So here’s a scenario for you. What if the first time that Gage Wood steps onto the mound at Citizens Bank Park were to happen in the next couple weeks? It’s possible. The Phillies top pitching prospect was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game, which will be played at The Bank at noon on July 12 and he could be the starter. Wood and Reading teammate Wen-Hui Pan were selected to the roster for the All-Star Futures Game.
Wood was kept in Clearwater to start the season because the Phillies wanted him to be on a regular schedule and not have to deal with the frequent weather delays and cold weather that the teams in the north are subject to. Otherwise, he may have started either at Jersey Shore or Reading, where he is now.
The Phillies are pacing Wood and limiting his innings and pitch counts heavily this season. He has made seven starts for Reading covering just 25 innings. In that time though, the 22-year-old has a 3.86 ERA, 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings, a 1.29 WHIP, and a .209 batting average against. Scouts rate his fastball, which flies at up to 99 mph, among the best in the minors, but stress that his secondary pitches are still just under where they will need to be for success at the higher levels.
Wood was taken by the Phillies with the 26th overall pick in round 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Arkansas.
Pan was signed as an international free agent from Taiwan in January of 2023 and has spent considerable time on the IL including missing the 2025 season following Tommy John surgery. In 2024,Pan made 18 appearances (five starts) and pitched to a 2.15 ERA pitching primarily with Jersey Shore, although he had three games with Clearwater and one in the Florida Complex League (FCL).
This season, the 23-year-old has pitched with Clearwater and Jersey Shore on rehab assignments and then was activated and assigned to Double-A Reading where he has a 4.50 ERA in six relief appearances. In 21 games this season overall, Pan has 29 strikeouts in 23.2 innings with a 3.04 ERA.
The Phillies are now using him strictly as a reliever out of the pen this season and figure to have him continue that role from here on out.
The Futures Games teams have former Phillies at the helm. Shane Victorino will manage the National League team while Larry Bowa manages the American League team.
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