Phillies fans finally got their look at Alex McFarlane, and the message from his first outing back in the majors is pretty clear: keep running him out there.
McFarlane was promoted for the third time this season after Alan Rangel was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following 2.2 innings of relief behind Andrew Painter. Earlier, the Phillies had gone with Chase Shugart when Caleb Kilian landed on the injured list. This time, though, it was McFarlane getting the call back to the big leagues.
He took the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 11 and allowed one run while working through the middle of their order. The line wasn’t spotless, but the stuff jumped off the page, and that’s why the Phillies should keep handing him chances.
There’s no real downside for Don Mattingly right now. The bullpen has been taxed, and McFarlane gives the club a fresh arm with real power stuff to deploy in middle relief.
The raw velocity is impossible to ignore. As shared by many outlets on X, eight of his 26 pitches hit triple digits. He struck out Alec Burleson for his first career punchout with a 100.5 mph fastball.
Pitch Profiler’s numbers backed up the eye test. McFarlane posted a 116 STUFF+ score overall, with his sweeper leading the way at 123. His four-seam fastball and slider both checked in at 121, while his sinker came in as the lowest-graded pitch at 100.
Results are temporary, stuff is forever pic.twitter.com/5VKFI2Cx3j
The bigger point is that McFarlane’s fastball and sweeper already look like real bat-miss pitches. He generated elite whiff numbers with both, and that kind of arsenal plays immediately.
He also finished with the best STUFF+ mark among all relief pitchers who appeared on Aug. 11.
That’s not a small thing. Even with a run crossing the plate, his stuff graded out ahead of everyone else in that bullpen group.
Alex McFarlane's stuff graded out best among relievers last night at a 116 proStuff+, even with a run crossing on his inning. Evan Phillips was next at 114 despite a rough 0.1 IP, and Yohan Ramirez graded 112 while tossing 3 scoreless with 5 punchies. pic.twitter.com/IrRAUjJDkx
Sure, some will look at the run he gave up and say he was rushed. But if you dig past the box score, the picture is much better. The arm talent is obvious, and Philadelphia needs more of that in its bullpen.
Mattingly is still going to want a larger sample before trusting McFarlane in the highest-leverage spots late in games. But with Orion Kerkering struggling recently and Kilian injured, there should be more openings ahead for McFarlane and Jonathan Bowlan to work their way into those roles.
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For a farm system that always seems to be under a microscope, the shakeup creates a clearer lane for the next wave. Alex McFarlane, Gage Wood and Bryan Rincon are among the prospects who have moved forward in the system and could be part of the conversation sooner rather than later, especially as the Phillies keep balancing immediate help with long-term development. The path is a little less crowded now, and that matters for a club trying to keep its talent pipeline moving. [Read more 🡒]