Boston Red Sox select Tennessee RHP Marcus Phillips in 2025 MLB Draft

Tennessee right-handed pitcher Marcus Phillips has heard his name called during the 2025 MLB Draft. Phillips was selected No. 33 overall in the first compensatory round by the Boston Red Sox.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder at one time had two-way potential, but after joining Tennessee during the 2024 season from Iowa Western CC he chose to focus on his pitching. He earned his time on the mound as a reliever on Tennessee’s 2024 Men’s College World Series championship team before becoming the Volunteers’ true No. 2 pitcher behind SEC Pitcher of the Year Liam Doyle.

Phillips finished the season 4-5 with a 3.90 ERA. Across 83.0 innings pitched, he faced 359 batters, striking out 98 of them while letting up 75 hits. Opposing bats hits .239 on average against the Volunteers while he was on the mound. He finished the season ranked second on the team in ERA, WHIP (1.31) and innings pitched for the 2025 season.

Tennessee finished the season 46-19, falling to Arkansas in straight games during the Fayetteville Super Regional one year after winning the program’s first ever national championship.

“Phillips can blow hitters away with a fastball that sits at 96-98 mph and touches 100, compensating for lackluster shape with deceptively low release height and plenty of carry and extension,” his MLB scouting report reads. “His slider parks in the mid-80s and reaches 90 mph with more depth than sweep.

“He doesn’t use his low-90s changeup very often, but it features so much fade that is creates more chases and empty swings than his heater and slide piece. … He gets down the mound well and has improved his control as a junior, though he doesn’t have the smoothest arm action and may never have more than fringy command.”

His scouting report draws the comparison to former Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker, albeit more athletic. Rocker was selected No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 Draft. Rocker is in his first full season as a starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers after being called up from the minor leagues in 2024.

Like his Tennessee teammate Liam Doyle, Marcus Phillips has the choice to sign a professional contract with his new team or return to college to play with the Volunteers, or somewhere else. As it stands, Phillips is one step closer to achieving his big league dreams as an MLB draftee. His ultimate decision on his baseball future remains to be seen.