Marconi named All-Star, League’s Top Reliever 

The Reading Fightin Phils are pleased to announce that Brian Marconi earned the Double-A Northeast League Reliever of the Year Award. He was selected to the All-Star team because of his prowess late in the game as the R-Phils saves leader. The southpaw from Marlton, NJ was selected thanks to votes from Minor League Baseball executives, members of the media, and league broadcasters. This award comes after the Reading announced that Marconi would receive their team Pitcher of the Year accolade.

Starting the season in High-A, Marconi was quickly promoted to Double-A Reading. With the R-Phils, he was a late inning reliever and namely the top closer, finishing the game in 23 of his 34 outings. He recorded the second most appearances of anyone on the team. Marconi recorded one win and 15 saves in 16 attempts. Despite a week of cancelled games, the lefty managed to finish second in the league in this count.

Marconi held batters to a .200 average, with 56 strikeouts in 43.2 innings pitched. Marconi also finished with the second lowest ERA, a 2.27, on the Fightins. However, he did have the best number with the most appearances. Marconi did not allow a run in 28 of his 34 games. He let up just 11 earned runs all season long.

The reliever in the Phillies system had one very special outing this summer, when he finished a four-pitcher combined no-hitter against the Erie SeaWolves (Detroit Tigers) on July 3rd. The team was on the road and Marconi was called upon for the ninth inning. He slammed the door shut to write his name in the Reading history books.

Marconi’s calm and collected personality, makes him a good candidate for the closing position. "Whether it's the first three outs of the game, or the last three outs, all you're doing is getting three outs," he said. "It's a mentality thing."

Despite being a primary starter in college with George Mason, Marconi was quickly transitioned into the bullpen upon joining the Phillies organization thanks control of the strike zone. He was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an undrafted free agent in the summer of 2019.