509 with 22 HR.  In fact, for much of the season, the average was even better.  His command of the strike zone at the plate has been really solid with 99 strikeouts to 83 walks.  We’re really hoping his bat continues to show as he’ll likely start in Allentown in late-March of 2027.

Reading Playoffs!?!

Yeah it’s one of those funny things.  A team that’s been just moving along through the season starts to stack wins a little bit in the “second half” standings.  As of today, Reading has a 2.5-game lead in the Eastern League Northeast Division in the second half standings, and a magic number of 9, with 11 games left.  Should Reading qualify for the playoffs, look for a home playoff game on Tuesday 9/15 versus a team near last place, and facing Reading this week, Hartford, because they won the first half.  Should they beat Hartford, it appears the winner of the Richmond series would play in Reading on Tuesday 9/22 and Wednesday 9/23 (if needed).

When you think of it, that Reading roster has everything you want in a minor league playoff team:  Veteran leadership (Binelas (until yesterday), Leon, Seminaris), prospects (Escobar, Nori, Rincon, Heredia) and solid pitching (prospects Wood and Bowker along with veteran Seminaris and grinders Russo and Tucker.). They have some pieces in the bullpen too, which included McFarlane most of the season.  Pan is a notable there right now.

See you at the park, we’ve got a couple weeks left,

@Kram207