Philadelphia Phillies: Ranking the Top 5 Pitching Prospects Thus Far in 2011

Without question, the Phillies have one of the greatest pitching rotations ever assembled.

Aces Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay may be in their 30s, but they are both very much in the prime of their careers and look to be entrenched in the Philadelphia rotation for the next five years. Likewise 33-year old Roy Oswalt, a former ace with the Houston Astros, looks to have some left in the tank while the youngest staffer, Cole Hamels, who is in his sixth year already, may be considered a top 10-to-15 starting pitcher in the majors at the end of this season if he isn’t already. It goes without saying that these four will be the heart of the Philadelphia rotation for quite some time.

Regardless of how the big club is doing, it’s always a good thing to continue developing your team’s future through the minor leagues, and the Phillies are doing just that. They’ve even got a trio of pitchers down in High-A deemed “The Next Three” by Phillies fans across the internet.

Here’s a look at my re-ranking of the Phillies’ pitching prospects about a month-and-a-half into the 2011 season:

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