Connor Allan Phillips Bio
Connor Allan Phillips (born May 4, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball. Phillips made his major league debut in 2023 after progressing through high school, junior college and the minor leagues.
Early Life and Background
Phillips attended Magnolia West High School in Magnolia, Texas, where he was a standout on the baseball team. As a senior in 2019 he compiled a 12–3 record with a 1.13 earned run average and recorded 125 strikeouts over 92 and two-thirds innings.
After high school Phillips was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 35th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft but did not sign. He had signed to play at Louisiana State University but instead enrolled at McLennan Community College to preserve draft eligibility after his freshman season.
Path to Baseball
As a freshman at McLennan Community College in 2020 Phillips made six starts, going 3–1 with a 3.16 ERA over 25 and two-thirds innings before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His freshman performance and prospect status led to entry in the 2020 MLB draft.
The Seattle Mariners selected Phillips with the 64th overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Mariners for a reported $1.1 million and began his professional career the following season in the Mariners’ minor league system.
Connor Allan Phillips Career
Early Career (2019–2021)
Phillips moved from junior college to professional baseball after the 2020 draft. He made his professional debut in 2021 with the Modesto Nuts and earned a late-season promotion to the Everett AquaSox. Across 17 starts between those two clubs he posted a 7–4 record with a 4.62 ERA, striking out 111 batters and issuing 46 walks over 76 innings.
Those first professional appearances established Phillips as a strikeout-focused starter with the workload and results to earn elevated assignments in the Mariners’ system heading into 2022.
Minor League Breakthrough (2021–2022)
In March 2022 Phillips was included as the player to be named later in a trade that sent Justin Dunn, Jake Fraley and Brandon Williamson to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez. The move brought Phillips into the Reds organization where he opened the 2022 season with the Dayton Dragons before a promotion to the Chattanooga Lookouts in late June.
Over 24 starts between Dayton and Chattanooga in 2022 Phillips went 5–8 with a 3.78 ERA and recorded 150 strikeouts in 109 and two-thirds innings. The season demonstrated his ability to handle a full starter’s workload while missing bats consistently, earning more advanced assignment consideration in 2023.
Cincinnati Reds Era (2023–Present)
Phillips began 2023 back with Chattanooga and reached Triple-A Louisville in late June. Across the two affiliates in 2023 he appeared in 25 games (24 starts) and posted a 4–5 record with a 3.86 ERA, striking out 154 batters in 105 innings. His workload and results led to a major league call-up in September.
On September 2, 2023 the Cincinnati Reds selected Phillips to their 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time after Brandon Williamson was placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Phillips made five starts in his rookie campaign and recorded 26 strikeouts in 20 and two-thirds innings while working through the adjustment to big-league hitters.
Driving Style and Strengths
Phillips profiles as a power pitcher with a high strikeout rate and an emphasis on miss‑batting offerings. He has shown the ability to generate swings and misses while taking on starter workloads in the upper minors, and his innings totals in 2022 and 2023 reflected durability through long outings.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones in Phillips’ early professional career include his selection on the second day of the 2020 draft, the multi-player trade that moved him to Cincinnati in March 2022, and his major league debut with the Reds in September 2023. His rapid strikeout totals in the high minors drew attention from the organization and fans alike.
Connor Allan Phillips Career Wins
Phillips’ professional record spans high school, junior college, multiple minor league levels and the major leagues. His strikeout totals and win–loss marks reflect progression through the development system and growing contributions at the major league level.
Cincinnati Reds Highlights
Phillips reached the major leagues with the Cincinnati Reds in 2023. Across his major league service through May 20, 2026 he held a 7–1 win–loss record with 85 strikeouts and a 4.85 earned run average. His first big-league action came in five starts as a rookie in 2023, and by 2025 he added multiple relief appearances to his major league experience.
Other Wins & Perfromances
In the upper minors Phillips produced significant strikeout totals: 150 strikeouts over 109 and two-thirds innings in 2022 and 154 strikeouts in 105 innings across two affiliates in 2023. Those seasons underpinned his ascension to Triple-A and eventual major league promotion.
2025 Season Performance
Pushed to begin 2025 in Triple-A Louisville, Phillips suffered a spring training injury that prompted a role change to the bullpen while he recovered. The injury later was diagnosed as thoracic outlet syndrome, which the club and player managed with botox injections rather than surgery.
Phillips returned to the big league roster multiple times in 2025 and appeared in 21 games as a reliever for the Cincinnati Reds, posting a 5–0 record with a 2.88 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 25 innings. He also worked 38 innings for Louisville that season, recording a 1–2 mark with a 2.84 ERA while splitting time between the minors and the majors.
Those 2025 performances emphasized Phillips’ adaptability to a relief role while recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, and they contributed to his positive win–loss ledger at the major league level through May 2026.