(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

When it comes to securing a top of the rotation starter like Roy Halladay the word "untouchable" should be removed from any minor league prospect in the Phillies system.

Not Kyle Drabek. Not Dominic Brown. Not Jason Knapp. No one should be untouchable.

Throughout baseball history, teams become so enamored with their own prospects that the value of those players becomes so over-inflated reality becomes distorted and deals for known quantities are dismissed out of hand.

In Halladay's case, the Phils have an opportunity to land a 1A pitcher. An inning-eating, groundball-inducing, ace who instantly makes the Phils the top contender in the National League—this year and the next.

In Drabek, Brown, Knapp, Lou Marson, Michael Taylor, Jason Donald, and Carlos Carrasco the Phils certainly seem to have a bright future, but they're all unknown quantities at this point. The same way Phils' prospects of yesteryear, like Pat Combs, Ron Jones, Jeff Stone, and Rick Schu were.

You just never know. For every wunderkind pitcher like Felix Hernandez there's three Homer Baileys. For every stud outfielder like Ryan Braun there's four Jeremy Hermidas.

It's a crapshoot—especially for the youngsters like Knapp and Brown.

Like the NFL draft, it's a lot of fun to dream about what the Phillies are going to look like in two or three years with all these young players up in the majors.

No one likes trading No. 1  draft picks for veteran players—it's just not as exciting. And no one gets excited about trading all our "future All-Stars" either, but reality is they're just twinkles in our eyes right now, and Halladay is the twinkle on another World Series trophy (or two).

Make these guys "touchable" Ruben, and make this happen.

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