Has Griff McGarry Rediscovered Strikeout Pitch After Recent Reading Outing?

At one time considered a Top 30 prospect, pitcher Griff McGarry is just trying to get back to Triple-A. Rediscovering his strikeout pitch might help.

Mar 7, 2023; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Griff McGarry (71) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Griff McGarry is one of those prospects that the Philadelphia Phillies have been hoping could be a Major League option for quite some time. For many reasons, it hasn’t come together for the 26-year-old who is entering his fifth season of pro baseball.

This season, he’s bounced between Class-A Clearwater on a rehab assignment and Double-A Reading. He’s even spent time on Reading’s developmental list to work on mechanics. The numbers this year haven’t look great. He’s started 14 games and is 0-4 with a 4.29 ERA.

But his best asset — the strikeout — is starting to reappear after his ratios between his walks and strikeouts dropped the past couple of years.

In his last start for Reading, per Jake Starr of the team’s public relations department, he struck out 11 hitters. More impressive, he did it in five innings. So, 11 of the 15 outs he recorded were strikeouts.

Per Starr, it was the most batters McGarry struck out since June 29, 2022, with Jersey Shore. His last game with 10 or more strikeouts was July 21, 2023, at Altoona. That’s a significant jump for McGarry, and one the Phillies hope he can carry over into his next start this week as he tries to re-position himself for the Majors next year.

Griff McGarry turned in his best start of the season on Thursday, striking out 11 over five innings.

It was the most batters McGarry struck out since June 29, 2022, with Jersey Shore. His last game with 10+ punchouts was July 21, 2023, at Altoona. pic.twitter.com/bBk9ufaZD8

— Jake Starr (@jstarr1999) August 8, 2025

Griff McGarry Before 2025

The Phillies selected McGarry in the fifth round of the 2021 draft out of the University of Virginia. He went to the minor leagues right away, pitching for Class A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore. He threw well, going 1-0 with a 2.96 ERA in eight games (four starts) with 43 strikeouts and 14 walks in 24.1 innings.

The 2022 season seemed to be a breakthrough for him. He got all the way to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and, while he went 4-8 with a 3.71 ERA, the strikeouts came in bunches. He fanned 130 against 53 walks in 87.1 innings. Batters also hit just .177 against him.

But, in the ensuing years, he’s run into a wall. In 2023 he went 1-3 with a 6.00 ERA in 17 starts. He only struck out 81 against 50 walks in 60 innings. He had control issues, but still only allowed batters to hit .187. The 2024 season became worse. He went 2-1 with a 4.55 ERA in 30 games, all in relief. He struck out 42 and walked 36 in 31.2 innings.

Phillies Top 10 Prospects

May 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

MLB Pipeline updates its Top 30 prospects for each team on Monday, which included rankings for each team’s 2025 draft picks. But, pitcher Andrew Painter, who is still at Triple-A Lehigh Valley waiting for a potential call up to the Majors, remained in the No. 1 spot. At No. 2 was shortstop Aidan Miller, who is McGarry’s teammate at Reading and just won Eastern League Player of the Week.

Both Painter and Miller were former first-round picks. So was No. 3 ranked Justin Crawford, the outfielder who is with Painter at Lehigh Valley and is a potential call up when rosters expand on Sept. 1. The first new prospect was first-round pick Gage Wood, who came in at No. 4. The right-handed pitcher is expected to start at rookie ball.

Second baseman Aroon Escobar dropped to No. 5, while outfielder Dante Nori dropped to No. 6. Escobar is playing for High-A Jersey Shore, while Nori is at Class-A Clearwater. Behind them was second-round pick Cade Obermueller, a left-handed pitcher who is also getting his start in rookie ball.

With Obermueller taking No. 7, pitcher Moisés Chace dropped to No. 8. Chace, who was acquired in a trade last year, is at Reading. Chace is a potential Major League call-up next year. While outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. dropped to No. 9 and is at Lehigh Valley, third-round pick Matthew Fisher slid into No. 10. The right-handed pitcher is at rookie ball.