Phillies Top Prospect Produces Another Disastrous Start

Pitcher Griff McGarry is one of the top prospects for the Philadelphia Phillies and he earned the promotion he got to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in early August.

But things have not gone according to plan, and that’s an understatement.

After a rough start in his first appearance with the Iron Pigs on Aug. 9, it got worse on Tuesday night, as McGarry couldn’t record an out against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

McGarry gave up seven runs. He didn’t allow a hit and he didn’t strike out a hitter. The problem is he walked six of the seven hitters he faced in the first inning. The other one he hit with a pitch.

At that point, he was removed from the game. But he was still responsible for the runners on base. His relief, Brett Schulze, walked three other hitters, but he sprinkled in two strikeouts and a flyout to end the inning.

McGarry — who is the No. 6 prospect in the Phillies’ system — now has a 50.63 ERA in two Triple-A start.

That’s because in his first start on Aug. 9 he gave up seven hits and eight earned runs in 2.2 innings against Rochester. He struck out two and walked three.

It’s an auspicious start that the Phillies hope their fifth-round pick of the 2021 MLB Draft can bounce back from.

Before his call-up, he spent all but one inning with Double-A Reading, where he went 1-1 with a 3.13 ERA in 13 starts. He threw 54.2 innings, striking out 74 and walking 36. He pitched one inning in one game in May for the Phillies’ Florida Complex League rookie team as part of an injury rehab assignment.

For his minor league career before Triple-A, McGarry was 6-9 with a 3.44 ERA with 249 strikeouts and 103 walks.