READING — Griff McGarry has had consistency issues with control, mechanics and confidence since he first reached Triple-A Lehigh Valley late in the 2022 season, when he was among the Phillies top-rated prospects.
The 25-year-old right-hander has gone from starter to reliever to starter to reliever since being the Phillies’ fifth-round pick in 2021.
He’s back to being a starter to begin the 2025 season with Double-A Reading. It’s now the hitters who have having problems.
McGarry didn’t allow a hit in his first two outings — each four innings long. He struck out 13 and allowed three walks in those eight innings entering his third start of the year Friday against visiting Binghamton.
There have been no significant mechanical changes, no new pitch or grip. He’s simply throwing more quality strikes, getting ahead of hitters and putting them away.
“Getting ahead early is a big part of it,” McGarry said. “I’m attacking with the heater early, throwing my offspeed pitches for strikes. It’s more about consistency in the zone.
“I’ve always had the capability of doing that.”
There undoubtedly have been glimpses of that dominance in recent years, but the University of Virginia product has struggled to repeat it.
McGarry had a 4.70 ERA in 29 relief appearances last season with the IronPigs, but a 1.92 WHIP thanks to 36 walks in 30 2/3 innings.
The year before, the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder posted a 3.13 ERA in 13 starts with the Fightin Phils, but then allowed 20 earned runs and walked 14 in three starts totaling 4 1/3 innings for the IronPigs.
He walked nine in eight innings spanning seven relief appearances in 2022 with Lehigh Valley.
In 2025, McGarry has thrown 62.2% of his 119 pitches for strikes and allowed only three baserunners from the 27 batters he faced before Friday.
“I’m very, very pleased with the start he’s had,” Reading pitching coach Brad Bergesen said. “He’s put in a lot of work. He’s battled through some things in his career. I’m really glad to see him pushing through.”
Work ethic has never been an issue for McGarry. He’s also always been a quality teammate. It’s been about repetition and consistency.
McGarry made minor adjustments with his foot placement on the pitching rubber and catcher setup has been shifted after working with Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham during spring training.
He’s also worked with the club’s mental skills coaches like every other player who has struggled at times.
Some may view this season as a do-or-die situation, but McGarry and those around him are taking it as the latest challenge and chance for growth.
“He’s handled it really well,” Bergesen said. “The selling point that you tell these guys is that being able to go back and forth, be a long man, starter, a one-inning guy, that creates a lot of availability for the organization. Guys who can do that, there’s a lot of value to that.
“Griff is getting back to simplifying things, not trying to be so consumed with delivery. He is more execution focused with his pitches.”
McGarry started his transition in the 2024 Arizona Fall League where he made four starts in five appearances. He went into the offseason expecting that to continue when he reported to spring training.
He’s averaged 13.2 strikeouts and only 5.5 hits per nine innings in his four-plus minor league seasons. But he has yielded 6.6 walks per nine. That has led to big innings, shorter outings and the organizational shuffling between roles.
McGarry was a reliever his first two years at Virginia before shifting to a starter’s role the last two, so he’s familiar with that.
The right-hander’s progression has come down to simply throwing more strikes and the ability to minimize the damage, something all pitchers encounter.
McGarry had a 10-pitch, 1-2-3 inning for Lehigh Valley last season against Syracuse — all 10 pitches were strikes.
He also made eight appearances in 2024 when he threw fewer than 50% of his pitches for strikes, including a 12-pitch, three-walk outing to end the year.
Bergesen can appreciate the challenges. The 39-year-old spent parts of four seasons in the majors — two as a starter and two as a reliever. Though he may not have had the same fluctuation with his control — he averaged just more than two walks per nine innings combined in his 13 professional seasons — he certainly had his relatable emotional roller-coasters.
“Anyone who has played this game long enough,” Bergesen said, “98, 99% of us have endured some type of failure. Being able to share that with all the guys, there is power in being able to empathize.
“They’ve all been Johnny All-Star at every level, never failed. Then, they either get to high-A or Double-A and that could be the first time they experienced some of that failure. It’s a tough thing to go through that the first time.”
McGarry worked with Bergesen previously when they were at high-A Jersey Shore, so there is a trust factor already in place. Right now, their conversations are all based on execution and performance.
McGarry is in a good place mentally and physically. His focus remains as simple as the way he’s put away hitters to start 2025.
“The focus for me, especially this year, is being consistent from outing to outing and going deeper in games,” he said. “I know I’m capable of doing it. I know I haven’t always showcased that in the past. But those two things go hand in hand. That’s all I’m trying to do.”
Morning Call senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
Source: Berkshire mont
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