Griff McGarry finding success working his way back, and maybe into the Phillies’ plans this season

Returning from an oblique injury, McGarry is turning to an old strategy to harness his command and potentially become an option for the pitching-needy Phillies.

Griff McGarry has pitched 9⅔ innings across three appearances in the minor leagues in his return from an oblique injury.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Alex Coffey

Published May 25, 2023, 3:27 p.m. ET

When Phillies pitching prospect Griff McGarry was rehabbing his oblique injury in Clearwater, Fla., a few weeks ago, he was reminded of something important. It was a piece of advice his college pitching coach, Drew Dickinson, gave him just before he was drafted in the fifth round in 2021. McGarry had allowed 10 walks in 18⅔ innings over four starts for the University of Virginia. It wasn’t the most encouraging precursor to his professional career.

Dickinson told McGarry that a physical reset could help him slow down the game. When McGarry ran into trouble, Dickinson encouraged him to step off the mound, knock the dirt off his cleats, tuck his chain into his uniform, or readjust his belt. What he did mattered less than taking a moment for himself. If he slowed the game down, he would likely have better command of his pitches.

McGarry took his coach’s advice into his professional career, but had stopped using those physical resets consistently — until he got to Clearwater. Before the start of his rehab, the Phillies’ pitching staff asked him what he wanted to work on while he nursed his body back to health. McGarry, who posted a career-high 24.3% walk rate in 2022, said he wanted to work on his command. So, they came up with a plan.

McGarry, 23, treated his bullpen sessions like real games. He took a breath between each pitch. He took those physical resets when he felt he needed them. He actively thought about the next pitch he wanted to throw, to get himself in the right headspace.

It was markedly different from how McGarry had approached his bullpens in the past.

“In a bullpen, if you’re cruising and throwing each pitch where you want to throw it with the right movement, a lot of times it can get pretty fast,” he said. “And you’re just cruising and everything feels good, but it’s not always game realistic. So, I just started treating it as if I’m in game. Get the ball back, take a deep breath. Not just rushing back into it.”

All of those mindful bullpen sessions paid off. Through four starts at double-A Reading, McGarry has allowed just two earned runs and four walks. It’s a small but promising sample. What is more promising is how McGarry has felt in those four outings. The game isn’t speeding up on him. And when it does, he knows what to do.

He points to the last batter he faced in his outing on May 17 as an example. McGarry was facing Jasson Dominguez, an outfielder in the Yankees’ minor league system. Dominguez fouled off the first pitch and took a ball (that was technically a strike) for the second pitch. He fouled off the third pitch — a fastball in the zone — but McGarry liked where he put it.

He went off the back of the mound, took a breath, and told himself to try to hit a spot maybe an inch or two higher. He got a swing and miss for his fifth strikeout of the day.

“I really wanted to stay in the zone, so I took a moment and said, ‘All right, same thing here,’” McGarry said. “Little stuff like that goes a long way for me.

“I’ve practiced that so much in bullpens that sometimes, I’m not even thinking about it. Those physical resets have just become second nature at this point.”

McGarry’s biggest obstacle to contributing to the big league club has always been command. The Phillies’ No. 3-ranked prospect by Baseball America, McGarry has elite stuff, but for most of his career, he’s had trouble landing it in the strike zone. If he can do that consistently at double A, the Phillies will consider giving him the call. They certainly have a need for starting pitching, and McGarry could fill it.

He’s still in the process of building himself up after missing the beginning of the season, but he isn’t too far away. McGarry threw 56 pitches in his start on Wednesday. He’ll be somewhere in the 65-70 range in his next start.

He isn’t thinking about that right now. But if he keeps his walk rate down, opportunity will come sooner rather than later.

“I’ve learned how important it is to play where your feet are, be where your feet are, keep your head in the right spot,” McGarry said. “Keeping your head in the right spot is important. I’m just focusing on what’s in front of me.”