The Philadelphia Phillies’ farm system generally ranks in the lower half of the league across most industry evaluations. While it’s not in poor condition, the system leans heavily on its top-tier talent—much of which is already contributing at the major league level.
That doesn’t mean there’s a lack of promising players in the minors. Even though MLB Pipeline ranked the Phillies 17th and Baseball America placed them at 20th, the system holds up as quietly respectable.
Unfortunately, the Phillies took a hit earlier this week when it was announced that one of their top pitching prospects, Christian McGowan (ranked No. 21 by MLB Pipeline), will miss the rest of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. This marks the second time the young right-hander has had the procedure, casting further doubt on a career that’s increasingly defined by injuries.
Phillies prospect Christian McGowan undergoes second Tommy John surgery
McGowan was taken by the Phillies in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft and made his professional debut later that year. Since then, his highest single-season workload has been just 40 1/3 innings in 2024—far from ideal. Injuries have consistently derailed his progress, and when he has been able to pitch, the results haven’t always been encouraging.
Nearly four years after being drafted, McGowan has appeared in only 29 games (23 of them starts) within the Phillies’ system. He’s reached as high as Double-A, posting a 4.48 ERA over 78 1/3 total innings.
It’s been a difficult stretch for both McGowan and the organization. While his ERA and other surface stats don’t impress, he has shown real promise in some areas—he’s struck out batters at a high rate, kept home runs to a minimum (0.9 HR/9), and allowed fewer than nine hits per nine innings over his pro career.
Now 25, missing yet another season is a significant setback. He’ll have to wait at least another year for a shot at Triple-A, and while turnarounds are always possible, it’s starting to feel like time is running out for McGowan to climb the Phillies’ depth chart.
