JUCO LHP Zack Phillips should help Rebs overcome pitcher-heavy draft losses

Zack Phillips received calls on the second day of the MLB First Year Player Draft.

Teams wanted him. The opportunity was there in the top 10 rounds. However, he had a signing bonus number going into the week, and he stuck by that asking price. As the day went without a team meeting that requirement, he 100 percent shifted his attention to Ole Miss to finish his college career.

The left-handed pitcher from Grayson College should be a factor in 2019 for the Rebels, who are coming off SEC West and SEC Tournament titles as well as a devastating loss to Tennessee Tech in the regional final in Oxford. All three weekend starters have signed professional contracts, so there’s opportunity immediately at Ole Miss for Phillips.

“I knew there was a chance to play next year, and that was huge for me,” said Phillips, who committed to the Rebels last October and signed a month later. “You want to help immediately, and it’s a great program that gives a lot of opportunities to make an impact.”

Phillips, a 6-foot-2, 170-pounder originally from Texarkana, Texas, chose Ole Miss over fellow finalist Miami. Ole Miss visited him on a Monday, and he traveled Oxford days later. His second trip was earlier this month for transfer orientation.

“It’s a great place and a great town,” Phillips said. “I move on the 27th of this month, and I want to get to work… I had heard about the great crowds and facilities, and the visits proved that. The trip down there sold it.”

Phillips went 10-1 as a sophomore at Grayson, striking out 77 in 70 innings for the upper-tier JUCO program that finished the season 39-17. He features a fastball from 91-93 MPH that has topped at 94 along with a spike curve and a changeup.

Perfect Game ranked him No. 270 out of draft eligible prospects.

“The goal is to get a little bigger by next year and be more consistent with the changeup,” Phillips said. “I think the changeup needs to be effective at that level.”

Phillips and incoming freshman lefty Kaleb Hill -- the No. 2 overall player in Arkansas -- are the two most likely newcomers to find time in the pitching rotation. The Rebels must replace 51 percent of their pitching innings from 2018.

“His slender frame leads some scouts to believe that he's likely to be a reliever long term, but there is still some projection remaining,” Perfect Game wrote about Phillips. “He has demonstrated very good ability with all three pitches at times, though he has been inconsistent in front of scouts… The Rebels pitching staff will receive a huge boost heading into 2019.”