Alex McFarlane has gone from the Virgin Islands to the University of Miami to pursue a pitching career. When the Phillies drafted him in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft, the next step was a trip to Clearwater, then Jersey Shore, and now, Reading. It’s time for McFarlane to put another travel sticker on his luggage; Lehigh Valley.
Unfortunately for McFarlane, he will spend tonight – his 25th birthday – in Reading with the rest of his teammates on the Reading Fightins. He really should be north of there in Moosic, PA where the Lehigh Valley IronPigs are playing the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The right-hander has been near unhittable with Reading, posting a 0.42 ERA in 21 relief appearances, which includes converting five of the six save opportunities that he has had.
McFarlane may have been drafted higher if not for control issues that plagued him in college and are still present today. In his 21.2 innings this season, McFarlane has walked 10 hitters. Last season he walked 43 hitters in 80 innings between Jersey Shore and Reading. Of his 28 appearances last season, 18 were as a starter, including a complete game for Jersey Shore. While he was effective as a starter, he was also inconsistent, which prompted the Phillies to move him to the bullpen late in the 2025 season.
An obstacle in the road
After signing, McFarlane moved quickly through the lower levels of the system, but his development hit a significant wall due to injury. His 2023 season started well but took a turn, ultimately ending with Tommy John surgery. McFarlane went on the 7-Day IL in late August 2023 and the following March was on the 60-day injured list where he would stay for the entire 2024 season. The right-hander started to throw during the Florida Instructional League late in 2024 and was ready to start the 2025 season, which he did with Jersey Shore.
After a promotion to Reading, the inconsistency continued and led to McFarlane returning to the bullpen which is the primary role he held at the University of Miami.
With just four games pitched with Double-A Reading, the Phillies had him start this season with the Fightins and he has been on fire since Opening Day.
What the Phillies want to see
The biggest thing that the Phillies are hoping to see from McFarlane is for him to get consistency with his control. The issue has plagued him since college even though he has been good enough to work past the added walks he issues. Just as much as the walks that McFarlane issues, the fact that he often finds himself working from behind in the account, affects how he is able to use his repertoire of pitches.
The Phillies have worked on refining McFarlane’s mechanics and there are reports that they are considering having him work more than just an inning at a time out of the bullpen. They have also put him into some situations where he enters a game with runners on base to give him opportunities to pitch in those conditions.
It would be unlikely that the Phillies would move McFarlane into a closer’s role in the majors since Jhoan Duran has been perfect in save opportunities this season, going 16-for-16 with the Phillies. Duran is eligible for one more season of arbitration, so it’s unlikely that he would be going anywhere until he is eligible for free agency following the 2028 season.
Reasons for McFarlane to head for Lehigh Valley
It’s very likely that the control issues that have plagued McFarlane will not be going away since they have been an issue for McFarlane throughout his career. He had them prior to the TJS and still has them now, and if anything, control problems can plague pitchers for a while following the surgery even if they were not an issue prior to surgery. In other words, the Phillies may be waiting for something that just might not happen.
To go with the 10 walks, McFarlane has 30 strikeouts this season with Reading. One of the reasons is a wipeout sinker that hits the 100 mph mark on a fairly regular basis and is nearly unhittable. A good, but not devastating, four-seam fastball goes well with the sinker and gives McFarlane a pitch that gives horizontal movement opposed to the vertical movement of the sinker. McFarlane’s slider is another well above-average pitch that he gets a lot of swing-and-miss action with. After his move to the bullpen last season, McFarlane started working on a splitter and split/change that he could use to get left-handers out. The new pitches have definitely helped control left-handed hitters, who are hitting just .154 against McFarlane this season.
The bottom line
The Phillies have generally been notoriously slow in promoting prospects. While the rest of baseball is moving players along faster than in the past, the Phillies have continued to take their time with young players. Ironically, the Phillies did recall McFarlane, who is on the 40-man roster, and have him in Philadelphia for a day. He didn’t get into a game, but they simply needed a warm body and didn’t want to add someone to the 40-man for a day, so McFarlane got the call.
Another thing to consider is that if the Phillies are thinking about McFarlane as a late season addition to the roster at all, they would want to get him to Triple-A as soon as possible. Remember, the ball is slightly – but importantly – different at the major league and Triple-A levels than at every other level of the minor leagues. The big league balls have flatter laces and are wound tighter. The lower laces and a higher quality leather, make the ball a little more slippery than the ones used at lower levels. The tighter winding keeps down exit velocities when the ball is hit. In other words, the balls at the lower levels – including Double-A – help pitchers. It’s time to see just how much McFarlane has been helped by those added features.
Oh, and on another note. Just use the same damn ball.
Please scroll down to comment on this story or to give it a rating. We appreciate your feedback!
Disclaimer: Some of the products featured or linked on this website may generate income for Philly Baseball News through affiliate commissions, sponsorships, or direct sales. We only promote items we believe in, but please assume that PBN may earn a cut from qualifying purchases that you make using a link on this site.
© 2026 LV Sports Media. All rights reserved.
