The Phillies in Philadelphia have signed big-time players to multiyear contracts, assembling a club that will be ready for years to come. With this squad, they want to win the World Series for the first time since 2008 before the front office has to start rotating the roster. However, one talent evaluator believes the Phillies will be set at third base for the foreseeable future, with one of their top prospects prepared to take over the position when the time comes. When Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline referred to Aidan Miller as the greatest steal of the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft, it was clear how highly Callis regards the player.
However, Callis went one step further and declared that the gifted 19-year-old would start at third base for Philadelphia in the coming years. “He’ll continue to climb in the rankings until he takes over the hot corner in Philadelphia in mid-2026, when he’ll be 22,” according to him. Whoa, it really is a big statement. Miller is now ranked 90th overall on MLB Pipeline’s Top-100 list, which is the ranking to which Callis is alluding. Callis also hinted that Miller will move up significantly in their upcoming rankings, which will be released later in January. Following his high school graduation, Philadelphia’s top prospect played just 20 games in his debut professional season this past season. He spent ten of those at the rookie ball level, where he hit.414/.528/.483 with two RBI and no home runs. Following his Single-A promotion, he had some trouble, slashing.216/.341/.297 with two extra-base hits and no home runs or RBI.
Despite the small sample size, Callis remains incredibly optimistic about Miller’s prospects, predicting both power and average since Miller was the best hitter in high school prior to declaring for the draft. It will be interesting to observe how Alec Bohm, the Phillies’ current third baseman, is affected by the growing prospect because he is not due for arbitration until after the 2026 campaign. Throughout his career, Bohm’s defense has been a source of controversy, but his bat has largely made up for those shortcomings. It may be necessary to make some tough choices if Miller is prepared to assume the starting position in 2026. However, it’s encouraging to know that they might already be developing a starting third baseman for the future.
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