The Arizona Fall League opened up its 2024 schedule on Oct. 7, with the Philadelphia Phillies initially sending nine players to compete for the Glendale Desert Dogs. That number quickly became 10 when Phillies top pitching prospect Andrew Painter was a last-minute addition after not playing a single inning of organizational baseball since March 2023, a result of being shut down and later undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer.
Painter will understandably draw the most interest from baseball writers and fans. He did little to quiet that attention after the talented flamethrower and Phillies' No. 2 prospect tossed two innings while striking out two and allowing a pair of runs during a 29-pitch performance that saw him touch 100 mph on three of his pitches. It's not perfect, but enough to get Phillies fans excited.
With nine other organizational talents competing in the AFL this year, it's easy to zero in on names like right-hander Griff McGarry, shortstop Bryan Rincon, outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. and right-hander Wen-Hui Pan, all prospects currently ranked in the Phillies' top 25 by MLB Pipeline.
But sometimes a prospect doesn't get the kind of attention they deserve even if numbers suggest you take a closer look. For 6-foot-6 left-handed pitcher Tristan Garnett, the path toward being taken more seriously by scouts and evaluators is nothing new.
Phillies prospect picked as a 'big' sleeper to watch in Arizona Fall League
A recent article on MLB.com co-written by Sam Dykstra, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo placed the spotlight on a prospect from each team termed a "sleeper" worth watching. When it came time to select a Phillies player for the list, Garnett was the trio's choice.
The Phillies signed the towering southpaw as an undrafted free agent out of Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2021, and with all of the odds seemingly stacked against him, Garnett impressed enough to make the jump to Double-A Reading in 2023. This season saw him repeat the assignment, with the 26-year-old making a lone appearance at Triple-A Lehigh Valley by season's end.
Including a two-game stint in Clearwater, Garnett's numbers at all three levels produced a record of 1-3, one save, and a 2.63 ERA while striking out 56 in 41 innings of work this season. Those numbers clearly caught the attention of MLB.com, who wrote the following assessment of Garnett's potential as a prospect to watch:
"Six-foot-six left-handers are always worth keeping an eye on, right? Garnett signed as a free agent at age 23 in July 2021 and he spent the bulk of his time on the mound in 2024 with Double-A Reading, missing bats (11.9 K/9) but also struggling with the strike zone for the first time (6.2 BB/9). He also missed nearly two months of the season due to injury, but he does have a fastball that now touches 95-96 mph and a changeup that is an out pitch, along with a slider."
So far, in two appearances for the 5-2 Desert Dogs, Garnett has given up one hit with a pair of strikeouts in two innings of work in the AFL. He picked up the win for Glendale on Tuesday with a clean inning.
Good work Garnett 👏
— Phillies Player Development (@PhilsPlayerDev) October 15, 2024
Tristan Garnett threw a 1-2-3 inning with 2 strikeouts for the Desert Dogs yesterday to pick up his first Arizona Fall League win! @T_Garnett25 | @MLBazFallLeague pic.twitter.com/b2rPGLOHzH
While there was some clear concern for his walk rate climbing in 2024, the size and left-handed arm, overall body of work, and increase in velocity offer a tantalizing glimpse of a late-bloomer who could contribute to the Phillies bullpen mix sometime in the not-so-distant future.