Few American professional sports test the mental toughness of it's participants quite like Major League Baseball. If you're one of the lucky ones who get drafted or have signed with a team as an international free agent, all you're handed is a lottery ticket and a place in line with the other 4,950 minor league players hoping that some type of breakthrough in performance will capture the attention of an MLB front office and lead to a promotion to "The Show."
Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Tristan Garnett knows this story well. Before signing with the Phillies as an undrafted free agent in July 2021, Garnett's college journey saw the left-hander make stops at three different college programs. After making six starts during his senior year, Garnett watched his college career come to a sudden and abrupt end after the global pandemic shut down the college season and the entire world with it in 2020.
That's all to say, Garnett is no stranger to adapting to challenging situations.
After signing with the Phillies as an undrafted free agent and converting full-time to relief pitching in 2021, Garnett began his climb through the Phillies minor league system. Three seasons later, the 26-year-old southpaw made the most of his time at Double-A Reading in 2024, producing a solid 2.87 ERA with 11.9 K/9 and 1.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio before a non-pitching injury sent him to the 60-day IL in August.
After a brief but relaxing offseason that included spending quality time with family and friends, teaching himself how to play piano, hunting in the woods of Oregon and vacationing in Hawaii, Garnett is ready to start the 2025 baseball season and make a strong impression on the Phillies coaching staff in spring training next month.
Tristan Garnett's incredible journey from going undrafted to Phillies prospect
Garnett joined the varsity baseball team in his junior year at Westview High School in Portland, Oregon, and quickly established himself as one of the best high school pitchers in the region. He was eventually ranked the second-best left-handed pitcher in the state. Did his status as a tall (he's 6-foot-6) left-handed pitcher attract attention from MLB scouts?
"I do recall talking to one or two teams out of high school, but I'm definitely what you would call a late bloomer, and I've always known that about myself," Garnett said recently during an interview following a day of work at the Phillies' spring training complex. "So there was definitely a sense of 'you can play this game for a while, if you really want to, and put your mind to it.' But I don't think I was nearly physically developed enough to be ready for pro ball yet."
After failing to earn a roster spot during his year-and-a-half stint at Oregon State University, he was ready to get back on the mound and pitch in a competitive environment again. This desire led him to transfer to Linn Benton Community College's baseball program in 2018.
Garnett later transferred to Cal State Dominguez Hills, a necessary and successful move that eventually brought him to the wider attention of MLB scouts.
"I had to sit down with my dad and mom and just talking to them like, 'Hey, do I want to go fill out a jersey on this team?' or do I want to go somewhere and contribute and really develop as a baseball player?" Garnett said about weighing his options at the time. "Do I want to stop at college, or do I want to take this thing as far as it can go? So that was kind of what brought me to Cal State Dominguez, Hills."
Garnett was further reassured he made the right decision when he first spoke to Cal State baseball coach Tyler Wright.
"I went in and Tyler told me, 'You're gonna be our dude,' obviously being somebody who'd been cut from their dream school, and then going to Linn Benton and contributing a decent amount of innings," Garnett recalled. "There [Cal State] it's a lot of coming of age, I guess. You're your team's guy, so there's a lot expected of you. Even if you go five, six innings, they're like, 'We need seven out of you.'"
Garnett established himself as a durable arm during his one and a half seasons at Dominguez Hills, making 16 starts (17 appearances), recording a record of 7-7 and contributing a 4.56 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 94 2/3 innings. He clearly still had more work to do in some areas, but the pandemic brought a sudden end to that process. It's a period that Garnett feels helped take his game to the next level.
"I don't think I would be in the position I'm in had COVID not happened," Garnett said. "I had all the way until April and May of 2021 to start competing again. It was kind of a reset button for me. I gained 15-20 pounds, probably five or six miles per hour on my fastball, and I think that was really what kind of put me on the map.
"Because, you know, a big guy like me, 6'5"-6'6" lefty, and you're sitting 86 to 89 in college, it's definitely good enough to do your job. But as far as professional baseball goes, that is way below par."
MLB Draft letdown turns into an opportunity with the Phillies
In addition to the added velocity (91-94 mph) and added bulk, Garnett also credits his time spent training at the Chapman Baseball Compound in California for helping him improve as an athlete and as a pitcher. Heading into the 2021 MLB Draft, Garnett knew a few MLB teams had interest in him, but also knew there was the possibility that he could go undrafted.
"I was probably talking to about 10 teams, and my agent at the time was telling me that it was probably looking a lot more like free agency," Garnett said. "But there were probably three or four teams that were looking at back 10 (what would have been rounds 20-30) because that was the first year that the draft got cut in half."
Prior to the second night of the draft, Garnett received promising news that a team was committed to drafting him. Waiting patiently by his phone, the last pick of the draft came and went, and Garnett discovered the valuable lesson that there are no promises in the business of baseball.
"It was like the highest high of my life, like I got the call, oh, my goodness. I'd just accepted the terms of the team, and then I'm sitting there watching on the TV, and ends up not being my name called," he remembered.
Following the draft day snub, Garnett pitched in the California Collegiate League All-Star game a week later, with his father urging him to "go pitch like your life's on the line." The very next morning, while resting in bed, a text from Phillies scout Demerius Pittman changed Garnett's life in an instant. The Phillies wanted to sign him as an undrafted free agent.
Instructed to get his stuff together quickly and get on a plane two days later, Garnett scrambled to get all the necessities he needed to survive packed up and ready for the next stop.
"That was a crazy 48 hours," Garnett said. "I had absolutely nothing prepared in my room. My apartment was still packed full, and I had to throw a bunch of stuff in U-haul boxes and ship it to myself. I had to get rid of a tremendous amount. And I think that led me into understanding the lifestyle that this is, which is two bags and a backpack."
Working his way through the Phillies minor league system
Garnett found immediate success once he entered the Phillies' minor league system after a move to the bullpen. His height, mixed with his added velocity and a wipe-out changeup, proved to make quick work of opposing hitters during stints in Single-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore in 2022. His success on the mound continued, with a promotion to Double-A Reading by season's end in 2023.
After a solid start to his 2024 season in Reading, the Garnett landed on the 60-day IL in August after undergoing surgery to have his appendix removed. He made his return in September, logging one scoreless appearance with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Due to the time missed during the summer, the Phillies thought it would be a good idea for him to pitch a little more, so the team sent him to play in the Arizona Fall League.
"Every year you hope you fall within the range of 50 to 60 innings, whether that's in 50 appearances or 38, 40. However, it ends up working, you know," Garnett said. "That's the range you want to fall in, and that's what I ended up finishing at about this year."
His offseason almost got a little more interesting in early November when the Phillies left him unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft. With a few seasons under his belt, Garnett remained positive, understanding that it was simply a process over which he had no control.
"At the end of the day, I obviously want to play in the Bank, that's been my dream since I signed with this team," he said. "But my hope is throughout my baseball career that I get to play for as many teams as I possibly can, so there's no shying away from that. If anything, it left a little bit of a thrill of like, 'Holy cow, I could get Major League Rule 5 right now,' which was a pretty exciting feeling."
Garnett is ready for his chance at Phillies spring training
The Phillies recently announced the team's list of non-roster invites to spring training, and Garnett will likely see plenty of action while pitching alongside members of the Phillies pitching staff. Although he looks forward to speaking with veteran left-handed bullpen arms like Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks in camp, it's recently signed closer Jordan Romano who easily tops that list.
"We just picked up Jordan Romano, and he's a very high arm slot guy himself," Garnett said. "I think he also pitches with a lot of intensity and aggression on the mound, and I'd like to consider myself a pretty nice guy off the field, but I have to kind of channel that [aggression] in myself to be able to really be as competitive as I know I am when I'm out there."
While it remains unclear what minor league level the Phillies plan to start Garnett at to begin this season, he's now only a few steps away from making his MLB debut. Humble yet self-confident, his ambitions pivot to what he would like to accomplish this season, and it should come as little surprise as to what that is.
"I want to play in the big leagues and contribute as many innings to the Philadelphia Phillies as I possibly can," Garnett said about the upcoming season." But my immediate spring training goal is to just go in and make an impact and let the front office and the coaches know that I am a guy who will be able to contribute to that team, in whatever formality they decide."
There's little doubt that Garnett will make his MLB debut at some point in the near future. Determined people always seem to have a gift for conquering adversity and using it as motivation to be great. When Garnett finally receives that next life-changing phone call, there will be two bags and a backpack ready and waiting to go along for the ride.