Through the front eight rounds of the 2025 MLB Draft, the Phillies stuck with a common theme: pitchers. But the club shrewdly was able to nab an under-slot signing here and there, opening the door for a big swing in the ninth round, when they landed New Jersey prep shortstop Matthew Ferrara.
A product of Toms River East High School, Ferrara inked a deal for nearly $600,000 (almost fourth-round money) to get his pro career started. He took his lumps last August and September as he skipped straight to full-season Single-A Clearwater. But he broke through with a huge performance in Thursday's 8-7 extra-inning loss to Dunedin at TD Ballpark.
Ferrara kicked off his night by ripping a 104.2 mph two-RBI double in the first inning, an impressive feat multiplied by the fact it came against rehabbing Blue Jays right-hander José Berrios. Before the two-time All-Star called it a night, Ferrara got him once more, ripping his second homer of the season to left field.
The beat went on after the Dunedin bullpen door opened with a sixth-inning double off right-hander Nolan Perry and a ninth-inning triple off southpaw Austin Smith, giving Ferrara four extra-base hits on a three-RBI night, leaving him just a single shy of the cycle.
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Ferrara's performance marked the first game with four or more extra-base hits for a member of the Phillies organization since Kyle Schwarber homered his way into history last Aug. 28 with a quartet of roundtrippers. On the Minor League side, Kody Clemens was the last to achieve the feat, doing so for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Aug. 10, 2023.
COMPLETE PHILLIES PROSPECT COVERAGE
While there’s far too small of a sample size to draw any definitive conclusions about the Phillies’ No. 26 prospect (110 career plate appearances) and what he might develop into, a quick look under the Statcast hood gives a glimpse into what Ferrara brings to the table:
His top exit velocity of 110.7 mph ranks second among all Clearwater hitters in 2026 and he’s also posted four sprint speeds north of 29 ft/sec in the first two weeks of the campaign, a glimpse into his 70-grade run tool (tops among all ranked Phillies prospects).
The 18-year-old entered the week 4-for-29. In the span of three days, he has flipped the script with a pair of four-hit games to his credit, along with some street cred against a pitcher who will soon be back on a big league mound.