Undrafted Reliever Wesley Moore Reaches Double-A With Phillies
The Phillies acquired lefthander Wesley Moore in an unusual way.
The 24-year-old reliever thought he would get a waiver for an extra year of eligibility at Kansas State in 2023, but he didn’t. Phillies area scout Justin Munson had watched him pitch in the past. He was at KSU watching players for 2023 when he saw Moore throw a bullpen.
Munson was adamant the Phillies needed to sign Moore, and they did so as an undrafted free agent shortly after seeing him in the fall of 2022.
Moore is a native of Surrey in British Columbia and has bonded with Phillies manager Rob Thomson over their Canadian heritage.
Moore pitched to a 1.35 ERA in 53.1 innings during his pro debut season of 2023 and started strong at High-A Jersey Shore this year. He struck out 18 and walked three in 10.1 innings over nine appearances to earn a quick ticket to Double-A Reading.
He went on the Reading injured list after three appearances with shoulder fatigue but was expected back quickly.
Moore relies heavily on his changeup and throws a 91-94 mph fastball. He is in the process of developing a cutter.
“He has the chance to have an elite changeup,” Phillies assistant GM or player development Preston Mattingly said.
“So he’s like a lower-slot lefty. I think developing the cutter is the biggest piece in his development, because it’s a new pitch for him and he’s just kind of starting to throw it. It’s something that if he continues to up the usage more, it will help him not overexpose his changeup too much.”
Mattingly said that the second big piece for Moore will be developing his fastball command.
“He commands the ball fine right now, but I think he can get to an elite level, which I think will really help him with righthanded hitters,” Mattingly said.
