Reds' Phillips spurred on in Fall League by regular-season turnaround

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- A rough second start in the Arizona Fall League on Oct. 16 looked like it might derail the bounceback journey of Connor Phillips, but the Reds’ No. 15 prospect had other ideas.

Phillips closed a disastrous regular season at Triple-A Louisville with a strong five-start stretch, and the 23-year-old right-hander headed to the desert looking to build off that. He debuted in the Fall League with a gem that earned him Pitcher of the Week honors for Week 1, but Phillips allowed eight runs (seven earned) in 2 1/3 innings during start No. 2.

Rather than panic, Phillips regrouped.

Since that clunker for Glendale, Phillips has been lights-out, allowing two runs (one earned) across three starts (11 innings). His latest effort -- an unearned run on two hits with five strikeouts in four innings -- paved the way for the Desert Dogs’ 8-1 win over the Surprise Saguaros on Thursday night.

“I’ve been in a really good place mentally, coming off the season,” he said. “I’ve been really excited to be out here and to keep pitching, making sure I really fortify what I’m working on.”

Shaking off one bad start was nothing for Phillips. After all, he’s spent the past three months putting the most trying part of his pro career behind him.

Phillips, who was the player to be named later to complete the Eugenio Suarez-Jesse Winker trade with the Mariners in March 2022, rose quickly up the ranks in the Reds’ system and made his big league debut with Cincinnati down the stretch in ‘23. But when he returned to Louisville to start this past season, he couldn’t get his feet under him.

With his ERA sitting at 10.11 on June 19 after 14 starts for the Bats, he was sent to the organization’s Rookie-level Arizona Complex League team to sort out his mechanics and clear his head.

“At the beginning of the year, it was really, really rough,” Phillips said. “I was thinking something different every single day, and that was really not a good place to be in. I don’t think anyone wants to be in the place as a pitcher in the game of baseball.”

The work he put in with the ACL Reds paid off, as he returned to Louisville on Aug. 21 and posted a 2.49 ERA over five starts. More than the numbers, Phillips had gained a mental edge, finding something positive amid the adversity.

“I now know that I can get through a really, really tough stretch,” he said. “I’d never gone through anything in baseball like this, where I had literally no idea what I was doing out there. Now I understand, like, ‘Hey, you can do this, even when the going gets tough.’”

It’s nice to also have a fastball that sits between 96-99 mph and a wipeout slider that Phillips considers his best pitch. It’s just a matter of finding the strike zone, which has been a focus for him during the Fall League.

“I know if I’m in the zone, my stuff is very, very good and I can get people out,” he said.

Phillips didn’t necessarily come out to the desert to tinker with things. His focus is on getting ready for Spring Training and another run at the Reds’ roster, but he made a couple small adjustments that are starting to pay off.

📩 CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO BEN'S BIZ

“Being able to come out here and figure some stuff out and go back out and throw together some good innings is really, really big for me,” he said. “I changed some stuff up, and I thought today was really, really good, showed some really good signs.”

The Fall League has been a solid ramp-up for Spring Training for Phillips, and he’s ready to let the cards fall where they may.

“The team’s going to do what the team wants to do,” he said. “I don’t have a say in that, but I want to make it a tough decision for them, making sure that I come out [to Spring Training] with my best stuff and that my body feels good.”