Barber Branches Out: Phillies Select College World Series Hero Gage Wood with 26th Overall Pick
Photo via the Arkansas Razorbacks
Ever since Brian Barber became the Phillies’ amateur scouting director in 2019, his tendency to favor high-school players in the draft has been a frequent conversation point. This year, however, Barber flipped the script: with the 26th overall selection in the 2025 amateur draft, the Phillies selected Gage Wood, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Arkansas. We may have to wait to find out whether the Phillies made this selection because Wood lasted longer on the board than anticipated or because the Phillies have another trick up their sleeve, but nevertheless, there’s a lot to be excited about.
College baseball fans (or just any sports fans who spend more than two minutes per day on social media) may recognize Gage Wood’s name from his historic performance just one month ago in the College World Series. And there’s good reason for remembering. In this start against Murray State, Wood threw a no-hitter and struck out 19 batters, the most ever by a single pitcher in the history of the College World Series.
Wood boasts a fastball that touched 98 mph at times in his 2025 college campaign. He has a tight curveball that can be very deceptive for a right-handed hitter thanks to its otherworldly spin. The slider and changeup are both works in progress, but his success with that lethal fastball-curveball combo should not be overlooked.
In his first full season in Arkansas’s rotation, Wood posted a 3.82 ERA and struck out a whopping 69 batters in 37.2 innings. And if the high-velocity fastball and high strikeout rate remind anyone of 2020 Hector Neris or 2021 Jose Alvarado, then you have not even heard the best news yet. In 78 innings over his last two collegiate seasons, Wood has only walked 15 batters, giving him an impressive 1.73 BB/9 rate.
Clearly, with the bullpen being sparse to begin with and Alvarado ineligible for the playoffs due to his suspension earlier in the season, you have to wonder whether the Phillies made this pick with the thought of bolstering their 2025 playoff bullpen internally in the back of their mind. With Wood’s fastball—which has a 45% whiff rate—and tight breaking ball, he could certainly contend for a spot in the back-end of the Phillies’ bullpen once October rolls around.
And despite being a starter this season, he spent the majority of his freshman and sophomore seasons pitching out of the bullpen, so he is more than likely comfortable in that role. Plus, we all saw his performance at the College World Series, so he surely isn’t afraid of a big moment.
Tomorrow, the Phillies will complete the final 17 rounds of the 2025 draft. Live coverage begins at 11:30 am and can be found on the official website of MLB.
Colin Daly
Colin is an editor and the lead Phillies writer for Philly Sports Reports. He has been covering sports since 2020 and has been with PSR since the summer of 2021. As a lifelong Philly fan, he has a strong passion for the core four and does not miss a game. Colin is a co-host of the Bell Ringers podcast.
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