Phillies' 2025 first-round pick set to make professional debut Friday

Matt Sullivan

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Phillies' 2025 first-round pick set to make professional debut Friday image

The Philadelphia Phillies have a few very intriguing prospects who are working their way up the team's farm system. Andrew Painter is a top pitching prospect, while Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford have been electric this season.

While those three top prospects aren't likely to make their debuts soon, the Phillies will be seeing one of their more interesting prospects make their organizational debut soon.

According to Phillies Tailgate on Twitter/X, the Phillies are expected to have a 2025 first-round pick, Gage Wood, make his professional debut for the Clearwater Threshers on Friday night.

Phillies' Gage Wood to Make Organization Debut

The Phillies selected Wood, the right-handed starting pitcher out of the University of Arkansas, in the first round at pick 26 in the 2025 MLB draft. A few months after the draft, the Phillies are finally getting a first look at the $3 million first-rounder in the farm system.

Wood is known for his electric fastball, which helped propel him to a dominant showing in the College Baseball World Series, as he threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter for the first time in College Baseball World Series history in 65 years.

It was just the third no-hitter in College Baseball World Series history, and helped make Wood, the 21-year-old righty, stand out as an intriguing name for the 2025 MLB Draft.

The Phillies picked Wood in the first round, signed him to a $3 million deal, and he is now set to make his Phillies organization debut with the Threshers on Friday night, a little under two months since he was drafted.

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While Wood won't be making his MLB debut this season, he is expected to quickly rise through the team's farm system and could make an impact in 2026 at the earliest.

This past season at Arkansas, Wood had a 3.82 ERA in 10 starts with 69 strikeouts and seven walks. His 98-mph fastball helped make him a dominant pitcher in College, and he now brings that electric velocity to the Phillies, and on Friday night, to the Clearwater Threshers.

Fellow Phillies draft picks Cole Gilley (10th round), second baseman Matthew Ferrera (9th), catcher Will Vierling (11th), left fielder Jack Barker (13th), and infielder Robert Phelps (19th) have debuted with the Threshers already.

Wood, the Phillies' first-round pick in July, is now set to join those draftees on the Threshers for his Phillies organization debut. He'll face the Tampa Tarpoons, the Yankees' Single-A affiliate.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.