Mavis Graves is a 20 year old left handed starting pitcher currently playing for the Clearwater Threshers. He was drafted by the Phillies in the 6th round of the 2022 draft from Eastside High School in Taylors, South Carolina. In high school Mavis was part of two state championship teams - the first in 2019 as a freshman and the second in his senior season. He both pitched and played first base in high school and was committed to play collegiate baseball for Spartanburg Methodist. As a high school senior he hit .346, had 25 RBI, three doubles and eight homers and was the Region 2-AAAA Player of the Year, SCBCA All-State and an SC Select All-Star selection. As a pitcher, he went 6-1 with 81 strikeouts and 2.01 ERA.
Mavis did not pitch in a pro game during his first summer in Clearwater with the focus instead on strength, conditioning and refinement of mechanics and approach. In 2023 he appeared in eleven games with the FCL Phillies pitching 34 innings with 45 strikeouts, 29 walks - a 1.88 WHIP and a 63 % strike ratio. He showed great improvement and promise in the month of August where in three starts, (10 IP), he posted a 2.70 ERA with a 188 BAA and a 1.40 WHIP. Was great to see as he battled to get there in the first couple months of the season. He told me after the season that the “biggest takeaway from the 2023 season was learning the mental side of the game and bettering myself after tough outings.”
This season he’s continued to shine - in his first ten appearances (nine starts and one in extended relief in a piggy back role) he’s posted a 5-3 record with a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings pitched with 67 strikeouts, 18 walks, a 1.13 WHIP and a .205 BAA. He earned the organization pitcher of the month award for May when he posted a 2.95 ERA (4 appearances - 3 starts - 1 bulk appearance) in 21.1 IP with 29 K’s and just 7 walks - had a 0.89 WHIP and finished the month with 13 consecutive scoreless innings (16 without giving up an earned run).
Phillies Minor League Pitching Coordinator Travis Hergert gave me the breakdown on the pitch repertoire - “a five pitch mix - four seam fastball, two seamer/sinker, a cutter that’s basically a slider but we call it a cutter for him since it’s from a higher slot and we want him to throw it hard. A curve ball that is more of a sweeper,a slider with depth and a very good change up. Fastballs will be 91-94 mph, cutter is mid 80’s, low 80’s curve and low to mid 80’s change up.”
Coach Hergert also said that “I still remember sitting down with Brian Barber after we drafted him and he was very excited about what we could do with him. He was a tall, skinny lefty that didn’t really use his lower half much. Mavis has been one of the hardest workers in our offseason High Performance camps - a lot of credit goes to our strength coaches and trainers for continuing to develop his body. He has also worked really hard at adding strength since we drafted him. He’s worked diligently on his delivery, understanding how he moves and how he can organize his lower half to get the ball over the plate. Attacking the strike zone has been a huge factor to his success as well as getting the ball to his glove side, especially vs right handed hitters.
Another big step in his development is command of his secondary pitches in knowing how to land them for strikes and when to get chase. He’s been with pitching coach Gustavo Armas for two seasons now and Gus has done a great job of keeping him on top of his routines and continuing to teach him his craft.”
Our thanks to Coach Hergert for providing some insights on Mavis. If you get the chance to see this young left hander the next time he’s on the mound you won’t be disappointed - there is a moxie about him and talent that projects for him to continually improve as he learns the craft of pitching even more, definitely one to watch for!
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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