Few international signings in recent Phillies history have generated as much intrigue — and as much frustration from injuries — as Wen-Hui Pan. The right-hander hails from Hualien, Taiwan, and had drawn attention from scouts across MLB, NPB, and the CPBL for years before Philadelphia landed him three years ago.
After a dominating stretch of nine relief appearances with Jersey Shore, Pan was promoted to Double-A Reading on Saturday. Ironically, Pan’s promotion comes after the only relief outing for Jersey Shore where he allowed a run. Over the nine relief appearances, Pan was 1-0 with three saves in three opportunities and had an ERA of 0.82. In 11 innings he allowed just two walks and struck out 13 hitters.
He started the season with Low-A Clearwater where he was 2-0, 5.40 in six relief outings. Much of the ERA came from his first outing of the season when he allowed two earned runs in just 2/3 of an inning. In his other five appearances he posted a 3.00 ERA (2 ER in 6 IP).
Stuff and Repertoire
Pan is a big-bodied pitcher with an imposing frame. He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 220 pounds, and his primary weapons — a fastball and splitter — grade out at 65 and 60, respectively, on the 20-80 scouting scale.
His four-seam fastball averaged 95 mph and touches 98, and his ability to generate that kind of heat is nothing new — Pan was reportedly throwing 96 mph as a 16-year-old. The fastball plays up in the upper portions of the zone and generates plenty of swing-and-miss.
The splitter may be his best offering. His 84–85 mph split-changeup generates a ridiculous amount of groundball contact, which pairs well with his ability to blow the heater by hitters up in the zone. He also mixes in a low-80s slider that gets whiffs, and can occasionally deploy a slower curveball and a changeup. Pan reportedly arrived in the U.S. with ten different pitches before Phillies coaches instructed him to focus on just a few.
The slider is actually an addition to his arsenal, and the Phillies would have liked Pan to accumulate more reps developing the timing needed to throw the best version of that pitch.
How He’s Pitched
Pan debuted in 2023 with Single-A Clearwater and dominated in his 57⅔ innings, posting a 2.81 ERA and a 36.2 percent strikeout rate in the Florida State League. He has posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.73 across his minor league career, showing solid command for a power arm. The Phillies have used him primarily in relief, with 44 of his 63⅔ career innings coming in the seventh inning or later.
The Injury Road
This is where Pan’s story gets complicated. A broken pinky finger delayed his start in 2024 and dropped him in the prospect rankings. He returned in late June and was outstanding — posting a 1.29 ERA with 22 strikeouts over 21 innings at High-A Jersey Shore — only to suffer an even more serious setback. He was slated to pitch in the Arizona Fall League to make up innings, but pain upon arriving led to the discovery of a torn ulnar collateral ligament, requiring Tommy John surgery, which wiped out his entire 2025 campaign.
Pan has the potential to be a high-leverage reliever for the Phillies — a role the organization hasn’t developed much internally in recent years. At 23 years old, with just 29⅓ innings to his name since the start of the 2024 season, he’s a prospect worth watching. The stuff, when healthy, is legitimate. The question now is simply time.
Also…
The Phillies sent Jersey Shore left-hander Juan Amarante on a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Phillies. Amarante is on the small side (5’10”, 195 pounds) and mixes in five different pitches including a fastball that sits in the low-90s. None of his pitches rate out very highly, but he can get some swing-and-miss action, at least in the low minors. It’s unclear if he will have the same effectiveness as he moves up the ranks.
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