Have you noticed a couple of leaves falling here and there? This week there has been a bit of a chill in the air, and you see a few less robins and geese around. We may not like it, but those are signs that the final month of the season is right around the corner. Something else we may see are some new faces wearing IronPigs uniforms as the Phillies move a few guys up a rung to give them a taste of Triple-A baseball.

It’s been a tough season for our friends in Reading as the Fightin’ Phils are just 44-68 this season. The Double-A season comes to its conclusion in mid-September, a week earlier than the IronPigs season ends. So, who are some of the young players we may see at Coca-Cola Park?

The highest rated prospect who could be coming our way is shortstop Aidan Miller. It’s been a tough season for the 21-year-old who came into August hitting just .222 with the Fightins. In April, Miller hit just .203 and it appeared he got things figured out when he batted .284 in May. For some reason, the warmer weather made him wilt and he hit below .200 in both June and July. In August, fans have seen the type of player that Miller really is as he is batting .322 with a .414 on-base percentage and a .559 slugging percentage. For the season, Miller is slashing 10-32-.239/.355/.388 and has struck out 104 times in 94 games. The big selling point is his ability to steal bases. Even with the low offensive numbers, Miller has 47 stolen bases and has been caught just eight times.

Pitcher Jean Cabrera is the 11th ranked prospect in the Phillies organization and currently has a 5-6 record with a 3.75 ERA, and opponents are batting just .205 against him. He’s had a couple of rough outings of late, but he also threw six hitless innings, allowing just one walk about 10 days ago against New Hampshire. The right-hander turns 24 in October and figures to get at least a start or two with Lehigh Valley, which is where he is likely to begin the 2026 season.

A third promotion candidate is a guy who has spent some time with the IronPigs in the past. Griff McGarry was at one time thought of as being just a step or two below the likes of Andrew Painter and Mick Abel on the Phillies list of pitching prospects. In 2023, McGarry moved up to Lehigh Valley after posting a 3.13 ERA in 13 starts with Reading. He clearly was not ready and in three Triple-A starts gave up 20 earned runs in three starts, lasting just 4 1/3 innings for a 41.54 ERA. That offseason, the Phillies decided he would fit better as a reliever, and he posted a 4.70 ERA in 29 games out of the bullpen. The back-and-forth continued and the Phillies again made him a starter in 2025, and he has a 3.44 ERA in 12 starts with 68 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings with Reading. At 26 years of age, it’s time to reintroduce McGarry to Triple-A hitters and see what he might be able to accomplish.

WE WANT THE KID… Phillies fans were clamoring for Justin Crawford to join the Phillies for a while now. His latest hot streak will likely put more of those fans onto the Crawford bandwagon. The top position player prospect in the organization has a 12 game hitting streak and is batting .422 (19-for-45) on the streak with six multi-hit games and nine RBI. Of his 130 hits this season, just 28 of them have been to his pull side. On the season, Crawford is now hitting 4-40-.333/.414/.441 for Lehigh Valley.

ALL ABOUT CHOICES… Nabil Crismatt and Oscar Mercado had recently invoked an opt-out clause in their contracts that allowed them to become a free agent if they were not added to the Phillies 40-man roster by a certain date. For Crismatt, it turned out to be a good choice. He signed a minor league deal with Arizona and over the weekend had his contract selected meaning he is again a major leaguer. The move came exactly five years after he made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2020. For Mercado, things didn’t work out quite as well. He didn’t find any other opportunities and returned to Lehigh Valley after re-signing a minor league deal with the Phillies.

REVERSAL OF FORTUNES… Alec Bohm and Aaron Nola recently completed their rehab assignments with the IronPigs, and both were in the lineup Sunday against the Nationals. Nola finished his three starts with the Pigs with a 2.19 ERA, but in his return to the majors, was shelled and lasted just 2 1/3 innings, giving up six earned runs. Meanwhile, Bohm hit just .143 in five games with LV and in his return hit a three-run homer in his second at-bat. He later singled and finished 2-for-4.