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Wait a minute, do the Philadelphia Phillies actually have the next Elly De La Cruz lurking in the minors?
Well, probably not. Almost certainly not. But a recently published poll – from a reputable source – drew an Elly comparison to a teenager buried deep within the Phillies’ farm system.
The poll in question: FanGraphwhich ranks the Phils’ top 34 prospects. And at first glance, they all looked normal in the top 10: Aidan Miller, Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford and so on.
But then you come across the mysterious name at No. 11: Romeli Espinosa, a 17-year-old shortstop who played for the Phils’ team in the Dominican Summer League in 2025, the boy’s first year as a pro.
FanGraphs called Espinosa’s ranking “aggressive” but says it is “intended to illustrate his ceiling.” Brace yourself now for the Elly comp, with Fangraphs writing: “(Espinosa) presents a rare combination of current contact feel and long-term power projection for a forward-thinking prospect. Espinosa’s build matches Elly De La Cruz at the same age: endless limbs on a broad-shouldered 6-foot-4 frame, with the room to add big power while remaining sufficiently nimble and agile for a shortstop.”
So that’s the comparison to the Cinncinati Reds superstar. It’s not much, but it’s notable for how respected FanGraphs is among fellow reviewers.
In a small sample size, Espinosa’s stats look Elly-esque, hitting .282/.363/.430 with five triples, two home runs and 12 stolen bases in 41 games. Here is Espinosa in launch mode in the DR:
FanGraphs points to a major strength of Espinosa’s game: his bat-to-ball skills. Last season, he struck out just 34 times in 168 at-bats. “That’s a very positive starting point for contact hitting for a shortstop prospect built this way, as long-livered hitters like Espinosa tend to be uncoordinated at this age,” FanGraphs wrote.
Espinosa signed with the Phillies on January 15, 2025, for a $250,000 bonus as an international free agent. He only turned 17 in June last year.
For the upcoming 2026 season, Espinosa will likely head to the United States to the FCL, where he will be one of the youngest hitters in the league.
And it’s in the FCL where we’ll find out if his FanGraphs ranking was a little too aggressive. And we’ll forget the Elly comparison – or not – and maybe we’ll dream of the kid doing something like this in Philly one day:
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