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The Phillies face new rotation questions.
The Philadelphia Phillies’ pitching depth took another hit when 6-foot-6 right-hander Gunner Mayer elected free agency and signed a minor-league contract with an American League club, amid fresh questions about how Philadelphia will fit out its starting rotation and complete its bullpen mix. The Seattle Mariners signed Mayer as a free agent last week, according to the official MLB transactions ledger.
While Mayer’s future as a major leaguer remains up in the air, Phillies continue looking to “add depth to a starting rotation that has some questions, different from how the position has felt the last couple of seasons,” according to FanSided analyst Matt Davis. The 2019 fifth-round draft pick had the potential to add to that depth, or to serve as an emergency arm in the bullpen if the Phillies face mid-season injury issues with their relief corps.
Mayer spent his entire professional career in the Phillies organization and registered 338 strikeouts across 272 2/3 innings. He now joins a Seattle system that remains, according to one MLB analyst, “one arm short of having a really, really dynamic bullpen to work with.”
The 25-year-old from Stockton, California, has some issues with command and mechanics to work out before he could become that arm, but the Phillies appeared content to let him walk as a free agent rather than attempt to develop Mayer any further. But the Mariners were likely attracted by the fact that, despite a fastball that tops out in the low 90 mph range, Mayer’s height gives him elite extension of approximately seven feet, making his heater appear several miles per hour quicker. The six-year minor leaguer also possesses a solid curveball.
Mayer Was Initially a Valued Prospect
Philadelphia made Mayer the 150th overall draft pick in 2019, signing him out of San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. The Phillies signed Mayer with a $600,000 bonus, well about the slot value of $357,100 assigned to the 150th pick that year.
“Mayer is a former infielder who has had success on the mound. The 6-foot-6 righthander has a good frame for a starting pitcher and shows plenty of upside due to his aptitude and fresh arm. His fastball comes out of his hand with relative ease and sits in the low 90s, topping out at 94 mph. He throws a power curveball with solid shape and depth in addition to a slider that has shown recent improvements,” wrote Baseball America in a scouting report on Mayer at the time of the 2019 draft.
“Although he is still fairly new to pitching, Mayer’s athleticism, frame and pure stuff helps him profile as a high-upside starting pitching prospect from the JuCo ranks,” the report continued, noting that Mayer had committed to pitch at Texas Tech once leaving the junior college circuit.
But perhaps enticed by the above-slot bonus, Mayer elected to turn pro instead. But after six seasons in the Phillies minor league system never rising above the Double-A level, Mayer exercised his right to become a free agent on November 6.
The Mariners signed Mayer on January 27. Whether the signing comes with an invitation to Seattle’s spring training camp, as minor league free agent signings often do, has not been made public.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
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