It was not too long ago when the upper levels of the Phillies minor league system had many of their top prospects.

But now, most of those players are major league contributors, and what’s left in the minors is now centered primarily in the lower levels.

Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez, Orion Kerkering, and Seranthony Dominguez are all current Phillies who wore IronPigs uniforms at one time.

Some had longer stays than others, but they were all IronPigs who came up through the Phillies organization together. It’s worth noting that Johan Rojas also came up through the Phillies system, but skipped over the Triple-A level and went directly to the majors.

Among the current Lehigh Valley IronPigs are others who came up through the organization and have spent some time in the majors. Players like David Buchanan, Darick Hall, Scott Kingery and Simon Muzziotti have all worked their way through the Phillies organization and reached the majors. Again, some have had longer stays than others.

So, who are the future major leaguers hanging out with the IronPigs right now?

First up is the organization’s top pitching prospect, Mick Abel. In an ideal world, Abel and Andrew Painter would both be in the Phillies rotation right now, or at least one of them would be there with the other knocking on the clubhouse door. Instead, Painter will miss the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Abel has a 6.23 ERA through five starts this season with the Pigs after pitching in one game late last season and allowing two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.

The Phillies are still high on both pitchers, but keep an eye on how it plays out because the question marks are all around.

Right now, starting pitching is not in high demand in Philadelphia. In fact, the team has six starters for five spots. If it were to need someone, former Phillie David Buchanan might be a possibility. Buchanan pitched for the Phillies in 2014 and 2015, and then headed overseas and pitched in Japan and Korea. He returned this season and has a 4.11 ERA with the IronPigs.

For bullpen parts, Jose Ruiz was recently called up to the Phillies after putting together a 1.64 ERA in 10 appearances at Lehigh Valley. The right-hander’s performance - matched with his former MLB experience - made him a good choice when the Phillies needed another arm. Andrew Bellatti and Nick Nelson both had their chances with the Phillies, and with the way they are pitching, neither is going to be back soon.

Taylor Lehman (2.70 ERA in 11 games) would be an interesting option, as would Ryan Burr (3.12 ERA in eight games). Griff McGarry was once a top prospect as a starter, but stumbled, and is now a reliever who is fighting his way toward the majors. McGarry got off to a rough start, but in his last three appearances has not given up a run and has allowed just one base runner in the 3-2/3-innings stretch, lowering his ERA from 5.79 to 4.15.

As for position players, Kody Clemens got his second recall of the season when Trea Turner went on the IL. The list of former Phillies on the IronPigs roster could all potentially be added to the MLB roster if necessary, as could former major leaguer David Dahl.

The true prospects in the organization are generally in the lower levels. Outfielder Justin Crawford may be the most athletic and highly-touted prospect in the organization and is playing at Jersey Shore, while infielder Aidan Miller is playing in A ball at Clearwater. Both are dynamic prospects, and Crawford could move to Reading around mid-summer. After that, Starlyn Caba is another infield prospect, but is playing in the rookie league in Florida - a long way from being ready for the majors.

The bottom line is that the Phillies don’t have that pipeline of young players coming through the minors that they can plug in when and where needed. Thankfully, the big league team is built to win now and so far, they’re showing that they can win without any influx of players from below.

A MISSING PINTO … Ricardo Pinto was designated for assignment by the Phillies recently after making six appearances with the Phillies. Pinto, 30, elected to take free agency rather than pitch for the IronPigs. So far, he has not caught on with another team. Pinto originally came up through the Phillies organization, pitched in 25 games with the Phillies in 2017, and two more with Tampa Bay in 2019, before pitching in the Mexican League prior to returning to the states with the Phillies.

WELCOME TO TOWN … The Syracuse Mets (17-14) are in town this week to face the IronPigs. Former Phillies pitcher Yacksel Rios is on the Mets roster and has a 2.45 ERA in 12 relief appearances with Syracuse. Former IronPigs catcher J.P. Arencibia is also in town with the Mets as their bench coach.

LIFE IN L.A. ... If you watched the Phillies and Angels series in Los Angeles last week, did you find the former IronPig? Barry Enright made 26 starts and five relief appearances with the Diamondbacks and Angels between 2010 and 2013, and is now the Angels pitching coach. Enright made 19 starts with the 2014 IronPigs, and was 4-9 with a 5.58 ERA.