The Philadelphia Phillies are squarely in pennant-or-bust mode with a roster that has several players in the twilight of their primes. Philadelphia is currently in a heated National League East divisional race, leading the second-place New York Mets by just half a game.
While this roster is strong, there are a few areas of concern that need to be addressed ahead of the trade deadline, and the front office may have fixed one weakness through the 2025 MLB Draft. With the No. 26 overall pick, the Phillies selected University of Arkansas standout Gage Wood.
The 21-year-old is a superb talent with a scorching fastball who has the potential to be a bullpen option in October. While there are questions about whether Wood will eventually be able to transition into a full-time starter, the early impressions are that the Phillies picked the right guy..
Bleacher Report’s National MLB columnist Joel Reuter, in particular, graded this selection while giving Wood a compliment that is undoubtedly going to fire up Phillies fans.
“Grade: A
Can he help out in the MLB bullpen later this year? He was just getting fully stretched out by the end of the season and does not have the same workload on his arm as some of the other top college arms. Could be the best pitcher in this class.”
Due to the strength of the Phillies’ starting rotation, there is no pressure on Wood to start right away. The Newport, Arkansas, still needs a lot of refining before he can truly break out at this level, but he has the talent to contribute to the bullpen right away. Considering that reliever depth is a need for Philadelphia, especially heading into October, this pick looks even better.
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