Former Philadelphia Phillies Top Prospect Slowly Regaining Form on Mound

A former Philadelphia Phillies top prospect is trying to find his way in the Arizona Fall League.

Mar 4, 2024; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Griff McGarry (71) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning at TD Ballpark. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

There have been a lot of positive Philadelphia Phillies updates coming out of the Arizona Fall League this year.

All eyes have been on their top pitching prospect, Andrew Painter. After missing the 2023 and 2024 campaigns because of an elbow injury that needed Tommy John surgery, he is knocking off the rust.

It is great just seeing him out there after all of this time away as he looked to be in line for a rotation spot coming out of Spring Training in 2023 before the injury.

Alas, he isn’t the only pitcher who is looking to regain their form in the AFL. Griff McGarry is attempting to do the same.

A top pitching prospect heading into the 2023 campaign, his production fell off a cliff that season. Things didn’t get any better in 2024 when he walked 36 batters in 31.2 innings of work.

That loss of control is concerning for anyone, let alone a player who was so highly regarded just a short time ago. Looking to get things back on track, he has slowly but surely shown signs of improvement.

He has made two appearances, pitching four shutout innings. Three walks have still been issued, but he has worked around them giving up only two hits and striking out five.

As Keith Law of The Athletic noted, McGarry seems to be sacrificing some velocity on his pitches hoping for better control. Something needed to be done as the work the pitching staff put in to refine his mechanics didn’t pay off.

“He was 92-96, below his typical velocity, with a slider, cutter, and changeup, showing tight spin on both of the breaking pitches, and that arsenal would be plenty for him to be an effective reliever if he’s got even 45 control. I’m guessing the velocity drop is a function of him trying to throw more strikes, rather than turning it up to 11 all the time. I’m hopeful it’ll help, as the delivery changes that the Phillies helped him make last offseason didn’t improve his results,” the MLB expert wrote.

The arm talent is there for McGarry, he just has to figure out a way to harness it effectively. The last two seasons have been disastrous, but he showed the talent he had early on in his professional career.

If Philadelphia can find a way to help him get over this hump, he will be a useful piece for their Major League team down the road.