| Evan Phillips | |
|---|---|
 Phillips at the 2024 championship parade | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 59 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: September 11, 1994 Salisbury, Maryland, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 3, 2018, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 16–12 |
| Earned run average | 3.36 |
| Strikeouts | 291 |
| Saves | 46 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Evan John Phillips (born September 11, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, and Tampa Bay Rays.
Career
[edit]Amateur career
[edit]Phillips attended Clayton High School in Clayton, North Carolina and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 33rd round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign.[1] He attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and played college baseball for the UNC Wilmington Seahawks.[2] In 37 college appearances, he was 6–6 with a 5.07 ERA.[3]
Atlanta Braves
[edit]The Atlanta Braves selected Phillips in the 17th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft[2] and he spent his first professional season with the Danville Braves and Rome Braves,[4] going a combined 2-3 with a 2.73 ERA in 29+2⁄3 total relief innings pitched.[3] In 2016, he pitched for the Carolina Mudcats and Mississippi Braves, pitching to a combined 8-4 record and 3.02 ERA in 43 relief appearances between both teams,[3] and after the season played in the Arizona Fall League for the Salt River Rafters.[3] Phillips played 2017 with Mississippi and the Gwinnett Braves, going a combined 3-4 with a 6.14 ERA in 51.1 total innings pitched,[3] and started 2018 with Gwinnett Stripers.[5]
Phillips was called up by the Braves on June 23, 2018.[6] He returned to the Stripers on June 25, without making a major league appearance.[7] He was recalled on July 2 and made his major league debut the next day.[8][9] In his debut he pitched 2+1⁄3 innings, striking out Kyle Higashioka but yielding a home run.[9][10] In the Braves organization in 2018, he pitched in 31 games for Gwinnett to a 1.99 ERA in 40+2⁄3 innings[3] and in four games for Atlanta, allowing six runs in 6+1⁄3 innings.[1]
Baltimore Orioles
[edit]On July 31, 2018, the Braves traded Phillips, Jean Carlos Encarnacion, Brett Cumberland, Bruce Zimmermann and international signing money to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Kevin Gausman and Darren O'Day.[11] He made five appearances for the Orioles in 2018, allowing 11 earned runs in only 5+1⁄3 innings[1] and eight appearances for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, where he allowed four runs in 10+1⁄3 innings.[3]
Phillips split 2019 between Norfolk and Baltimore, appearing in 25 games for the Orioles (20 runs in 28 innings)[1] and 27 games for the Tides (17 runs in 39+2⁄3 innings.[3] In the pandemic shortened 2020 season, Phillips pitched to a 5.02 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 14+1⁄3 innings pitched in 14 games.[12] On September 30th, he was outrighted off of the 40-man roster but remained with Norfolk.[13]
In 2021, Phillips made 18 appearances for the Tides and had a 5.04 ERA with 35 strikeouts.[3] On August 2, he was released by the Orioles.[14]
Tampa Bay Rays
[edit]On August 3, 2021, Phillips signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays[15] and on August 12, he was called up to the majors.[16] He made his Rays debut on August 13, pitching three innings and giving up one run, while earning his first career save.[1] The following day, he was designated for assignment.[17]
Los Angeles Dodgers
[edit]On August 16, 2021, the Los Angeles Dodgers claimed Phillips off of waivers.[18] He made his debut for the Dodgers three days later, pitching 2+1⁄3 innings in relief against the New York Mets and getting his first win as a Dodger.[19] He pitched in a total of seven games for the Dodgers in 2021, allowing four earned runs in 10+1⁄3 innings.[1] He also pitched three scoreless innings over two games in the 2021 NLCS against the Atlanta Braves, allowing only one hit and two walks while striking out six.[1]
In 2022, Phillips pitched in a team-high 64 games and had a 7–3 record and 1.14 ERA with 77 strikeouts during the season and pitched 3+1⁄3 scoreless innings in the 2022 NLDS.[1] He became the Dodgers closer in 2023[20] and recorded 24 saves in 61+1⁄3 innings over 62 games while posting a 2.05 ERA with 66 strikeouts. Phillips also pitched 2+1⁄3 scoreless innings in the 2023 NLDS.[1]
Phillips and the Dodgers agreed to a $4 million salary for 2024 in salary arbitration.[21] In 2024, Phillips pitched in 61 games and had a 5–1 record and 3.43 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 18 saves.[1] In the postseason, Phillips pitched 6+2⁄3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts across the NLDS and NLCS[1] but suffered an arm injury in the final game of the NLCS, causing him to be left off the 2024 World Series roster.[22] Recovery from the injury also caused him to miss the start of the 2025 season.[23] Phillips made seven scoreless appearances for Los Angeles in 2025, recording six strikeouts and one save across 5+2⁄3 innings.[1] On May 30, 2025, it was announced that he would miss the remainder of the season due to Tommy John surgery.[24] On November 21, the Dodgers did not tender Phillips a contract for 2026, making him a free agent.[25]
On February 11, 2026, Phillips re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year, $6.5 million contract.[26]
Personal life
[edit]Phillips’ father, Joe played baseball at Anne Arundel Community College.[27] In April 2023, Phillips and his wife Elizabeth had their first child, a son.[28]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Evan Phillips Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Best, D. Clay (June 12, 2015). "Clayton's Evan Phillips drafted by Atlanta Braves". The News and Observer. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Evan Phillips Amateur, College & Minor League Statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ "Ex-UNCW Phillips minds his business with Braves". Star News. August 31, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ Marcovitch, Max E. (June 20, 2018). "Phillips enjoying career season in Gwinnett, not dwelling on potential promotion". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ Burns, Gabriel (June 24, 2018). "Evan Phillips 'always believed' he'd be major leaguer". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ McElhaney, Tori (June 27, 2018). "With Folty activated, Phillips back to Triple-A". MLB.com. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ Bowman, Mark (July 2, 2018). "Braves call up Phillips, Reed". MLB.com. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ^ a b Bowman, Mark (July 4, 2018). "Newcomb's struggles too much for Braves". MLB.com. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ^ Bowman, Mark (July 4, 2018). "Braves recall prospect Gohara, option Phillips". MLB.com. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ^ Bowman, Mark (July 31, 2018). "Kevin Gausman, Darren O'Day traded to Braves". MLB.com. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
- ^ "Evan Phillips Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
- ^ "Orioles Outright Evan Phillips". MLB Trade Rumors.
- ^ "Orioles Release Three Players". MLB Trade Rumors.
- ^ "Rays Sign Evan Phillips To Minor League Deal". MLB Trade Rumors.
- ^ "Rays Select Evan Phillips". MLB Trade Rumors. August 12, 2021.
- ^ "Rays Designate Evan Phillips For Assignment, Select Adam Conley". MLB Trade Rumors. August 14, 2021.
- ^ Adams, Steve (August 16, 2021). "Dodgers Claim Evan Phillips". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
- ^ "Dodgers' Evan Phillips: Notches first win". cbssports.com. August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ Kepner, Tyler (June 16, 2023). "A Relief Pitcher's Journey From 'Bulk Guy' to 'Guy' to Star". New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Stephen, Eric (January 11, 2024). "Dodgers sign 10 players to avoid salary arbitration". SB Nation. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Braziller, Zach (October 25, 2024). "Dodgers lose standout reliever Evan Phillips, return two bullpen arms in stunning World Series shakeup". New York Post. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
- ^ Stephen, Eric (March 17, 2025). "Dodgers open season with 11 pitchers on injured list". SB Nation. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
- ^ Franco, Anthony (May 30, 2025). "Evan Phillips To Undergo Tommy John Surgery". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
- ^ Harris, Jack (November 21, 2025). "Dodgers non-tender Evan Phillips, but remain interested in re-signing the reliever". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
- ^ Adams, Steve (February 11, 2026). "Dodgers Re-Sign Evan Phillips, Designate Ben Rortvedt". MLB Trade Rumors.
- ^ Connolly, Dan (March 13, 2019). "The strange, winding tale of a teenage, Ocean City summer romance in 1980 and its connection to an Orioles pitcher". The Athletic. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
- ^ Andaloro, Angela (April 26, 2023). "L.A. Dodgers Pitcher Evan Phillips and Wife Welcome First Baby, Son Beau: 'Beyond Blessed'". People.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from MLB · ESPN · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac
- 1994 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Salisbury, Maryland
- Baseball players from Wicomico County, Maryland
- Major League Baseball pitchers
- Atlanta Braves players
- Baltimore Orioles players
- Tampa Bay Rays players
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- UNC Wilmington Seahawks baseball players
- Rome Braves players
- Danville Braves players
- Carolina Mudcats players
- Mississippi Braves players
- Salt River Rafters players
- Gwinnett Braves players
- Gwinnett Stripers players
- Norfolk Tides players
- Durham Bulls players
- Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players
- Oklahoma City Comets players
