Eighteen months ago, when Preston Mattingly became the Phillies’ director of player development, one of his first observations was jarring. The Phillies had dedicated attention to their Latin American pipeline, but the players who were coming to the United States were not physically prepared. They were undersized. They lacked the proper strength.

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The Phillies have since overhauled most of their programs at the club’s academy in the Dominican Republic. Mattingly, who has made five or six trips to Boca Chica since he took the job, is there again this week to observe.

There is no dodging it: The Phillies have work to do to create a more fertile farm system. In Mattingly’s eyes, it has to begin at the bottom with the youngest players, and that is why the Phillies have allocated more resources to the complexes in Florida and the Dominican Republic.

“You don’t get many shots at acquiring young players,” Mattingly said. “I think once we sign these guys internationally, I want them to come into our system and for it to be a seamless transition from the Dominican to the States. So we’re trying to really mimic everything we have going on in Clearwater, (Fla.), here in the Dominican.

“We really beefed up the staff. I think we’ve poured a lot of resources — whether it’s the gym or offseason training camps. We value these kids very highly, and we want to show them that with the resources we’re pouring into them.”

That might result in incremental progress now, but with domestic minor-league rosters capped at 180 players — and perhaps 165 players as soon as next year — the Phillies feel it’s essential. Before, organizations could bring international players to America and have time to work with them at the complex without putting them on a roster.

The new rules accentuate the work at the Dominican academy.

“It’s getting these guys to emphasize nutrition and strength,” Mattingly said. “Because I don’t want guys to get over to the States and then they can’t show their tools. They can’t show who they are as a player. So we have to get them ready — especially, now more than ever. They have to be ready to play when they step foot in the States.”

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The Phillies are an organization built to win now, but the pressure remains to make it right in the minors. The club’s top prospect, Andrew Painter, is sidelined with an elbow injury and playing catch in Florida. The system is not loaded with prospects in the upper levels. Still, there is development to track.

Two weeks into the minor-league season, Mattingly discussed the farm system in a wide-ranging Q&A.

You made changes to your hitting program in the offseason. Obviously, it’s going to take a long time to evaluate those changes. But what have you liked so far about how things are moving forward?

We’re really happy with the state of our hitting department. Like you said, it’ll take years to really bear the fruits of this. But I think us really pairing player development with the scouting on the players we acquire, it’s going to be really successful for our organization.

For our younger players, a couple of people we brought in have been really vital to that. Edwar González, he comes off the field as a major-league hitting coach (with the Marlins) and is now our Latin American hitting coordinator. He’s spending a lot of time in the D.R. and a lot of time at the complex establishing what these players are going to be when they sign and where we want them to go.

We have a diverse skill set in the States too. Luke Murton and his philosophy with swings and acquiring players. You pair it with Kevin Mahala, who is very technical and very smart. I really like where we’re headed.

Where do you see the initial gains from those changes?

I don’t think you see immediate gains. I think it’s going to take time. Where you would see immediate gains would be with your youngest hitters. That’s in the D.R. and maybe the guys who just signed.

One of those guys is last year’s first-round pick, Justin Crawford. What has excited you about him since he entered the organization last summer?

First would be the body this kid has. The athleticism, the pure speed. Getting to know him, it’s been really impressive. The way he’s gone about his business. The work ethic. He’s not afraid to fail and get better and just keep working. That’s what I love about Justin. He’s coming into pro ball from a Las Vegas high school; hadn’t been exposed to some of the arms and talent there is in professional baseball. He’s jumped right in. Even when he’s struggled, he wants more. He wants to just keep working. He wants to figure it out. That and the fact this kid’s 19 years old — he already has a great routine. He’s relentless with it. Just like all high school kids, it’s going to take time, right? There’s a lot of moving parts with the body. But the way he works, I think he’s going to put it together.

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Given all of the resources you’ve devoted to the academy in the Dominican Republic, how much progress have you seen?

We’ve seen changes in players’ bodies. Players are smart in the sense that whatever the organization values, the player is going to value. So really showing them how important it is for them to get stronger, the nutrition side of it, and getting up to speed quicker is really important to us. I think we’ve seen a shift in their mindset, how they work, how they do things. They know they’re going to get the opportunity. If they perform, if they’re doing things the way we want them to do it, then we’re going to get them over to the States quicker.

One young player you brought over to the U.S. is William Bergolla, who had the biggest signing bonus ($2.05 million) from your 2022 international class. Why now?

He’s so advanced for his age (18) from a baseball IQ standpoint. He makes a ton of contact. He’s got a chance to have elite bat-to-ball skills. So we felt like, even if he may not be quite ready, we think he’ll really improve there with some of the strength training. But also, credit to the kid: He signed at 154 pounds and he’s now 182. So he’s still smaller, but he’s stronger. He’s gotten himself stronger. He’s a solid shortstop. He’s going to make every play. He’s going to make a ton of contact. He may be light on the power early. But we’re willing to grow with him. He’s a good little player. He’ll play in the Florida Complex League later this year.

What do you make of Carlos de la Cruz, who had a strong 2022 season and is off to a hot start at Double A? Where does he stand right now?

Carlos has done nothing but get better in the last calendar year. A kid that has his frame and the long levers he has, it’s always going to take longer for this to come. He’s a New York kid and 6-foot-8, and he has to grow into his body and his swing. With the size he has, he always has to do a good job of keeping the swing tight. Because when he makes contact — as we continue to improve the bat-to-ball skills — the power has a chance to be plus. The sprint speed is plus. He has a chance to play center field, to play first base, play all three outfield spots. So it’s a very interesting profile.

How can Johan Rojas take the next step in his development at the plate?

They’re making some adjustments with the swing. He was always going to have to do that. And he’s bought in. He’s always been a guy that’s hit a high rate of ground balls. I think a lot of that was just the way his bat entered the zone and the way he moves. So we’ve tried to really revamp the swing. Just get him to use his lower half more. We’re hoping to see some success there this year because, as you know, the defense and base running is elite. And if we can continue to make improvements with the bat, it’s going to be an impactful player in the major leagues.

Hao-Yu Lee ended 2022 at High A and he’s starting 2023 there. What’s the priority for him this season?

Continue to improve with the bat, but I think the defense is where we can see some big steps forward. Just continue to work on that and be focused, locked in every single day. I think we’ll see a better version of the defense. The bat, to me, you always have to improve. But, for his age (20), he’s pretty advanced. Just continue to track there. He’ll play second base and he’ll play some shortstop too. We want to expose him to other stuff to challenge him.

What’s going on with Griff McGarry?

He had a little side tightness at the end of spring. He’s off the mound now throwing bullpens. He should be back here really soon. He’ll go to Double A and continue to start. Kind of similar to last year, he’ll be a little bit slowed out of the gate. But we’ll build him up to a starter’s workload.

How about some other injuries: What happened with Ethan Wilson and Baron Radcliff at Double A?

Wilson’s a minor thing. He had a heel bruise and then kind of jammed his foot into the bag, which is never fun. We just gave him a week to try and let it calm down. Radcliff had a pretty serious shoulder issue. He’s going to be out for a while.

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Mick Abel made his second start at Double-A Reading on four days’ rest. Will that be a thing moving forward? What are your goals for him in 2023?

He’ll go onto a normal routine, but with the off day (every Monday) in the minor leagues, you almost always get the sixth day anyways. If he doesn’t pitch on Tuesday, for example, he’ll still only pitch once a week.

As an industry, we have a habit of rushing players to the major leagues. Because you see the talent — and obviously Mick has the talent. We’re continuing to teach Mick the game. Have him understand himself. The physical tools and stuff are there. It’s just a matter of him continuing to refine himself as a pitcher and a competitor. And once we do that, we have no question that Mick will be in the major leagues.

A few relievers have impressed rival evaluators. One that has generated praise is Orion Kerkering, a fifth-round pick from last year’s draft. What is it about him that makes him stand out?

Coming from the University of South Florida, he was a guy that kind of switched roles. So maybe scouts and evaluators didn’t see the best version of him last year. Because he would go from the bullpen to starting, then back to the pen, then starting. You saw a fluctuation in velo. And since we got him, we’ve done nothing but let him throw in that one-, two-inning world. We’ve seen the velocity continue to tick up. All spring and then into the season, he’s been 96 to 99 mph. I think he’s got a chance to have plus command in the end. His calling is his slider. He has a chance to have a plus — maybe a plus-plus — slider. He has the ability to shape it, to shorten it, to throw it for a strike. This guy’s got a chance to move really quickly.

The Phillies signed Wen Hui Pan as an amateur in Taiwain for $400,000 in January and he’s already on an affiliate roster at Low-A Clearwater. What made you be aggressive with his assignment?

He’s been interesting. We think he’s ready. I think the fastball, the pure velocity is 96 to 100. He has seven pitches. Just kind of getting to know him, building him to that bulk role where he’s going three, four innings every time out. We’re going to use him there and let him kind of get used to pro ball in that way. I think the splitter is the readiest right now, outside of the fastball. But I think he’s got a chance to develop some other stuff too as he continues to learn.

Tommy McCollum signed as an undrafted free agent in 2021, but he throws hard and he’s big. He is at High-A Jersey Shore this year. How does he project?

You mentioned the body. He’s a large human being. I mean, he’s 6-foot-5, 280 pounds. Probably the strongest guy in our organization. One of the hardest workers in our organization. It’s a very unique fastball up to 98. And he has a split. He’s continued to learn the split. I think once he learns to command the split, where to start it, and how to finish guys with it, he’s got a chance to move pretty quickly.

Back to the rotation. Alex McFarlane, a fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, hit 100 mph a couple of times in his first few starts at Clearwater. But the command is erratic. What do you make of where he’s at right now?

He’s a kid that came from a Power 5 school in Miami but didn’t pitch a ton. So I think you have to look at Mac almost as if he’s a juco pitcher. Or even like an older high school kid. We are very happy with where Mac’s at right now. … You mentioned the velocity. He started throwing a two-seam fastball this winter. It’s in that 98 to 100 mph range. It’s a freak athlete with elite stuff. And we have to refine the command.

A lot of it is targeting and understanding what he’s trying to do with pitches just because he’s never done some of these things before. So getting him to understand his stuff, where he starts pitches, will be really impactful in his development. He’s going to continue to start once a week. We’re really excited to have him. He’s going to be a fun project.

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Who haven’t I asked about who I should have asked about?

Christian McGowan coming back from Tommy John surgery sometime later this year is really interesting to me. It’ll be an upper-90s sinker with a slider and a changeup. I think before he got hurt last year, he was trending to be one of the underrated guys in the system.

Emaarion Boyd — we were very aggressive with him and sent him to Low-A Clearwater. A high school kid from Mississippi. We saw the amount of contact he made during his first year. The pace at which he plays; he’s very even-keeled. One thing about him is he’s not going to get rattled. He’s going to keep working. Plus-plus runner. Plus-plus athlete. He’s going to play all three spots in the outfield. He’ll make a ton of contact. I just think he’s got to get stronger. He signed at 155 pounds. He’s up to around 170 to 175 now. So, continue to gain weight and get stronger. And then we’ll see what we got. He’s done nothing but work and take advantage of all of our resources.

Another guy who is interesting to me is Gunner Mayer. It’s a great body. He’s gotten about 15 pounds stronger this year. The stuff’s ticked up a little bit and I think if the command continues to come around like it did last year, he has a chance to be an interesting arm. We’ve seen guys just don’t take good swings at the fastball. So there’s some deception in there with four pitches, and he’s been up to 95 mph early on.

(Top photo of Justin Crawford: Mike Janes / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)

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