Scouting Report

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Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

McFarlane moved from the U.S. Virgin Islands to attend Habersham Central High School for his senior year of high school. His athleticism and projection garnered plenty of interest, but his strong commitment to Miami led him to slide to the Cardinals in the 25th round, so he headed to pitch for the Hurricanes. He’s gotten some opportunities to start since 2020, including this spring, but has spent the bulk of his college career coming out of the Hurricanes bullpen.

A right-hander who has added good strength to his athletic 6-foot-4 frame since heading to college, McFarlane succeeds largely with two very good pitches: his fastball and slider. His fastball has averaged over 95 mph this season, topping out at 99, and there’s good run on the pitch. His slider, which he’s run up to 89-90 mph, flashes plus and misses bats at a very impressive rate. He does have some feel for his mid-80s changeup as well.

With that kind of potential in a three-pitch mix and an ideal durable pitcher’s frame, it might be tempting to give McFarlane another chance to start at the next level. But his long arm action in back is very tough to repeat, which has led to issues with command. Perhaps a team could try to retool his mechanics, but it might be wiser to keep him in the pen and let that fastball-slider combination carry him to the big leagues.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45      

McFarlane went from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Georgia for his senior year of high school and then on to the University of Miami. Working out of the Hurricanes bullpen for the most part, he showed off enough raw stuff and arm strength to land in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft. The Phillies gave him a chance to start in 2023 and he showed some glimpses early on, though he was shut down in July and threw sparingly in August, eventually needing Tommy John surgery.

Even though he had three years at an ACC school, McFarlane profiles more like a raw high schooler after throwing just 91 innings combined at Miami. The power stuff is plenty good enough, starting with a fastball that was up to 101 mph last year, though command of it was spotty. His lower arm slot has been better suited for his two-seamer, and he proved adept at getting ground-ball outs during his first full season. He backs the heater up with an upper-80s slider that flashes plus, and he worked on a split-changeup as he tried to find a complete starter's arsenal.

Likely to return in 2025, the Phillies could let McFarlane continue to start so he can make up for lost reps and work on his repertoire, not to mention his below-average command. Seeing him as a multi-inning reliever does seem like a more likely long-term path.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45

A native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, McFarlane popped up on Draft radars when he moved to Georgia for his senior year of high school before going on to Miami for college. Pitching mostly as a reliever for the Hurricanes, his premium stuff missed a ton of bats. After throwing very well in the Cape Cod League last summer, he landed a slightly over-slot bonus from the Phillies in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft before making a brief pro debut with Single-A Clearwater.

McFarlane is a long, loose right-hander with a combination of now stuff and projection, one who has not logged a ton of innings. Though he worked out of Miami’s pen more often than not, he has the chance to start with a legitimate three-pitch mix. While his fastball is up to 98-99 mph and averaged north of 95 mph in college last year, he’s still learning how and when to use his fastball, and he worked at instructs in incorporating both his two- and four-seamers, with the former sinking heater an effective option against right-handed hitters. His upper-80s slider could be a plus out pitch, and he showed off good feel for a split-changeup at instructs.

The 6-foot-4 righty has a long arm action in the back of his delivery, which can lead to trouble repeating his mechanics and finding the strike zone. Some pro instruction and refinement could help correct that, and he has the upside to be a big league starter, a reason why the Phillies have already been asked about him in trades.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

McFarlane moved from the U.S. Virgin Islands to attend Habersham Central High School for his senior year. His athleticism and projection garnered plenty of interest, but his strong commitment to Miami caused him to slide to the Cardinals in the 25th round, and he headed to pitch for the Hurricanes. He’s gotten some opportunities to start since 2020, including this spring, but spent the bulk of his college career coming out of the Hurricanes bullpen. His 11.9 K/9 rate in his college career helped him get drafted in the fourth round, where the Phillies went a bit over slot to sign him for $572,500.

A right-hander who has added good strength to his athletic 6-foot-4 frame since heading to college, McFarlane succeeds largely with two very good pitches: his fastball and slider. His fastball has averaged over 95 mph this season, topping out at 99, and there’s good run on the pitch. His slider, which he’s run up to 89-90 mph, flashes plus and misses bats at a very impressive rate. He does have some feel for his mid-80s changeup as well.

With that kind of potential in a three-pitch mix and an ideal durable pitcher’s frame, McFarlane could be given a chance to start. But his long arm action in back is very tough to repeat, which has led to issues with command, so some mechanical adjustments will be needed in order for him to get a chance to stick in a rotation. In the 'pen, that fastball-slider combination could carry him to the big leagues.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	10/29/2024	Clearwater Threshers activated RHP Alex McFarlane from the 60-day injured list.
	03/20/2024	Clearwater Threshers placed RHP Alex McFarlane on the 60-day injured list.
	09/21/2023	Clearwater Threshers activated RHP Alex McFarlane from the 7-day injured list.
	08/26/2023	Clearwater Threshers placed RHP Alex McFarlane on the 7-day injured list.
	08/04/2023	Clearwater Threshers activated RHP Alex McFarlane.
	06/25/2023	Clearwater Threshers transferred RHP Alex McFarlane to the Development List.
	05/06/2023	Clearwater Threshers activated RHP Alex McFarlane.
	04/29/2023	Clearwater Threshers transferred RHP Alex McFarlane to the Development List.
	04/28/2023	Clearwater Threshers activated RHP Alex McFarlane.
	04/21/2023	Clearwater Threshers transferred RHP Alex McFarlane to the Development List.
	09/14/2022	RHP Alex McFarlane assigned to Phillies Organization.
	08/24/2022	RHP Alex McFarlane assigned to Clearwater Threshers from Phillies Organization.
	08/16/2022	RHP Alex McFarlane assigned to Phillies Organization.
	08/01/2022	Philadelphia Phillies signed RHP Alex McFarlane.
	05/21/2022	RHP Alex McFarlane assigned to Miami Hurricanes.
	05/21/2022	RHP Alex McFarlane assigned to Miami Hurricanes.