Better Know a Prospect: Phillies

Wondering which young players could have an impact in the majors this year? Let MLB FanHouse guide the way in Better Know a Prospect. In this edition we look at three players from the world champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Carlos Carrasco , SP:

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J.A. Happ, SP/RP: Happ is still a prospect, but he's a prospect with a World Series ring. Happ appeared in eight regular season games, four of them starts, and tossed three innings in the NLCS to earn his hardware. He doesn't have a very high ceiling, back-of-the-rotation starter, but he's there already and should contribute as a long reliever and spot starter for the team from Day 1. Happ succeeds by changing speeds and location to keep hitters guessing. In other words, he's a lefty.

Lou Marson,C: A 2004 fourth-rounder, Marson caught for the Olympic team last summer when he wasn't posting an impressive .433 on-base percentage at Double-A Reading. He even made a brief appearance in the big leagues, going 2-for-4 with a home run on the last day of the season. The Phillies still have Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste, and they picked up Ronny Paulino over the winter, so Marson will have time to work on his deficiencies at Triple-A. Most of those are defensive, although he'll need to prove he can keep up his outstanding walk rate against better pitching as well.

For comprehensive coverage of the minor leagues, visit John Sickels at Minor League Ball and Baseball America. For minor league statistics, visit Baseball-Reference and Minor League Splits.