Phillies announce 27 Spring Training invites, including three top-5 prospects

Spring Training is rapidly approaching, and the Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of work to do when it comes to building the Major League roster by then.

Adding veterans, figuring out which prospects deserve a chance, and managing the current lineup will all be done in the coming months. But the first order of business is handing out the Spring Training invites.

The Phillies announced Friday afternoon that they've invited 27 players to Spring Training. Included in this group are three of the Phillies' top-5 prospects, making for an exciting Spring Training.

Phillies reveal 27 Spring Training invites, including 3 top-5 prospects

In the announcement, there are a lot of interesting names. But there are a few prospects worth zeroing in on.

Outfielder Justin Crawford, infielder Aidan Miller, and infielder Aroon Escobar have all been invited to Spring Training. According to MLB Pipeline, Crawford is the Phillies' third-ranked prospect, Miller is second, and Escobar is fifth.

With Andrew Painter already on the 40-man roster, only Gage Wood, ranked fourth, is not going to be with the team at Spring Training.

Crawford is almost certainly a lock to make the Opening Day roster, with the Phillies planning to play him every day this season. Miller and Escobar aren't likely to make the team right away, but they could get called up at some point this upcoming season.

But those three prospects aren't the only ranked prospects from MLB Pipeline that the Phillies are inviting to Spring Training.

Outfielder Dante Nori (6th), infielder Carson DeMartini (13th), infielder Keaton Anthony (15th), infielder Bryan Rincon (17th), catcher Caleb Ricketts (22nd), catcher Kehden Hettiger (23rd), and outfielder Dyan Campbell (30th) are all invited to Spring Training.

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Other than those top-30 prospects, the Phillies are inviting a bunch of others to Spring Training. Infielder/outfielder Felix Reyes, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, and catchers Paul McIntosh, Rene Pinto, and Mark Kolozsvary are all also invited.

The rest of the infielders coming to Spring Training are Christian Cairo, Liover Peguero, and Jose Rodriguez. The bulk of the Spring Training invites are in the pitching staff, with nine pitchers being non-roster invites.

Genesis Cabrera, Tucker Davidson, Tim Mayza, Andrew Walling, Andrew Bechtold, Jonathan Hernandez, Michael Mercado, Trevor Richards, and Bryse Wilson are the nine pitchers coming to Spring Training for the Phillies.

There are some roster spots up for grabs, namely in the outfield, the bullpen, and a back-end starter. Some of these players will make the Phillies' Opening Day roster, with Crawford a near lock.

Baseball season is right around the corner, and these 27 players are going to get a chance to prove their worth this Spring Training.

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