Phillies have Struck an Agreement with Top Prospect

The Philadelphia Phillies’ main worry heading into the 2024 season is their bullpen.

The loss of Craig Kimbrel, who played in 71 games, with an ERA of 3.26, and had 23 saves in 28 opportunities, looms large after that team had one of their best seasons in recent memory, finishing sixth in the league with a 3.58 ERA.

It remains to be seen who will be designated as the closer and whether the ninth inning will see a committee approach.

Players who are not selected for the Opening Day roster have choices in the minor leagues; they can be assigned to Triple-A without having to clear waivers.

However, there’s a good chance they require one additional piece.

The right-hander saw most of his activity in Double-A last season, when he was mostly utilized as a starting pitcher and finished with a 3.13 ERA in 13 starts and 54 2/3 innings worked.

However, he had a terrible performance when he was promoted to Triple-A.

In three starts, McGarry gave up twenty earned runs in four and a half innings of work.

As the number of walks rose with each level of heightened competition he faced, his control has become a significant cause for concern.

Moving into the bullpen is something Philadelphia is hoping will assist with.

Additionally, the 24-year-old is no stranger to this role. In addition to his 28 starts, he was employed as a reliever 14 times at the University of Virginia. He has made 12 relief appearances in his minor league career.

Following his reassignment to their minor league camp, Coffey reported that manager Rob Thomson stated that McGarry handled the news of his move “very well” in order to concentrate on his new role.

Thomson isn’t giving up on the possibility of the prospect returning to the major leagues as a starter, either.

“… he becomes a starter if everything goes really well and we begin stretching him out once again. He will therefore be out of the bullpen for the time being, he informed Coffey.

After giving Aaron Nola a long-term contract and extending Zack Wheeler, the Phillies no longer felt the need to have starting pitchers ready to come out of their pipeline.

If McGarry is asked to make his Major League debut this season, there’s a chance he plays a bigger role with Philadelphia out of the bullpen.