Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Scouts first identified Phillips when he was a South Dakota high schooler, but injuries and inconsistent strikes limited his opportunities to pitch as a senior as well as during his freshman season at Iowa Western CC. He showcased a live if erratic arm as a reliever on Tennessee's 2024 Men's College World Series championship club, then seized the Volunteers' No. 2 starter role this spring. Few college pitchers in this class can match his velocity and physicality, which led the Red Sox to pay him $2.5 million as a supplemental first-round pick.

Phillips can blow hitters away with a fastball that sits at 96-98 mph and touches 100, compensating for lackluster shape with deceptively low release height and plenty of carry and extension. His slider parks in the mid-80s and reaches 90 mph with more depth than sweep. He doesn't use his low-90s changeup very often, but it features so much fade that it creates more chases and empty swings than his heater and slide piece.

At 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, Phillips has a build reminiscent of Kumar Rocker's and is more athletic than the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 Draft. He's a former two-way player who flashed solid power and speed as an outfielder at Iowa Western. He gets down the mound well and has improved his control as a junior, though he doesn't have the smoothest arm action and may never have more than fringy command.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 45 | Overall: 50

Scouts first identified Marcus Phillips when he was a South Dakota high schooler, but injuries and inconsistent strikes limited his opportunities to pitch as a senior as well as during his freshman season at Iowa Western CC. He showcased a live, if erratic, arm as a reliever on Tennessee's 2024 Men's College World Series championship club, then seized the Volunteers' No. 2 starter role this spring. Few college pitchers in this class can match his velocity and physicality.

Phillips can blow hitters away with a fastball that sits at 96-98 mph and touches 100, compensating for lackluster shape with deceptively low release height and plenty of carry and extension. His slider parks in the mid-80s and reaches 90 mph with more depth than sweep. He doesn't use his low-90s changeup very often, but it features so much fade that is creates more chases and empty swings than his heater and slide piece.

At 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, Phillips has a build reminiscent of Kumar Rocker's and is more athletic than the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 Draft. He's a former two-way player who flashed solid power and speed as an outfielder at Iowa Western. He gets down the mound well and has improved his control as a junior, though he doesn't have the smoothest arm action and may never have more than fringy command.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/11/2025	RHP Marcus Phillips assigned to FCL Red Sox.
	07/20/2025	Boston Red Sox signed RHP Marcus Phillips.
	06/03/2025	RHP Marcus Phillips assigned to College Workout.
	02/21/2025	RHP Marcus Phillips assigned to Tennessee Volunteers.
	05/09/2024	Elizabethton River Riders activated RHP Marcus Phillips.
	05/09/2024	Elizabethton River Riders activated RHP Marcus Phillips.
	02/06/2024	RHP Marcus Phillips assigned to Tennessee Volunteers.