Phillies Pitching Prospect Alex McFarlane Called Up From Double-A Reading
Photo via Reading Fightin Phils
The Phillies have had a clear issue with their bullpen this season. A mix of poor performance and injury has led the ‘pen to becoming a major trade deadline need.
Now, the Phillies have had the luxury of depth this season. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made a major attempt in the offseason to add bullpen arms into the minor league system to serve as crucial depth pieces to supplement the major-league bullpen when injuries arise. Unfortunately for the Phillies, the issues in the ‘pen can’t be solely fixed by those minor league firemen such as Seth Johnson or Lou Trivino.
However, a potential revelation could be entering the Phillies’ bullpen. Number 17 prospect for the Phillies, 25- year-old reliever Alex McFarlane, has been called up from Double-A Reading, ahead of the Phillies’ series opener at Citizens Bank Park against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
McFarlane was the Phillies’ fourth-round selection out of the University of Miami, spending the first three years of his minor-league career as a starter. To put it lightly, it wasn’t successful. His lowest ERA while a starter was 4.72 in 18 starts last season for High-A Jersey Shore.
McFarlane’s journey in the minors has been somewhat arduous, with the poor numbers as a starter plus losing all of 2024 to Tommy John surgery. He moved to a full-time bullpen role this season with Double-A and has become dominant pitcher because of it.
In 32 appearances this season for Reading, McFarlane has pitched to an elite 2.06 ERA, striking out 47 batters. He’s allowed an opponent batting average of .187 and has converted 12 out of 13 possible save opportunities.
This is not the first call-up McFarlane has received this year, being added to the roster as a 27th depth man back on April 24 in a doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves. He was unused then, but Phillies fans should be hoping he gets used now.
McFarlane features a three-pitch mix, which includes a fastball, slider, and changeup, with his bread and butter being the elite fastball. This pitch that has added velocity due to being moved to the ‘pen, now averaging upper 90s, and topping out at 102 mph several times throughout the season. The slider has had stellar swing-and-miss stuff, and while he does not use his changeup nearly as much since moving to the ‘pen, it’s still n his back pocket if need be.
If McFarlane can perform well for the Phillies, we can very well look at McFarlane the same way Orion Kerkering was looked at back when he debuted in 2023. Success for McFarlane would immediately upgrade the ‘pen and potentially be a free aquisition instead of having to pay for mutliple cheap arms at the deadline. The Phillies could attempt to make one trade instead of two for relief pitching (or two instead of three) and splurge a little more in these attempts.
Christopher DeMaio
Christopher is a Delaware County Native and a graduate of Devon Preparatory School, class of 2025. He is currently attending university and is in his second semester. Chris, growing up playing since the age of 4, fell in love with his hometown Phillies and continues that love with listening to sports radio, reading articles, writing for Philly Sports Reports’ Phillies team, and, of course, watching the Phils.
Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox:
