Crawford, Miller Headline Minor-League Invitees to Spring Training
Published on January 27, 2026 under Florida State League (FSL)
Clearwater Threshers News Release
Spring Training is always celebrated as the beginning of baseball season, but for minor league players, it also signifies another chance for those outside of the major league roster to prove their current and future value to the organization. For 2026 spring training, the Phillies have invited 27 non-roster players to Spring Training, with 12 of them having previously played for the Clearwater Threshers. Three of the twelve non-roster invitees (Justin Crawford, Aidan Miller, and Caleb Rickets) were NRI's to last year's Spring Training, while the remaining nine (Andrew Walling, Kehden Hettiger, Keaton Anthony, Carson DeMartini, Aroon Escobar, Felix Reyes, Bryan Rincon, and Dante Nori) join a group littered with former major leaguers and top Phillies farmhands. Let's take a look at the twelve former Threshers who will return to BayCare Ballpark for Phillies Spring Training in less than one month:
LHP Andrew Walling:
Despite being the only reliever on the Phillies Spring Training roster without major league experience, Walling has quietly turned into one of the most dependable late relievers in the Phillies farm system since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2022. The lefty has jumped at least one level in each of his previous four minor league seasons, including a call-up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley at the end of 2025. He surrendered just two runs in 5.0 Triple-A innings with the Iron Pigs after finishing second on the Fightin Phils with six saves in 37 appearances. He is one of the hardest-throwing left-handers in the Phillies farm system, who has increased his fastball from an average range of 94-96 when he was with the Threshers in 2023 to 98 miles per hour or more in the high minors. Andrew has been a late reliever throughout his career in the Phillies system, with six or more saves in each of his last three seasons. With high-leverage lefties like Tim Mayza and Génesis Cabrera joining Walling in Philadelphia's bullpen, Andrew will have plenty of time to learn from players with significant MLB experience. Although he is only one of four lefty relievers on the Phillies' spring training roster, Walling has the stuff to compete with any of them and could very well make his major league debut before the end of 2026.
C Kehden Hettiger:
After remaining in Clearwater for his first two seasons as a professional, 21-year-old catcher Kehden Hettiger jumped from Single-A to Double-A in 2025 in a breakout season for the former eleventh-round draft pick. Hettiger stopped hitting from the right side last season and became solely a left-handed hitter after beginning his career as a switch-hitting catcher. In his first season batting exclusively as a left-handed hitter, Hettiger pounded four more home runs and drove in 25 more runs in three stops between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A than he had for Clearwater in 2024. With eight home runs and a .719 OPS, Hettiger was one of the most formidable slugging catchers with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, with whom he played 85 of his 100 games. Hettiger was already ranked as one of the best defensive catchers in the Phillies' system, and he set career highs across the board offensively in his second full year as a pro. His defense will keep him in baseball for a long time, and continued offensive improvement could lead to a fast-tracked road to the major leagues with the backstop becoming a position in high demand for the Phillies.
Top Phillies catching prospect Caleb Ricketts behind the plate in a rehab start for the Clearwater Threshers
C Caleb Ricketts:
Back in his second-straight season as a non-roster invitee to Phillies Spring Training, Caleb Ricketts has been a player to watch since he was drafted by the Phillies in 2022. In his first two games with the Threshers in August of 2022, Ricketts went 6-9 with four RBIs, and finished with ten RBIs and three home runs in his first 22 games as a professional. After hitting a whopping .368 with 23 RBIs in 23 games as a Thresher in 2023, Ricketts has unfortunately rehabbed in Clearwater multiple times since his May 2023 call-up and spent two seasons in the Arizona Fall League as well. Caleb's injury history may be the only thing that has kept him out of the major leagues, as Ricketts has consistently shown prowess at the plate and behind it with 125 RBIs and a .713 OPS in his previous four minor league seasons. Most of Ricketts' past two seasons have been spent in Double-A Reading, so he seems likely to start the season in Triple-A with the Iron Pigs. If Caleb keeps up his solid level of production and stays healthy, he may get his first chance with the Phillies at the MLB level, as the 24-year-old has shown the ability to contribute in every way as one of Philadelphia's top catching prospects.
INF Keaton Anthony:
Former undrafted free agent Otto Kemp grabbed Phillies headlines throughout this past season with his rise from an unheralded Division II prospect to a key utility player on Philadelphia's major league roster. Keaton Anthony, a non-drafted free agent signed one year after Kemp, may be the next one of those stories for the Phillies. Anthony does not provide the same utility position-wise as Kemp does, but he won the 2024 minor league gold glove at first base and has spent some time in both corner outfield spots before turning pro. Though Keaton has a Bryce Harper-sized wall ahead of him at first base, Anthony's poise at the plate and elite defense make him an interesting prospect despite the Hall-of-Fame starter that is currently blocking his path to the majors. From his minor league debut at the Carpenter Complex, Anthony's propensity to reach base has been evident from the jump. Keaton's career on-base percentage sits at an elite .402 clip with a career-low average of .302 in his first season and back-to-back campaigns hitting over .320 in 2024 and 2025. Anthony may be the most MLB-ready hitter in the entire Phillies farm system, but he is not the only first baseman coming off an elite season on the Phillies Spring Training Roster. Keaton Anthony may be as much as an injury away from his major league debut.
INF Carson DeMartini
2024 fourth-round pick Carson DeMartini has been on a fast track to the show since bursting onto the scene with Clearwater in 2024. He hit .315 with two homers and nine RBIs in his first 24 games with the Threshers after being drafted and turned heads with his hot corner defense as well. Last season, DeMartini hit two go-ahead home runs in Spring Training, in his first call-up against Boston in February 2025 and a game-clinching dagger that sealed the first Spring Breakout victory for the Phillies in mid-March. DeMartini had such an impressive start to his professional career that within his first year as a pro, he had already started the season in High-A and was promoted to Double-A Reading a month before the first anniversary of his first professional contract. He is listed as a shortstop, but with his strong arm, Carson has played mostly third base with impressive results across three levels of the Phillies farm over two seasons. After slugging ten homers with 52 RBIs across two levels in his first full season, DeMartini was selected to join a contingent of eight top Phillies prospects to play in the Arizona Fall League. The top Phillies brass clearly thinks highly of DeMartini as a future solution at third base. With former Thresher Alec Bohm in a contract year, that opportunity could come sooner than you think for Carson DeMartini.
INF Aroon Escobar:
In his first season above rookie ball, Aroon Escobar went from a quietly rising young prospect to the Phillies second-highest ranked infield prospect between an impressive showing in the Spring Breakout game and a breakout season with the Clearwater Threshers. After finishing second on the 2024 FCL Phillies with a .338 batting average, Escobar earned a starting spot for the Phillies Spring Breakout game this past March against the Pirates. Though he primarily plays second base, Escobar started at third for the Phillies, making some good plays at the hot corner and smacking an RBI double early in the game. Aroon's two-bagger was clocked at over 110 miles per hour, one of the hardest hit balls across the entire Spring Breakout series. That momentum translated into the regular season, where Escobar started the year with a six-game hitting streak and five multi-hit games in that span, highlighted by a game-tying grand slam in a comeback win over Daytona in Clearwater's home opener. Despite getting a call-up to Jersey Shore just before the All-Star break in July, Escobar still finished the season in the top five for home runs in the Florida State League, with eleven long balls and 42 RBIs in 69 games with the Threshers. Aroon finished the season in Reading, jumping all the way to Double-A in his first season of affiliated baseball and adding an FSL All-Star Selection to boot. At 21 years old, there is still room to grow for Escobar, but the future is definitely bright for this five-tool prospect out of Venezuela as he looks to make an impact in what is likely to be his first full season in the high minors.
Aidan Miller watches a throw over to first from shortstop on defense for the Clearwater ThreshersNathan Ray
INF Aidan Miller:
Though his inclusion on the major league roster is far from a certainty in 2025, top Phillies prospect Aidan Miller will certainly attract a lot of attention in his second-straight year as a Phillies non-roster invitee. His 2025 season was highlighted by leading the Eastern League in stolen bases with 52, the only Eastern Leaguer with 50 or more steals in 2025, and the first Fightin Phil to accomplish the feat in nearly 50 years. Miller had a slow start to his first full season in Double-A, but hit over .330 in the final two months of the season, finishing with 13 homers and 41 RBIs in Reading before earning a call-up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley for the final series of the year. Miller had a .357 on-base percentage in eight games in Spring Training last season and is returning to Clearwater after missing most of what would have been his first Arizona Fall League campaign. Miller is already considered a top-ten prospect at shortstop in the entire minor leagues, but the nagging question of "will he play third with Trea Turner at short?" has yet to be answered. He played some third base in high school, but Aidan's strength at fielding the ever-important shortstop position makes him hard to move to the hot corner, regardless of the All-Star shortstop who currently occupies the spot. The hype around Miller has not quieted since he burst onto the scene with the Threshers in the 2023 postseason, and his eagerly anticipated big league debut is starting to look closer and closer.
INF/OF Felix Reyes:
2024 Larry Rojas award winner Felix Reyes is back after one of the biggest breakout seasons by any minor league prospect in 2025. Reyes played most of his 2025 campaign in Double-A Reading. He led the Eastern League in several offensive categories, including a minor-league best .335 batting average, 15 homers, and 65 RBIs to earn himself the Eastern League MVP award before his call-up to Lehigh-Valley for the final series of the season. Reyes has moved around the diamond as a fielder, beginning in the corner outfield and seemingly settling in at first base this past season. He committed just four errors across four different positions, with three in the outfield between left and right field, one at third, and none at first base. Reyes' ability to field multiple positions and his strong power bat make him a candidate to make the Phillies roster as a utility player, but he may spend some more time in Triple-A first. Reyes has been a member of the Phillies organization since 2021, and another breakout season could be the last push he needs to the majors.
INF Bryan Rincon:
Since his selection in the 2022 MLB draft, Bryan Rincon has been one of the best defensive shortstops in the Phillies' system. He provides power from both sides of the plate, as the switch-hitter smacked six home runs in his 2025 campaign with Jersey Shore. His fielding skills were on full display for the eventual champion Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League last November, and Rincon chipped in 5 runs scored and six RBIs in 14 AFL games. Rincon is primarily a power hitter, with 41 doubles and 18 home runs between rookie ball and High-A in his four seasons as a professional. Of the tools required to be a five-tool player, it seems that hitting for contact is the one skill that isn't an obvious strength in Rincon's game. He has stolen 79 bases at an 81 percent clip and has a career fielding percentage of .967 at shortstop. Rincon has played two seasons in the Arizona Fall League but will get his first extended chance with the big league club this spring, giving Bryan his first impression of MLB or high-minors pitching. Rincon has yet to play above High-A in his minor league career, and a good spring with the Phillies could jump-start the young shortstop prospect as he looks to earn a spot in Double-A in 2026.
INF José Rodríguez:
After playing the majority of his first two seasons with the Phillies in Reading, José Rodríguez is looking to return to the major leagues for the first time since 2023, when he was with the White Sox. Though Rodríguez has not played 100 total games with the Phillies system, he is hitting almost .300 in his two seasons with the Phillies, chipping in 36 RBIs and 21 extra-base hits in 79 games across two seasons and three levels in the Phillies' farm system. In 26 games with the Fightin Phils in 2025, Rodríguez finished the year with a batting average over .300 for the first time in his career in the high minors, finishing 2025 with a career-best batting average of .303 in Reading. The Dominican international is primarily a middle infielder, but could also find some use as a utility player with his speed coming off the bench. Rodríguez has not reached higher than Double-A since a short stint in Triple-A Charlotte and one game as a pinch runner in the majors. It is likely that he will reach at least Triple-A for the first time in almost three seasons in 2026.
Outfielder Dante Nori makes a running catch for the Threshers at BayCare BallparkNathan Ray
OF Dante Nori:
Few minor leaguers had a bigger turnaround in the second half of the season than Dante Nori did with the Threshers. The Phillies 2024 first-rounder did not hit his first career homer until mid-May and was hitting around .230 until late June, but Nori hit over .300 in three of the final four months of the season, only dipping back under .300 when he was called up to Double-A Reading for the final series of the season one month before his 21st birthday. In his first series in Double-A, Nori smacked four hits, including a triple, and stole two bases in three tries with only two strikeouts in the final five games of the season. Nori played only eleven games in High-A Jersey Shore, but his performance in the Arizona Fall League could accelerate his rise through the Phillies system. After five Double-A games, Nori hit .308 and drove in as many runs (seven) as he had strikeouts in 12 games. His patience at the plate has dramatically improved, and he has committed just two errors in over 850 minor league innings between left and centerfield. His speed likely will keep him in centerfield, as he has played in centerfield all but five of the 115 minor league games where he played in the field. His 12 triples paced the Florida State League, and his power comes from his natural hitting ability and great strength for his smaller stature. The Phillies have some great outfielders in their farm system, and Dante Nori is quickly proving himself to be one of the best in that group.
OF Justin Crawford:
Of all the non-roster invitees for the Phillies, Justin Crawford may have the clearest path to the major leagues in 2026. He spent all of 2025 in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, earning his second league batting title after pacing the International League with a .334 average. He also stole 46 bases, marking the third straight season for Crawford where he finished hitting over .300 and recording over 40 steals. He hit seven homers for the Iron Pigs after mashing just three in his first two seasons. The power is starting to show itself for Crawford, but he has been an electric leadoff hitter regardless, beating out countless infield singles and consistently combining his high baseball IQ with an innate hitting ability and speed that rivals anyone in minor league baseball. The son of former MLB great Carl Crawford is coming into his fifth minor league season after one of the best seasons of his young minor league career. The Phillies Spring Training roster features just two players with MLB experience in centerfield (Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas), and Rojas is the only one of those two who is considered a primary centerfielder. The Phillies have a seemingly wide-open competition in centerfield and have been using a platoon in left field for the past few seasons. In four minor league seasons, Crawford has yet to commit an error in over 230 innings in left field and has a fielding percentage of just under .980 in centerfield, with seven of his eleven career errors coming in his first full season in 2023. Crawford is 4-12 over two Spring Training seasons, and could make the Opening Day roster for the Phillies this year. Crawford has shown his ability to make an impact in the Phillies farm system and the US National Team in the Premier12 tournament in 2024. His constant improvement could make the Phillies 2022 first-rounder a regular centerfielder in Philadelphia very soon.
The rest of the Phillies' non-roster invitees feature former pros in every position group, with players like Génesis Cabrera and Tim Mayza who have spent multiple seasons in the majors as pitchers. Many former Threshers may not have a shot at playing in Philadelphia this season, but they do represent some of the top talent in the Phillies system that has risen from a bottom-third ranking in the MLB to the top half over the past few seasons. The first round picks for the Phillies between 2021 and 2024 will be with the Phillies for most of Spring Training, and a strong contingent of talent from undrafted to international free agents will show flashes of the Phillies' future as well. The future of the Phillies starts in Clearwater, and Phillies friends from around the world will get to see that first-hand when Spring Training begins on February 22nd at BayCare Ballpark.
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Florida State League Stories from January 27, 2026
- Crawford, Miller Headline Minor-League Invitees to Spring Training - Clearwater Threshers
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