Mariners complete Draft signings with Phillips

June 29th, 2020

SEATTLE -- Connor Phillips, the Mariners' Competitive Balance Round B Draft pick, became Seattle’s final 2020 MLB Draft pick to sign when he completed his agreement with the club on Monday.

The Mariners now have all six of their selections from this month’s Draft under contract.

According to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, the right-hander out of McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, agreed to a $1,050,300 signing bonus, which is the full slot value for the 64th pick in the Draft.

The Mariners acquired the Comp Round B selection from the Brewers, along with Minor League pitcher Adam Hill, in a trade for catcher Omar Narváez last December.

Phillips, 19, is the youngest of Seattle’s Draft picks, as the other five were all college juniors. Phillips made six starts for McLennan CC as a freshman this spring, going 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA in 25 2/3 innings before the season was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. He struck out 27 and walked 15 while limiting opponents to a .152 average (15-for-99).

“We’re excited to add Connor Phillips to the Mariners' organization,” said amateur scouting director Scott Hunter. “At just 19 years of age, he has four pitches, with a fastball up to 98 mph. As he continues to develop, we believe he has a chance to be an impactful pitcher for our organization.”

Phillips was the district MVP and a second-team all-state selection during his senior season in 2019 at Magnolia West High School in Waco, Texas, and turned down an offer to Louisiana State University to pitch for McLennan and remain Draft eligible after one year of community college ball. He was originally selected by the Blue Jays in the 35th round of the 2019 Draft.

While the Mariners have included four of their Draft picks among the 60-player pool invited to the resumption of Spring Training later this week, Phillips and fifth-round selection Taylor Dollard -- a right-hander out of Cal Poly -- are not in that group.

The invited Draft picks are Georgia right-hander Emerson Hancock (first round), Texas A&M outfielder Zach DeLoach (second), Oklahoma State second baseman Kaden Polcovich (third) and Ole Miss third baseman Tyler Keenan (fourth).