Brett Phillips

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #7 prospect in 2018
  After Phillips had a disappointing season at Double-A Biloxi in 2016, the Brewers could have returned him to that club in 2017. Instead, they challenged him by promoting him to hitter-happy Triple-A Colorado Springs. Phillips met the challenge and earned his first big league callup in early June. By September he was playing regularly. Phillips' swing tends to get long at times, but he produces hard contact when he keeps it compact. He was too pull-conscious in 2016 but got away from that in 2017. Phillips still strikes out frequently, but he became more consistent at hitting mistakes. He has plus speed, which plays on the bases and in center field. Phillips has a cannon for an arm and unleashed a Statcast-record 104 mph throw to the plate in September. His combination of power, speed and arm strength make him a candidate for regular action. Beyond his physical tools, Phillips is a high-energy player with a desire to improve. He put himself in the Brewers' outfield picture for 2018, with a floor of fourth outfielder and ceiling as a regular contributor with room for growth.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #12 prospect in 2017
  The Brewers picked up Phillips, lefthander Josh Hader and two others in July 2015 when they traded Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to the Astros. Phillips suffered an oblique strain that forced him to miss much of 2016 spring training, and he started slowly at Double-A Biloxi and never recovered. His strikeout rate climbed to an out-of-character 30 percent and sent his average into a tailspin (.229), and the same problems manifested in the Arizona Fall League after the season. Though Phillips led the Southern League with 154 strikeouts in 2016, he also ranked among the league leaders with 16 home runs (fourth) and 67 walks (third). Previously known for his short, compact stroke, he got pull-happy and showed why an all-fields approach would probably better suit him. Defensively, Phillips grades as above-average in center field, with a cannon arm that profiles in right and discourages runners from taking liberties. If he can achieve better balance between his hit and power tools, he would profile as a table-setting corner outfielder with above-average speed and patience. He profiles as more of a fourth outfielder for some scouts because he lacks a carrying offensive tool. Had Phillips produced at Biloxi, he would have been a cinch to open 2017 at Triple-A Colorado Springs, but particularly after his AFL showing he faces a probable Double-A repeat. The Brewers believe he has too much talent and determination to fall out of favor.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #4 prospect in 2016
  The Astros initially balked at the idea of including Phillips in a deal for Carlos Gomez, but Houston relented when the Brewers added Mike Fiers to the package. Phillips began the 2015 season at high Class A Lancaster, a noted hitter's haven, where he hit .320 with 15 home runs in 66 games, though his power dried up at the Double-A level, where he hit only one homer in 54 games. Whether Phillips hits for power or not, he projects as a disciplined, top-of-the-order hitter. He shows good bat speed with a level swing geared more for line drives than loft. He gets in trouble when trying to pull the ball too much, but the lefthanded hitter generally hits to the middle of the field and hangs in well versus southpaws. Phillips has the range and arm to play center field, and he probably will play there for the Brewers, based on team need. His arm also plays in right field. While not a prolific basestealer, he runs well and has good instincts. Phillips suffered a badly bruised hand and thumb when hit by a pitch at Double-A Biloxi in the closing weeks of 2015, but he returned in time to hit .286 with five extra-base hits in eight games in the Southern League playoffs. The Brewers view him as the heir apparent in center field, and he could open 2016 at Triple-A Colorado Springs.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #6 prospect in 2015
  Phillips decided against attending North Carolina State when the Astros ponied up $300,000 to sign him in 2012. His fast-twitch athleticism helped him become an all-county football player as a senior'the only year he played varsity. He led the low Class A Midwest League in slugging (.521) and outfield assists (14) in 2014 despite spending the last 27 games at high Class A Lancaster. The Astros already knew Phillips could be an above-average defender in center field, thanks to his above-average speed and doubleplus arm'the best in the system, with accuracy and strength. He has range and instincts for the position. Phillips rates as a solid-average hitter with a chance to be above-average, and he has good bat control and strike-zone judgment. The big question is his power, but he's gotten stronger and has plenty of bat speed. Phillips still is learning to pull the ball consistently and handle pitches on the inner half. His speed doesn't play as well on the bases, where his lack of experience shows. Scouts who doubt Phillips' power potential see him as a fourth outfielder, while others believe he should hit enough to be an everyday outfielder. The Astros see him as a future regular in center field and will send him back to Lancaster to start 2015.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #30 prospect in 2014
  A teammate of Angels minor league reliever Joe Krehbiel at Seminole High, Phillips was a good enough athlete that when he decided to play football for the first time as a senior, he earned honorable mention on the all-county team. An Astros sixth-round pick in 2012, Phillips opened 2013 in extended spring training but got a taste of full-season ball at low Class A Quad Cities before being reassigned to Rookie-level Greeneville. He is a potentially above-average center fielder thanks to his solid routes, and he has an above-average arm. At the plate, he has work to do. Phillips has a fringe-average raw power that he shows in batting practice, but in games, he has a more contact-oriented approach, even though his swing has some length to it. He draws walks against lower-level competition because he's comfortable working deep counts. However, scouts aren't convinced he has the contact skills to make that approach work against more advanced pitchers, and he may never be more than an average hitter. Phillips is a tick-above-average runner, but he doesn't fully understand how to get a good lead and when to steal. Scouts like his high-energy approach, and he should return to Quad Cities in 2014.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #18 prospect in 2013
  Phillips was known among area scouts in Florida, but some thought they'd lost him to football when he earned all-county honors as a wide receiver as a senior in the fall of 2011, his only season as a varsity player. A North Carolina State recruit, he had late helium, and his package of twitchy athleticism, size and speed prompted the Astros to draft him 189th overall and sign him for $300,000 last June. Some scouts graded Phillips with two plus-plus tools as an amateur: his speed and arm. His throws have carry and are a tick better than his speed, which was somewhat muted after he signed when he tweaked his knee. Phillips doesn't have a lot of advanced baseball experience and has a somewhat raw approach at the plate. Scouts like his strength but want to see a more consistent, repeatable swing before they project him to hit for power. He has bat speed, though, and can drive the ball from gap to gap. His speed allows him to cover center field well. It may take him some time to develop, but Phillips profiles as an everyday center fielder. He'll start 2013 in extended spring training, then head either to Greenville or Tri-City in 2013.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #103 prospect in 2012 draft
  A 6-foot-1, 185-pound outfielder, Phillips has a good profile as a lefthanded hitter who throws righthanded and has plus speed. His fast-twitch athleticism helped him become an all-county football player as a senior--the only year he played varsity. He's also raw on the baseball diamond but has plenty of tools, including perhaps the state's best throwing arm. Some scouts give him 70 grades on the 20-80 scale for his arm and his speed, though that's more often on his jailbreak swings. He should be an above-average center fielder with experience. Scouts' biggest questions center on his bat. Phillips uses the whole field, but scouts have to project to give him even average power. He uses more of a contact-oriented swing at this point, though he will show power in batting practice. Phillips had draft helium in May, and scouts were trying to judge his signability. He has committed to a resurgent North Carolina State program, which spirited a similar player, Trae Turner, out of Florida last spring. He may have to go in the first three rounds to keep him away from college.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Pacific Coast League #20 prospect in 2017
  Phillips had a rough 2016 season at Double-A Biloxi, but an assignment to hitter-friendly Colorado Springs restored his confidence this season. He drove the ample gaps at PCL parks to produce 19 home runs, 23 doubles and 10 triples. His all-fields hitting approach allowed him to hit .305 after bottoming out at .229 last year, despite identical strikeout rates of 30 percent. "He's probably one of the best players I've had in terms of maturing (baseball-wise) during a season," Colorado Springs manager Rick Sweet said. ". . . He doesn't chase (pitches) as much. He's still swinging and missing a lot, but he's swinging and missing in the zone." Phillips can play all three outfield spots with above-average speed but is on track to be a corner outfielder in the majors.
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  Ranked California League #8 prospect in 2015
  While Lancaster teammate A.J. Reed was slugging home runs, Phillips was setting the table as the leadoff man while also standing out as one of the Cal League's more complete players. He ranked third in the league in OPS at the time he moved to Double-A Corpus Christi at midseason. The Astros then dealt him to the Brewers for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers in a July trade. "From Day One, I liked the way he plays," High Desert manager Spike Owen said. "He plays the game hard. He has a very good swing. He has speed to go with it, and defensively, he can go get it." While Phillips' power production received a Lancaster bump--he homered only once in 54 Double-A games after moving up--his bat nonetheless should play as a top-of-the-order threat. He's got a good knowledge of the strike zone and a quick, level swing. Like most young hitters, he can get in trouble when he stays in pull mode, but he does also show an ability to hang in against lefthanders and play the short game. Phillips has the range to play center field and an accurate, above-average arm, so he could fit defensively in any of the three outfield spots.
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  Ranked Texas League #8 prospect in 2015
  The Florida prep standout selected by the Astros as a sixth-rounder in the 2012 draft, general manager Jeff Luhnow's first with the club, certified himself as the organization's top prospect at midseason--only to become the prospect centerpiece in the deal with the Brewers that landed Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers in Houston. Phillips tweaked his swing in 2015 to minimize an arm bar that had kept him from turning on inside pitches. He erased some questions about his power by slugging 15 homers in 291 at-bats at high Class A Lancaster in the first half, but scouts say he won't reach that level in the majors. At Double-A stops with the Astros and Brewers, for instance, he hit only one homer in 214 at-bats. He should continue to hit for average. At this point, Phillips' ultimate ceiling would be a regular center fielder who is a solid-average defender and has average power, a double-plus arm and a grinder mentality. With his power projection a question mark, though, he might be a better fit in right field because of shaky route-running. He has at least solid-average speed underway.
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  Ranked Midwest League #8 prospect in 2014
  When teams draft athletic high school outfielders in later rounds--and Phillips was a sixth-round pick--this is the sort of development they hope to see. Phillips tweaked his swing to minimize an arm bar that had kept him from turning on inside pitches. With that issue addressed, he found the power that had never been apparent before. He went homerless in his first 108 pro games but connected for 13 with Quad Cities, including a run of five straight games at one point. Phillips' newfound power turned him from an intriguing athlete who could play small ball to a well-rounded outfielder who can beat out a bunt with his plus speed or crank a ball over the fence. He is a better defender in right field than center, but he has the speed to play center if he can improve his routes. His arm strength is more than adequate for center field.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #80 prospect in 2018
• Ranked Baseball America's #57 prospect in 2016

• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  In the early weeks of the season, Phillips was on the shuttle between Colorado Springs and Milwaukee. He didn’t play much for the Brewers or succeed (2 for 14 with nine strikeouts) and it kept him from getting consistent at-bats at Triple-A. Phillips has pop in his bat but still battles his swing-and-miss tendencies and must cut down on his strikeouts. He does work counts and gets on base enough to make an impact with his speed. Those who run on his arm in the outfield usually pay a price. Phillips is back with the big league club and will serve in a fourth outfielder role for now.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: After Phillips had a disappointing season at Double-A Biloxi in 2016, the Brewers could have returned him to that club in 2017. Instead, they challenged him by promoting him to hitter-happy Triple-A Colorado Springs. Phillips met the challenge and earned his first big league callup in early June. By September he was playing regularly. Scouting Report: Phillips' swing tends to get long at times, but he produces hard contact when he keeps it compact. He was too pull-conscious in 2016 but got away from that in 2017. Phillips still strikes out frequently, but he became more consistent at hitting mistakes. He has above-average speed, which plays on the bases and in center field. Phillips has a canon for an arm and unleashed a Statcast-record 104 mph throw to the plate in September. His combination of power, speed and arm strength make him a candidate for regular action. The Future: Beyond his physical tools, Phillips is a high-energy player with a desire to improve. He put himself in the Brewers' outfield picture for 2018, with a floor of fourth outfielder and ceiling as a regular contributor with room for growth.