Phillies Draft Recap
Andrew Painter, RHP, Calvary Christian High School
Philadelphia Phillies Twitter was expecting that Benny Montgomery would land with the Philadelphia Phillies as the thirteenth overall in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft. That wasn’t the case as the Colorado Rockies snagged him with the eighth overall pick.
With the pick at thirteen, the Phillies selected Right handed pitcher, Andrew Painter from Pompano Beach, FL & Calvary Christian High School (FL). He is eighteen years old and he is committed to playing for the University of Florida. Andrew stands at 6’7.
He has a strong arm and can whip a powerful fastball in the mid 90’s. His big stride coming off the mound after each pitch might be a huge factor once he gets to the majors. He has excellent mechanics
He can be compared to Zach Wheeler because he has the same kind of length as Painter. The Phillies were desperate to get another good pitcher and they found what they wanted. The big question is how long will it take him to move through the minors. Andrew needs to imrove his control with his change up.
Phillies general manager Joe Giraridi already has a terrific relationship with Andrew.
Ethan Wilson, OF, South Alabama
On the second day of the 2021 MLB Draft, the Philadelphia Phillies took an outfielder out of South Alabama named Ethan Wilson with the 49th overall pick.
There was a report that he doesn’t have the smoothest left handed stroke but he makes contact, works counts, and draws walks at the plate.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Wilson was a first-team All-Sun Belt Conference pick in 2021, when he batted .318/.419/.528.
His overall strength is power. The Phillies are always looking for another Bryce Harper type of offensive player to build around and I see great potential.
Although Ethan is consistent at the plate, his weakness outside of the batters box is he is slow and won’t be able to outrun many throws.
When looking at the tape of Ethan at the batters box, you can really see that he’s got a nice, steady cut that will help drive the ball. Also, he has a good eye.
Micah Ottenbreit, RHP, Trenton High School (Mich.)
Micah was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday with the 114th overall pick (round 4). He is 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds. He has the option to play division one college baseball at Michigan State University.
At Trenton this year, the Division 2 First-Team All-State honoree helped guide the Trojans to a second consecutive regional championship along with a Downriver League title.
Ottenbreit was 7-1 on the mound this spring and he picked up one save. He struck out 95 batters in 54.2 innings of work and finished with an ERA of 0.64.
Ottenbreit only turned 18-years-old in May. He typically pitches in the 89-92 mph range and has touched 93-94 in the past,
His curveball is a strength of his and and he is working on his other pitches.
Looking at 2020 tape, his mechanics weren’t impressive. Lots of wild throws to the outside of the plate. Interested to see how he develops as the time progresses.
Griff McGarry, RHP, Virginia
Griff was selected in the 5th round (145th selection). McGarry was originally drafted in the 31st round in the 2017 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers - out of Menlo High School in California.
During the postseason this past season, he has hit 97 mph consistently and has been on top of his game. When I was reading about Griff, it seems like his fastball is at a major league level. He can throw it like a bullet at 99 mph. It’ll be interesting how long it will take until he pitches in a Phillies uniform.
One thing to keep in mind is that he struggled with his control and he walked batters a lot. He started the season as a number two starter in the starting rotation for Virginia and then got moved to the bullpen.