Categories: Draft

Phillies draft high school outfielder Griffin Burkholder in second round of MLB Draft

Citizens Bank Park has been home to the Phillies since 2004. (Tim Kelly/Phillies Nation)

The Phillies have selected prep outfielder Griffin Burkholder from Freedom High School in South Riding, Virginia with the No. 63 in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft.

Burkholder, who turns 19 in August, is committed to play for West Virginia. A deal for Burkholder will likely be worth higher than the Phillies’ second-round slot value of $1.352 million to entice him to forgo school and sign. A scouting report from Baseball America says he “should be able to play all three outfield positions and has solid arm strength that could become above-average in the future.”

MLB Pipeline has him as a 70-grade runner and the top prep bat in the Mid-Atlantic region in this year’s draft.

He has plus raw power and can get to it in games at times, though he doesn’t always square the ball up, relying on strength at times more than finding the barrel. When he is on time, he can drive the ball.

MLB Pipeline’s scouting report on Griffin Burkholder

This marks the first time since 2021 the Phillies have drafted in the second round. The Phillies surrendered their second-round picks in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023 after signing qualified free agents Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner. The club made only one selection in the second round from 2018 to 2023.

The Phillies have selected two high school outfielders with their first two selections in the 2024 Draft. The club selected 19-year-old outfielder Dante Nori out of Northville, Michigan with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the MLB Draft.