Griff

McGarry

McGarry is a former top prospect who has struggled considerably over the past few seasons both in results and staying on the mound. The 26-year-old will get a chance to live up to his luster with the potential to join the Nationals relief staff with a good show in spring training.

McGarry threw 35 pitches, only seven of which were strikes. The right-hander was making his second start since moving up from Double-A. He struggled mightily in the first one, too, though it was more because he was hit hard (8 ER, 3 BB in 2 2/3 IP). Hopefully, Tuesday’s outing will prove to be aberration for a pitcher widely viewed as one of the Phillies’ best prospects.

At least he made Rafael Devers look pretty bad on strike three for his lone out before departing. McGarry is one of the Phillies’ top prospects, but he still needs to improve his control before he’ll be ready for the majors. He walked three of the six batters he faced today.

McGarry is among the top pitching prospect in the Phillies’ system and will get a taste of Triple-A before heading into the offseason. The 23-year-old right-hander has posted a strong 3.18 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 121/44 K/BB ratio across 79 1/3 innings (20 appearances, 19 starts) this season between High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading.

McGarry allowed one hit, but he did issue four walks. That’s the only negative to take away from the outing, and the only real issue for the right-hander all season with 24 over 46 2/3 innings this year. He’s also struck out a whopping 82 batter in that time, and showing four pitches that can miss bats. McGarry is old for his level and has to improve his command, but there’s no denying that there’s fantasy upside in his right arm.

McGarry, 22, allowed two hits without a walk, although he did hit one batter. The right-hander has missed bats at an elite level for the BlueClaws thus far, with 22 strikeouts in his 11 1/3 innings in five appearances. Drafted with the 145th pick out of the University of Virginia, McGarry has always shown impressive stuff; there are four pitches here that get plus grades or 60s on the 20-80 scouting scale. The issue has been his command, as he struggles to repeat his delivery and ended up walking 8.8 batters per nine innings while with the Cavaliers. McGarry has the stuff to be a starter, but his lack of control might make him a reliever in the long-term. If that’s the route he takes, he could have fantasy relevance as a high-leverage bullpen option.