Andrew Pullin Hits His Way To Cusp Of Majors
PHILADELPHIA–New hitting coach Matt Stairs was able to gather first-hand intel on a few of the Phillies’ up-and-coming hitters during the organization’s week-long prospect education seminar in January.
He came away impressed with 23-year-old corner outfielder Andrew Pullin.
“He’s got a very quiet approach, tremendous hands and a short, fluid swing,” Stairs said. “The scouting report is: You can’t beat him with a fastball—and I can see why. I’m excited to see him on a more regular basis in spring training.”
The lefthanded-hitting Pullin is headed to his first big league camp as a non-roster invitee. He earned the look by hitting .322/.362/.522 with 14 home runs at high Class A Clearwater and Double-A Reading last season. He played in just 82 games because he retired just before Opening Day before returning five weeks later.
“I had some personal things I needed to take care of and the Phillies were very gracious and helpful,” he said. “I’m glad to be back. Everything’s great.”
Pullin, who is 6 feet and 200 pounds, hit .346 with a .955 OPS in 46 games after his promotion to Double-A. A late-season elbow strain scuttled an assignment to the Arizona Fall League. That injury allowed the Phillies to gamble and leave Pullin unprotected in the Rule 5 draft. The move paid off.
Senior adviser Pat Gillick fell in love with Pullin’s swing while scouting Washington prep righthander Mitch Gueller for the 2012 draft. Pullin played for rival Centralia High, which is 90 minutes south of Seattle, so Gillick saw him hit frequently.
The Phillies drafted both Gueller (supplemental first round) and Pullin (fifth) in 2012. Gueller now plays football at Idaho State, while Pullin passed on Oregon to turn pro. His bat, which reminds some of former Phillies extra outfielder Jim Eisenreich, could one day take him to the majors.
“I feel like I can compete anywhere,” Pullin said. “I’ve learned a lot about myself and what I can do, and I’m just trying to repeat that. My goal is to improve with every game and keep moving up.”
PHIL-UPS
• The Phillies invited first baseman Rhys Hoskins to big league camp. He hit 38 homers and drove in 116 runs at Double-A Reading in 2016.
• Outfielder Carlos Tocci won the rookie-of-the-year award in the Venezuelan League. He hit .323/.403/.392 in 59 games for Aragua.
— Jim Salisbury covers the Phillies for CSNPhilly.com
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