Phillies Minor Leaguers: George Klassen

Today’s PHLY podcast featured 21-year-old RHP George Klassen, selected by the Phillies in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 2023 draft.

Klassen is a Wisconsin native who pitched two seasons for the University of Minnesota. After missing his freshman year because of Tommy John surgery, he threw just 7.2 innings in his sophomore year and walked 14 of the 50 batters he faced (28%). But Klassen’s fastball hit triple digits in those limited innings.

The 6’2″ 170 lb righty pitched in a collegiate summer league for the Lakeshore Chinooks after that season, posting a 5.34 ERA across 28.2 innings. Utilized mainly as a reliever, his walk rate improved to 12.4%. That’s still a very troubling number, as the average major league pitcher walks about 7.7% of batters faced. Klassen’s fastball touched 102 mph with Lakeshore, however, and that will get scouts’ attention even when you can’t find the strike zone with a map.

The book on Klassen didn’t change much during his second season with Minnesota, even though the Golden Gophers moved him to their starting rotation. His stats in 2023: 14 G, 13 GS, 56.2 IP, 5.72 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 17.9% walk rate, 18.6% strikeout rate while regularly registering 100 mph on the gun. The Phillies gambled that he’ll eventually find some control, signing him to a $300,000 deal (slightly above the average slot value for the 193rd pick).

MLB.com notes that the young fireballer also throws an 82-86 mph curveball and an 83-88 mph slider, indicating that “both can be plus breaking balls when he can command them.” The website dismisses Klassen’s changeup, stating that he almost never throws the pitch and “can’t land it in the zone.” MLB ranks Klassen as the organization’s 24th-best prospect, while Fangraphs puts him 26th on their list, one spot below better-known power arm Griff McGarry.

Klassen can be fun to watch. His velocity and lack of command are both on display in this video. During the draft, writer Alex Carr called Klassen “a very Phillies pick,” with “ballistic stuff and no idea where it’s going.” Prospect analyst Matt Winkelman put it this way when the Phils made their selection: “[Klassen’s] range of outcomes is enormous as there is elite stuff that could be impactful as a starter or reliever. He also might not make it to AA.”