Draft Prospect Preview: Position Players
Published on December 2, 2025 under Florida State League (FSL)
Clearwater Threshers News Release
The fact that 2025 is drawing to a close can only mean one thing: baseball is coming back sooner than you know it! Although the 2026 baseball season is only just beginning to peer over the horizon, there is still much to reminisce upon from the Threshers' 2025 campaign. Philadelphia's Class-A Affiliate in Clearwater missed out on what would have been their third consecutive First Half Championship in the Florida State League West Division, but a late run marked by a surging offense in the final month of the regular season helped propel the Threshers back to the postseason for the third-straight year. That final month saw important contributions from many new players, including a few members of the Phillies' most recent Draft Class at the forefront of that late-season jump in production. All but one of the six position players drafted by the Phillies in July 2025 made their debut with the Threshers in the final month of the season, so we take a look at the beginnings of the careers of Matthew Ferrara, Will Vierling, Jack Barker, Logan Dawson, and Robert Phelps.
INF Matthew Ferrara, Ninth Round Draft Pick (Toms River High School East, NJ)
Though he was taken in the ninth round, Matthew Ferrara was the first position player selected by the Phillies in the 2025 MLB Draft. At 18 years old, Ferrara was also the youngest player selected by the Phillies in the draft, signing him out of a college commitment to the University of Pittsburgh. He debuted in Clearwater among the second wave of draft picks to begin their professional careers and started hot, recording a hit in each of his first five games, with three runs scored and three runs batted in over a streak that covered the entirety of his first series as a professional. His biggest highlight came in crunch time of his first Sunday start, providing a two-run home run in the eighth inning of a 4-2 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers to help the Threshers secure their first series win over the eventual League Champs since 2024. Matthew showed off his speed with his first steal in the season finale against Tampa and went 3-3 with an RBI, walk, and one steal in Clearwater's home playoff game against Lakeland. Following his senior season at Toms River East, where he hit over .400 before the Phillies drafted him, Ferrara recorded ten hits in his first 17 professional games, showing smooth fielding skills at second and a propensity for contact hitting in his debut with Clearwater. Ferrara will turn 19 in June and will likely begin the 2026 campaign as one of the youngest minor leaguers that the Phillies bring stateside for the spring. He showed flashes of brilliance at the plate and in the field in August and September of 2025, and this middle infield prospect clearly has a bright future ahead of him on the diamond. Will Vierling admires a long fly ball in an August tilt for the Threshers at BayCare Ballpark. Nathan Ray
C Will Vierling, Eleventh Round Draft Pick (Murray State University)
Seven years after his cousin, Matt Vierling, starred for the Threshers, Will Vierling continued the family tradition by joining the first crop of Phillies 2025 draftees in early August when the Threshers swept Fort Myers in a decisive five-game series that helped lock up their third-straight playoff spot. Vierling's power and defensive acumen behind the plate were certainly a factor in the stretch run, as he recorded three extra-base hits, seven RBIs, and six runners caught stealing in his first 14 professional appearances. He clubbed his first career home run in mid-August, four shy of his cousin's total in his first season with the Threshers, though Matt played 100 more games back in 2018. Ahead of his first full pro season, Will still has plenty of time to catch his cousin. He showed some of his power while making 77 percent of his starts behind the plate in the final two months of the season. Vierling's advanced skill as a catcher could speed him along the Phillies' minor league ladder, despite the tremendous amount of young talent the Phillies are developing behind the plate. After helping lead Murray State to one of its most successful seasons in program history (along with undrafted free agent teammate Jonathan Hogart), Vierling has already established himself as one of the better defensive catchers in the Phillies' system. As the only catcher drafted by the Phillies in 2025, Will Vierling will be among the first Phillies to report to minor league camp, and could utilize his advanced game-calling and defensive abilities to rise through the organization rapidly as the Phillies race against time in the final season of starting backstop JT Realmuto's contract, which could open the catching position to the Phillies' minors. Outfield prospect Jack Barker connects on a base hit for the Threshers in a playoff game against Lakeland. Nathan Ray
OF Jack Barker, Thirteenth Round Draft Pick (College of Southern Idaho)
After setting school records in four different batting categories in 2025, Jack Barker spurned a Division Two commitment to Colorado Mesa and joined the Phillies as their thirteenth-round choice, debuting with the Threshers in the final two series of the 2025 season. While Barker managed five singles in his short first stint in pro ball, he showcased rock-solid defense without recording an error in left and right field in his seven starts with the Threshers. Speed and contact are the key elements of Barker's game, using a level swing to make hard contact and utilizing speed and smart baserunning as he became a fixture at the top of Clearwater's order to finish the season. His quickness makes him able to cover a lot of ground in both corners of the outfield, and Barker has some experience playing centerfield between summer ball and school after making nine starts in left and right field in his late-season debut. Barker was also an Academic All-American at CSI, and his baseball IQ is evident in his decision-making and route-running on the field. He turned 20 shortly before he was drafted, so there is plenty of upside as Barker looks to establish the poise at the plate that put him top-ten in the NJCAA in batting average (.456) and on-base percentage (.543) in his second JUCO season. His eight home runs were quadruple his first-year total in Junior College, so we could see a big jump from Barker in his first full professional season.
INF Logan Dawson, Sixteenth Round Draft Pick (Eastern High School, NJ)
With his lone game as a Clearwater Thresher falling on first-round pick Gage Wood's professional debut, Logan Dawson's first game was impressive despite the spotlight squarely focused on the Phillies' first-round hurler. Dawson played shortstop in high school in New Jersey, like Matthew Ferrara, and was signed out of a college commitment to Boston College after the Phillies selected him on the final day of the 2025 Draft. He was perfect on his first four fielding chances at short and reached base twice, with a hit and a walk, in his first four plate appearances with the Threshers. Dawson shows a lot of poise in the batter's box and has a strong arm with good instincts at shortstop. His first full season will begin with his second-ever professional game in 2026, and we could see an all-New Jersey High School middle infield in Clearwater in 2026 if Dawson and Ferrara start at the same level. Logan was also a basketball player and quarterback at Eastern High School, so his arm strength and athleticism should help him contribute all around the diamond in his first season as a professional. One game is not enough to showcase the full potential of any athlete, but the nineteen-year-old Logan Dawson will certainly be a player to watch as he begins his first full professional campaign after making the jump from high school to the Phillies organization. Robert Phelps makes a backhand stop at short in a home tilt for the Clearwater Threshers. Nathan Ray
INF Robert Phelps, Nineteenth Round Draft Pick (Reinhardt University)
An unfortunate injury cut Phelps' rookie campaign short within his first month, but the nineteenth-rounder was looking like an absolute steal for the Phillies in his first month of professional action. Robert Phelps played 12 games for the Threshers in August of 2025, reaching base safely in all 12 while recording five hits and three RBIs in his first series with Clearwater. He played primarily at shortstop while sampling both sides of the middle infield, assisting on four double play balls in his first nine starts at short. He recorded an on-base percentage of .415 and stole five bases while joining Carter Mathison as the only Phillies draftees who reached in every pro game they played in the same year they were drafted. Among Phillies draft picks and non-drafted free agents, Phelps ranked behind only Jonathan Hogart and Nathan Humphreys with twelve walks, third among eight members of the Phillies draft class in that category despite playing less than six of the eight position players added via the 2025 draft process. With Philadelphia's twentieth-round pick opting to stay in college rather than sign, Phelps was the last player drafted by the Phillies in 2025. The de facto "Mr. Irrelevant" in the Phillies has already shown tremendous late-round value in his short stint with the Threshers, demonstrating the ability to send hard contact down both foul lines and excellent range at shortstop and second base. Phelps is sure to show why he was a value pick in the penultimate round for the Phillies when he returns to action this coming spring.
Small sample sizes or not, the Phillies' ability to spot talent in the draft continues to manifest itself year after year, as each player picked in 2025 that debuted showed immense potential at multiple positions in the field. Position players were the minority in this past year's Draft after the Phillies selected position players in each of the first eight rounds of the 2024 MLB Draft. They prioritized youth with coachable and key attributes in the bats, as they prioritized pitching experience with a plethora of college arms taken in the 2025 Draft. It will be many years before the true success of this draft class is officially determined, but it is very clear that there is plenty of talent in the latest crop of Clearwater call-ups and future Phillies. For now, the road to the show for Phillies players continues in the same place where the season will begin for all of baseball in a few short months, right here in Clearwater at BayCare Ballpark.
Shop Threshers gear anytime at the Diamond Outfitters Online Team Store ...Spring Training tickets for the Philadelphia Phillies can be purchased at https://www.mlb.com/phillies/spring-training ...BayCare Ballpark Weekly Happy Hour begins on Wednesday, September 17, at 5:00 PM at the Frenchy's Tiki Pavilion on the left field concourse...Gates open at 5:00 PM with food samples provided by Abe's Place...Admission is free for patrons 21 years and older...Gates Close at 9:00 PM...Visit threshersbaseball.com for more information.
Florida State League Stories from December 2, 2025
- Draft Prospect Preview: Position Players - Clearwater Threshers
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