Philadelphia Phillies: Top Outfielders Selected in the 2011 MLB Draft
This is the third and final article covering the Phillies 2011 draft. Previously, the infield and pitching selections have been recapped. Now it is time to cover the outfield.
Typically speaking, the Phillies emerge from the draft each year with a glut of ultra-athletic, toolsy but raw outfield prospects. Sometimes these players hit it big and skyrocket through the system like Domonic Brown. Other times, these players are duds and stall in A-ball for three years and counting like Anthony Hewitt.
But it has been an approach the Phillies have had a lot of success with. They have flipped many of these toolsy outfielders (Michael Taylor, Anthony Gose, Greg Golson, Domingo Santana) for players such as Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, John Mayberry Jr. and Hunter Pence.
As previously covered, this year showed a shift in draft emphasis. There were less toolsy outfielders and much more of a focus on infielders. Given that the system is well stocked with young outfielders and mostly barren of legitimate infield prospects, that may have been a wise decision.
As a result, the Phils actually only drafted and signed a total of five outfield prospects from this year’s draft. So this is a ranking of those five.