Phillip Ervin Stats & Scouting Report

AB	586
AVG	.247
OBP	.322
SLG	.406
HR	17

Full name Phillip S Ervin
Born 07/15/1992 in Mobile, AL
Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 207 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Samford
Debut 04/22/2017
Drafted in the 1st round (27th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2013 (signed for $1,812,400).

View Draft Report

Ervin wasn't drafted out of high school, in part due to tearing a knee ligament as a football player. He has dealt with a less-serious injury this spring, a sprained left ankle. The problem pushed him to left field for a time and clouded some teams' evaluations of whether he can stay in center field. For scouts that believe he can, Ervin presents one of the surest bets among college outfielders in the draft class. Ervin lacks the size and physicality of the likes of Stanford's Austin Wilson or Fresno State's Aaron Judge, but that's an asset for him. He's shorter at 5-foot-10, 205 pounds, has fewer holes in his swing, better hitting ability and above-average raw power thanks to his compact, strong swing. Ervin is a plus runner at his best, but scouts are mixed on his center-field ability. Those who like him see him as a solid-average center fielder early in his career and believe his speed plays better in the field than on the bases. He has enough arm strength to have pitched occasionally for Samford and could slide to right field eventually. Ervin's blue-collar makeup and quiet confidence further endears him to scouts. Despite improved performance as a junior--he already had a career-high 11 homers and 31 walks--Ervin was thought to be sliding out of the first round, due in part to his ankle injury.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Reds' first-rounder in 2013, Ervin made his major league debut in 2017, earning a pair of callups during the season. He played well in his brief big league time, including three home runs in his 64 plate appearances. A toolsy player, Ervin projects as an extra outfielder, but with more seasoning in the minors, has a shot to be more, although it's hard to see his path to being a first-division regular unless he revamps his approach and lays off more pitches off the outer half of the strike zone. He's struggled to hit for average in the minors, he has gotten on base at a decent clip because he will take a walk. There are holes in his swing and he can be beaten on the outside corner. He has a pull approach and his home run power is largely limited to left field, but with a tardy bat, he will wear out the opposite field for singles and doubles. He runs well in the field and on the bases, swiping 23 bags in 99 games in Triple-A. He has an above-average arm. While he is unlikely to be a star, Ervin's skillset projects to a be a bench outfielder capable of playing all three spots, which he did in the big leagues, with the ability to steal a base as a pinch-runner with above-average speed.
Ervin has moved slowly for a first-round college position player, spending effectively one year at each Class A level and one year at Double-A Pensacola in 2016. Pitchers in the Southern League quickly learned not to challenge him on the inner half of the plate, especially with a fastball. Ervin has the bat speed and strength to make pitchers pay. Opponents also learned, however, that as long as they stayed outside, nibbling at the outer edge of the plate, Ervin could be neutralized. If he can learn to hit the ball to right field every now and then, his natural hand-eye coordination and average power give him a chance to be a solid performer with power. But four seasons into his pro career, Ervin hasn't learned that lesson. His below-average offensive track record--he hit .239 in 2016--stands in the way of an everyday job, especially because he's a fringe-average defender in center field to go with above-average defense in the corners. He fits best in left field because of his fringy arm. Ervin is an average runner out of the box because his pull-heavy swing costs him time, but he turns in better times on the bases. He led the Reds organization with 36 stolen bases and could be on track to be an extra outfielder in the majors.
Ervin, the 2012 Cape Cod League MVP, was considered one of the safer bets among the college outfielders in the 2013 draft, but the Reds are still waiting to see the advanced bat he showed in college. As a pro, Ervin has been slow to make adjustments. He has plus raw power, and when Florida State League pitchers tried to bust him inside early in 2015 at high Class A Daytona he showed his bat speed and fast hands. He hit seven home runs in April, all to left field. But pitchers quickly figured out that he was vulnerable to pitches away, and he spent much of the rest of the year rolling over grounders to shortstop, and just two of Ervin's extra-base hits all season (both doubles) were hit to right or right-center field. A hamstring injury that hurt his timing didn't help. If Ervin can learn to drive the ball to the opposite field, he still has a chance to be a regular outfielder, probably in left field. He draws walks, is an average runner, recognizes spin and has the power potential to hit 15-20 home runs if he makes more consistent contact. That could be the difference between a career as a regular and a reserve. Ervin finished 2015 with a 17-game run at Double-A Pensacola and will return there in 2016.
Ervin entered pro ball with a track record for hitting, but perceptions can change quickly when a 21-year-old, first-round college outfielder hits .237/.305/.376. While Ervin's full-season debut in 2014 was a disaster, scouts still saw flashes. His approach, contact skills and power were all less than advertised, however. Instead of dominating younger competition, Ervin looked overmatched. He had a wrist problem early in the year which helped lead to his slow start, but even when he was fully healthy, he got into a yank-and-pray approach that left him vulnerable to almost anything other than a fastball on the inner half. Injuries have been a recurring problem for Ervin, who hasn't been healthy for a full year in any of the past five seasons. The Reds have to hope a fresh start will allow him to return to the all-field approach he showed in college and at Rookie-level Billings in 2013. Among the encouraging signs for Ervin in 2014 were above-average speed and improved range and reads in center field, where he projects as at least a fringe-average defender. He'll head to high Class A Daytona in 2015.
Ervin has hit .300 everywhere he's played. He did it in in college at Samford (.344 career mark) and with wood bats in the summer collegiate Northwoods (2011) and Cape Cod (2012) leagues. And he did it with the Reds, hitting .331 between stops at Rookie-level Billings and low Class A Dayton. Ervin may not have a plus-plus tool, but his scouting report has plenty of 60s on the 20-80 scale. He's an above-average hitter thanks to a simple short stroke that allows him to square up pitches consistently. He has 60 raw power and is translating that into productive power already. He's a 60 runner when healthy. Ervin has battled minor injuries since high school, starting with a knee injury as a prep senior. He's had hand and hamstring injuries (summer after freshman year), a sprained ankle (junior year) and a wrist injury that cut his pro debut short. He has enough speed to play center, but his routes aren't ideal. He has plenty of arm (he was clocked at 92 mph off the mound at Samford) to play right. Ervin was one of the safer bats in the 2013 draft. He may lack star potential, but he should advance quickly. High Class A Bakersfield is a likely starting point, but he could reach Double-A Pensacola in 2014.

Draft Prospects

Ervin wasn't drafted out of high school, in part due to tearing a knee ligament as a football player. He has dealt with a less-serious injury this spring, a sprained left ankle. The problem pushed him to left field for a time and clouded some teams' evaluations of whether he can stay in center field. For scouts that believe he can, Ervin presents one of the surest bets among college outfielders in the draft class. Ervin lacks the size and physicality of the likes of Stanford's Austin Wilson or Fresno State's Aaron Judge, but that's an asset for him. He's shorter at 5-foot-10, 205 pounds, has fewer holes in his swing, better hitting ability and above-average raw power thanks to his compact, strong swing. Ervin is a plus runner at his best, but scouts are mixed on his center-field ability. Those who like him see him as a solid-average center fielder early in his career and believe his speed plays better in the field than on the bases. He has enough arm strength to have pitched occasionally for Samford and could slide to right field eventually. Ervin's blue-collar makeup and quiet confidence further endears him to scouts. Despite improved performance as a junior--he already had a career-high 11 homers and 31 walks--Ervin was thought to be sliding out of the first round, due in part to his ankle injury.

Minor League Top Prospects

Ervin?s raw tools don?t jump off the page, but his overall package along with advanced hitting ability put the Samford outfielder into the first round, where the Reds took him with the 27th pick and signed him for just over $1.8 million. He tore up the PL before being promoted to the low Class A Midwest League, where he continued his torrid hitting. Ervin has a nice, short swing and above-average raw power, and Mustangs manager Pat Kelly believes he?s just scratching the surface with his power potential. His speed is just a touch above-average, but he has a great feel for stealing bases, evidenced by his 12-for-12 success rate with Billings. Ervin played both center and right field this year, and Kelly believes he?s capable of handling all three outfield positions in the big leagues. Some scouts question whether his average arm will play in right, but he increases the effectiveness of his throws by getting good carry.