The Phillies beat the Braves on Saturday by a score of 7-4. This is not especially notable because it’s spring training.

The Phillies beat the Braves on Saturday in comeback fashion, thanks mostly to a six-run seventh inning. This is also not especially notable because, again, it’s spring training. 

What is notable, however, is the personnel that contributed heavily to that seventh-inning comeback in Grapefruit League play. Let’s roll some tape ... 

Now let’s highlight a few of the notable contributors to the frame of note ... 

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  • J.P. Crawford advanced a runner to third on a ground ball. Crawford, a 22-year-old shortstop prospect, is widely regarded as the Phillies’ top farmhand. At some point this season he’ll likely dislodge Freddy Galvis from the position and settle in as the long-term solution. The 16th-overall pick of the 2013 draft projects to have All-Star potential at the highest level.
  • Jorge Alfaro cracked a line-drive double to right. Alfaro, 23, may be the Phillies’ catcher of the future. They acquired him as part of the July 2015 trade that sent Cole Hamels to Texas. Alfaro’s put up solid power numbers in the minors, especially by the standards of his position, and has been a consensus top-100 overall prospect for several years running. 
  • Outfielder Roman Quinn tallied an RBI double. The 23-year-old switch-hitter is ranked as the Phillies’ eighth-best prospect by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. The former second-rounder owns a career .353 OBP and 159 stolen bases across parts of five minor-league seasons. He’ll hit Philly for good at some point this year. 
  • Dylan Cozens, a 22-year-old outfielder, singled, drove in a pair of runs with two outs, and stole a base. He’s a rising power threat within the system, and he’s coming off an absolute monster of a season at Double-A Reading (.941 OPS and 40 homers in 134 games). 

So, yes, the Phillies’ youngsters announced themselves rather loudly on Saturday.

Of course, that’s not all. We didn’t mention outfielder Mickey Moniak, the top overall pick of last year’s draft. There’s also outfielder Nick Williams, who’s a top-100 overall prospect in some circles. Sixto Sanchez, Franklyn Kilome, and Adonis Medina are top-100-ish talents that complement the impressive young starting pitching already in Philly. Rhys Hoskins, 23, hit 38 homers a season ago as Cozens’ teammate at Reading. Should you forget about Mark Appel? No, you probably shouldn’t forget about Mark Appel. The Phillies will also pick eighth overall in the June draft. 

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The Phils don’t figure to contend this season, although they’ll be better than they’ve been in recent years. The good news is that they’ve assembled an impressive core of young talent that’s going to be making a difference at the highest level very soon. If you don’t believe me, just ask the seventh inning.