Griff McGarry Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

Former top prospect Griff McGarry earns Eastern League Pitcher of the Week after dominant start in AA Reading

Drew Smith
April 7, 2025
Phillies
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Griff McGarry was damn near written off. A flame-throwing righty with a wipeout slider from University of Virginia, McGarry had all the stuff that could make the best scouts in Major League Baseball drool. But year after year, the one curse that has plagued him from finding a spot in The Show was the fact that he had zero control and could barely hit a strike zone.

If Sunday was any indication, Griff McGarry might have started to figure things out, finally.

Griff McGarry made his first start since 2023 this afternoon and had an amazing outing for AA Reading:

4.0 IP | 0 H | 0 ER | 0 BB | 8 K pic.twitter.com/M5RpoShuR0
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) April 6, 2025

Pitching for the Reading Fightin Phils, McGarry tossed four perfect innings, punching out eight and walking zero. His performance earned him Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors.

Griff McGarry named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week

Fightin Phils Pitcher Griff McGarry has been named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week!

Full release: https://t.co/vB8HPIlunt pic.twitter.com/fczlulLdys
— Reading Fightin Phils (@ReadingFightins) April 7, 2025

For the first time in a long time, McGarry looked like that guy. The one who turned heads after being drafted out of Virginia. The one who was once talked about as a future mid-rotation weapon. The one who hasn’t been seen since walks and wildness consumed his development.

Last year McGarry walked nearly a batter per inning in Triple-A as a reliever. It got so bad the Phillies yanked him from the bullpen experiment, pushed him back down to Double-A, and basically said, “Figure it out.”

Well… maybe he has.

I’ve always been a Griff McGarry believer but back in reality, we should probably pump the brakes. He turns 26 in June, and this is just one start. I refuse to ignore how good it was. He was dominant, efficient, and in control.

Words we haven’t said in the same sentence as McGarry since 2022.

It’s a long road back but as we all know, every comeback starts somewhere. Griff McGarry might’ve taken his first real step toward redemption.