3 in-house options the Phillies could promote rather than make a blockbuster trade

Griff McGarry

Right-hander Griff McGarry has spent time in Single-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading so far in the 2023 season. According to MLB.com's rankings, the 2021 fifth-round pick is the team's fourth-ranked prospect this year.

Between the two levels, he has a 3.14 ERA in 51.2 innings, allowing four home runs, issuing 31 walks and racking up 70 strikeouts across 13 starts. While the walks are concerning, Phillies fans can hope that McGarry follows the lead of Christoper Sánchez, who has only issued eight walks in 47.1 innings since he was called up to the big leagues in June, after giving up 29 walks in 49.2 innings in Triple-A earlier this year. 

In two separate outings with Reading, on June 16 and July 6, McGarry allowed six walks. In his three games since July 6, however, he has an ERA of 1.50, with six walks and 26 strikeouts in 18 innings. At times, he has been effectively wild. Overall in 2023, though, opposing batters are only hitting .171 off the right-hander, and he has only surrendered four home runs this year. 

According to MLB.com, his pitch repertoire is solid: "He’s flirted with 100 mph in the past and was up to 99 mph at the upper levels in 2022, averaging over 95 mph. It’s an elite pitch not just because of velocity, but because of his vertical approach angle as well. His mid-80s slider can be plus at times, missing a ton of bats, and he fools hitters with an upper-70s curve too."

If the 24-year-old can keep working on mastering the strike zone, he’ll be available should the Phillies find themselves in need of an additional arm in the starting rotation or another option out of the bullpen as a long-relief arm down the stretch.