Does Griff McGarry Deserve a Spot in the Phillies Opening Day Rotation?

The Philadelphia Phillies have a trifecta of top pitching prospects, does, Griff McGarry, the oldest of the trio, crack the Opening Day roster?

Author:
Andy Jasner
Dec 4, 2022 11:59 AM EST

In this story:

Philadelphia Phillies

Andrew Painter isn’t the only Philadelphia Phillies’ pitching prospect who could make his debut in 2023.

Griff McGarry and Mick Abel might not be far behind.

Let’s focus specifically on McGarry, a highly-touted 23-year-old.

McGarry completed the last month of the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley after strong stints at High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading.

McGarry was stellar at Reading with a 2.20 ERA in seven starts. When promoted to the IronPigs on Sept. 5, McGarry wasn’t nearly as effective with a 9.00 ERA in seven appearances.

Holding McGarry back is his command, he walked 53 in 87.1 innings in 2022.

Still, the Phillies appear to be optimistic about their prospects, including McGarry.

President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski wouldn’t guarantee a spot for McGarry on the Phillies in ‘23. But he sure is noticing.

"Those three guys will come to spring training with us," Dombrowski said in a recent press conference. "I can't say there's anticipation that they're going to make our rotation to start the season. Some are further along than others, but they'll be in camp and once you're in camp, anything can happen.”

Manager Rob Thomson echoed similar thoughts.

"Time will tell with Painter and McGarry and all of those guys," Thomson said. "They haven't even pitched in a big-league spring training game yet, so we'll let them do that first and see what the comfort level there is. Then it's a whole other animal once you turn the lights on out here [Citizens Bank Park] and pitch in this environment."

McGarry has come a long way from the University of Virginia when he was averaging nearly one walk per inning.

He has continued to develop at every stop, especially Double-A. While the results weren’t nearly as strong at Triple-A, the experience will be beneficial.

The Phillies should be in no rush to promote McGarry. Especially if they strengthen their bullpen.

If McGarry gets off to a strong start, don’t be surprised to see him in a Phillies uniform at some point in ’23.