Get to know every Philadelphia Phillies 2021 draft pick

How did each of the Phillies’ 2021 draft picks do in their first season on the farm?

The 2021 MLB Draft began threw everyone’s mock drafts out the window.

The Philadelphia Phillies began their drafting by selecting Andrew Painter as the 13th overall pick. Over the twenty rounds, they selected 13 pitchers, six outfielders, and an infielder.

Here’s how they each fared in their professional debuts and something to know about every one of them!

Phillies First-Round Pick: Andrew Painter, RHP

The Phillies went with shock value to start their draft picks, taking Florida high school star Andrew Painter, a hard-throwing giant. The 6’7 pitcher won Gatorade Player of the Year this year for Florida, and has a mid-90s fastball, though it’s been projected that as he develops, he’ll be able to throw even harder.

MLB.com’s draft tracker raves about Painter’s “exciting combination of raw stuff” and “advanced feel for pitching.” His four-pitch arsenal has already impressed the legendary Pedro Martinez, who says the Phillies’ first pick reminds him of former Cubs pitcher Mark Prior in his early dominance.

Painter also overlapped with Joe Girardi’s son Dante, for two years at Cavalry Christian, which might have factored into the Phillies’ decision, as Painter has said that he and the Phillies manager already have a good relationship.

After signing with the Phillies, Painter began his professional career at the rookie-level Florida Complex League in September. Facing rookies from the Tigers, Yankees, and Blue Jays organizations, Painter assembled a 0.00 ERA over four short starts. He never pitched more than two innings in a game, but struck out 12 batters over six total innings and never issued a walk.

He’s now ranked as the Phillies’ third-overall prospect, and the future looks bright for Painter.

Phillies Sixth-Round Pick: Jose Peña Jr.

Another prep arm pick by the Phillies, RHP Jose Peña Jr.  boasts a solid velocity on his fastball, “great spin” on his curveball, and a changeup that “needs a lot of work.”

Making his professional debut in the rookie-level FCL after signing with the org, Peña compiled a 13.50 ERA over four appearances. He allowed two earned runs twice, and but had two scoreless games.

Phillies Seventh-Round Pick: Christian McGowan

Christian McGowan is one of the hardest throwers in this Phillies’ draft class; according to Phillies Minor Thoughts, his fastball can get up to 99 mph. McGowan is another pitcher who could either develop into a starter or a reliever.

McGowan pitched in four games on the farm this season, making one start at the rookie level before joining Low-A Clearwater and making three relief appearances. Opposing batters only managed to hit .118 against him.

Overall, McGowan had a scoreless first season, with eight strikeouts over five shutout innings between the two levels.

Phillies Eighth-Round Pick: Jason Ruffcorn

Jason Ruffcorn definitely has my favorite name of any pick so far.

At 23 years old, Ruffcorn is significantly older than many of his fellow draft picks. He also has five years of college pitching experience, a fastball that hits 98 on the gun, and two mediocre pitches in his slider and changeup.

Ruffcorn made his professional debut in Clearwater, and compiled a 5.84 ERA over 12 relief appearances. He earned three saves in four opportunities and had eight scoreless games.

If his surname sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the son of former MLB pitcher Scott Ruffcorn, who spent five years in the majors, including his last season with the Phillies in 1997.

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Phillies Ninth-Round Pick: Gavin Tonkel

Another unranked prospect with a fun name, Gavin Tonkel was the 265th overall pick in the draft.

After hitting up the almost-elderly (by comparison) Ruffcorn in the eighth round, the Phillies went back to teenagers by selecting Tonkel in the ninth. He was one of the most unknown players in the draft, but had impressed Phillies scouts with his speed and raw power.

In his final season of high school ball at Heritage High in Brentwood, CA, Tonkel went 11-for-12 in stolen base attempts. You could certainly say the Phillies have a need for speed; the most stolen bases by Phillies big-leaguers this season was a tie between Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, who each stole 13.

Beginning his professional career with 11 games in the FCL, Tonkel hit .261/.419/.304 with a .724 OPS, a double, five runs scored, and two batted in. He also went 2-for-3 in stolen base attempts.

Phillies Tenth-Round Pick: Logan Cerny

Logan Cerny was actually ranked higher than the Phillies’ sixth and seventh-round picks, but the Phillies didn’t grab him until the tenth round.

He felt like a steal for the Phillies, as Cerny hit .332/.424/.694 with 15 home runs and 47 RBI in 2021.

Unfortunately, Cerny has already been traded to the Astros in exchange for catcher Garrett Stubbs, so if he lives up to his projections, it won’t be in Philadelphia.

Phillies Eleventh-Round Pick: Andrew Baker

The Phillies drafted a Baker and a Painter this year, and they’re both pitchers named Andrew.

After signing, Baker split his first professional season between FCL and Low-A Clearwater, pitching in nine games overall, including one start. His 13 earned runs allowed over 12 innings of work is less than ideal, though 10 of them came between two appearances in September.

Phillies Twelfth-Round Pick: T.J. Rumfield

Rumfield has the distinction of being the only infielder the Phillies drafted this year. No joke: every other pick is either a pitcher or outfielder.

Of course, he was then traded to the Yankees along with LHP Joel Valdez for RHP Nick Nelson and catcher Donny Sands, making this an infielder-less class.

Phillies Thirteenth-Round Pick: Jared Carr

Outfielder Jared Carr impressed in his first minor-league season after being drafted by the Phillies. Over 32 games with Low-A Clearwater, he hit .277/.390/.455 with a .846 OPS, four doubles, a triple, four home runs, 18 runs scored, and 17 driven in. He also went 7-for-10 in stolen base attempts.

In this small sample size, his plate discipline appears to require some work, as he struck out 32 times in those 32 games. However, he did also draw 17 walks.

Phillies Fourteenth-Round Pick: Jose Valadez-Acuna

Jose Valadez-Acuna is reported to have some absolutely “filthy” pitches.

However, the transactions already have him on a rehab assignment, so he has yet to make his professional debut.

Phillies Fifteenth-Round Pick: Matt Osterberg

Yet another pitcher, Matt Osterberg had a lot of college experience at St. Cloud State and in summer league before joining the Phillies.

He began his professional career with a scoreless appearance at FCL, but then spent the remainder of his first season with Clearwater. Over eight total appearances – including three starts and three games finished – he posted a 2.18 ERA, struck out 24 batters over 20 2/3 innings, and earned a save.

Spoiler alert: all of these picks are pitchers

Phillies Sixteenth-Round Pick: Ty Collins

Ty Collins stands out from the rest of his draft class in an intriguing way:

According to Perfect Game, Collins’ best pitch is his curveball, but he has “lots of mechanical issues to work through.”

Collins made four appearances in FCL, allowing four earned runs over 3 1/3 innings. While he struck out five batters, he also walked eight.

Phillies Seventeenth-Round Pick: Alex Garbrick

Alex Garbrick‘s delivery was described as “funky and deceptive” which sounds a lot more appealing than ‘no command’ or ‘walks too many batters.’

However, Garbrick’s professional debut was less than appealing; over seven games between FCL and Clearwater, the 23-year-old RHP allowed 17 earned runs over 17 1/3 innings. He struck out 20 batters but also issued 15 walks.

Phillies Eighteenth-Round Pick: Malik Binns

Another 6-foot-7 pitcher, RHP Malik Binns has high-velocity stuff, but also walks too many batters. Before the draft, he pitched for the collegiate summer team Kingsport in the Appalachian League, and issued 16 walks over 15 1/3 innings.

Once joining the Phillies’ organization, Binns made two FCL starts, totaling three innings. He struck out one, walked one, and only allowed one hit.

Phillies Nineteenth-Round Pick: Seth Halvorsen

Seth Halvorsen has the distinction of being the only player the Phillies did not sign from this year’s draft. He committed to Tennessee instead.

Phillies Twentieth-Round Pick: Cam Wynne

Last, but certainly not least, we have Cam Wynne from Nebraska. Another giant on the mound, Wynne stands at 6-foot-6.

Wynne began his professional career with the Clearwater Threshers, and compiled a 6.75 ERA over seven relief appearances. He allowed 15 runs, but only seven were earned, and he struck out 10 batters over 9 1/3 innings.

2021 Undrafted free agents the Phillies signed:

In addition to their draft picks, the Phillies signed these undrafted players, giving them a bit more variety than their pitcher-heavy selections:

• Konnor Ash RHP
• Tristan Garnett LHP
• Matt Goodheart 1B
• Tommy McCollum RHP
• Alex McKenney RHP
• Freylin Minyety SS
• Anthony Quirion C, 3B
• Matt Russell RHP
• Parker Scott LHP
• Jared Wetherbee LHP