Coming up through the minor leagues, Andrew Bechtold has done a little bit of everything. The former 37th- and later fifth-round draft pick has tried his hand at basically every position on the infield (including catcher) as he closes in ever-so-slowly on that elusive big league debut.
The 28-year-old is going to get another shot at making that debut as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies organization in 2025. According to Steve Potter of Phillies Baseball Fan, Bechtold has signed a minor league contract with the Phillies. While no official word has come out, the odds are low that he has secured an invite to big league spring training with the Phillies.
Drafted (twice) as a position player, Bechtold possessed some decent raw power, but he began to try his hand as a two-way player in the 2023 season. At the plate, he hit eight home runs in 73 games with an .800 OPS while posting a ghastly 11.00 ERA in 20 relief appearances for the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate.
This past season, Bechtold abandoned the two-way label, making a full-time move to the mound. In a total of 33 appearances split between two affiliates of the Blue Jays, he posted a 6.21 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 20 walks in 33 1/3 innings of work.
Phillies sign local converted pitcher to minor league contract
Bechtold, a Pennsylvania native, has yet to capitalize on his upside as a pitcher. Rumor has it that he’s going to give the whole “full-time pitcher” thing a go as a member of the Phillies organization in 2025.
On the mound, he boasts a three-pitch mix that is still very much a work in progress, but it’s coming along. He throws a four-seam fastball, cutter and slider, with the four-seamer reaching as high as 98 this past season. As evidenced by his walk count, control is still something he’s working to get under, well, control, but the fact that teams continue to let him come aboard and attempt to get his feet under him as a pitcher has to mean something.
It remains to be seen which minor-league level Bechtold opens the upcoming season at, but it’s likely he reports to the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. Should he continue to have trouble establishing himself as a pitcher, the Phillies could always look to tap back into some of that offensive upside, as he has already got two 18+ home run campaigns under his belt in 2021 and 2022.
