MLB draft tracker: Phillies select college pitchers with 12 of their 20 picks

A few trends emerged from the Phillies’ camp in Days 2 and 3 of the MLB draft. After drafting two high school outfielders — Dante Nori and Griffin Burkholder — with their first two picks, they stuck with college players for rounds 3-20. Twelve of those 20 picks were pitchers, and most of those pitchers were relievers. The majority had good stuff but struggled to throw it in the zone.

The prioritization of stuff over control is consistent with some of the choices the Phillies have made with their big league roster. That willingness to take on big projects speaks to a trust in their player development and coaching, at every level.

» READ MORE: Phillies draft high school outfielders Dante Nori and Griffin Burkholder with their first two picks

“On Day 3 of the draft, 315 players have already been selected, so the guys who are able to do everything that you want in a pitcher are probably already gone,” said Brian Barber, assistant general manager, amateur scouting. “So you’re just looking for a unique quality that gives a guy an opportunity to A) become a prospect, and B) hopefully have major league value at a certain time.

“As we all watch Major League Baseball games, those guys have big stuff, in Philadelphia and all around. If they have stuff to begin with, that gives them a head start. We do think on a lot of these guys we’ve identified certain things that we’ll try to do sooner rather than later to try to get them in the zone a little bit more.”

No player is a finished product the day he is drafted, but the Phillies are able to take bigger swings than other teams. One reason is they’re on pace to win 104 games and can be more patient with prospects, but another is that they have faith in their coaching infrastructure.

» READ MORE: Rounding up the local players selected on Day 3 of the MLB draft

“You try to minimize the risks that you’re handing over, but that’s just not the reality of the draft,” Barber said. “Everybody has things they need to work on or improve upon. We try to identify those with each guy, and figure out whether we believe we are prepared to help.

“Sometimes that’s a no, but more often now, it seems like we have the infrastructure in place to help or improve. On the [player development] side, [assistant general manager, player development] Preston [Mattingly] and his entire staff, and really the entire organization, have allowed us that opportunity to bring in players that we like and help those players become better.”

With that in mind, here is a look at each of the Phillies’ picks in Rounds 3 through 20.

Spikerman, 21, is a switch-hitter who is listed at 6 feet, 190 pounds. He played shortstop in high school but has since moved to center field. MLB pipeline’s evaluators say he has average arm strength and could remain in center or move to a utility role that sees him roam the middle infield. He has plus speed and makes consistent contact, but for now he does not have much power. His approach has improved over his time at Oklahoma. Spikerman struck out 38 times in 147 plate appearances in his freshman year and 53 times in 284 plate appearances as a sophomore but has since lowered that number to 25 strikeouts in 190 appearances as a senior.

He hit .368/.429/.542 with a .971 OPS for Oklahoma this season. He helped the Sooners reach the College World Series finals in 2022.

“Spikerman is an electric athlete with a really good set of tools,” Barber said. “The left-handed bat is probably a little more ahead of the right-handed bat. We think we can help him there.”

DeMartini, 21, is a left-handed hitting infielder who is listed at 6 feet, 197 pounds. He was ranked No. 64 overall by Perfect Game in its MLB draft board update in June. MLB Pipeline ranks him at No. 93 in its 2024 prospect rankings and describes him as a “power over hit profile with plenty of draft speed to drive the ball.” He is a versatile defender who played second and third base in college, and shortstop in high school. DeMartini improved his approach in his sophomore year at Virginia Tech, lowering his chase rate and increasing his walk rate. He underwent surgery to repair his labrum in 2023 but played in 2024. After his surgery, his strikeout rate jumped, which some evaluators thought could be because of his shoulder injury. He hit .269/.400/.672 with a 1.072 OPS and 21 home runs for Virginia Tech this season. He posted an OPS above 1.000 in three of his four collegiate seasons.

“DeMartini has big power,” Barber said. “We’ve identified some things that he did this year that he didn’t do his sophomore year, things that he changed that led to more strikeouts this year. We think we can get him back to where he was as a sophomore, bring the strikeout rate down, continue to develop the power, and have a power-hitting third baseman there.”

Mathison, 21, bats left and is listed at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds. He played all three outfield positions throughout college. His approach needs some work, but he has a lot of raw power. He intrigued evaluators during his freshman season at Indiana in 2022, when he hit 19 home runs with a 1.001 OPS in 257 plate appearances. But he has yet to replicate that performance and struggled to show the same power in summer collegiate baseball leagues, which use wood bats. Mathison did not hit a home run during his time in the Cape Cod League in 2023, posting a slugging percentage of .292. MLB Pipeline, which ranked Mathison at No. 204 among all of this year’s prospects, said the following about his approach:

“He doesn’t chase or swing and miss excessively, but he takes too many hittable strikes and falls behind in counts, leading to strikeouts. He will draw some walks, but his left-handed swing can get long and uphill, and there are questions about his ability to consistently do damage against pro pitching.”

There is work to be done, but Mathison is athletic, and the power is still there. It’s just a matter of whether the Phillies’ player development staff can unlock it.

Shojinaga is 21, bats right-handed, and is listed at 5-10, 190 pounds. He has experience playing second base, third base, and first base, in addition to catcher. He has a higher chase rate but does not have sky-high strikeout rates and can hit for average and gap power. Shojinaga batted .335/.402/.485 with an .887 OPS and five home runs this season for Kansas.

For now, the Phillies are going to see how he looks at catcher.

“What it ultimately leads to, I can’t guarantee 100%, but we brought him in to be a catcher and that’s what Kodey wants to do as well,” Barber said. “He just happened to be at a school where they had multiple catchers that were pretty decent and he had the ability to play other positions, as well. We’ve seen him catch in the fall, in some of the spring preseason games, but he is coming in to be a catcher.”

Dragoo, 21, is a right-handed hitter listed at 6-2, 200 pounds. He is coming off his best collegiate season of his career, hitting .401/.508/.797 with a 1.305 OPS in 254 plate appearances. Like Mathison, those power numbers dipped a bit in the summer league. Dragoo hit .231/.394/.250 with a .644 OPS and no home runs in the MLB Draft League this year. Nevertheless, evaluators are high on him. From D1Baseball.com:

“This is another great athlete with a well-rounded offensive profile, the kind of guy who has all the tools to make contributions at the pro level.”

Multiple sites have described him as an under-the-radar prospect.

Hill, 21, has an athletic frame, standing at 6-6, 215 pounds. He was used both as a reliever and a starter throughout college. He has a fastball in the low to mid 90s, and a slider in the low 80s with seven inches of break. Hill has good stuff but has struggled with his control. He pitched to a 5.56 ERA with Georgia Tech in 34 innings this past season, with 19 walks and 44 strikeouts. He pitched to an 11.57 ERA in three games in the Cape Cod League this year, with nine strikeouts and seven walks. He fared far better in 2023, pitching to a 1.09 ERA in the Cape Cod League over seven games with 45 strikeouts and 16 walks.

Morgan, 21, is listed at 6-3, 210 pounds. His numbers do not jump off the page, but according to MLB Network, scouts were not thrilled with how Iowa was developing him, so that could have had an impact. Morgan posted a 7.45 ERA in 54⅓ innings this season. He had 64 strikeouts to 53 walks. The control needs cleaning up, but the stuff is there. Morgan’s fastball can hit 96 mph, and he also throws a mid-80s slider, a power cutter, a change-up, and a low 80s curveball. He has experience starting and relieving.

Day, 22, is a left-handed batter who has experience playing second base, third base, and right field. He’s listed at 6-0, 185 pounds, and hits for contact with average raw power, according to MLB Network. He hit .318/.426/.513 with nine home runs and a .939 OPS for Kansas State this season, recording more walks (44) than strikeouts (39) across 285 plate appearances.

Hayes, 22, is a relief pitcher who is listed at 6-2, 218 pounds. He pitched to a 3.48 ERA with 20 strikeouts and seven saves with Austin Peay this season, and followed that up with a dominant season in the Cape Cod league over the summer. Hayes didn’t allow an earned run through 6⅔ innings pitched (six games) with three walks, one run, two hits, and 12 strikeouts. He has an mid-upper nineties fastball, paired with a putaway slider that hits 87-88 mph.

Wilson, 23, is 6-3, 225 pounds. He has only pitched out of the bullpen over his five seasons at East Carolina and UNC Charlotte. Wilson posted a 5.78 ERA with 144 strikeouts to 48 walks across those five seasons, and a 4.85 ERA with UNC Charlotte in 2024. He has a sweeper, described by one evaluator as “one of the best in college baseball,” and a low-90s sinker. He dealt with injuries and control issues in 2022 and 23 which could explain the higher ERA.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Cain, 21, is a reliever who began his collegiate career at Barton Community College but transferred to Kansas in 2024. He pitched to a 5.94 ERA across 33⅓ innings with Kansas this season, with 18 walks to 47 strikeouts. He has struggled with command but has good stuff.

Spencer, 21, is a 6-3, 195-pound reliever. He has some experience starting, but the bulk of his time has been spent in the bullpen. He pitched to a 4.08 ERA for Indiana State this season with 33 walks to 72 strikeouts. He’s recorded nine saves over his past two collegiate seasons. As is the case with many of the players the Phillies have drafted, they are prioritizing stuff over control here.

Gabrysh, 21, is a lanky right-handed reliever who went to school in the Phillies’ backyard, at St. Joe’s. He stands at 6-3, 200 pounds and pitched to a 6.10 ERA with 20 walks and 37 strikeouts for the Hawks this season. He pitched to a 1.42 ERA in the MLB draft league this summer, with five walks and 23 strikeouts. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and his slider sits in the 80-82 mph range.

“We got to know him pretty well. He was pitching in the draft league, locally, and then he came to a workout for us at Citizens Bank Park for us last week,” Barber said of Gabrysh. “He’s a unique guy who has a low arm slot, he’s been up to 97 mph, he spins the heck out of a slider, at that spot in the draft, that was somebody we were definitely going to be interested in.”

Like Gabrysh, Trop, 22, is another local selection. He stands at 6-4, 225 pounds, and pitched to a 5.18 ERA across 24⅓ innings with 15 walks to 32 strikeouts for Penn this past season. He pitched in the MLB draft league in 2023 to a 1.69 ERA across 5⅓ innings, with two walks and five strikeouts. That same summer, he pitched in the Cape Cod league, to a 1.50 ERA with three walks and nine strikeouts in six innings.

“Penn guy that was going to transfer to University of Texas,” Barber said. “Hopefully we get him in the mix. He’s got some really unique qualities — it’s one of those that we call a magic fastball. Guys have a hard time hitting [it]. Slider has a ton of swing and miss as well. Been up to 97 in the past.”

The 6-2, 185-pound Degges, 21, pitched to a 6.33 ERA with UNC Charlotte in 42⅔ innings with 33 walks to 51 strikeouts. He pitched in the MLB draft league last summer, posting a 6.35 ERA across 5⅔ innings with eight walks to five strikeouts. Degges throws a mid-90s fastball and a sweeper. His weak spot is his control.

Warunek, 21, is listed at 6-4, 201 pounds and has experience starting and relieving. He pitched to a 2.49 ERA with Longwood this season, with 13 walks to 25 strikeouts. He posted a 3.38 ERA in the California Collegiate League in 2023 with seven walks and 23 strikeouts. He jumped from a strikeout-per-nine rate of 6.8 in 2023 to 10.4 in 2024 at Longwood.

Ritchie, 21, is from Bucks County. The Souderton Area High School graduate stands at 6-1, 211 pounds, and pitched to a 6.67 ERA for East Carolina in 29⅔ innings this season with 27 walks to 33 strikeouts. He made four starts this season, but has spent the majority of his college career pitching out of the bullpen.

Carmack, 21, played a few games in the outfield for Arkansas State before transferring to Ole Miss, where he was only used as a pitcher. He is 6-2, 180 pounds, and posted a 9.28 ERA for Ole Miss in 2024. He pitched to a 5.17 ERA this past summer in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Another pitcher with good stuff and below average control.