Griff McGarry, a former top pitching prospect who’s fallen off the radar over the past few years, turned in an eye-catching outing to start the 2025 season.
Pitching for Double-A Reading for the first time since 2023, McGarry tossed four perfect innings in his season debut for the Fightin Phils on Sunday. The right-hander struck out eight batters in a 3-2 Reading loss on his way to being named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week.
McGarry, 25, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Phillies out of the University of Virginia in 2021. He drew attention with his high-powered fastball, sharp slider and variety of other secondaries, separating himself as one of the most intriguing prospects in Philadelphia’s system early in his professional career.
The pitcher’s flaw, however, has always been throwing strikes, and his inability to control the baseball has halted his development and prevented him from joining the Phillies’ big-league plans. McGarry has struggled to throw strikes dating back to college, and the issue has only been highlighted as he’s climbed the ranks of the minor leagues.
After pitching in Triple-A in parts of both 2022 and 2023, McGarry was moved to the bullpen for Lehigh Valley last season in an attempt to better utilize his stuff while dealing with the command problems. The walks only increased in his new role.
In 29 relief appearances for the IronPigs last year, McGarry had a 4.70 ERA with 10.6 walks per nine. He was striking out batters, but couldn’t put the ball over the plate. The season put the direction of McGarry’s career in question.
Coming off his 2024 campaign, the Phillies pushed McGarry back a level to Double-A to start this season and had him leave the bullpen for a return to the starting rotation. His first chance on the mound went as well as anyone could’ve hoped as he dominated the Portland lineup this weekend.
Of course, McGarry is now older than much of the Double-A competition, turning 26 in June. But the fact that he retired 12 straight hitters without any walks was certainly noteworthy.
Although one start doesn’t erase seasons of inconsistency and poor control, a potential bounceback would have to start somewhere. McGarry still has a lot to prove. He’ll need to throw strikes on a regular basis over a long stretch to show that he’s taken a step forward. That may be an unlikely scenario, but he has the arm talent to make it pay off if he can find his control.
