Hot off stealing him at 26th overall in the 2025 MLB Draft, Philadelphia Phillies prospect Gage Wood is making his intentions clear: He wants to play, and he'll fill whatever role the club needs.
According to Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports, Wood, who threw a no-hitter in the College World Series with the Arkansas Razorbacks, was asked whether he prefers starting or coming out of the bullpen. His response was simple, stating, "Whatever they want me to do."
For fans, this statement couldn't have come at a better moment, as Wood could be on the fast track to answering some of the team's biggest problems in the bullpen.
Phillies' bullpen could use Gage Wood's help if he's on a fast track
The Phillies' bullpen this season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. As of July 24, the Phillies rank 22nd in the majors with a 4.22 ERA from their bullpen while surrendering the ninth-highest batting average to opposing hitters, at .251.
Solid campaigns from Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering have been hampered by the poor play of others like Jordan Romano; even Strahm has managed to blow a few saves this year. A few bad games are one thing. What the Phillies have gone through is entirely different, the kind of struggles that necessitate major changes to the roster.
Suffice to say, fans have been clamoring for some back-end help. Already, the Phillies have added 40-year-old veteran David Robertson to their roster, but one addition won't be nearly enough for the kind of run Philadelphia is looking for this October. The trade deadline could bring in outside help, but the options are severely limited this season.
In Wood, however, Philadelphia has a young, in-house arm who could easily slot in to replace the struggling Romano or Joe Ross. Per MLB Pipeline's scouting report, Wood "[had] one of the best fastballs in the draft ... and a power 82-85 mph curveball ..." While there are concerns about his other pitches, a viable two-pitch mix like his fastball and curveball could serve him well in shorter outings.
Outside his arsenal, there are a few other concerns to worry about with Wood. He hasn't pitched a professional inning yet, only signing with the Phillies a few days ago, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. There's a good degree of ramping up that needs to be done before he could be considered true big-league material.
Gage Wood ready to get to work in Phillies' farm system
Wood, in an interview after signing his contract, made it clear that he knows what he needs to work on and is focused on improving in Florida with Single-A Clearwater.
"I'm ready to get down there and get to work," Wood told NBC Sports Philadelphia's Ashlyn Sullivan. " ... develop the other two pitches, other than the fastball and the curveball. Hopefully I get to fast-track, just keep working hard and enjoy the process. That's what got me here, so don't want to get too far ahead of things."
The quick rise to the majors that fans are clamoring for has not been addressed by the club. Still, for how desperate the Phillies are for bullpen help and for how much more major-league ready the 21-year-old pitcher is compared to other, younger prospects, Wood's arrival to the majors could come sooner than later.
He knows what he needs to work on; he's willing to fill whatever role Philadelphia needs; and, most importantly, he's not too far off from being ready. The Phillies don't have much time to work with, only having two months of regular season play before postseason baseball commences. If there's anyone who seems capable of pitching in in that short of a time frame, though, it's Gage Wood.