It’s always an interesting and cool story when a local athlete gets a chance to play for the pro team in the city they grew up in or around. By my count there are now eleven players in the organization with “local ties” - Tyler Phillips, Braeden Fausnaught, Buddy Kennedy, Danny Wilkinson, Eli Trop (he’s from Seattle but pitched collegiately at the University of Pennsylvania), Luke Gabrysh, Ryan Dromboski, Andrew Bechtold, Erik Ritchie, Gabe Mosser and Zack Tukis.
In this article we focus the spotlight on RHP Andrew Bechtold.
Andrew signed a minor league free agent contract with the Phillies on 1/31/25. The 28 year old is from Glenn Mills, PA and attended Garnett Valley High School where he was a 2014 graduate. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 37th round of the 2014 draft but enrolled at the University of Maryland instead where he received a medical redshirt his freshman year. The following season he was the Terrapins starting third baseman. In 2017 he transferred to Chipola JC in Florida where he hit .419 in 60 games. The Minnesota Twins drafted him in the 5th round of the 2017 draft and he signed.
Bechtold played primarily third base in the Twins organization from 2017 to 2023 but also saw time at catcher, first base and second base. In 2023 he converted to a two way player pitching in 20 games at the AAA level (18 IP) while also making 502 plate appearances as a hitter. He was in the Twins organization till December of 2023 when he was signed as a free agent by the Blue Jays. Andrew converted to a full time pitcher in 2024 with the Blue Jays as a reliever making most of his 33 appearances (29) at AA New Hampshire before finishing the season at AAA Buffalo.
I recently asked Andrew a few questions about growing up in the Philly area and now being part of the Phillies.
Were you a Phillies fan growing up and if so did you get to many games at CBP?
“Yes, big Phillies fan growing up, I remember running out to buy a World Series shirt in 2008 when the Phillies won the World Series and skipping school the next day to watch the parade. I’ve been to CBP a bunch of times to watch games and I worked out there for the Phillies back in 2017 before the draft. I also played in the Carpenter Cup in high school at Richie Ashburn Field and Citizens Bank.”
What was your reaction when you found out the Phillies were interested in you and when you signed a contract with them?
“Obviously super excited to be with a historic organization that I’ve watched for so long, it will be a cool experience in spring training.”
Who would you like to meet on the current Phillies major league roster and chat baseball with?
“Not one specific player I would like to meet but since moving to the mound it’s been cool to watch the pitching staff and how they operate, previously I used to watch the hitters and see what they do and now that I pitch the game has kind of flipped for me. I’m now watching the pitchers and how they get guys out and what they use pitch wise - the Phillies are a great staff to watch.”
You’ve converted to pitching after initially starting as an infielder - what learning curves have you encountered and how do you feel you’re progressing?
“I think the more I’m on the mound the better that I get, obviously most guys in pro ball have been pitching their whole lives so I’m behind them in reps but my time as a catcher with pitch calling and game planning as well as reading swings I think has helped me progress at a quicker rate. Last year I seemed to get better as the year went on and I started to understand more about what I was trying to do out there on the mound.”
What is your pitch arsenal, your go to pitch?
“I have a carry four seam fastball that’s 97-100 mph, it averaged 97.1 last season. Also a new cutter that’s 90-93 and then a slider which was my best pitch last year as far as swing and miss which is 87-91.”
I thank Andrew for answering my inquiries. We wish him well this season and in years to come.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
Note : I've partnered with Fanatics on Phillies Merchandise - if you would like to help support my website and articles here's a link to order merchandise - I get a small commission on any sales - thanks for the support.
Comments