Prospect Rankings
Player | Position | Current Team | Bats | Throws | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Andrew Painter | RHP | Philadelphia Phillies | AA | 21 | R | R |
2 | Mick Abel | RHP | Philadelphia Phillies | MLB | 23 | R | R |
3 | Griff McGarry | RHP | Philadelphia Phillies | AAA | 25 | R | R |
4 | Justin Crawford | OF | Philadelphia Phillies | AA | 20 | L | R |
5 | Hao-Yu Lee | 2B | Detroit Tigers | AA | 21 | R | R |
- AGE25
- BATSR
- DOB06/08/1999
- THROWSR
- HT6' 2"
- DRAFTED2021, 5th (145) - PHI
- WT190
- ETA2025
Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 40 | Overall: 50
McGarry has been a prospect since his high school days, when he was a late-round pick of the Rangers before honoring his commitment to Virginia. With the Cavaliers, he showed off his premium arm strength as well as a lack of familiarity with the strike zone, making him an intriguing, yet enigmatic college arm in 2021. The Phillies thought McGarry's stuff was worth taking in the fifth round, and he pitched his way from High-A to Triple-A in his first full season of pro ball.
If you’re just evaluating pure stuff, McGarry could be considered one of the better pitching prospects in the game. 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. He doesn’t throw his changeup nearly as much as the breaking stuff, but it has characteristics of a plus pitch. He added a hard cutter at the end of last year to give him a potential five-pitch mix.
How often McGarry can land his elite-level stuff in the strike zone will determine exactly what he can be in the big leagues. A 13.9 K/9 rate to start off his pro career shows he can fool pro hitters, but even with some improvements since joining the Phillies, he’s walked 5.4 per nine entering 2023. There’s hope that as he adds mass to his loose 6-foot-2 frame, he can keep refining his delivery and throw enough strikes to start, a role he’ll continue for now unless there’s a need as a reliever in Philadelphia.