Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SEA | RHP | 16 | 40 |
Grades Update: Nov 2020
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 | 60 | 55 | 45 | 40/40 |
Nov 2020 Report
Evaluator: Isaiah Burrows
Age: 20 yr
Height: 6-2
Weight: 190 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2020 Draft - Round 2
RuleV: 2024
Physical Description: Tall and lanky right-hander with long, loose arms and legs. More room for added growth and muscle to his frame. Broad shoulders, wide hips and big feet. Room to fill out as he gets stronger. Frame has length with room for continued development. Raw physical profile, has intriguing tools that could be built upon.
Delivery & Mechanics: Short and quick arm action, a bit twitchy at times. Right elbow sticks out a bit midway through each pitch. Arm action gets even quicker from the stretch. Creates some zip, good torque and engagement throughout his core to generate velocity. Shortened three-quarter slot. Repeated and consistent, over-the-top to get some downward plane. Has the look of a high-effort delivery at times. Very little use of his lower half, all upper-body strength and core at the moment. Legs seem stiff in his windup, virtually non-existent in the stretch. Utilizing more of his lower half is something to keep an eye on.
Fastball: Low-to-mid-90s offering that has touched 98 mph on occasion. Typically sits between 92-94 mph. Throws it above the zone to force whiffs. Good late life that attacks the hands of righties. Velocity stays consistent with potential to reach triple digits. Shortened, over-the-top delivery makes it explode to the plate. Solid, plus-pitch with more room to grow. Grade: 60
Curveball: High-70s power breaking ball with good spin and downward break. Sharp break, power curve that drops out of the zone when at its best. Has a tendency to leave his curve over the plate, opposing batters barrel it. Good depth to the pitch as a whole, nice secondary offering to his velocity-packed fastball. Grade: 55
Changeup: Low-80s offering to decipher his fastball. Good arm speed, but changeup lacks much deception and fade for swings and misses. A bit flat at times, has a tendency to leave it high up in the zone. Needs more development, but shows flashes of a solid third pitch. Grade: 45
Control and Command: All stuff at the moment, not much command or control. A bit wild in the stretch, fastballs sail upwards and curveball bounces in the dirt on occasion. Twitchy delivery makes his upper-body do all the work, and he needs to incorporate his lower half to improve command. Dots his fastball on the corners, but remains inconsistent. Must improve on the quality of his strikes, many pitches soak up too much of the plate. Control and command can improve once his mechanics straighten out. Control: 40 | Command: 40
Overall: Connor Phillips has the raw, tantalizing stuff in his repertoire to make him the 64th overall pick by Seattle in 2020. He has a good profile to add more size to his frame. His fastball and curveball are plus offerings that attack batters, but his shortened delivery raises concerns about his control and command. If he incorporates his lower half more into his throwing motion, Phillips has the raw ability to make the most of his velocity-packed arsenal.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Spot Starter
Risk: Low
