Position: LHP
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 175 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/L
Born: 04/24/1997
High School: Chino Hills (CA) HS
Drafted: Drafted 5th round, 144th Overall, 2015 (Phillies)
How Acquired: Trade (with Phillies for Rodolfo Castro)
Bonus: $420,000
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: 0
Overview
Falter is a tall lefty who’s strictly a finesse pitcher. His fastball averages just over 90 mph, and he frequently throws a slow curve. He also has a slider and change. His fastball and curve have very low spin rates. He generally throws strikes but he gets very few swings and misses. At the major league level, gopher balls have been a problem and opponents have slugged a robust .478 against him. He’s had no platoon split. The Pirates acquired him from the Phillies at the 2023 deadline for Rodolfo Castro.
2015-19
Pitching as a starter, Falter gradually moved up through the Phillies’ system, one year at a time, reaching AA in 2019, his fifth year. He had good ERAs and very low walk rates, but his stuff evidently didn’t generate much excitement. He made no top prospect lists during this time.
2020-23
Falter was at the Phillies’ alternate site during the pandemic season and the Phillies added him to the 40-man roster afterward. He pitched once for the Phillies in April 2021, then went to AAA and got off to a great start. The Phillies called him up in June, but he went on the COVID list for a while, then returned to pitch out of the major league bullpen. He was better than his 5.61 ERA; his xFIP was 3.96. In 2022, Falter spent about a third of the season in AAA and the rest in the majors. He was fairly effective with the Phillies, but after starting 2023 with them he went 0-7, 5.13. He went back to AAA where he was just decent.
On deadline day, the Phillies sent Falter to the Pirates for Rodolfo Castro. The Pirates’ rotation was already a shambles by then, and with Rich Hill traded there was even more need for innings. Falter made seven starts and three bulk-type relief appearances for the Pirates, averaging only four innings per appearance. He had three terrible outings, giving up 18 earned runs in 10.2 IP. In his other seven outings, he had an ERA of 2.12. Home runs were a problem, as Falter allowed four innings. He threw strikes but had a K/9 of only 7.1. Oddly, for the season Falter had a huge reverse platoon split.
2024
In 2024, Falter spent the season in the Pirates’ rotation. He missed just a few starts with a July injury, making 28 in all. He had a few weak stretches, with a 5.63 ERA in June and 6.53 in August, and was very good in May, with a 2.23 mark. The rest of the time he was generally solid. Falter averaged just over five innings per start and had a solid WHIP of 1.29. He walked just 2.8 per nine innings, although he also struck out just 6.1. He got the home runs down to a little less than one every eight innings and had no platoon split.
Stats
Transactions
June 9, 2015: Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 5th round, 144th overall pick; signed June 18.
November 20, 2020: Contract purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies.
August 1, 2023: Traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Rodolfo Castro.