At the Trade Deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies missed on acquiring one key aspect of any contending team: a starting pitcher.
While the Phillies’ top three starters have been great, it’s not been enough. Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo have been excellent. But past that, it hasn’t looked good.
While Aaron Nola is starting to find his stride (3.60 ERA in last seven games), he still has a 5.12 ERA on the season. Andrew Painter has been even worse with a 6.43 ERA and has been sent down multiple times.
Because of this, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra have urged the Phillies to call up No. 1 prospect Gage Wood for the stretch run.
Why Should the Philadelphia Phillies Call Up Wood?
Wood is the Phillies’ No. 1 prospect (No. 33 overall). While he’s currently in Double-A, we’ve seen pitchers have aggressive callups like Kade Anderson.
Wood has a 4.38 ERA in 21 starts, but possesses one of the best fastballs in the minors (70 grade). He also has above-average offspeed and breaking pitches that can wipe out hitters at the major league level.
In 76 innings between Low-A and Double-A, Wood has 112 strikeouts and just 25 walks.
“The Phillies have been controlling Wood’s workload carefully, starting him in Single-A for a spell before double-jumping him to Double-A Reading, keeping his stints fairly short along the way,” Mayo, Callis and Dykstra wrote. “He’s gotten hit a little bit, though pitching in the Fightin Phils’ hitting-friendly park hasn’t helped. He misses a ton of bats (13.0 K/9 in Double-A) without walking anyone (2.4 BB/9 with Reading), with a 34-percent overall miss rate at the level. He’s focused on improving his slider, and he has; with that and his elite fastball, he can get big league hitters out.”
Despite his pedestrian numbers in the minors, Wood can help this team now and in the postseason.
What Does This Mean?
Earlier this summer, experts said Wood could get the call soon.
If this were to be the case, he might’ve been a part of the bullpen. The Phillies addressed the bullpen slightly at the deadline, adding Brooks Raley, who has been a disappointment so far. Raley, in seven games with Philadelphia, has a 4.05 ERA. With the Mets, Raley had a 1.96 ERA.
The Phillies are 20th this season in bullpen ERA, per InsideThePen. So while they could use some starting help with Painter and Nola’s struggles, it might be better to use Wood out of the bullpen.
His injury history might persuade the Phillies to use Wood as a reliever if he is called up. As a starter, his fastball can touch 99 mph with great carry. If the Phillies use him out of the bullpen, his fastball would likely be above 100.
Wood’s elite stuff and control would immediately place him as a high-leverage reliever in the playoff race.
Interim manager Don Mattingly could also use Wood as a spot starter or opener for Painter or Nola.
There’s no question Wood can get major league hitters out. It’s just a matter of time before he is unleashed on the baseball world.
Phillies Urged to Call Up No. 1 Prospect Amid Playoff Race