Varied Arsenal Propels Ethan Lindow

While in Philadelphia to pick up the Paul Owens Award as the Phillies’ minor league pitcher of the year in September, Ethan Lindow made a startling admission.

“I am a Braves fan,” he said.

He quickly caught himself.

“I was a Braves fan,” he said with a laugh.

The 20-year-old lefthander changed his allegiance after being drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round in 2017 out of Locust Grove High in the Atlanta area. He passed on a chance to pitch for Alabama-Birmingham and in two years he has become one of the Phillies’ most intriguing pitching prospects.

“He’s a special pitcher,” farm director Josh Bonifay said. “He attacks the strike zone. He mixes all his pitches in the zone. He limits hard contact. He’s able to spin his fastball where it gets above barrels. He’s able to put hitters away with his offspeed pitches.”

Lindow pitched at two Class A levels this season and recorded a 2.52 ERA in 110.2 innings. He had a 2.66 ERA in 94.2 innings at low Class A Lakewood and finished at high Class A Clearwater, where he made three starts and gave up just three earned runs in 16 innings while striking out 16 and walking just two.

For the season, he struck out 9.7 batters per nine innings and walked just 1.8.

As a teen, Lindow received instruction from the dad of one of his travel ball teammates. Hall of Famer Tom Glavine advised Lindow to focus on command and movement over velocity. And, of course, Glavine offered some pointers on throwing the changeup.

“Him sharing knowledge with me was a confidence booster,” Lindow said.

The 6-foot-3 Lindow throws a fastball, changeup, cutter and curveball. His fastball has touched 94 mph.

“His ability to command all of his pitches is special at that age,” Bonifay said.

“I really pride myself on being able to attack the zone and being able to throw all my pitches for strikes,” he said.

Lindow projects to be back at Clearwater at the start of next season. And if he continues to progress, he could one day find himself pitching against the team he used to root for.

“That would be a dream come true,” he said.