Phillies promote top pitching prospect Gage Wood two levels to double-A Reading
He will continue to work as a starting pitcher and make his double-A debut this week.
Eight weeks into the season, the Phillies are challenging their top pitching prospect.
Gage Wood will skip over one level of the minor leagues and move to double-A Reading from low-A Clearwater, the Phillies announced Monday. He will continue to work as a starting pitcher and make his double-A debut this week, according to farm director Luke Murton.
Wood, a 22-year-old right-hander, had a 3.42 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 26⅓ innings over eight starts for Clearwater. The Phillies are being conservative with his workload in his first full pro season, capping him thus far at four innings and 68 pitches per start.
The Phillies drafted Wood with the 26th overall pick from the University of Arkansas, where his final start was a 119-pitch no-hitter in the College World Series. He came to pro ball with a big fastball and nasty curveball. The Phillies are pleased with the development of his slider. He got three strikeouts with the slider Friday night for Clearwater.
