From Scottish Roots to Baseball Dreams: Gabriel Rincones Jr.'s Inspiring Ascent to Phillies' Prospect
Fightin' Phils outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. was cut from his high school baseball team in his first two years. Now, he's the Phillies' No. 11 prospect. After two seasons at St. Petersburg Junior College, Rincones Jr. was drafted late by the San Diego Padres in 2021 (19th round, 580th overall).
Fightin' Phils outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. was cut from his high school baseball team in his first two years. Now, he's the Phillies' No. 11 prospect.
After two seasons at St. Petersburg Junior College, Rincones Jr. was drafted late by the San Diego Padres in 2021 (19th round, 580th overall). He chose not to sign and instead transferred to Florida Atlantic University (FAU) to boost his chances.
In just one season at FAU, Rincones Jr. delivered impressive stats: a .346/.451/.658 slash line, a 1.110 OPS, 82 hits—including 17 doubles, 19 home runs, and 69 RBIs—in 58 games. He was named the 2022 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year.
This performance landed him a third-round pick by the Phillies in the 2022 MLB Draft. His journey to professional baseball, though, was anything but typical. Born in Boynton Beach, Florida, he spent his early years in Venezuela before moving to Glenrothes, Scotland, where he spent the latter part of his childhood.
His father, Gabriel Rincones Sr., was a minor league pitcher for the Seattle Mariners in 1997. After his playing days, Rincones Sr. took a job as an offshore safety adviser in the oil industry, which uprooted his family to Glenrothes.
In Scotland, where baseball was scarce, Rincones Jr. didn’t play organized baseball. Instead, he took up swimming and judo. “My buddies would make fun of me for bringing up baseball,” Rincones Jr. recalled.
Determined to pursue baseball, Rincones Jr. moved back to the U.S. with his aunt and uncle to attend American high school at Plant High School in Tampa, Florida. There, he realized his skills lagged behind those of his peers who had been playing baseball all their lives.
“I was very angry and bitter that I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be… I knew I could play, I knew I was good enough, I just wasn’t as good as I was in my own head. For the first few years of high school, I didn’t talk to anyone, mostly because I was mad at myself,” Rincones Jr. told Rachel Steinberg of PA Media.
Fast forward to today, Rincones Jr. is nearing the end of his second full professional season in the Phillies' system. The summer after signing, he was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Nonetheless he made his pro debut on April 7, 2023, with Low-A Clearwater, skipping rookie ball entirely. He was named the Phillies’ Minor League Player of the Month for April 2023, hitting .268/.409/.521 with 19 hits, six doubles, four homers, 10 RBIs, 14 walks, and 13 stolen bases.
Promoted to High-A Jersey Shore on June 12, Rincones Jr. ranked among all Phillies minor leaguers as T-1st in doubles (31), 2nd in runs (81), T-3rd in stolen bases (32), 7th in walks (61), and 10th in RBIs (60).
Rincones Jr. started the 2024 season scorching hot with Double-A Reading, boasting a .600 slugging percentage with 15 hits, including three doubles and four home runs, through 13 games. Despite a torn ligament in his right thumb on April 24, he returned to the Fightins’ lineup on July 20. Since then, he’s hit seven more home runs, driven in 16 runs, and scored 17 times. He leads the team in slugging (.544) and is tied for third in home runs (11).
“If I were to put my journey on paper and read it to myself, I’d be like, ‘wow.’ You can’t really think about something like that,” Rincones Jr. said. “I’m very stubborn. You tell me I can’t do something, I guarantee you I’m going to eventually do it.”
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition: