Phillies: Andrew Pullin is an underrated outfield prospect
By John Town
Andrew Pullin has done nothing but hit in the last two seasons but few have taken notice of the Phillies minor-league outfielder.
The two best hitters at Double-A Reading so far this season is one of the Phillies‘ top prospects and another player who you won’t see on very many lists. Scott Kingery is second on the team in home runs (7) and OPS (.980), but he trails in both of those categories to outfielder Andrew Pullin.
Pullin is the team leader in hits (37), home runs (8), extra-base hits (20), slugging percentage (.608), and OPS (.980). He is third in batting average (.308) and fourth in on-base percentage (.371). In the entire Eastern League, Pullin leads in slugging, is second in home runs, and is third OPS.
The best part of this success is the fact that Pullin is doing it with solid plate discipline numbers. His 7.5% walk rate and 16.7% strikeout rate are both well within reason and indicate that this success could translate into Triple-A.
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If Pullin is so successful at the plate, how come no one ever seems to mention him?
For starters, Pullin’s above-average stats at the plate only go back to last year. Between High-A Clearwater and Reading, Pullin posted a cumulative slash line of .322/.362/.522 in 82 games. In the three yeas prior, his OPS barely got above .700, if at all.
Pullin’s defense is also sub-par.
His only real chance at the major leagues is in left field. After being drafted as a left fielder in 2012, the team tried moving him to second base, but that experiment failed. His future as a major-leaguer rides entirely on his hit tool, which is above-average at its ceiling.
Pullin also suffers from being stacked behind a lot of top outfield prospects in the farm system. First-round picks Cornelius Randolph and Mickey Moniak, international signees like Carlos Tocci and Jhaiyln Ortiz, and the trio of top outfielders in Lehigh Valley (Roman Quinn, Dylan Cozens, and Nick Williams) all garner a lot of attention.
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The presence of these prospects is likely what left Pullin off the 40-man roster last offseason. With so many prospects to protect, Pullin was left on the outside looking in. He was a candidate to be selected in the Rule 5 draft, but his lack of experience at Double-A led to him going unselected.
Even though Pullin couldn’t make the 40-man roster, the team still invited Pullin to spring training with the big-league club. He was limited to four games due to an oblique injury and was back in minor-league camp fairly early on.
Now back in Double-A, Pullin is back to ripping the cover off the ball, and the club has taken notice. Phillies director of player development Joe Jordan told Ryan Lawrence of Philly Voice:
"“Right now he’s getting upper-level experience and he’s doing very well,” Jordan said of Pullin. “At some point in the time … you know, the game always takes care of these type of things, whether it’s one of the guys at Triple-A ends up in the big leagues and we have room to fill the spot. Right now, we just go through the first 3 1/2 weeks. He’s gotten off to a good start, which is great, especially up here up north.”"
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Pullin’s time may yet come whenever and however a spot opens up in the Triple-A outfield. If he keeps hitting the way he is, another team will take notice and certainly snatch Pullin away if he is left off the 40-man and unprotected from the Rule 5 draft again.