February 26, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Marcus Phillips on first Spring Training with Red Sox: "I have huge chip on my shoulder'
Yes, South Dakota, home state of Boston's second 2025 draft selection, Marcus Phillips.
"Baseball is interesting in South Dakota," Phillips said. "It is slowly getting better, but I would be lying to you if I said that it wasn’t a different experience. It is nothing like playing baseball down in Florida. I would travel down there for tournaments, and you see guys running up in the low nineties at 17 years old on a consistent basis. Back home, it was only me and two other guys throwing hard in all of South Dakota. When I say hard, I mean 88-91 mph in high school. My best friend, Jack Riddell, who is at Notre Dame, was throwing 92 in high school. Aside from him, the closest to that was around 85 MPH. It is no wonder you only see pitchers come out of the state because hitters aren’t seeing velocity. I saw 90 for the first time in JuCo ball as a two-way player and I was blown away. I didn’t know what to expect in the box because I had never faced that before."
Phillips began his college journey going the JuCo route where he started at Iowa Western Community College as a two-way player. From there he went on to Tennessee, making the leap to the nation's top baseball conference where he helped the Volunteers win a National Championship his first year there in Knoxville.
"It was a big jump for sure," Phillips said of his jump to the SEC. "I went to JuCo as a two-way player, so I was originally recruited to Tennessee as a two-way as well. I hit my first year there but didn’t get any at-bats so I pretty much hung up the bat. It was difficult transitioning to the SEC so that’s why I became a pitcher only. It took me a while to get it on the mound. They changed a lot of stuff with me, and it took a while to even get the right mindset to play in that conference. That’s why my innings were limited my sophomore year. It was a good experience because I got to see other guys compete at the level. I got to learn from guys like Drew Beam and saw how he went to work. I think that really helped me take off my junior year."
Since being drafted last summer to Boston, Phillips has had plenty of time off to work on things for his upcoming pro debut in 2026.
"I have been working on pitch design stuff, making my changeup better, adding an extra secondary pitch, which I am between a sweeper and a slider, and just making my stuff better in general," Phillips noted of his time off. "I really have been just staying in season shape and season form and making sure that I get my arm back up to where it was endurance wise before. I had shut down for a little bit, and it had been tough not being able to go out there and compete like I am so used to doing. Back in college in the fall, you would have fall games and things like that to keep working towards. It was something that I had to learn to navigate through, but I am looking forward to getting back on the mound facing some guys and see different types of hitters."
Phillips made his live BP debut last week, where he touched 94 mph while mostly working on the changeup and the secondaries. What kind of pitcher will fans be seeing once he debuts in pro ball this year?
"I pride myself in my physical presence," Phillips said. "I am a big guy. I throw hard with a cut fastball, and I like to attack hitters with it. I am featuring a pretty good slider and sweeper, if I do say so myself. I also have a changeup I have been working on a lot as of recent. We are looking at a four-pitch mix when I start the season. I have been one that usually sits in the upper nineties range on the fastball. I just love to compete, and I am going to have an edge to me. I am going to have a chip on my shoulder like I have something to prove, and I think people will notice that."
Spring training is a unique times during the baseball schedule when every player, coach, and staff from all around the organization all under one roof for only time during the season. It will be even more unique for Phillips as it will be his first professional spring training with a lot to look forward to.
"I am looking forward to seeing how guys go about their business," Phillips said. "I am very much a visual learner. You see all these videos online of all the guys training like with Aroldis Chapman doing his pitching stuff with the towel drills. I am very excited to see it in person. I want to see what they do daily to take care of their arm or what they are doing on the mound and why they are doing it. I will be picking people’s minds to hear them out and see what they are doing to be successful.
Photo Credit: Marcus Phillips by Kelly O'Connor