The Boston Red Sox traded right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester to the Milwaukee Brewers in April. In return, they received outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, cash considerations, a player to be named later (which eventually became right-handed pitching prospect John Holobetz), and a Competitive Balance Round A pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.
That pick was the 33rd overall selection, and the Red Sox used it to draft right-handed pitcher Marcus Phillips out of the University of Tennessee. Phillips, one of Boston's newest pitching prospects, joined the "Pesky Report" podcast to discuss all things baseball, and he gave an interesting note about his arm.
"I haven't been pitching for very long. I started pitching when I got to college," Phillips said. "You know, I wanted to be a hitter. When I got to Tennessee is when I started working on pitching, especially this past year. I ended up becoming a pitcher only the summer before this last year."
Red Sox 2025 MLB Draft pick Marcus Phillips doesn't have the usual mileage on his arm
Marcus Phillips is trending up⬆️
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 29, 2025
The @Vol_Baseball right-hander has showcased elite velocity all season, topping out at 101 mph🔥
He climbed 24 spots on the big board ahead of the NCAA tournament👀
🗞️: https://t.co/7bXWNyFXsR pic.twitter.com/JGDJtLpOb4
Phillips went on to talk about a college coach seeing him on the mound and wanting him to be a pitcher because he could already throw 95 miles per hour.
So why should you care about that quote? Phillips is an infant in his pitching career. He's already throwing 100 MPH, and he already features a good slider and changeup combination. That's with just a handful of seasons as a pitcher. Imagine how much he can grow as he works his way through the minor leagues?
The only positive isn't just his potential, though. Phillips not pitching for long means his arm hasn't had the usual wear-and-tear on it. A lot of pitchers have been working off the mound since they were 10. They threw thousands of pitches every summer. Then they were playing fall ball, high school, travel, AAU, whatever it was, and getting more bullets taken out of their arm.
Pitchers taken out of college usually have a ridiculous amount of tax on their arm. Phillips threw 115 1/3 innings over three college seasons, and he wasn't really pitching before that. His arm talent hasn't even scratched the surface of what it can become, and his arm odometer indicates it's barely been driven off the lot.