Rookie Pitcher Looking to Be Reds’ Postseason Weapon

Connor Phillips Could Be Secret Weapon for Reds This Postseason

Phillips’ Top Prospect Pedigree

Phillips was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the 2020 MLB Draft and made his way over to Cincinnati as part of the trade involving Luis Castillo for Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo back in 2022.

The 24-year-old right-hander just concluded the 2025 season with a scoreless inning in the postseason clinching game 162 in Milwaukee, bringing his season ERA down to 2.88 in 24 innings pitched.

Phillips is currently the Reds’ number four overall prospect. With a beautiful 2025 season, he is all but guaranteed to break camp with the big league ball club in 2026 as a part of the bullpen, or perhaps even the rotation as well.

For now, however, he will enter the 2025 postseason as one of Cincinnati’s most important pieces.

A Rollercoaster 2025 Season

It would have been utterly insane to pencil in Phillips for late-inning postseason opportunities back in the early months of the season. After posting an 8.01 ERA in 19 starts for Triple-A Louisville in 2024, Phillips entered the 2025 season with plenty to prove. What once looked like elite front-of-the-line rotation potential was sent all the way down to the Arizona Fall League to focus on retooling his entire approach.

The Reds converted him to a reliever, at least for the time being, and he fixed his command issues. Perhaps the biggest sign of his lack of command was his spot start in game 161 of the 2023 season, where he threw 12 pitches, all balls, and was subsequently pulled from the game.

The Reds made Phillips lower his shoulder while heading toward the plate, and everything clicked for him. The lively fastball was even better in the bullpen, sitting comfortably in the high 90s and touching triple digits, paired with his low to mid-80s sweeper.

In 2025, here are Phillips’ numbers across all levels:

2.45 ERA — Single-A

2.88 ERA — Triple-A

2.88 ERA — MLB

Phillips’ Role in the Postseason

It is rare to see someone who made appearances in Single-A become a legitimate postseason weapon for the big league team, but that’s what Connor Phillips can expect in this upcoming week.

Emilio Pagan has been Cincinnati’s closer as he finished off a fantastic season, recording 32 saves thanks to a 2.88 ERA in 68 2/3 innings. Heading into the season, it was unclear who would take the closer role. It looked like Terry Francona may have to simply ride the hot hand by inserting a rotation of relievers to close out games.

This closer situation reared its ugly head early, as the Reds’ season started with a 2-1 lead heading into the ninth inning on Opening Day against the San Francisco Giants, and right-hander Ian Gibaut was called upon to close things in the ninth. What followed was a blown save, and things were looking bleak for the bullpen already.

With Pagan stepping up, that allowed Tony Santillan to serve as an occasional closer and setup man. Santillan himself had a fantastic season too, with a 2.44 ERA in 73 2/3 innings.

Reds’ Postseason Bullpen Roles

These two will have the eighth and ninth innings on lock, with none other than Connor Phillips taking the seventh inning. If it wasn’t for Phillips stepping up, the Reds may have had to do the hot hand situation again, rotating between Nick Martinez, Scott Barlow, and Graham Ashcraft. While all are solid options, they aren’t exactly what you want in a late-inning postseason opportunity.

With rookie top prospect Chase Burns relegated to the bullpen momentarily and looking sharp in that role in September, the Reds’ bullpen is now looking stronger than ever. The four-headed monster of Burns in the sixth, Phillips in the seventh, Santillan in the eighth, and Pagan in the ninth is a pretty sight to see for Reds fans heading into their first taste of postseason baseball since 2020.