Alex Garbrick drafted by Phillies: “A dream come true”

SLIPPERY ROCK, PA – “A dream come true,” how new Philadelphia Phillies draftee Alex Garbrick describes his selection in this week’s Major League baseball draft.

Garbrick spoke with therecord-online on Wednesday. He was drafted in the 17th round on Tuesday and will fly to the Phillies’ spring training base in Clearwater, FL on Saturday. Garbrick had been taken in the 40th round in 2019 by the New York Yankees but opted to remain in school to obtain his degree. The Central Mountain grad called the stay-in-school choice “a good decision.” He moved up 23 rounds in the draft and now holds two degrees, a BA in business from Morehead State and a BA in interdisciplinary studies from Upstate South Carolina where he finished his schooling this spring.

Garbrick arrives in Clearwater on Saturday and will participate in a mini-camp there starting Monday. He said he is not sure what to expect. He said he could then be placed at the Phillies’ “Low A” Clearwater team or at the “High A” Jersey Shore BlueClaws in Lakeland, NJ. It is his understanding he may get some professional experience at one of those sites this season but the Phillies organization often limits the number of innings for new pitching draftees as they have just come out of innings-heavy college/high school baseball. Given that, he said, it is likely he would “hit the ground running next spring.” He said he’ll take this summer’s experience “a day at a time” and see what the Phillies have planned.

He was able to work out in Philadelphia before Phillies personnel earlier this month and said the Phillies showed the most interest among multiple major league clubs scouting him.

Garbrick had a 3.39 ERA this season at Upstate South Carolina, striking out 74 batters in 66.1 innings, to go along with 29 walks. He was one of the standouts on the Keystone Little League team which participated in the 2011 Little League World Series.