Phillies bet on ‘big stuff’ from electric first rounder Gage Wood
The Phillies scouted Gage Wood last summer when he was pitching for the Falmouth Commodores at the Cape Cod League. Something had changed when they saw him again this year with the University of Arkansas.
Always a strike thrower, the right-hander’s arsenal had improved. It “popped,” Phillies assistant general manager and head of amateur scouting Brian Barber said via Zoom shortly after the team took Wood with the 26th pick in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft on Sunday night.
The 6-foot, 205-pound starter showed off a power fastball and high-level curveball this season with the Razorbacks. That combination convinced the Phillies to make him their first-round selection.
“We saw a strong-bodied competitor that goes out there with big stuff, dominates with his fastball and curveball,” Barber said.
Wood, 21, had a 3.82 ERA in 10 starts for the Razorbacks in his junior season. He missed about two months during the year with a shoulder issue that the Phillies aren’t concerned about, but he bounced back to help Arkansas reach the College World Series after he returned. And Wood shined once he got there, throwing the third no-hitter in CWS history while striking out 19 Murray State batters.
“I don’t know if anybody actually got to see the start in the College World Series, where the stuff just stayed throughout,” Barber said. “I think it was 119 pitches in that game. And it was quality, quality stuff from pitch one to pitch 119 at the very end.”
Barber said he wondered if Wood might not be available to the Phillies at No. 26 after that masterful June 16 performance at Charles Schwab Field, but he was indeed there when they made their choice with the second-to-last pick in the first round. Philadelphia got itself a talented young pitcher with a track record of big-game success.
With the Phillies hopeful for their own deep postseason run, it’s only natural to wonder if the major-league club could use a primarily two-pitch pitcher like Wood in the bullpen late in the year. That sort of aggressive move might be far-fetched at this point — players rarely debut in the same season they’re drafted — and Barber maintained that the organization views Wood as a rotation piece.
“We see him as a starter,” Barber said. “Obviously, you see those dominating two pitches and people are going to automatically think: move to the bullpen, but this is a guy that’s shown the ability to do it. … Especially with the ability to throw strikes at such a high level that he’s done with the dominating pitches, we’re not planning to move him to the bullpen long-term anytime soon.”
Although the fastball and curveball are pitches that play, Wood could probably use a third pitch he can go to. Barber noted that he does have a slider and a split-change in his bag, and the Phillies believe that he can make additional strides with the slider. He might be able to move up the ranks of the minor-league system quickly if he stays healthy and it all comes together.
“I don’t think it’s ever really easy to predict how fast a person is going to have the ability to move,” Barber said. “I do know he has the potential to move quickly just because he does the two things: It’s already more ‘now’ stuff that you don’t have to project a ton on. Obviously, we think there are certain things, especially in his slider shape, that we think we can enhance a little bit. But he also already throws strikes.”
Beyond his strict ability on the mound, Wood also attracted the Phillies with his makeup and approach to the game. He plays with energy and emotion, put on full display in that no-hitter in Omaha, Neb.
After Wood recorded that final out — on a strikeout, of course — the righty turned to his dugout, yelled and flexed his muscles. He gestured toward the “Arkansas Razorbacks” wordmark on his gray road uniform top with his right hand before hugging his catcher and celebrating with his teammates.
“I think he’s a guy that Philadelphia fans are going to learn to love,” Barber said. “He’s got that type of … moxie or fire. It’s somebody that I think is pretty easy to get behind.”